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.
Background
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. The standard track at the speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is long. 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. Talladega Superspeedway can seat up to 143,231 people.
Entry list (R) denotes rookie driver #DriverTeamMake 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 ToyotaOfficial Entry List
Qualifying Kevin Harvick won the pole with a time of 51.106 and a speed of 187.375. Grid 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 52.327 183.003Failed 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 52.677 181.787Official 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 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