The2017 Sparks Energy 300 was the ninthstock car race of the2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 26th iteration of theevent. The race was held on Saturday, May 6, 2017, inLincoln, Alabama atTalladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shapedsuperspeedway. The race took the scheduled 113 laps to complete. At race's end,Aric Almirola, driving forBiagi-DenBeste Racing, would take the lead with four to go and defend fiercely to win his third and to date, his only win of the season.^[1] To fill out the podium,Elliott Sadler ofJR Motorsports andJoey Logano ofTeam Penske would finish second and third, respectively.

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known asAlabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is amotorsports complex located north ofTalladega, Alabama. It is located on the formerAnniston Air Force Base in the small city ofLincoln. The track is atri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by theInternational Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by theFrance family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts theNASCAR series such as theNASCAR Cup Series,Xfinity Series and theCamping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longestNASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like theDaytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.

• (R) denotes rookie driver.
• (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.

The first practice session was held on Friday, May 5, at 10:30 AMCST, and would last for 55 minutes.^[2]Blake Koch ofKaulig Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 49.722 and an average speed of 192.591 miles per hour (309.945 km/h).^[3]

The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, May 5, at 12:30 PMCST, and would last for 55 minutes.^[2]Brandon Jones ofRichard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 52.381 and an average speed of 182.814 miles per hour (294.211 km/h).^[4]

Qualifying was held on Saturday, May 6, at 9:30 AMCST.^[2] SinceTalladega Superspeedway at least 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, the qualifying system was a single car, single lap, two round system where in the first round, everyone would set a time to determine positions 13-40. Then, the fastest 12 qualifiers would move on to the second round to determine positions 1-12.^[5]

Blake Koch ofKaulig Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 52.188 and an average speed of 183.490 miles per hour (295.299 km/h) in the second round.^[6]

B. J. McLeod was the only driver to fail to qualify.

Stage 1 Laps: 25

Stage 2 Laps: 25

Stage 3 Laps: 63