TALLADEGA, Ala. — When it comes to Talladega Superspeedway, the name of the game is chance — and Lady Luck was on the side of a handful of NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers for smaller teams on Saturday (April 26).
In the Ag-Pro 300, those drivers were Matt DiBenedetto, Anthony Alfredo and Blaine Perkins. Each earned a top 10, with DiBenedetto finishing inside the top five for the first time in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career. Alfredo and Perkins finished sixth and seventh, respectively, providing their seasons a much-needed boost.
In DiBenedetto’s case, he even had a shot of winning the race on the final lap, as he was pushing Justin Allgaier to the front. Allgaier, the reigning Xfinity Series champion, said DiBenedetto had the most speed out of anyone who pushed him Saturday; he was actively trying to win the race with the No. 99 in tow.
DiBenedetto himself agreed with how strong their partnership was down the stretch.
“Man, I thought we were in the catbird seat there,” DiBenedetto told Frontstretch. “We had a good plan. You know, it always gets crazy at the end of these things, but the car was fast. … These ECR engines always run good everywhere, especially at (superspeedways). We could push.”
Despite missing out on the win, DiBenedetto said he was thankful for a top-five finish, considering how hard his team has worked thus far in 2025. It was the veteran driver’s first top five in a national series since he finished third in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway in September 2023.
Perkins finished a career-best seventh place, which he found after starting 31st on the day. The finish was good enough for Perkins to jump three spots in the point standings, now ranking 25th overall.
Alfredo and Young’s Motorsports struggled through the early portion of the 2025 season, but in the last three weeks, the team has found some speed, and that was evident again at Talladega. His top 10 on Saturday extended his streak to three straight top-15 results. Alfredo has climbed from 27th to 22nd in the standings during that span, fighting through the adversity with this group.
“[The finish today is] huge,” Alfredo told Frontstretch. “We definitely kind of struggled the last few weeks, honestly, but we’ve had some of our best finishes. I think it just comes down to hard work, determination and grit.
“That kind of seems to be the word of the year for our team. We haven’t given up.”
Tanner Marlar is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated’s OnSI Network, a contributor for TopSpeed.com, an AP Wire reporter, an award-winning sports columnist and talk show host and master's student at Mississippi State University. Soon, Tanner will be pursuing a PhD. in Mass Media Studies. Tanner began working with Frontstretch as an Xfinity Series columnist in 2022.