RACING roundup

MONSTER CUP

Earnhardt wins pole for Talladega finale

TALLADEGA, ALA.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won the pole for his final scheduled Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Earnhardt is retiring from full-time competition at the end of the season, and the Alabama crowd has always embraced NASCAR’s most popular driver. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has declared race day “Dale Earnhardt Jr. Day” across the state.

The field will be led to green by Donnie Allison, a two-time Talladega winner and original member of the Alabama Gang, while driving the late Dale Earnhardt’s No. 2 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Talladega officials presented Earnhardt Jr. with the car , which his father raced during his 1979 rookie season, as well as some races during his 1980 championship season, as a retirement gift.

Now, with the pole — the first of his career at Talladega — it has turned into quite the special weekend for Earnhardt.

“This place has meant a lot to me,” he said. “It’s awesome to hear those fans happy for us and hopefully we’re going to give them a lot more to cheer about before this weekend is over.”

Could he add a seventh victory?

“Certainly,” he grinned. “You think about that every time you suit up and get in the car, you imagine if that’s going to be the day you get a win. But, this would be a real important one if we could win for all the fans, all year long, we certainly owe them a win.”

Earnhardt is winless this season and didn’t make the playoffs. He’s got just six races left before he turns over his No. 88 Chevrolet to Hendrick Motorsports and replacement driver Alex Bowman.

On Saturday, Earnhardt turned a lap at 190.544 mph to knock teammate Chase Elliott from the top starting spot. Elliott wound up second with a lap at 190.412 mph in a Hendrick Motorsports sweep of the front row.

MASCAR TRUCKS

Kligerman wins; Nemechek advances

TALLADEGA, ALA.

Parker Kligerman won the Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, where the focus was on John Hunter Nemechek’s desperate push to advance in the playoffs.

Nemechek entered Saturday’s elimination race last in the eight-driver field, but could advance into NASCAR’s Round of 6 with some help. He got it very early in the race when Chase Briscoe headed to the garage with a mechanical problem, then Kaz Grala wrecked.

But Nemechek was involved in his own accident and Briscoe got back on track. His wounded truck was wrapped tightly in tape, and Nemechek seemed to barely be hanging on as he dodged and weaved several accidents to grab a hard-earned sixth-place finish. It gave him the final spot in the playoffs.

“I never thought we would have finished sixth after the day we had,” Nemechek said.

Kligerman won his second career Truck Series race, both at Talladega. This was just his seventh race of the year.

Kligerman has somewhat transitioned into a second career as an NBC analyst while his pursuit of a full-time racing job has stalled. So he enthusiastically collected his checkered flag, then staked it in the Talladega grass.

“I’m out of breath,” he said in victory lane. “Geez, out of shape, right?”

Kligerman won the race in overtime after driving to the front past leader Christopher Bell.

“Every move worked. Every move just worked,” he said. “Sometimes it goes your way and that’s just awesome.”

Bell finished second and was followed by Myatt Snider, defending race winner Grant Enfinger and Austin Cindric.

Associated Press