Nick Sanchez admits he “might’ve made the wrong move” after frustrating ordeal at Talladega

NASCAR Xfinity: United Rentals 300 Qualifying - Source: Imagn
Nick Sanchez - NASCAR Xfinity: United Rentals 300 Qualifying - Source: Imagn

Nick Sanchez addressed his final lap skirmish that led to a mid-pack finish. The Big Machine Racing driver was fighting for a win when a brush with the walls derailed his momentum.

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Sanchez had a P20 start on Saturday's United Rentals 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. Sanchez gained a few spots in Stage 1, but moved into the top-5 by Stage 2. He managed to avoid the day's wrecks and kept himself in contention until the end.

However, a misstep on the final lap left him with a 20th-place finish, while Richard Childress Racing's Austin Hill won the 100-lap event. Reflecting upon the same, Sanchez spoke to NASCAR analyst Bob Pockrass and said,

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"Have a feeling I might have made the wrong move in the 21. I don't know, it was a damn if I do, damn if I don't, yeah. I had a run, went bottom, he blocked bottom and I went to cross him up on the top and I guess I might have had someone in my bumper and I don't know if I got a bad push or if I just wrecked myself."
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"Maybe I should have just lifted stay bottom or see how far down he went to block. But I mean we were in position when it mattered in the right position. So that's something to be proud of," he added.
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Nick Sanchez has maintained top-10 results in his last three races at Las Vegas, Charlotte Roval and Kansas. Last weekend's Focused Health 302 saw him battle Jesse Love for his seventh top-5 finish of the season.


"I don't like the way he races": Jesse Love on his Las Vegas fight with Nick Sanchez

Jesse Love and Nick Sanchez had a fight to the finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Their battle, however, wasn't without controversy, as the two nearly came together on the final restart.

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Love later called out Sanchez for his aggressive tactics. Heading into Talladega, the RCR driver remained firm on his stance.

"I don't like the way he races or the situations he puts himself and other people in on a week-to-week basis and he doesn't care what anybody has to say," he said via X/Steven Taranto.

Nick Sanchez ended up fifth on the running order, while Jesse Love finished right behind at sixth. For Love, every place lost is a missed opportunity, since he's fighting for the tile as a third-place playoff driver. He's currently 40 points above the cutline, but hasn't secured a championship four spot. With Austin Hill winning at Talladega, Martinsville becomes a crucial race for the RCR driver.

Sanchez, on the other hand, is in his first full-time season in the Xfinity Series. He grabbed his maiden win at Echopark Speedway back in June. Since then, he has finished among the top-5 on four occassions, with a third at Portland being his next best result.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Vignesh Kanna
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