Elliott wins the pole at Talladega
Chase Elliott led the single-car qualifying pack to win the pole for Sunday’s Geico 500 pole at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. It was a nice homage to his father, Bill Elliott, who set the all-time NASCAR qualifying record of 212.809 mph on the same track on April 30, 1987, to capture the Winston 500 pole.
Chase Elliott’s qualifying speed of 192.424 mph is reflective of an evolving NASCAR business model with a premium on safety at the expense of speed. Not long after Bill Elliott’s record-run, NASCAR mandated restrictor plates at its superspeedways in Talladega and Daytona.
The connective tissue to NASCAR’s past greats did not stop there. Chase Elliott will drive No. 24. Austin Dillon will be second, driving the No. 3 car. It’s a throwback move to the days of Jeff Gordon (24) and Dale Earnhardt Sr. (3). Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start third.
It is Elliott’s fifth top-10 start this season. He stands 11th in the Cup standings. Chevy has the top three qualifying positions. — George Diaz
Elliott Sadler was declared winner of the Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama after a NASCAR review to determine who was out front when a caution froze the field in overtime.
Sadler was chasing leader Joey Logano on the final lap when Logano tried to block Sadler’s attempt at a pass for the victory. Logano went high for a block, then low, but Sadler spun him during the rapid lane changing. Logano’s car turned into the wall and the resulting crash brought out the yellow flag.
Brennan Poole crossed the finish line first, and thought he’d earned his first career Xfinity Series race. NASCAR ruled Sadler was the leader when the race officially ended. Poole dropped to third.
Formula One leader Nico Rosberg took the pole position for the Russian Grand Prix while teammate Lewis Hamilton was 10th after a car failure ended his qualifying session at Sochi, Russia. Rosberg and Hamilton traded fastest times in the first two sessions, but their contest ended abruptly when Mercedes said Hamilton had a repeat of the power-unit problem that left him at the back of the grid for the last race in China.