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NASCAR Xfinity Series at Talladega (spring race)

(Redirected from Sparks Energy 300)
This article is about the race formerly called the Aaron's 312 held in Talladega. For the race formerly called the Aaron's 312 held in Atlanta, see Nalley Cars 250.

Stock car races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series has been held at Talladega Superspeedway since 1992, currently as companion to NASCAR Cup Series' GEICO 500. The 300-mile (480 km) spring race is currently known as Ag-Pro 300 for sponsorship reasons.

Ag-Pro 300
NASCAR Xfinity Series
VenueTalladega Superspeedway
LocationTalladega, Alabama, United States
Corporate sponsorAg-Pro[1]
First race1992 (1992)
Distance300.58 miles (483.74 km)
Laps113
Stages 1/2: 25 each
Final stage: 63
Previous namesFram Filter 500K (1992–1994)
Humminbird Fishfinder 500K (1995–1996)
Birmingham Auto Dealers 500K (1997)
Touchstone Energy 300 (1998–2000)
Subway 300 (2001)
Aaron's 312 at Talladega (2002)
Aaron's 312 (2003–2014)
Winn-Dixie 300 (2015)
Sparks Energy 300 (2016–2018)
MoneyLion 300 (2019)[2]
Unhinged 300 (2020)[3]
Most wins (driver)Martin Truex Jr. (3)
Most wins (team)Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Joe Gibbs Racing (5)
Most wins (manufacturer)Chevrolet (21)
Circuit information
SurfaceAsphalt
Length2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Turns4

From its inception in 1992 through 1996, the race was held in the summer, as a support race to the Alabama 500. When that race moved to the fall, this race moved to the spring as a support race to the corresponding Cup race. The fall Talladega date regained a companion second-tier date from 2020 (originally due to COVID-19 rescheduling) to 2022, and again in 2024.

Large wrecks involving 20 or more cars have occurred a number of times in the history of the event, most notably in 2002, when 31 cars were involved in an accident on the backstretch on lap 14, with 19 of them knocked out at that point. The remainder of the race, following a long red-flag period, had little resemblance to typical restrictor plate racing as only two cars were within short distance at the checkered flag and only three finished on the lead lap.

Unique race distance

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At its inception, the event debuted as a 117-lap, 500.86-kilometer (311.22 mi) event, the longest race on the Busch Series schedule. Automobile races in the United States measured in kilometers, especially those in NASCAR, are few. Through their history, ARCA races held at the track carried the more attractive and marketable "500" distance, even if it meant "500 kilometers" instead of miles (a custom also used at Riverside and Phoenix). The Busch Series race mimicked that precedent.

In 1998, fans complained about the use of kilometers, which was seen as a European custom. They argued that kilometers are rarely used in the United States, noting that the track measurement itself was still advertised in miles. Management changed the race to a 300-mile (480 km) event from 1998 to 2001. The change shortened the race distance by just four laps.

In 2002, Aaron's assumed title sponsorship and returned the race to a 312-mile (≈500 kilometer) event. The race distance is only coincidental to that of 1992–1997. The distance, advertised unequivocally in miles this time, was set to reflect the sponsor's slogan ("3 ways to buy, 12 reasons to shop at Aaron's"). In 2015, the race returned to 300 miles.

