Entry List

The official 2021 Sparks 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series entry list features top NASCAR drivers set to compete at Talladega Superspeedway, highlighting the full lineup of race participants and teams.

Sparks 300

Saturday, October 2nd, 2021

Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, AL

  • 28 Chevrolet
  • 9 Toyota
  • 3 Ford

  • Talladega Superspeedway
  • Sparks 300
  • Pole Winner: Justin Allgaier
  • Age: 35
  • Team: No. 7 - Brandt Chevrolet
  • Owner: JR Motorsports
  • Crew Chief: Jason Burdett
  • Start positions set by NASCAR's Performance Metrics Qualifying (PMQ).
  • Justin Allgaier won the Pole Award for the Sparks 300 by having the highest total PMQ.
  • PMQ is a total number calculated on four performance metrics from the previous race:
  • 15% of the driver's fastest lap time position.
  • 25% of the driver's final race finish position.
  • 25% of the owner's final race position.
  • 35% of the Owner Points position.

  • Saturday, October 2nd, 2021
  • NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer
As darkness falls on Talladega, Brandon Brown gets breakthrough NASCAR Xfinity win

As he crossed the finish line under caution on a dark race track, Brandon Brown surrendered to the emotion of his first victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. "Thank God," Brown exulted. "We did it. We did it. We won!"

On a day of unexpected victories at Talladega Superspeedway—a track where the unexpected sometimes seems commonplace—Brown had a narrow lead three-wide with Justin Allgaier and Brandon Jones at the previous scoring loop when NASCAR called the fifth caution of the race on Lap 102 for a multicar wreck in Turn 4.

With darkness preventing the resumption of the race, NASCAR showed the checkered flag to Brown under yellow on Lap 107 of a scheduled 113, with Jones credited with second and Allgaier third.

Brown's excitement hadn't abated one iota by the time he got to Victory Lane.

"You can ask my neighbors at Coastal Carolina, I did plenty of burnouts to practice for this moment," said Brown, who drives for his family-owned team, Brandonbilt Motorsports. "Oh, my god. It's a dream come true. A Talladega winner. Oh my god, Dad, we did it!

"This is everything we hoped and dreamed for. Everything I've ever wanted to do is take the trophy home to Mom and Dad. Oh, my god. Thank you so much Larry's Lemonaid…all of our partners. It's unbelievable."

Brown was a keen student of the action during the first two stages of the race, won by John Hunter Nemechek and Blaine Perkins. He noticed major changes in momentum between the top and bottom lanes at the 2.66-mile track.

"Everything shifted top to bottom so much, it was like, 'OK, let's just stay patient where we're at and hope for the best'," Brown said. "We saw our moment and we seized it. God, I'm just so proud of Brandonbilt Motorsports and so proud of our team, here and at home and everyone that worked on our team since the beginning.

"We did it. We did it. We did it."

Brown, Jones and Allgaier were trading the lead three-wide when the No. 20 Toyota of Harrison Burton broke loose in Turn 4 and ignited an eight-car crash that slowed the race for the final time.

Daniel Hemric finished fourth, followed by Jordan Anderson, Justin Haley, Jeb Burton and defending series champion Austin Cindric, who clinched a spot in the Round of 8 in the Xfinity Playoff with an insurmountable points edge over ninth-place Jeb Burton.

On the final lap of the first stage, the cars of Sam Mayer and regular-season champion AJ Allmendinger collided in Turn 3, demolishing both vehicles. The No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Mayer slammed the outside wall so heavily that NASCAR had to red-flag the race for repairs to the SAFER barrier.

Allmendinger took a heavy hit in the points, but he's still 33 above the cut line heading to next Saturday's Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte Roval, a track where he is expected to excel.v"That's why you work so hard during the regular season to build up bonus points," Allmendinger said after a trip to the infield care center. "We'll see where it puts us going into the Roval. It's a minor setback in a great year."

If Allmendinger's setback was minor, the hit Noah Gragson suffered in a Lap 88 wreck was a major one. Gragson was running at the front of the field in the inside lane when slight contact from Jeb Burton's Chevrolet to the left rear of Brett Moffitt's Camaro—after Moffitt's car had gotten loose—triggered the first major wreck of the event.

Moffitt's Chevy slid down the track into Gragson's No. 9 Camaro, which rocketed nose-first into the outside wall. As Gragson slipped back down the track, Myatt Snider—with nowhere to go—plowed into the rear of Gragson's car.

