2018 Coca-Cola Firecracker 250
The 2018 Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 was the 16th stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 17th iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, July 6, 2018, in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race was extended from its scheduled 100 laps to 105 due to a NASCAR overtime finish. At race's end, a close, but controversial finish would see Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyle Larson win his 11th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his third of his part-time season.[1] To fill out the podium, Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports and Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 16 of 33 of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
| Date | July 6, 2018 | ||
| Official name | 17th Annual Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 | ||
| Location | Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona International Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | ||
| Distance | 105 laps, 262.5 mi (422.452 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 100 laps, 500 mi (402.336 km) | ||
| Average speed | 129.541 miles per hour (208.476 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | Set by 2018 owner's points | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| Laps | 40 | ||
| 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 | Motor Racing Network | ||
In a controversial ruling, GMS Racing driver Justin Haley, who had initially won the race was instead disqualified from his win due to him passing Larson below the yellow line, moving him to the last position on the lead lap, which was 18th.[2]
Background
Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.[3] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[4]
Entry list
*Withdrew.[5]
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Thursday, July 5, at 1:05 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 45.885 and an average speed of 196.143 miles per hour (315.662 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 45.885 | 196.143 |
| 2 | 24 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 45.949 | 195.869 |
| 3 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 45.958 | 195.831 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Thursday, July 5, at 3:05 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes.[6] Chad Finchum of MBM Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 48.500 and an average speed of 185.567 miles per hour (298.641 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 48.500 | 185.567 |
| 2 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 48.507 | 185.540 |
| 3 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 48.676 | 184.896 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Starting lineup
Qualifying was originally going to be held on Friday, July 6, at 2:10 PM EST.[6] However, rain would cancel the qualifying session, forcing NASCAR to resort to the rulebook to set up the lineup, using the current 2018 owner's points. As a result, Ryan Preece of Joe Gibbs Racing won the pole.[8]
Full starting lineup
Race results
Stage 1 Laps: 30
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 23 | Chase Elliott | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 3 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 6 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 60 | Austin Cindric | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 30
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 23 | Chase Elliott | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 3 | 60 | Austin Cindric | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 22 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 5 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 24 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 8 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 45
Notes
- Haley initially won the race, but was demoted to 18th (the last position of the lead lap) for a last-lap track limit violation.[2]
References
- "Larson gets win after Haley's pass ruled illegal". ESPN.com. 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- Long, Dustin (July 6, 2018). "Justin Haley says it was 'BS call' by NASCAR to nullify win". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- "NASCAR.COM : Tracks". 2010-08-11. Archived from the original on 2010-08-11. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- "Daytona International Speedway: The World Center of Racing". 2010-08-30. Archived from the original on 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- Beard, Brock. "XFINITY: While some underdogs impress, Josh Bilicki hands car #45 its first last-place run since 1999". Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- "2018 NASCAR XFINITY Daytona Race Page". ESPN.com. 2018-07-09. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- Long, Dustin (2018-07-05). "Xfinity practice report at Daytona". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- Long, Dustin (2018-07-06). "Rain cancels Daytona Xfinity qualifying; Ryan Preece on pole". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- "2018 Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 - The Third Turn". thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-01-01.