Notable races

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  • 1993: The race lead changed 24 times at the stripe and several other times elsewhere as Dale Earnhardt battled Ernie Irvan and others. In the final laps Michael Waltrip squeezed ahead of Earnhardt but fell to second; Irvan led a three-car draft from several seconds back to challenge for the win, but on the final lap was hit by Tracy Leslie and flew twenty feet off the ground before landing on all four wheels; Earnhardt chopped off Leslie in Turn Three and Randy LaJoie stormed three wide to finish second.
  • 1994: The lead changed 30 times and was interrupted by only two cautions, none for any kind of accident, as Ken Schrader and Terry Labonte rocketed to the 1–2 finish with two laps to go.
  • 1995: Ward Burton and Randy LaJoie both went for wild rides in separate accidents. LaJoie's crash came when he was driving in relief of Tommy Houston; with eight laps to go Jeff Fuller spun out of fourth and LaJoie slid sideways then got launched into a tumble; behind them Robbie Reiser hit the wall, plowed through another car's nose and his throttle stuck open, sending him into a savage crash into the pit wall.
  • 1996: In the final laps, amid a 20-car battle behind leader Greg Sacks, Todd Bodine was tagged, flew into the air, landed on his wheels, and pounded the inside wall. Sacks held on for the win, his first in NASCAR since 1985.
  • 1999: Terry Labonte and Joe Nemechek got into a last-lap drag race and crossed the finish line nose to nose. It took nearly three minutes of examining the photo-finish video before NASCAR declared that Labonte had edged Nemecheck by inches at the stripe. It was Labonte's final Busch series win.
  • 2001: Mike McLaughlin scores a surprising victory in the unsponsored #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac. McLaughlin won the race controversially, however, as he swerved his car below the yellow line to block other cars. The move drew the ire of veteran Jimmy Spencer, and NASCAR subsequently declared the double yellow line at Daytona and Talladega an out-of-bounds area.
  • 2002: In the largest Big One in the Modern Era of NASCAR, Johnny Sauter flipped halfway down the backstretch and sparked a thirty one-car melee on lap 14 including Greg Biffle, Shane Hmiel, Randy LaJoie, Joe Nemechek, Mike McLaughlin, Jay Sauter, Scott Riggs, and others. Jason Keller, Stacy Compton, and Kenny Wallace and a few drivers behind the wreck did not get damage. Michael Waltrip had a save close to colliding. On lap 46, Stacy Compton's decal ripped off his hood and got stuck at the base of the windshield, leaving a blank hood. With 8 laps to go, Kenny Wallace blew an engine and finished 9th, leaving three cars on the lead lap and two in contention to win. Jason Keller won the race, Stacy Compton came in second, and supposed start and park Tim Fedewa (driving a second car for Biagi Brothers Racing, whose main driver Mike Wallace was involved in the big one) came in third, half a lap down.
  • 2004: NASCAR mandated the roof blade aerodynamic package for the Busch Series cars, the return of this package since it was run in Winston Cup in 2001. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. cars finished 1-2 as Martin Truex Jr. led the last 23 laps. A seven-car crash erupted in Turn One with two to go, ending the racing under yellow. The lead changed 21 times.
  • 2005: Rain forced the race to start later than schedules, at 4:30 p.m., and the first pileup occurred on lap 17 when Mike Wallace and Casey Mears got together in front of the entire pack heading towards turn 1 and leaving the track blocked for everyone behind them. The wreck involved Kyle Busch, points leader entering the day Carl Edwards, Michael Waltrip, Kenny Wallace, J. J. Yeley, Shane Hmiel, eventual winner Martin Truex Jr., and others. A second rain delay occurred on lap 64, leaving the hopes of getting in the entire race in jeopardy. On lap 83, the 2nd pileup occurred when the 87 of Joe Nemechek came across the 20 of Denny Hamlin and Mears, sending Mears on to his roof, collecting several cars. The second-place point man Clint Bowyer was caught in three separate incidents, but still finished 19th. By race end, only 23 of the 43 cars finished the race, with 16 on the lead lap. The race ended at 8:20 P.M., with the track in near-darkness. It was the first race in NASCAR's second-tier series to have aired on broadcast network television in prime-time, as the final 20 minutes of the Fox NASCAR broadcast entered prime-time television.
  • 2007: The lead changed hands 36 times, a record that stood until 2011. Casey Mears led 22 laps until Tony Stewart grabbed the lead with two to go, but then Bobby Labonte drafted past for the win on the final lap.
