The 2010 Aaron's 312 was a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. The race was a double-header to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that took place earlier on the same day due to rain that occurred the day before. The race was the 8th of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. Kevin Harvick won the pole and led the most laps but the race was won by Brad Keselowski who made a last lap pass after a spectacular last lap crash.[2]

2010 Aaron's 312
Race details[1]
Map of Speedway
Map of Speedway
Date April 25, 2010 (2010-04-25)
Official name 2010 Aaron's 312
Location Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama
Course Permanent racing facility
2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Distance 120 laps, 319 mi (513.381 km)
Scheduled Distance 117 laps, 311.2 mi (500.83 km)
Weather Partly Cloudy
Average speed 157.630 mph (253.681 km/h)
Attendance 71,500
Pole position
Driver Kevin Harvick Inc.
Time 51.106
Most laps led
Driver Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Inc.
Laps 51
Winner
No. 22 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN2
Announcers Marty Reid, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree

Background

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Talladega Superspeedway, the race track where the race was held.

The track, Talladega Superspeedway, is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the others being Daytona International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway.[3] The standard track at the speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.66 miles (4.28 km) long.[4] The track's turns are banked at thirty-three degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 16.5 degrees. The back stretch has a two-degree banking.[4] Talladega Superspeedway can seat up to 143,231 people.[5]

Entry List

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver
# Driver Team Make
0 Chrissy Wallace JD Motorsports Chevrolet
01 Mike Wallace JD Motorsports Chevrolet
1 James Buescher (R) Phoenix Racing Chevrolet
04 Jeremy Clements JD Motorsports Chevrolet
05 Willie Allen Day Enterprise Racing Chevrolet
6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (R) Roush Fenway Racing Ford
7 Steve Arpin JR Motorsports Chevrolet
09 Patrick Sheltra RAB Racing Ford
10 Reed Sorenson Braun Racing Toyota
11 Brian Scott (R) Braun Racing Toyota
12 Justin Allgaier Penske Racing Dodge
15 Michael Annett Germain Racing Toyota
16 Colin Braun (R) Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
22 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge
23 Robert Richardson Jr. R3 Motorsports Chevrolet
24 Eric McClure Team Rensi Motorsports Ford
26 Brian Keselowski K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge
27 Scott Wimmer Baker Curb Racing Ford
28 Kenny Wallace Jay Robinson Racing Chevrolet
32 Brian Vickers Braun Racing Toyota
33 Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet
34 Tony Raines TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet
35 Jason Keller TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet
38 Jason Leffler Braun Racing Toyota
40 Jeff Green Key Motorsports Chevrolet
42 Parker Kligerman Team 42 Racing Dodge
43 Scott Lagasse Jr. Baker Curb Racing Ford
49 Mark Green Jay Robinson Racing Chevrolet
52 Donnie Neuenberger Means Racing Chevrolet
56 Kevin Lepage Mac Hill Motorsports Chevrolet
60 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford
61 Josh Wise Specialty Racing Ford
62 Brendan Gaughan Rusty Wallace Racing Toyota
66 Steve Wallace Rusty Wallace Racing Toyota
70 Shelby Howard ML Motorsports Chevrolet
73 Derrike Cope Stratus Racing Group Inc. Dodge
75 Bobby Gerhart Bob Schacht Motorsports Chevrolet
81 Michael McDowell MacDonald Motorsports Dodge
83 Johnny Borneman III Borneman Motorsports Dodge
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet
88 Jamie McMurray JR Motorsports Chevrolet
89 Morgan Shepherd Faith Motorsports Chevrolet
92 Dennis Setzer K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge
98 Paul Menard Roush Fenway Racing Ford
99 Trevor Bayne Diamond-Waltrip Racing Toyota
Official Entry List

Qualifying

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Kevin Harvick won the pole with a time of 51.106 and a speed of 187.375.[6]

Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 33 Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet 51.106 187.375
2 60 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 51.552 185.754
3 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (R) Roush Fenway Racing Ford 51.713 185.176
4 7 Steve Arpin JR Motorsports Chevrolet 51.723 185.140
5 70 Shelby Howard ML Motorsports Chevrolet 51.730 185.115
6 10 Reed Sorenson Braun Racing Toyota 51.765 184.990
7 38 Jason Leffler Braun Racing Toyota 51.811 184.826
8 98 Paul Menard Roush Fenway Racing Ford 51.845 184.704
9 42 Parker Kligerman Team 42 Racing Dodge 51.847 184.697
10 26 Brian Keselowski** K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge 51.856 184.665
11 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 51.901 184.505
12 1 James Buescher (R) Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 51.962 184.289
13 16 Colin Braun (R) Roush Fenway Racing Ford 51.965 184.278
14 21 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 51.969 184.264
15 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 51.980 184.225
16 75 Bobby Gerhart Bob Schacht Motorsports Chevrolet 51.984 184.211
17 11 Brian Scott (R) Braun Racing Toyota 52.000 184.154
18 0 Chrissy Wallace JD Motorsports Chevrolet 52.000 184.154
19 12 Justin Allgaier Penske Racing Dodge 52.058 183.949
20 43 Scott Lagasse Jr.** Baker Curb Racing Ford 52.083 183.860
21 92 Dennis Setzer K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge 52.112 183.758
22 09 Patrick Sheltra RAB Racing Ford 52.126 183.709
23 22 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 52.142 183.652
24 52 Donnie Neuenberger Means Racing Chevrolet 52.156 183.603
25 32 Brian Vickers Braun Racing Toyota 52.202 183.441
26 88 Jamie McMurray JR Motorsports Chevrolet 52.228 183.350
27 01 Mike Wallace JD Motorsports Chevrolet 52.252 183.266
28 89 Morgan Shepherd Faith Motorsports Chevrolet 52.267 183.213
29 15 Michael Annett Germain Racing Toyota 52.279 183.171
30 35 Jason Keller TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 52.286 183.147
31 83 Johnny Borneman III Borneman Motorsports Dodge 52.324 183.014
32 81 Michael McDowell MacDonald Motorsports Dodge 52.335 182.975
33 66 Steve Wallace Rusty Wallace Racing Toyota 52.372 182.846
34 27 Scott Wimmer Baker Curb Racing Ford 52.426 182.657
35 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 52.443 182.598
36 62 Brendan Gaughan Rusty Wallace Racing Toyota 52.498 182.407
37 34 Tony Raines TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 52.580 182.122
38 28 Kenny Wallace* Jay Robinson Racing Chevrolet 52.697 181.718
39 99 Trevor Bayne* Diamond-Waltrip Racing Toyota 52.884 181.076
40 24 Eric McClure* Team Rensi Motorsports Ford 52.926 180.932
41 23 Robert Richardson Jr.* R3 Motorsports Chevrolet 53.170 180.102
42 40 Jeff Green* ** Key Motorsports Chevrolet 53.173 180.091
43 49 Mark Green Jay Robinson Racing Chevrolet 52.327 183.003
Failed to Qualify, driver changes, or withdrew
44 56 Kevin Lepage Mac Hill Motorsports Chevrolet 52.471 182.501
45 05 Willie Allen Day Enterprise Racing Chevrolet 52.502 182.393
46 04 Jeremy Clements JD Motorsports Chevrolet 52.522 182.324
47 61 Josh Wise Specialty Racing Ford 52.562 182.185
48 73 Derrike Cope Straus Racing Group Inc. Dodge 52.677 181.787
Official Starting Lineup

* - Made the field via owner's points

** - Brian Keselowski, Jeff Green, and Scott Lagasse Jr. had to start at the rear of the field. Keselowski and Lagasse Jr. pitted before the green flag and Green had an engine change.

