It’s often been said that NASCAR restrictor-plate racing is like a game of chess. Drivers spend the day hoping to make the right moves at the right time to end up with the ultimate payoff. And many say a race at Daytona and Talladega can be both mentally and physically exhausting.

Yet there are some drivers who put themselves through the fatigue not only in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series but by running the Xfinity Series race the day before. Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, six full-time Cup drivers ran the Sparks 300 Xfinity Series race, and while winning is always the primary objective, for some, it’s not the only thing on the agenda.

“I think these Xfinity races with this new drafting package it’s closer to what it’s like in the Cup Series,” said Joey Logano, who finished third. “You don’t have that tandem push as much, and it’s more of a pack like the Cup races are, so you get a little bit more experience for what tomorrow is gonna be like, which is good.”

Logano had one of the best cars in the race and was able to easily make the moves he wanted. In the closing stages, Logano masterfully charged to the front of the field and pulled off a right-to-left move to grab the lead. A two-time winner at Talladega in both the Xfinity and Cup Series, Logano has developed into a consistent contender, but he’s always looking to learn.

“I think the biggest thing (running the Xfinity race) is just working with your spotter and working on that lingo and working on where the runs come from and learning how to block those and being aggressive together,” Logano said. “We only do this (type of racing) four times a year, so it’s hard to be really good at it, or at least it’s hard for me. Maybe I’m not that good. The more seat time I get, the better I feel about my chances for tomorrow.”

Fifth-place finisher Erik Jones goes into Sunday’s GEICO 500 as a rookie. Although he’s made starts in both the Camping World Truck and Xfinity Series at Daytona and Talladega, Jones has just two Cup plate races under his belt. One of which was a 60-lap qualifying race for the Daytona 500. Admittedly, Jones put a lot of emphasis on trying moves in the draft Saturday to prepare for the Cup race.

“I guess that’s really the main focus in the Xfinity Series now,” Jones said. “Especially coming here where I don’t have a lot of experience on superspeedways in general. This is a lot different than the tandem racing we’ve had in the past. Just kind of trying to figure it all out.

“(Today’s) really the first time I’ve gotten to get out front and really try to command the pack. And unfortunately, you couldn’t do it long enough. But I learned a lot. I feel like we’ve got our cars a lot better on this side of things at superspeedways to where we can race and be competitive and learn and I feel like I’m in a better position for tomorrow, knowing some of the things that you can and can’t get away with.”

Cup driver Aric Almirola (pictured here leading the race) emerged victorious Saturday and will look for his second career Cup Series win Sunday. However, Almirola wasn’t looking at the Xfinity race as a tune-up.

“Not much,” Almirola said when asked how much time he spent making moves with the Cup race in mind. “I think it does give you more confidence in yourself (running the Xfinity race) and your ability, and it is 300 miles of practice, so to speak, of looking in your mirror and timing runs, but the cars drive so much different.

“The restrictor-plate difference between the cars, the aero different between the cars with the NASCAR rules, there’s so much difference that, honestly, there’s not a lot I did today that I can really take and use for tomorrow – other than the 300 miles of practice of just constantly looking in my mirror.”

Even just using an Xfinity race to go through the motions when it comes to simple things like mirrors, though, can go a long way when the big race is on the line.

“We spend probably 70 to 80 percent of the lap that we run looking in the mirror, not actually looking where we’re going,” Almirola said “So, that’s the most challenging thing to get used to and get comfortable with, is just you are totally focused on what’s going on behind you. Because what happens behind you affects how your car runs and the draft you get, the surges you get and when you can time it to use that to your advantage. So, you focus on that, and that is so different than anything else we do.”