2018 Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300
The 2018 Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 was the seventh stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the 36th iteration of the event. The race was held Saturday, April 14, 2018, in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. At race's end, Ryan Preece of Joe Gibbs Racing would take the lead on the final restart with 10 laps to go and win his second and to date, final career NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his first and only win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports and Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 33 of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
| Date | April 14, 2018 | ||
| Official name | 36th Annual Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 | ||
| Location | Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.533 mi (0.858 km) | ||
| Distance | 300 laps, 159.9 mi (257.334 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 300 laps, 159.9 mi (257.334 km) | ||
| Average speed | 67.857 miles per hour (109.205 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | ||
| Time | 15.090 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 106 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Sports 1 | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Michael Waltrip, Joey Logano | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Background
The 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
*Driver would change to Dylan Lupton.[2]
**The two would swap seats for the race, after Sieg destroyed his primary car in qualifying. Yeley would instead start and park the #39.[3]
Practice
First practice
The first practice session would occur on Friday, April 13, at 1:05 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes.[4] Brandon Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 15.495 and an average speed of 123.833 miles per hour (199.290 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.495 | 123.833 |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.535 | 123.515 |
| 3 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.537 | 123.499 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Friday, April 13, at 3:05 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes.[4] Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 15.528 and an average speed of 123.570 miles per hour (198.867 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 15.528 | 123.570 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.577 | 123.182 |
| 3 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.585 | 123.118 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Saturday, April 14, at 9:35 AM EST.[4] 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.[6]
Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste would win the pole, setting a time of 15.090 and an average speed of 127.157 miles per hour (204.639 km/h).[7]
One driver would fail to qualify: Morgan Shepherd.
Full qualifying results
| 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 | 15.464 | 124.082 | 15.216 | 126.104 | 15.090 | 127.157 |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.278 | 125.592 | 15.260 | 125.740 | 15.119 | 126.913 |
| 3 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.436 | 124.307 | 15.204 | 126.204 | 15.144 | 126.704 |
| 4 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.230 | 125.988 | 15.208 | 126.170 | 15.160 | 126.570 |
| 5 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 15.176 | 126.436 | 15.179 | 126.411 | 15.179 | 126.411 |
| 6 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.610 | 122.921 | 15.260 | 125.740 | 15.199 | 126.245 |
| 7 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.538 | 123.491 | 15.259 | 125.749 | 15.250 | 125.823 |
| 8 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.500 | 123.794 | 15.378 | 124.776 | 15.282 | 125.559 |
| 9 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 15.258 | 125.757 | 15.323 | 125.224 | 15.301 | 125.404 |
| 10 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 15.355 | 124.963 | 15.352 | 124.987 | 15.304 | 125.379 |
| 11 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.422 | 124.420 | 15.296 | 125.445 | 15.304 | 125.379 |
| 12 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 15.550 | 123.395 | 15.346 | 125.036 | 15.422 | 124.420 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 | ||||||||||
| 13 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.380 | 124.759 | 15.386 | 124.711 | — | — |
| 14 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 15.314 | 125.297 | 15.393 | 124.654 | — | — |
| 15 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.434 | 124.323 | 15.401 | 124.589 | — | — |
| 16 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 15.513 | 123.690 | 15.417 | 124.460 | — | — |
| 17 | 24 | Kaz Grala | JGL Racing | Ford | 15.517 | 123.658 | 15.432 | 124.339 | — | — |
| 18 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.555 | 123.356 | 15.488 | 123.889 | — | — |
| 19 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 15.581 | 123.150 | 15.491 | 123.865 | — | — |
| 20 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 15.587 | 123.103 | 15.527 | 123.578 | — | — |
| 21 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 15.438 | 124.291 | 15.537 | 123.499 | — | — |
| 22 | 98 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 15.552 | 123.380 | 15.695 | 122.255 | — | — |
| 23 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 15.453 | 124.170 | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 15.580 | 123.158 | — | — | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 | ||||||||||
| 25 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.621 | 122.835 | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.738 | 121.921 | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.748 | 121.844 | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 15.792 | 121.505 | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 15.917 | 120.550 | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | 15 | Joe Nemechek | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.920 | 120.528 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 15.977 | 120.098 | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 16.031 | 119.693 | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | 28 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Ford | 16.031 | 119.693 | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points | ||||||||||
| 34 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.059 | 119.484 | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.068 | 119.417 | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 16.168 | 118.679 | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 16.296 | 117.747 | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | 55 | Stephen Leicht | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 16.331 | 117.494 | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | 74 | Cody Ware | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 16.381 | 117.136 | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 16.521 | 116.143 | — | — | — | — |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 41 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 16.547 | 115.961 | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results | ||||||||||
| Official starting lineup | ||||||||||
Race results
Stage 1 Laps: 85
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 85
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 98 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 130
References
- "Ryan Preece bags Xfinity victory, Dash 4 Cash at Bristol | NASCAR.com". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2018-04-14. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
- Beard, Brock. "PREVIEW: Several fresh faces on both the Cup and XFINITY grid at Bristol". Retrieved 2021-12-17.
- Beard, Brock. "XFINITY: Bristol wreck hands Jeremy Clements his first XFINITY last-place finish in 273rd career start". Retrieved 2021-12-17.
- "2018 NASCAR XFINITY Bristol Race Page". ESPN.com. 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
- McFadin, Daniel (2018-04-13). "Xfinity Series practice report from Bristol". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
- "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- Long, Dustin (2018-04-14). "Cole Custer wins pole for today's Xfinity race at Bristol". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
- "2018 Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-12-20.