Race

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Pole sitter Kevin Harvick led the first lap of the race. On lap 8, Carl Edwards took the lead but Harvick took it back on the next lap. Edwards would take the lead on lap 12 with a push from Jamie McMurray. But on the next lap, McMurray took the lead from Edwards with a push from Harvick. On lap 20, the first of three big ones in the race would occur in the tri-oval that collected 13 cars. It started when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was pushing Carl Edwards and Stenhouse hit Edwards at the wrong angle turning Edwards around and Edwards spun up right in front of the pack where he was nearly T-boned by Mike Wallace. The cars involved were Mike Wallace, Patrick Sheltra, James Buescher, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Reed Sorenson, Michael Annett, Colin Braun, Clint Bowyer, Jason Leffler, Mark Green, Carl Edwards, Brendan Gaughan, and Steve Wallace. Kevin Harvick won the race off of pit road making him the new race leader. The race restarted on lap 29. On the restart, Kyle Busch took the lead from Harvick. Harvick would take the lead on lap 30 due to Busch and his drafting partner Brad Keselowski getting too far ahead of the pack and losing the draft causing them to lose momentum. On lap 31, Jamie McMurray took the lead from Harvick. Kyle Busch took the lead on lap 35. McMurray would take it back on the next lap. Brad Keselowski took the lead on lap 39. On lap 41, Joey Logano took the lead. On lap 44, McMurray took the lead but Keselowski would take it on the next lap. On lap 47, the second caution flew when Carl Edwards blew a right rear tire in turn 2 and almost caused another big crash as he spun in front of the pack. Fortunately, it was only Edwards who was involved. During pit stops, Joey Logano dragged his gas can out of his pit box and onto the racetrack which would be a very costly penalty for Logano. Eric McClure stayed out and he led the field to the restart on lap 51. Brad Keselowski would immeadeatly take the lead from McClure. But on that same lap, Patrick Sheltra took the lead from Keselowski. On lap 54, Brian Scott took the lead from Sheltra. On lap 55, Brad Keselowski took the lead. On lap 58, Kevin Harvick took the lead. On lap 59, Jamie McMurray took the lead. On lap 60, Kyle Busch took the lead from McMurray.

Final laps

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With 48 laps to go, Paul Menard took the lead from Busch. With 46 to go, Kyle Busch took the lead from Menard. With 42 to go, Brad Keselowski took the lead. With 40 to go, Paul Menard took the lead from Keselowski. With 37 laps to go, Kevin Harvick took the lead and held onto it. With 30 to go, green flag pitstops began. With 25 to go, Kevin Harvick gave up the lead to Brendan Gaughan to make his pitstop and Gaughan was the new race leader. While they were coming to pit road, Kyle Busch got rear ended by Patrick Sheltra giving Busch rear end damage and ending his chances of winning. Gaughan soon gave it to Robert Richardson Jr. with 24 to go. After everything cycled through, Kevin Harvick retained his lead. Harvick was looking to become the first driver to win a NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series race on the same day since Harvick won the Cup race earlier in the day. With 6 laps to go, Brad Keselowski made an attempt to pass Harvick for the lead but could not get in front of him. But with 4 laps to go, the third caution flew for the second big one on the frontstretch going into turn 1 that collected 7 cars. It started when Colin Braun got hooked by Steve Arpin and Braun turned down into Parker Kligerman in a wreck that also collected Arpin, Kyle Busch, Scott Lagasse Jr., Shelby Howard, and Morgan Shepherd. The wreck would set up a green-white-checkered finish. On the restart Harvick got out in front of Jamie McMurray, who Harvick beat in the earlier Cup race by .011 seconds, with a push from his Cup Series teammate Clint Bowyer. On the final lap, Harvick kept his lead but McMurray was looking for revenge and got a push from Brian Vickers down the backstretch and got side by side with Harvick. Vickers tried to duck below McMurray to pass him but McMurray blocked Vickers. But in turn 3, Brad Keselowski ducked to the outside of McMurray and Harvick with a push by Joey Logano and Keselowski took the lead from Harvick and McMurray. In turn 4, the third big one would occur that brought out the fourth and final caution in a crash that took out 20 cars. It started when Jamie McMurray attempted to get in front of Clint Bowyer but got hooked onto Bowyer's right front and spun in front of the pack. During the wreck, Paul Menard came up in front of Dennis Setzer and Setzer's car ramped onto Menard and the wall and struck the turn 4 catchfence with the front of the car ripping almost the whole front of the car and bursting it into flames. Setzer and everyone were ok. The cars involved were Chrissy Wallace, Steve Arpin, Patrick Sheltra, Brian Scott, Justin Allgaier, Clint Bowyer, Eric McClure, Scott Wimmer, Kenny Wallace, Brian Vickers, Tony Raines, Jeff Green, Scott Lagasse Jr., Brendan Gaughan, Bobby Gerhart, Michael McDowell, Jamie McMurray, Dennis Setzer, Paul Menard, and Trevor Bayne. Brad Keselowski was in front when the caution came out and he was the race winner. The win would be Keselowski's first of 6 wins in 2010 en route to his first Nationwide Series Championship. The top 10 from the race featured some surprises. Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Jason Keller, and Johnny Borneman III rounded out the top 5 while Clint Bowyer, Tony Raines, Paul Menard, Brian Vickers, and Brian Scott rounded out the top 10. This would be Keller's first top 5 finish since 2008 and his final top 5 of his Nationwide Series career after he failed to qualify 3 of the first 7 races of 2010 with a 4th-place finish. Keller's teammate Tony Raines finished 7th giving owner Mark Smith, the owner of TriStar Motorsports, his first top 5 and top 10 finish of the team's Nationwide Series career. Raines would score another top 10 at Gateway later in the year for Smith. This would be Johnny Borneman III's first and only top 5 finish of his Nationwide Series career as he finished in 5th.[7]