  • 2009: The lead changed 33 times among 15 drivers. Matt Kenseth flipped over during the race. In a near-photo finish David Ragan rocketed from fourth in the final mile as leaders Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. got together and Ragan squeezed to the win on the high side.
  • 2010: Due to a rain delay, this race was double-headed with the Sprint Cup race earlier in the day. Due to that race extended twelve laps due to three green-white-checker finish attempts (another first), there was only a half-hour break for drivers doing the doubleheader. Many drivers hence ended up doing over 840 miles of racing (combining the overall distances that the Sprint Cup and Nationwide races went). In a wild finish, Brad Keselowski stormed from the middle line of a three-abreast battle for the win, overtaking Sprint Cup race winner Kevin Harvick, while behind him, the Sprint Cup race's second-place finisher Jamie McMurray got spun out and Dennis Setzer flew into the catch fence in turn 4, in the spot where a nine car crash happened in the Sprint Cup race on lap 189. Carl Edwards also suffered from a crash in the early part of the event. Combined, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide races saw 121 lead changes (88 in the Sprint Cup, 33 in the Nationwide race).
  • 2011: Points leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hit the wall and caused a red flag, then on Lap 88 Michael Waltrip got turned into the backstretch wall by Jamie McMurray, who was attempting to draft pole sitter Elliott Sadler. The wreck ended up taking out sixteen cars and bringing out another red flag. Kyle Busch and Joey Logano finished 1-2 while Mike Wallace got blasted by Sadler and flipped on his roof once, crossing the finish line in 17th. The race also broke the record of the most lead changes in Nationwide Series history with 56.
  • 2013: NASCAR's new Air Titan track-drying system was able to dry the entire track in three hours despite heavy persistent rain. The first half saw over 20 lead changes and only two yellow flags. After a ten-car crash erupted with 25 scheduled laps to go, NASCAR decided to cut 10 laps off the distance to 107 due to incoming darkness. The race restarted on Lap 101 and seven laps to go but another yellow with two to go flew. Despite protests from drivers about pending darkness NASCAR set up one lone attempt at a Green-White-Checkered finish. The race restarted with 108 laps completed, and Regan Smith rocketed from outside the top six into a three-abreast pass on Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne; a huge wreck in the tri-oval erupted coming to get the checkered flag and it took NASCAR a few minutes to decide the winner due to the caution, thinking Kasey Kahne won in a three-wide finish at the line. The tape showed Smith ahead at the moment of caution, and was declared the winner, coming just 7 laps short of the scheduled 117 lap distance. The lead changed 47 times among 16 drivers.
  • 2014: For 2014 NASCAR announced it would ban any form of push-drafting in the corners of restrictor plate races. The lead changed 27 times as Elliott Sadler, in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, led 40 laps; Chris Buescher edged ahead of him at the white flag but Sadler drafted to the win on the final lap, his first in the Nationwide Series since 2012 and first with JGR. Daytona winner, Regan Smith, led 20 laps en route to a close third.
  • 2020: A second race in October called the Ag-Pro 300 was added to the schedule in support of the YellaWood 500.[4] It marked the first time that the Xfinity Series raced at Talladega in the fall.[5] Justin Haley got his 3rd straight restrictor-plate track win, joining Dale Earnhardt Jr. in that regard.
  • 2023: The race featured two flips. The first one was from Blaine Perkins. Perkins got hooked by a spinning Dexter Stacey and his car turned right and got hit by Jade Buford. Buford lifted Perkins' car up in the air and flipped over and tumbled violently down the backstretch six times before coming to a rest on its wheels. During the wreck, Kaz Grala hit one of Perkins' wheels as he went to avoid the wreck. Perkins walked out of his car under his own power but was transported to a hospital for further evaluation.[6] The second flip was from Daniel Hemric. Hemric was leading in the closing laps of the race when he went down to block Sheldon Creed but misjudged it and got turned by Creed triggering the big one. Hemric's car got ramped up by Riley Herbst and his car rode along the turn 3 and 4 wall while also taking out the turn four camera in the process before his car flipped and came to a rest onto its roof. Hemric climbed out uninjured. Jeb Burton would win his second career Xfinity Series race and his second at this track while also scoring the first win for owner Jordan Anderson.[7]

