The 2018 Food City 300 was the 22nd stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the 37th iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, August 17, 2018, in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race was extended from its scheduled 300 laps to 310 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. At race's end, Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing would be able to hold off Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell and JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier on the overtime restart to win his 12th NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his fourth and final win of his part-time season.[1] Bell and Allgaier would fill the podium, finishing second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 22 of 33 of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
| Date | August 17, 2018 | ||
| Official name | 37th Annual Food City 300 | ||
| Location | Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.533 mi (0.858 km) | ||
| Distance | 310 laps, 165.23 mi (265.912 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 300 laps, 159.9 mi (257.334 km) | ||
| Average speed | 82.306 miles per hour (132.459 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 15.389 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| Laps | 202 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Background
editThe Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.
Entry list
editPractice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session would occur on Thursday, August 16, at 10:05 AM EST, and would last for 50 minutes.[2] Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 15.442 and an average speed of 124.259 miles per hour (199.975 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 15.442 | 124.259 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.474 | 124.002 |
| 3 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.503 | 123.770 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
editThe second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Thursday, August 16, at 1:35 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes.[2] Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 15.603 and an average speed of 122.976 miles per hour (197.911 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.603 | 122.976 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 15.616 | 122.874 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.628 | 122.780 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, August 17, at 3:40 PM EST.[2] Since Bristol Motor Speedway is under 2 miles (3.2 km), the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 15 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 15 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.[4]
Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 15.389 and an average speed of 124.686 miles per hour (200.663 km/h).[5]
No drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
edit| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.617 | 122.866 | 15.367 | 124.865 | 15.389 | 124.686 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.796 | 121.474 | 15.629 | 122.772 | 15.476 | 123.986 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 15.591 | 123.071 | 15.660 | 122.529 | 15.514 | 123.682 |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 15.880 | 120.831 | 15.544 | 123.443 | 15.515 | 123.674 |
| 5 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.647 | 122.631 | 15.593 | 123.055 | 15.557 | 123.340 |
| 6 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.888 | 120.770 | 15.687 | 122.318 | 15.586 | 123.110 |
| 7 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.927 | 120.475 | 15.611 | 122.913 | 15.602 | 122.984 |
| 8 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.698 | 122.232 | 15.714 | 122.108 | 15.667 | 122.474 |
| 9 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 15.736 | 121.937 | 15.648 | 122.623 | 15.675 | 122.411 |
| 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.735 | 121.945 | 15.717 | 122.084 | 15.764 | 121.720 |
| 11 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.755 | 121.790 | 15.672 | 122.435 | 15.785 | 121.558 |
| 12 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 15.848 | 121.075 | 15.768 | 121.689 | 15.808 | 121.382 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 | ||||||||||
| 13 | 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 16.060 | 119.477 | 15.768 | 121.689 | — | — |
| 14 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.035 | 119.663 | 15.769 | 121.682 | — | — |
| 15 | 23 | Chase Elliott | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 15.949 | 120.308 | 15.820 | 121.290 | — | — |
| 16 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 16.006 | 119.880 | 15.824 | 121.259 | — | — |
| 17 | 12 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 15.865 | 120.945 | 15.874 | 120.877 | — | — |
| 18 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.018 | 119.790 | 15.935 | 120.414 | — | — |
| 19 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 16.078 | 119.343 | 15.958 | 120.241 | — | — |
| 20 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 16.031 | 119.693 | 15.992 | 119.985 | — | — |
| 21 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 16.096 | 119.210 | 16.059 | 119.484 | — | — |
| 22 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.796 | 121.474 | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | 15 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.143 | 118.863 | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | 8 | Ray Black Jr. | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.249 | 118.087 | — | — | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 | ||||||||||
| 25 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.282 | 117.848 | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 16.284 | 117.833 | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | 78 | Jairo Avila Jr. | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.286 | 117.819 | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 16.323 | 117.552 | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | 38 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 16.342 | 117.415 | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 16.389 | 117.079 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 16.530 | 116.080 | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 16.542 | 115.996 | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | 93 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 16.646 | 115.271 | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points | ||||||||||
| 34 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.720 | 114.761 | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 16.779 | 114.357 | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | 66 | Carl Long | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.793 | 114.262 | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 17.027 | 112.692 | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | 55 | Bayley Currey | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 17.060 | 112.474 | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | 74 | Stephen Leicht | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 17.091 | 112.270 | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 17.460 | 109.897 | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results | ||||||||||
| Official starting lineup | ||||||||||
Race results
editStage 1 Laps: 85
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 3 | 23 | Chase Elliott | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 5 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 85
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 23 | Chase Elliott | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
Stage 3 Laps: 130
References
edit- ^ Spencer, Reid (2018-08-18). "Kyle Larson holds off Allgaier for Xfinity Series win at Bristol". Official Site Of NASCAR. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
- ^ a b c "2018 NASCAR XFINITY Bristol Race Page". ESPN.com. 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
- ^ a b Beaver, Dan (2018-08-16). "Xfinity practice report from Bristol". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
- ^ "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2018-08-17). "Kyle Busch wins Bristol Xfinity pole". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
- ^ "2018 Food City 300 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-12-24.