Like Allmendinger, Gragson suffered a significant blow in the standings but remained 18 points above the current cut line for the Round of 8.

"The 02 (Moffitt) just got turned by the 10 (Burton), and I got it head-on and got cleaned out by the 2 (Snider)," Gragson said. "So, just a bummer. We had a fast car."

Brown's victory was the nightcap—literally—of a Playoff doubleheader with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Earlier on Saturday, Tate Fogleman secured his first Truck Series win in the Chevrolet Silverado 250.

  • Drivers Entered: 40 (2 drivers will not make the race)
  • Laps Scheduled: 113
  • Laps Actual: 107 - Race Shortened
  • Margin of Victory: Under Caution Seconds
  • Time of Race: 2 Hours 4 Minutes 55 Seconds
  • Average Speed: 128.486
  • Cautions: 5 for 21 laps
  • Lead Changes: 33
  • Green Flag Passes: 5,834 (67.8 passes per green flag lap)

  • Talladega Superspeedway
  • 2nd Annual Sparks 300 at Talladega
  • Race Winner: Brandon Brown
  • Age: 28
  • Team : No. 68 - Original Larry's Hard Lemonade Chevrolet
  • Owner: Jerry Brown
  • Crew Chief: Doug Randolph
  • Brandon Brown won the 2nd Annual Sparks 300 at Talladega, his first victory in 115 Xfinity Series races.
  • This is his first victory and ninth top-10 finish in 2021.
  • This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in six races at Talladega Superspeedway.
  • Brandon Jones (second) posted his third top-10 finish in nine races at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his 15th top-10 finish in 2021.
  • Justin Allgaier (third) posted his seventh top-10 finish in 14 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
  • Josh Berry (ninth) was the highest finishing rookie.
  • Austin Cindric leads the point standings by 22 points over Justin Allgaier.
Jeb Burton celebrates in victory
Talladega, Alabama - April 24, 2021 : Jeb Burton, driver of the #10 LS Tractors Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 24, 2021 in Talladega, Alabama.
Sean GardnerGetty Images
Sparks 300 at Talladega Superspeedway Entry List
ENTRY # DRIVER HOMETOWN DOB AGE MAKE SPONSOR TEAM CREW CHIEF
1 16 AJ Allmendinger Los Gatos, CA Dec 16, 1981 39 Chevrolet Gold Fish Casino Slots Kaulig Racing Jason Trinchere
2 199 JJ Yeley Phoenix, AZ Oct 5, 1976 44 Chevrolet Figgers Wireless BJ McLeod Motorsports Keith Wolfe
3 104 Landon Cassill Cedar Rapids, IA Jul 7, 1989 32 Chevrolet Voyager JD Motorsports Tommy Machek
4 61 David Starr Houston, TX Nov 11, 1967 53 Toyota Whataburger Hattori Racing Enterprises Johnny Roten
5 66 Jason A White Richmond, VA Jun 5, 1979 42 Toyota A Game Energy Drink Motorsports Business Management Michael Contarino
6 7 Justin Allgaier Riverton, IL Jun 6, 1986 35 Chevrolet Brandt JR Motorsports Jason Burdett
7 02 Brett Moffitt Grimes, IA Aug 7, 1992 29 Chevrolet Fr8Auction Our Motorsports Pat Tryson
8 52 Joey Gase Cedar Rapids, IA Feb 8, 1993 28 Toyota Sparks Energy / Cross Eyed Owl Means Motorsports Tim Brown
9 10 Jeb Burton Halifax, VA Aug 6, 1992 29 Chevrolet Nutrien Ag Solutions Kaulig Racing Bruce Schlicker
10 0 Jeffrey Earnhardt Mooresville, NC Jun 22, 1989 32 Chevrolet Absaroka JD Motorsports Paul Clapprood
11 39 Ryan Sieg Tucker, GA Jun 20, 1987 34 Ford CMR Construction and Roofing / A-Game RSS Racing Kevin Starland
