Justin Haley started from the pole by way of random draw in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Unhinged 300 at Talladega Superspeedway, and he did something that is very rare at the 2.66-mile superspeedway — he stayed out front.
Haley endured a dangling antenna from the ceiling of the interior of his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Camaro and he even had some tire smoke coming into the cockpit toward the end of the Stage. But it didn’t stop him from taking the Stage 1 win.
Anthony Alfredo, who has impressed in a part-time schedule with Richard Childress Racing in 2020, was runner-up in Stage 1.
Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain and Brandon Jones finished third through fifth.
Austin Cindric, Harrison Burton, Brett Moffitt, Gray Gaulding and Michael Annett rounded out the top-10 finishers and also scored Stage points.
Ryan Sieg, who started from the third position, had a tire come apart. As Sieg struggled around the track and had to pit for repairs, he dropped eight laps off the pace.
Stage and Playoff Points Awarded in Stage 1:
| Finish | Driver | Stage Points | Playoff Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Haley | 10 | 1 |
| 2 | Anthony Alfredo | 9 | 0 |
| 3 | Chase Briscoe | 8 | 0 |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | 7 | 0 |
| 5 | Brandon Jones | 6 | 0 |
| 6 | Austin Cindric | 5 | 0 |
| 7 | Harrison Burton | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | Brett Moffitt (i) | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Gray Gaulding (i) | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Michael Annett | 1 | 0 |
(i) indicates driver ineligible for NASCAR Xfinity Series driver points.
