TALLADEGA, Ala: Jordan Anderson had a grueling afternoon at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon, but the owner | driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series was rewarded with positive finishes in both the Chevrolet Silverado 250 and the Sparks 300 at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.
Making just his eighth Truck Series start of 2021 for his Jordan Anerson Racing team, the driver of the No. 3 U.S. Law Shield Chevrolet Silverado had a conservative approach to stay out of trouble, but Anderson had to battle with a broken rocker arm, three loose right front tires and two flat tires to fight back onto the lead lap and eventually survive a melee of accidents in the final 10 laps of the race to claim 11th.
The performance was Anderson’s best result since finishing second in the season-opening race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February.
With a little more than 250 miles under his belt in nearing 90 degree temperature, Anderson briefly cooled off and rehydrated himself to prepare for the final superspeedway race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season aboard his No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro.
Taking a similar approach to his Truck Series race early, the Xfinity race went a lot smoother.
Gradually moving forward, Anderson was able to maintain a competitive pace until his Jordan Anderson Racing team led by crew chief Arthur Haire set his driver into attack mode during Stage 3.
With a potent Earnhardt Childress Racing engine under the hood, Anderson was able to stay tucked up in the draft and make a series of bold moves utilizing both the bottom and top lane of the Alabama superspeedway to draft into the top-10.
Avoiding two massive crashes at the front of the field, Anderson was able to move inside the top-five at Lap 104 and by Lap 107, the event would be called early because of darkness.
The Forest Acres, S.C. native delivered his career-best finish in his fifth Xfinity start of 2021 and 18th career start overall.
“Top-five!!,” Anderson said after the race. “So incredibly humbled to see the journey God’s had us on continue and have everyone’s hard work on this team pay off. Going to be smiling about this one a while.”
On a relatively humid afternoon, Anderson was one of a few drivers who elected to pull double duty in preparation for 550 miles, and while he said the race was grueling, it wasn’t exhausting – at least not physically.
“Talladega is one of those tracks that it’s more mentally straining to be able to two races back to back, but I learned some things in the Truck Series race that I was able to apply in the Xfinity Series race,” added Anderson.
“It’s a shame that we dropped a cylinder in the Truck there at the end of the race, otherwise I think we could have had an even better finish with the truck, but it doesn’t have a scratch on it, and we gained some points, so it was a good day overall.”
While taking a conservative approach in the Truck Series, Anderson flipped the script for the Xfinity Series race where he charged through the field and made more aggressive moves.
His boldness paid off and continued to thrust his team into the spotlight.
Anderson credited his experience in the Xfinity race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in late August in allowing him to try a different approach.
“The Xfinity Series race at Daytona caught me a little off guard,” sounded Anderson. “I learned pretty quick I couldn’t drive the car like a truck. It’s because of that experience though that it helped me at Talladega. I learned the dos and don’ts if you will.
“Definitely learned a lot in these two superspeedway races that will help down the road.”
The Talladega finish is an exclamation point for Anderson on his Xfinity Series program this season. Knocked out of the Daytona field at the start of the season by rain, Anderson’s Statesville, N.C.-based team had to wait until May before having an opportunity to qualify for races.
Since then, the team has not only positioned itself inside the top-40 in the Xfinity Series standings, but also fought to deliver top-10s finishes on a consistent basis with a variety of drivers, including Anderson, Josh Berry, Ty Dillon, Erik Jones and Sage Karam.
Looking ahead to 2022, Anderson says he is starting to work on the foundation of his Truck Series and Xfinity Series program. While he would like to remain behind the wheel, he is also focused on building a business that will keep his Statesville, N.C.-based teams operational for the foreseeable future.
“We’re looking at options for 2022,” added Anderson. “Hopefully the finishes this season, especially on the Xfinity Series has helped us build some momentum and show how competitive we can be. I think we have turned some eyes and whether it’s been me, Sage (Karam), Ty (Dillon), Erik (Jones), Josh (Berry) or Kaz (Grala), we’ve been fast and shown speed.
“The foundation is there for Jordan Anderson Racing and that’s what I am really excited about. I’ve had as much fulfillment being an owner as I have a driver. Looking forward to whatever the future brings.”
With just five Xfinity Series races left in 2021, Karam will return to the No. 31 seat next weekend at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL.
Anderson may have an opportunity to drive the Xfinity car at Kansas Speedway later this month, but if he doesn’t, he has plenty to be proud about and ending his driving season on an extremely high note.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