12 47 Kyle Weatherman Wentzville, MO Aug 28, 1997 24 Chevrolet BowhuntersUnited.com Mike Harmon Racing Mike Tyska
13 18 Daniel Hemric Kannapolis, NC Jan 27, 1991 30 Toyota Poppy Bank Joe Gibbs Racing Dave Rogers
14 17 Garrett Smithley Ligonier, PA Apr 27, 1992 29 Chevrolet Black Draft Farm SS Green Light Racing Jason Miller
15 15 Bayley Currey Driftwood, TX Oct 29, 1996 24 Chevrolet TeamJDMotorsports.com JD Motorsports Wayne Carroll Jr
16 11 Justin Haley Winamac, IN Apr 28, 1999 22 Chevrolet LeafFilter Gutter Protection Kaulig Racing Alex Yontz
17 54 John Hunter Nemechek Mooresville, NC Jun 11, 1997 24 Toyota Sport Clips Haircuts Joe Gibbs Racing Chris Gayle
18 36 Alex Labbe Saint-Albert, Canada Apr 29, 1993 28 Chevrolet Can-Am DGM Racing Mario Gosselin
19 22 Austin Cindric Columbus, OH Sep 2, 1998 23 Ford Carquest Auto Parts Team Penske Brian Wilson
20 68 Brandon Brown Woodbridge, VA Sep 14, 1993 28 Chevrolet The Original Larry's Hard Lemonade Brandonbilt Motorsports Doug Randolph
21 19 Brandon Jones Atlanta, GA Feb 18, 1997 24 Toyota Menards / Little Hugs Joe Gibbs Racing Jeff Meendering
22 90 Caesar Bacarella Parkland, FL Dec 18, 1975 45 Chevrolet AP Regimen / AP PrimeBites DGM Racing Ryan London
23 74 CJ McLaughlin Framingham, MA Jul 1, 1992 29 Chevrolet Integrated Recycling Tech Mike Harmon Racing Ryan Bell
24 20 Harrison Burton Huntersville, NC Oct 9, 2000 20 Toyota DEX Imaging Joe Gibbs Racing Jason Ratcliff
25 51 Jeremy Clements Spartanburg, SC Jan 16, 1985 36 Chevrolet All South Electric Jeremy Clements Racing Mark Setzer
26 07 Joe Graf Jr Mahwah, NJ Jul 12, 1998 23 Chevrolet Bucked Up Energy SS Green Light Racing Joe Williams
27 92 Josh Williams Port Charlotte, FL Aug 3, 1993 28 Chevrolet Star Brite / Star Tron DGM Racing Nathan Kennedy
28 105 Matt Mills Lynchburg, VA Nov 14, 1996 24 Chevrolet JF Electric BJ McLeod Motorsports David Ingram
29 2 Myatt Snider Charlotte, NC Dec 30, 1994 26 Chevrolet TaxSlayer Richard Childress Racing Andy Street
30 9 Noah Gragson Las Vegas, NV Jul 15, 1998 23 Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / BRCC JR Motorsports Dave Elenz
31 98 Riley Herbst Las Vegas, NV Feb 24, 1999 22 Ford Monster Energy Stewart-Haas Racing Richard Boswell
32 44 Tommy Joe Martins Como, MS Dec 7, 1986 34 Chevrolet AAN Adjusters Martins Motorsports Dan Stillman
33 178 Mason Massey Douglasville, GA Jan 24, 1997 24 Toyota Gerber Collision & Glass BJ McLeod Motorsports Adam Brooks
34 48 Jade Buford Brentwood, TN Feb 15, 1988 33 Chevrolet Big Machine Spiked Coolers Big Machine Racing Patrick Donahue
35 106 Ryan Vargas La Miranda, CA Sep 23, 2000 21 Chevrolet TeamJDMotorsports.com JD Motorsports Kase Kallenbach
36 31 Jordan Anderson Forest Acres, SC Apr 15, 1991 30 Chevrolet Bommarito Automotive Group Jordan Anderson Racing Arthur Haire
37 1 Josh Berry Hendersonville, TN Oct 22, 1990 30 Chevrolet TMC Transportation JR Motorsports Mike Bumgarner
38 26 Santino Ferrucci Woodbury, CT May 31, 1998 23 Toyota HyVee Sam Hunt Racing Andrew Abbott
39 23 Blaine Perkins Bakersfield, CA Feb 28, 2000 21 Chevrolet Circle B Diecast Our Motorsports Kenneth Roettger
40 8 Sam Mayer Franklin, WI Jun 26, 2003 18 Chevrolet QPS Employment Group JR Motorsports Taylor Moyer