Race Results

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Pos Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Run Laps Led Status Points
1 22 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 120 11 running 140
2 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 120 3 running 175
3 33 Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet 120 51 running 175
4 35 Jason Keller TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 120 0 running 160
5 83 Johnny Borneman III Borneman Motorsports Dodge 120 0 running 155
6 21 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 120 0 running 150
7 34 Tony Raines TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 120 0 running 146
8 98 Paul Menard Roush-Fenway Racing Ford 120 5 running 147
9 32 Brian Vickers Braun Racing Toyota 120 0 running 138
10 11 Brian Scott (R) Braun Racing Toyota 120 1 running 139
11 28 Kenny Wallace Jay Robinson Racing Chevrolet 120 0 running 130
12 27 Scott Wimmer Baker Curb Racing Ford 120 1 running 132
13 99 Trevor Bayne Diamond-Waltrip Racing Toyota 120 0 running 124
14 88 Jamie McMurray JR Motorsports Chevrolet 119 21 crash 126
15 12 Justin Allgaier Penske Racing Dodge 119 0 crash 118
16 40 Jeff Green Key Motorsports Chevrolet 119 0 crash 115
17 92 Dennis Setzer K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge 119 0 crash 112
18 09 Patrick Sheltra RAB Racing Ford 119 3 crash 114
19 70 Shelby Howard ML Motorsports Chevrolet 119 0 running 106
20 23 Robert Richardson Jr. R3 Motorsports Chevrolet 119 1 running 108
21 43 Scott Lagasse Jr. Baker Curb Racing Ford 119 0 running 100
22 24 Eric McClure Team Rensi Racing Ford 119 2 running 102
23 81 Michael McDowell MacDonald Motorsports Dodge 119 0 running 94
24 0 Chrissy Wallace JD Motorsports Chevrolet 119 0 running 91
25 75 Bobby Gerhart Bob Schacht Motorsports Chevrolet 118 0 crash 88
26 7 Steve Arpin JR Motorsports Chevrolet 118 0 crash 85
27 62 Brendan Gaughan Rusty Wallace Racing Toyota 118 2 crash 87
28 49 Mark Green Jay Robinson Racing Chevrolet 118 0 running 79
29 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (R) Roush Fenway Racing Ford 118 0 running 76
30 89 Morgan Shepherd Faith Motorsports Chevrolet 118 0 running 73
31 42 Parker Kligerman Team 42 Racing Dodge 113 0 crash 70
32 16 Colin Braun (R) Roush Fenway Racing Ford 113 0 crash 67
33 26 Brian Keselowski K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge 113 1 running 69
34 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 111 16 crash 66
35 60 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 110 2 running 63
36 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 74 0 overheating 55
37 1 James Buescher (R) Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 45 0 crash 52
38 52 Donnie Neuenberger Means Racing Chevrolet 42 0 engine 49
39 66 Steve Wallace Rusty Wallace Racing Toyota 23 0 crash 46
40 10 Reed Sorenson Braun Racing Toyota 20 0 crash 43
41 38 Jason Leffler Braun Racing Toyota 20 0 crash 40
42 01 Mike Wallace JD Motorsports Chevrolet 20 0 crash 37
43 15 Michael Annett Germain Racing Toyota 20 0 crash 34
Official Race results

References

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  1. ^ "2010 Aaron's 312". Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  2. ^ "Keselowski wins Nationwide race at Talladega". Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  3. ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Archived from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "NASCAR Tracks — The Talladega Superspeedway". Talladega Superspeedway. Archived from the original on August 27, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  5. ^ "Talladega". NASCAR. Archived from the original on November 15, 2010. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  6. ^ "Kevin Harvick wins the pole for Aaron's 312 Nationwide race". Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  7. ^ "Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2010 Aaron's 312 at Talladega". Retrieved April 25, 2010.


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