2018 Ford EcoBoost 300
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 33 of 33 in the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
| Date | November 17, 2018 | ||
| Official name | 24th Annual Ford EcoBoost 300 | ||
| Location | Homestead, Florida, Homestead-Miami Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 140.515 miles per hour (226.137 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | ||
| Time | 32.609 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | |
| Laps | 95 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 2018 EcoBoost 300 was the 33rd and final stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the championship race of that year, and the 24th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, November 17, 2018, in Homestead, Florida at Homestead–Miami Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, JR Motorsports driver Tyler Reddick would take the lead after cunning pit strategy late in the race to win his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, his 3rd win of his career in the series, and his second and final win of the season.[1]
Background[edit]
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a motor racing track located in Homestead, Florida. The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, including NASCAR, the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and the Championship Cup Series.
Since 2002, Homestead-Miami Speedway has hosted the final race of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series. Ford Motor Company sponsors all three of the season-ending races; the races have the names Ford EcoBoost 400, Ford EcoBoost 300 and Ford EcoBoost 200, respectively, and the weekend is marketed as Ford Championship Weekend. The Xfinity Series (then known as the Busch Series) has held its season-ending races at Homestead since 1995 and held it until 2020, when it was moved to Phoenix Raceway, along with NASCAR's other two series.
Championship drivers[edit]
- Christopher Bell advanced after winning the 2018 Whelen Trusted to Perform 200.[2]
- Cole Custer advanced after winning the 2018 O'Reilly Auto Parts 300.[3]
- Daniel Hemric advanced by virtue of points.[4]
- Tyler Reddick advanced by virtue of points.[4]
Entry list[edit]
*Driver changed to Landon Cassill for qualifying and the race.[5]
Practice[edit]
First practice[edit]
The first practice session was held on Friday, November 16, at 2:35 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes.[6] Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.298 and an average speed of 167.193 miles per hour (269.071 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 32.298 | 167.193 |
| 2 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 32.450 | 166.410 |
| 3 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 32.642 | 165.431 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice[edit]
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, November 16, at 5:05 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes.[6] Ryan Reed of Roush Fenway Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.442 and an average speed of 166.451 miles per hour (267.877 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 32.442 | 166.451 |
| 2 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 32.492 | 166.195 |
| 3 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.555 | 165.873 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying[edit]
Qualifying was held on Saturday, November 17, at 12:35 PM EST.[6] Since Homestead–Miami 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.[8]
Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste would win the pole after advancing from both preliminary rounds and setting the fastest lap in Round 3, with a time of 28.523 and an average speed of 189.321 miles per hour (304.683 km/h).[9]
Five drivers would fail to qualify: Josh Williams, Stephen Leicht, Josh Bilicki, Bayley Currey, and Tim Viens.
Full qualifying results[edit]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 32.858 | 164.344 | 32.520 | 166.052 | 32.609 | 165.598 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 33.215 | 162.577 | 32.752 | 164.875 | 32.659 | 165.345 |
| 3 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 33.190 | 162.700 | 32.970 | 163.785 | 32.776 | 164.755 |
| 4 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.333 | 162.002 | 33.109 | 163.098 | 32.820 | 164.534 |
| 5 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 33.465 | 161.363 | 32.911 | 164.079 | 32.918 | 164.044 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.365 | 161.846 | 33.097 | 163.157 | 32.927 | 163.999 |
| 7 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.375 | 161.798 | 33.088 | 163.201 | 32.989 | 163.691 |
| 8 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 33.111 | 163.088 | 33.105 | 163.117 | 33.023 | 163.522 |
| 9 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 33.243 | 162.440 | 33.189 | 162.705 | 33.083 | 163.226 |
| 10 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 33.652 | 160.466 | 33.046 | 163.409 | 33.094 | 163.172 |
| 11 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 33.427 | 161.546 | 33.139 | 162.950 | 33.102 | 163.132 |
| 12 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 33.354 | 161.900 | 33.052 | 163.379 | 33.183 | 162.734 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 | ||||||||||
| 13 | 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 33.459 | 161.392 | 33.213 | 162.587 | — | — |
| 14 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.354 | 161.900 | 33.275 | 162.284 | — | — |
| 15 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 33.153 | 162.881 | 33.317 | 162.079 | — | — |
| 16 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 33.490 | 161.242 | 33.339 | 161.972 | — | — |
| 17 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 33.515 | 161.122 | 33.430 | 161.532 | — | — |
| 18 | 61 | Kaz Grala | Fury Race Cars | Ford | 33.393 | 161.711 | 33.454 | 161.416 | — | — |
| 19 | 38 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 33.392 | 161.715 | 33.478 | 161.300 | — | — |
| 20 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 33.601 | 160.710 | 33.531 | 161.045 | — | — |
| 21 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 33.695 | 160.261 | 33.533 | 161.035 | — | — |
| 22 | 26 | Max Tullman | Tullman-Walker Racing | Ford | 33.650 | 160.475 | 33.703 | 160.223 | — | — |
| 23 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.375 | 161.798 | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | 89 | Landon Cassill | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 33.784 | 159.839 | — | — | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 | ||||||||||
| 25 | 66 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 33.808 | 159.726 | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 33.867 | 159.447 | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | 86 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.960 | 159.011 | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | 93 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 34.005 | 158.800 | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34.236 | 157.729 | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34.269 | 157.577 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 34.294 | 157.462 | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | 01 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34.303 | 157.421 | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | 90 | Caesar Bacarella | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 34.376 | 157.086 | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points | ||||||||||
| 34 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 34.506 | 156.495 | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | 15 | Quin Houff | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34.623 | 155.966 | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 34.820 | 155.083 | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | 78 | Vinnie Miller | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 35.075 | 153.956 | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | 40 | Carl Long | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 36.592 | 147.573 | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | 39 | Angela Ruch | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 36.817 | 146.671 | — | — | — | — |
| Champion's Provisional | ||||||||||
| 40 | 37 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 34.950 | 154.506 | — | — | — | — |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 41 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 34.647 | 155.858 | — | — | — | — |
| 42 | 99 | Stephen Leicht | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34.685 | 155.687 | — | — | — | — |
| 43 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 34.810 | 155.128 | — | — | — | — |
| 44 | 55 | Bayley Currey | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 34.833 | 155.025 | — | — | — | — |
| 45 | 74 | Tim Viens | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 35.131 | 153.710 | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results | ||||||||||
| Official starting lineup | ||||||||||
Race results[edit]
- Note: Christopher Bell, Cole Custer, Daniel Hemric, and Tyler Reddick are not eligible for stage points because of their participation in the Championship 4.
Stage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 3 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 7 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 4 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 5 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 110
References[edit]
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2018-11-17). "Tyler Reddick wins Xfinity race in Miami, championship". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2018-11-10). "Christopher Bell wins at Phoenix to clinch spot in Xfinity title race". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2018-11-03). "Cole Custer wins Xfinity race in Texas with last-lap pass". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
- ^ a b "Xfinity Series Championship 4 set after ISM Raceway". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2018-11-10. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
- ^ Beard, Brock. "XFINITY: Despite efforts of McLeod crew, Vinnie Miller handed first career last-place finish". Retrieved 2022-01-30.
- ^ a b c "2018 NASCAR XFINITY Homestead Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
- ^ a b Beaver, Dan (2018-11-16). "Xfinity practice report from Miami". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
- ^ "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2018-11-17). "Cole Custer wins Xfinity pole at Miami". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
- ^ "2018 Ford EcoBoost 300 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-01-30.