Past winners

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Year Date No. Driver Team Manufacturer Race distance Race time Average speed
(mph) 		Ref
Laps Miles (km)
1992 July 25 4 Ernie Irvan Ernie Irvan Chevrolet 117 311.22 (500.86) 1:57:55 158.359 [8]
1993 July 24 3 Dale Earnhardt Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 117 311.22 (500.86) 2:07:12 146.801 [9]
1994 July 23 52 Ken Schrader Ken Schrader Chevrolet 117 311.22 (500.86) 1:51:30 167.473 [10]
1995 July 22 23 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Ford 117 311.22 (500.86) 2:31:56 122.904 [11]
1996 July 27 29 Greg Sacks Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 117 311.22 (500.86) 2:13:55 139.438 [12]
1997 April 26 60 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 117 311.22 (500.86) 1:50:32 168.937 [13]
1998 April 25 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 113 300.58 (483.736) 2:32:35 118.196 [14]
1999 April 24 33 Terry Labonte Labonte Motorsports Chevrolet 113 300.58 (483.736) 1:59:36 150.793 [15]
2000 April 15 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 113 300.58 (483.736) 1:57:13 153.859 [16]
2001 April 21 20 Mike McLaughlin Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 113 300.58 (483.736) 2:17:24 131.258 [17]
2002 April 20 57 Jason Keller ppc Racing Ford 117 311.22 (500.86) 1:58:25 157.691 [18]
2003 April 5 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chance 2 Motorsports Chevrolet 117 311.22 (500.86) 2:11:43 114.768 [19]
2004 April 24 8 Martin Truex Jr. Chance 2 Motorsports Chevrolet 117 311.22 (500.86) 2:16:31 136.783 [20]
2005 April 30 8 Martin Truex Jr. Chance 2 Motorsports Chevrolet 120* 319.2 (513.702) 2:36:50 122.117 [21]
2006 April 29 8 Martin Truex Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 117 311.22 (500.86) 2:04:40 149.785 [22]
2007 April 28 77 Bobby Labonte Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet 120* 319.2 (513.702) 2:23:46 133.216 [23]
2008 April 26 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 117 311.22 (500.86) 2:20:17 133.111 [24]
2009 April 25 6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 120* 319.2 (513.702) 2:08:32 149.004 [25]
2010 April 25* 22 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 120* 319.2 (513.702) 2:01:30 157.63 [26]
2011 April 16 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 124* 329.84 (530.826) 2:36:18 126.618 [27]
2012 May 5 18 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 122* 324.52 (522.264) 2:22:54 136.258 [28]
2013 May 4 7 Regan Smith JR Motorsports Chevrolet 110* 292.6 (470.894) 2:11:44 133.269 [29]
2014 May 3 11 Elliott Sadler Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 117 311.22 (500.86) 2:22:18 131.224 [30]
2015 May 2 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 113 300.58 (483.736) 2:22:07 126.901 [31]
2016 April 30 1 Elliott Sadler* JR Motorsports Chevrolet 116* 308.56 (496.579) 2:19:45 132.477 [32]
2017 May 6 98 Aric Almirola Biagi-DenBeste Racing Ford 113 300.58 (483.736) 2:09:41 139.068 [33]
2018 April 28 23 Spencer Gallagher GMS Racing Chevrolet 115* 305.9 (492.298) 2:17:44 133.258 [34]
2019 April 27 2 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 113 300.58 (483.736) 2:22:02 126.976 [35]
2020 June 20* 11 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 113 300.58 (483.736) 2:12:22 136.249 [36]
2021 April 24 10 Jeb Burton Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 90* 239.4 (385.276) 1:43:13 139.164 [37]
2022 April 23 9 Noah Gragson JR Motorsports Chevrolet 124* 329.84 (530.825) 2:40:52 123.024 [38]
2023 April 22 27 Jeb Burton Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet 121* 321.86 (517.982) 3:00:33 106.96 [39]
2024 April 20 2 Jesse Love Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 124* 329.84 (530.825) 2:30:42 131.323 [40]
  • 2005, 2007, 2009–2013, 2016, 2018, 2022–2024: Races extended due to NASCAR overtime finishes.
  • 2010: Race postponed from Saturday to Sunday due to rain.
  • 2013: Race postponed same day due to rain; shortened to 107 laps due to darkness; extended to lap 110 due to NASCAR overtime.
  • 2020: Race postponed from April 25 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 2021: Race shortened due to rain.

