2018 Rinnai 250
The 2018 Rinnai 250 was the 2nd stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the 27th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, February 24, 2018 in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.54 miles (2.48 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 163 laps to complete. At race's end, Kevin Harvick driving for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste would dominate the race and win his 1st and only win of the season driving a part-time schedule. The win was the 47th, and so far as of 2021, final win of his NASCAR Xfinity Series career.[1] To fill out the podium, Joey Logano of Team Penske and Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 33 of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | February 24, 2018 | ||
| Official name | Rinnai 250 | ||
| Location | Hampton, Georgia, Atlanta Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.54 mi (2.48 km) | ||
| Distance | 163 laps, 251.02 mi (403.98 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 163 laps, 251.02 mi (403.98 km) | ||
| Average speed | 129.67 miles per hour (208.68 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 30.600 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBiste | |
| Laps | 141 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 98 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBiste | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Sports 1 | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Michael Waltrip, Chase Elliott | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Background
Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a track in Hampton, Georgia, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It is a 1.54-mile (2.48 km) quad-oval track with a seating capacity of 111,000. It opened in 1960 as a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two 1.5-mile (2.4 km) ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval. The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.
Entry list
*Withdrew.[2]
Practice
First practice
First practice was held on Friday, February 23 at 1:05 PM EST. Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest lap in the session with a 31.068 and an average speed of 178.447 miles per hour (287.183 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 31.068 | 178.447 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 31.265 | 177.323 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 31.512 | 175.933 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
The second and final practice was held on Friday, February 23 at 3:05 PM EST. John Hunter Nemechek of Chip Ganassi Racing would set the fastest time in the session with a 31.056 and an average speed of 178.516 miles per hour (287.294 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 31.056 | 178.516 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 31.293 | 177.164 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 31.342 | 176.887 |
| Full final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying would take place on Saturday, February 24, at 9:10 AM EST. Since Atlanta 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]
Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole after setting a fast enough time in the first two rounds to advance to the next, with Bell achieving a lap in Round 3 with a time of 30.600 and an average speed of 181.176 miles per hour (291.575 km/h).[5]
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Josh Bilicki and Mike Harmon.
Full qualifying results
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.676 | 180.728 | 30.328 | 182.801 | 30.600 | 181.176 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 30.104 | 184.162 | 30.534 | 181.568 | 30.630 | 180.999 |
| 3 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 30.208 | 183.528 | 30.311 | 182.904 | 30.669 | 180.769 |
| 4 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 30.665 | 180.792 | 30.465 | 181.979 | 30.690 | 180.645 |
| 5 | 98 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 30.602 | 181.165 | 30.696 | 180.610 | 30.691 | 180.639 |
| 6 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.613 | 181.100 | 30.774 | 180.152 | 30.725 | 180.439 |
| 7 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.864 | 179.627 | 30.758 | 180.246 | 30.842 | 179.755 |
| 8 | 18 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 31.030 | 178.666 | 30.715 | 180.498 | 30.851 | 179.702 |
| 9 | 12 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 30.643 | 180.922 | 30.583 | 181.277 | 30.852 | 179.697 |
| 10 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.780 | 180.117 | 30.630 | 180.999 | 30.856 | 179.673 |
| 11 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.648 | 180.893 | 30.833 | 179.807 | 30.926 | 179.267 |
| 12 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 30.898 | 179.429 | 30.698 | 180.598 | 30.958 | 179.081 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 | ||||||||||
| 13 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.895 | 179.447 | 30.874 | 179.569 | — | — |
| 14 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.752 | 180.281 | 30.887 | 179.493 | — | — |
| 15 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.915 | 179.330 | 30.925 | 179.272 | — | — |
| 16 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.742 | 180.340 | 30.940 | 179.186 | — | — |
| 17 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.769 | 180.181 | 30.978 | 178.966 | — | — |
| 18 | 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 31.098 | 178.275 | 31.024 | 178.700 | — | — |
| 19 | 93 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.584 | 181.271 | 31.024 | 178.700 | — | — |
| 20 | 24 | Kaz Grala | JGL Racing | Ford | 31.372 | 176.718 | 31.129 | 178.098 | — | — |
| 21 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.274 | 177.272 | 31.198 | 177.704 | — | — |
| 22 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 31.033 | 178.649 | 31.422 | 176.437 | — | — |
| 23 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.416 | 176.471 | 32.283 | 171.731 | — | — |
| 24 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.269 | 177.300 | — | — | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 | ||||||||||
| 25 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 31.568 | 175.621 | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.656 | 175.133 | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | 38 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 31.701 | 174.884 | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | 28 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Ford | 31.713 | 174.818 | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 31.716 | 174.801 | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 31.756 | 174.581 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 31.832 | 174.164 | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | 15 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.869 | 173.962 | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 31.936 | 173.597 | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points | ||||||||||
| 34 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 32.033 | 173.072 | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 32.141 | 172.490 | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 32.266 | 171.822 | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 32.424 | 170.984 | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | 55 | Stephen Leicht | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 32.901 | 168.506 | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.999 | 168.005 | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | 0 | Matt Mills | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.016 | 167.919 | — | — | — | — |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew | ||||||||||
| 41 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 32.474 | 170.721 | — | — | — | — |
| 42 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 32.608 | 170.020 | — | — | — | — |
| WD | 99 | ? | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results | ||||||||||
| Official starting lineup | ||||||||||
Race results
Stage 1 Laps: 40
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 98 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 5 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 12 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 40
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 98 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 4 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 83
References
- McFadin, Daniel (2018-02-25). "Kevin Harvick wins Xfinity race at Atlanta Motor Speedway". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- Beard, Brock. "PREVIEW: Without Open teams at Atlanta, track sees shortest Cup field since 1976". Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- Long, Dustin (2018-02-23). "Xfinity practice report from Atlanta". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- Ryan, Nate (2018-02-24). "Christopher Bell on Xfinity pole at Atlanta". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- "2018 Rinnai 250 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-11-02.