2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Eleven Talladega

Cars in field: 38
Pole: Jesse Love (2)
Outside Pole: Austin Hill (21)
Stages: 25-25-63
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 75°F, Feels like 77°, Feels like (shade) 74°, Wind NNW 8 mph, Wind Gusts 8 mph

I started watching with eight to go in the first stage when the camera shots switched to outside the cars and stopped zooming – in other words when they got watchable. They were basically just driving around behind Jesse Love, seemingly unable to catch him, and with the blocks reported by MRN unable to attempt to pass him. Just as I say that they switch to a shot inside the car of a driver driving. Hmm, they seem to be going to commercial. I guess that was the last lap of the stage as opposed to 2 switching to 1 to go as I read on the graphic. Not sure if the graphic was wrong, or I’m having trouble reading it. Oh well. That stage is over. Nothing exciting in what I saw.

Jesse Love (2) wins stage one and leads all the laps.

Austin Hill (21) wins stage two.

MRN called it a very exhilirating stage. Television showed a relatively typical Talladega stage, some movement and lots of blocking. I think that comment was a reflection of how boring the first stage turned out to be. Mike ‘Bagman’ Bagley also called it a very eventful race, so that might just be him overselling it. First year replacing Jeff Striegle in the broadcast booth growing pains maybe.

Green flag pit stops underway on lap 68 of 113.

Caution on lap 78 of 113 for an incident involving Sammy Smith (8) and Parker Retzlaff (4), Greg Van Alst (35) and Ryan Sieg (39). Jeb Burton (27) pits with some damage as well. Jeb Burton (27) got pushed into Sammy Smith (8) who went around and collected the others.

Restarting on lap 85 of 113.

Checking on the race at 23 to go. Stupid camera shot – of the hood of the Golden Corral car, I’m going back to watch something else. Finally it got off that idiotic shot just before I changed the channel.

As they are battling for the lead at the front of the field, around lap 95 of 113, the television broadcast suddenly switched to showing Katherine Legge (32) in seventeenth position for no apparent reason. Apparently someone is bored, because they switched to showing some other car not at the front of the field, then a driver driving and finally back to the actual on-track action at the front of the field as Austin Hill (21) went to the lead. On lap 99 of 113 back to a shot of a driving inside a car. They really need to hire people who are interested in watching cars racing on the cameras and directing the show.

Caution on lap 100 of 113 for a crash involving Katherine Legge, Aric ‘Afterburner’ Almirola (19), Brandon Jones (20), Jeffrey Earnhardt(24). Almirola tried to go up in front of Legge and wasn’t clear turning himself on her bumper and turning her in front of Earnhardt who had nowhere to go. Not sure if Almirola didn’t realize she was on the outside, or he cleared himself incorrectly.

Leland Honeyman (70) spun during the lane choose after tapping the wall when he tried to choose a different lane than initially indicated.

Restarting on lap 107 of 113.

They take the white flag

Caution on lap 112 of 113 as Connor Zilisch (88) goes around.

The finish is under review.

The checkered flag waves with the caution flag.

Jeb Burton (27) may have won. NASCAR is checking between he, Austin Hill (21) and Jesse Love (2). All three are parked side-by-side on the track.

They gave it to Austin Hill (21).

That’s disappointing. The final laps after the restart were the only real racing I saw during the event. For a Talladega race it wasn’t good for 100 laps. They only really raced for the final six laps. The television coverage was bad as usual. The MRN crew called an exciting race, but it looked a lot more pedestrian on television.

Jesse Love said, “I think I fucking wrecked him” on the MRN broadcast when he watched himself wreck his friend Connor Zilisch (88).

Jeb Burton (27) is very frustrated because he said he feels he got screwed on a caution last week, and now he apparently lost the race on a timing line. He wants NASCAR to go look at it again. He said they’re going to protest of whatever they can do. He’s emotional telling the television pit reporter, “We don’t have a lot of chances to win, and it’s just frustrating. That’s it”. Clearly he was in tears at that point. Team owner Jordan Anderson came over and hugged Burton as he walked away from the television interview. He’s sniffling during his MRN interview, but reiterated that he wants them to show him a different angle. The MRN reporter asks what does it mean to you. Jeb says, “It’s everything”, with his voice breaking.

MRN reports Connor Zilisch (88) has been taken to the infield care center and is being evaluated.

There’s a time stamp at 17:20:49 (local time) circled on the television broadcast – the time the caution was display – and at that time, using the camera in turn three, it appears the 21 is ahead of the 27. That’s a sucky way to determine the winner of an event where they were racing hard. This is a case where the white flag rule gets NASCAR officially to the end of the event, but it doesn’t really allow for a legit finish sometimes, and this is one of those situations.

Justin Allgiaer (7) said he’s upset with himself and frustrated. He said on both the television and radio interviews he’s concerned with Connor who took a hard hit into the inside wall. He said he’s been waiting to find out if Connor is okay. He said he’s “aggravated with the drivers a little bit for making some decisions”.

The television broadcast is showing the safety crews helping Connor Zilisch (88) out of the car. Connor then sits in the window and the safety team member is touching Zilisch’s back, then they help him walk to the ambulance.

Jeremy Clements (51) had the fastest lap of the race, so he will get a bonus point in both the driver and owner standings for that accomplishment.

Connor Zilisch says he’s okay. that was one of the wrecks where you move your legs and see if everything is okay. Jesse’s probably my best friend in the world and it’s going to have someone come and stand in front of me and give me a hug after something like that. He’s moving slow and talking thick. He said he’s just glad to be okay. He doesn’t look okay.

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