Multiple winners (drivers)

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# Wins Driver Years won
3 Martin Truex Jr. 2004-2006
2 Joe Nemechek 1998, 2000
Joey Logano 2012, 2015
Elliott Sadler 2014, 2016
Jeb Burton 2021, 2023

Multiple winners (teams)

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# Wins Team Years won
5 Dale Earnhardt, Inc./Chance 2 1993, 2003-2006
Joe Gibbs Racing 2001, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014
3 JR Motorsports 2013, 2016, 2022
2 Roush Fenway Racing 1997, 2009
NEMCO Motorsports 1998, 2000
Team Penske 2010, 2015
Kaulig Racing 2020, 2021
Richard Childress Racing 2019, 2024

Manufacturer wins

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# Wins Make Years won
21 United States  Chevrolet 1992–1994, 1996, 1998–2000, 2003–2007, 2013, 2016, 2018–2024
6 United States  Ford 1995, 1997, 2002, 2009, 2015, 2017
4 Japan  Toyota 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014
1 United States  Pontiac 2001
United States  Dodge 2010

References

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  1. ^ "Ag-Pro Expands Partnership with Talladega Superspeedway with Ag-Pro 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series Race, set for Saturday, April 24". Talladega Superspeedway (Press release). March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  2. ^ Page, Scott (January 22, 2019). "MoneyLion to sponsor Talladega XFINITY race". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  3. ^ "Solstice Studios' Thriller Unhinged Joins TSS as Entitlement Partner for June 20 Xfinity Series Race". Talladega Superspeedway (Press release). June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  4. ^ "Ag-Pro Joins Talladega's NASCAR Playoffs Weekend as Entitlement Partner for New NASCAR Xfinity Series Race". Talladega Superspeedway (Press release). September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Albrecht, Peter (August 6, 2020). "Talladega fall weekend adds Xfinity race". WKRG-TV. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  6. ^ "NASCAR: Blaine Perkins hospitalized after car flips six times in wild Xfinity Series wreck at Talladega". Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  7. ^ "Jeb Burton scores second career Xfinity win at Talladega". NASCAR. April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  8. ^ "1992 Fram Filter 500K". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  9. ^ "1993 Fram Filter 500K". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  10. ^ "1994 Fram Filter 500K". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  11. ^ "1995 Humminbird Fishfinder 500K". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  12. ^ "1996 Humminbird Fishfinder 500K". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  13. ^ "1997 Birmingham Auto Dealers Easycare 500K". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  14. ^ "1998 Touchstone Energy 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  15. ^ "1999 Touchstone Energy 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  16. ^ "2000 Touchstone Energy 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  17. ^ "2001 NASCAR Subway 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  18. ^ "2002 Aaron's 312 at Talladega". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  19. ^ "2003 Aaron's 312". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  20. ^ "2004 Aaron's 312". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  21. ^ "2005 Aaron's 312". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  22. ^ "2006 Aaron's 312". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  23. ^ "2007 Aaron's 312". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  24. ^ "2008 Aaron's 312". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  25. ^ "2009 Aaron's 312". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  26. ^ "2010 Aaron's 312". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  27. ^ "2011 Aaron's 312". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  28. ^ "2012 Aaron's 312". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  29. ^ "2013 Aaron's 312". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  30. ^ "2014 Aaron's 312". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  31. ^ "2015 Winn-Dixie 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  32. ^ "2016 Sparks Energy 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  33. ^ "2017 Sparks Energy 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  34. ^ "2018 Sparks Energy 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  35. ^ "2019 Money Lion 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  36. ^ "2020 Unhinged 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  37. ^ "2021 Ag-Pro 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  38. ^ "2022 Ag-Pro 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  39. ^ "2023 Ag-Pro 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  40. ^ "2024 Ag-Pro 300". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
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