NASCAR Xfinity Series: Will the MoneyLion 300 be a tame race?

By Mark Kristl | Apr 26, 2019

TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 28: NASCAR Xfinity Series racing at the 2018 Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

The MoneyLion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway is the second race on a superspeedway this NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Will the race be as tame as the season opener?

A little over two months ago, the NASCAR Xfinity Series season opened, the NASCAR Racing Experience 300, took place at Daytona International Speedway. There were only four caution period, including two for the stage breaks, and much of the race consisted of “follow the leader”. Michael Annett benefited the most, as he earned the first victory of his Xfinity Series career.

Eight races later, the Xfinity Series is set to compete in the second superspeedway race of the season at Talladega Superspeedway. Will this race, the MoneyLion 300, be as tame as the season opened?

Why will there be more aggressive racing in the MoneyLion 300? For starters, none of the drivers who are set to compete in this race have won at Talladega Superspeedway before. For this race, there are three main driver changes in the entry list.

Landon Cassill is set to return to the Xfinity Series driving the #4 JD Motorsports Chevrolet. The team’s primary driver, Ross Chastain, is set to drive the #10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. The other significant driver change is that Brett Moffitt is set to drive the #8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

For Cassill and Moffitt, because of the fact that they are not competing for the championship, will they push their cars harder to capture the victory?

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Six drivers are set to make their Talladega Superspeedway debut in this race, including Moffitt, Brandon Brown, Gray Gaulding, Justin Haley, Matt Mills and Max Tullman. As a result, they are a risk of making rookie mistakes and causing misfortune for the rest of the field.

There is also $100,000 on the line in this race, as it is the third race in the Dash 4 Cash. The four drivers eligible for the $100,000 bonus are Cole Custer, Austin Cindric, Justin Allgaier and Tyler Reddick. Will racing for the $100,000 lead any of these four drivers to take some risks to win the race?

Eight of the 26 races in the 2019 regular season are complete, and the playoff field has largely been set. Ryan Sieg has enjoyed a career-best season thus far, but winning the MoneyLion 300 will officially secure him a playoff berth and set him up for a potential deep playoff run.

Cindric, Haley, Noah Gragson and Brandon Jones are all still seeking their first career Xfinity Series victories as well. Will they be aggressive as the laps wind down? They are all currently above the playoff cut line, so a victory would officially allow them to focus on accruing more playoff points throughout the remainder of the regular season.

Superspeedway races equalize the field, so will a driver below the playoff cut line make some moves to steal a win and make the playoffs? Chastain, Brown and Gaulding are the only three below the playoff cut line but within 100 points of it. All three should chase stage points as well as the victory.

There are other drivers who have competed in every race that has been contested so far this season and would love to win the MoneyLion 300. David Starr earned his career-high Xfinity Series finish of fifth place at a superspeedway, Daytona International Speedway, so he knows how to perform well in this type of race.

For a true underdog story, how cool would it be for one of the B.J. McLeod Motorsports teammates, Vinnie Miller or Matt Mills, to win? These two drivers are good friends, so will they draft together up front? B.J. McLeod Motorsports’ Tommy Joe Martins ran a solid race at Talladega Superspeedway last year.

But to play devil’s advocate, why will the MoneyLion 300 be a tame race?

The race’s stage breaks are set to occur after lap 25 and lap 50. If a driver is struggling with the drivability of his car, he will likely stay in line and not pull any daring moves just to wait for the stage breaks for his crew to make adjustments to the car.

Therefore, the first 50 laps of the race, which is set to be a 113-lap race, could be tame because of the fact that all drivers will have two opportunities to improve their cars.

With the second stage ending after lap 50, the green flag will most likely fly around lap 54 or lap 55. So roughly 60 laps should constitute the final run to the checkered flag. Teams will need to make at least one pit stop during those last 60 laps, so theoretically, the field could get spread out.

Talladega Superspeedway is a large track. It is 2.66 miles (4.281 kilometers) in length with high-banked corners and a 4,000-foot-long back straightaway. If drivers decide to race conservatively, the field could get spread out into several packs. The higher the number of packs, the less likely it is that someone will make a mistake to cause “The Big One”.

Fear of “The Big One” in itself may also cause drivers to race conservatively, not wanting to risk a premature end to their race. It doesn’t pay to lead with 10 laps to go, only when the checkered flag flies.

The season opener at Daytona International Speedway was flat-out boring. For the fans, hopefully the MoneyLion 300 will be a lot more exciting.

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The MoneyLion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 27. The race is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET.

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