The 2018 ToyotaCare 250 was the eighth stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, April 20, 2018, in Richmond, Virginia at Richmond Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 250 laps to complete. At race's end, Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would dominate the late stages of the race to win his second career NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his first of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Noah Gragson of Joe Gibbs Racing and Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 33 of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | April 20, 2018 | ||
| Official name | 31st Annual ToyotaCare 250 | ||
| Location | Richmond, Virginia, Richmond Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.75 mi (1.21 km) | ||
| Distance | 250 laps, 187.5 mi (301.752 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 250 laps, 187.5 mi (301.752 km) | ||
| Average speed | 93.284 miles per hour (150.126 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | ||
| Time | 22.253 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 120 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Sports 1 | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Michael Waltrip, Kevin Harvick | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit Richmond Raceway (RR), formerly known as Richmond International Raceway (RIR), is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the IndyCar series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted two USAC sprint car races.
Entry list
editPractice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session would occur on Friday, April 20, at 8:00 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Both Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing and Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste would set the fastest lap in the session, with a time of 22.149 and an average speed of 121.902 miles per hour (196.182 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 22.149 | 121.902 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 22.149 | 121.902 |
| 3 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 22.151 | 121.891 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
editThe second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Friday, April 20, at 9:40 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] John Hunter Nemechek of Chip Ganassi Racing would set the fastest lap in the session, with a time of 22.672 and an average speed of 119.090 miles per hour (191.657 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 22.672 | 119.090 |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.685 | 119.021 |
| 3 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 22.688 | 119.006 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying would occur on Friday, April 20, at 4:05 PM EST.[2] Since Richmond Raceway 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]
Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste would win the pole after making through both preliminary rounds and setting a time of 22.253 and an average speed of 121.332 miles per hour (195.265 km/h) in the third round.[5]
No drivers would fail to qualify.
Full practice 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 | 22.959 | 117.601 | 22.524 | 119.872 | 22.253 | 121.332 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 22.762 | 118.619 | 22.541 | 119.782 | 22.336 | 120.881 |
| 3 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 22.707 | 118.906 | 22.562 | 119.670 | 22.453 | 120.251 |
| 4 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.806 | 118.390 | 22.506 | 119.968 | 22.460 | 120.214 |
| 5 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 22.340 | 120.859 | 22.615 | 119.390 | 22.464 | 120.192 |
| 6 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 22.954 | 117.627 | 22.468 | 120.171 | 22.550 | 119.734 |
| 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.647 | 119.221 | 22.466 | 120.182 | 22.558 | 119.691 |
| 8 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.734 | 118.765 | 22.631 | 119.305 | 22.570 | 119.628 |
| 9 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.770 | 118.577 | 22.626 | 119.332 | 22.570 | 119.628 |
| 10 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.758 | 118.640 | 22.611 | 119.411 | 22.586 | 119.543 |
| 11 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 23.000 | 117.391 | 22.487 | 120.069 | 22.613 | 119.400 |
| 12 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.900 | 117.904 | 22.534 | 119.819 | 22.685 | 119.021 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 | ||||||||||
| 13 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 22.638 | 119.268 | 22.656 | 119.174 | — | — |
| 14 | 3 | Jeb Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.854 | 118.141 | 22.685 | 119.021 | — | — |
| 15 | 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 22.838 | 118.224 | 22.693 | 118.979 | — | — |
| 16 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.789 | 118.478 | 22.734 | 118.765 | — | — |
| 17 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 22.824 | 118.297 | 22.788 | 118.483 | — | — |
| 18 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 22.905 | 117.878 | 22.796 | 118.442 | — | — |
| 19 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 22.922 | 117.791 | 22.855 | 118.136 | — | — |
| 20 | 15 | Joe Nemechek | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.996 | 117.412 | 22.884 | 117.986 | — | — |
| 21 | 90 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.991 | 117.437 | 22.958 | 117.606 | — | — |
| 22 | 24 | Kaz Grala | JGL Racing | Ford | 22.888 | 117.966 | 22.959 | 117.601 | — | — |
| 23 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 22.809 | 118.374 | 22.992 | 117.432 | — | — |
| 24 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 22.915 | 117.827 | 23.016 | 117.310 | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 | ||||||||||
| 25 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 23.038 | 117.198 | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 23.056 | 117.106 | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 23.056 | 117.106 | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.136 | 116.701 | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | 55 | Stephen Leicht | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 23.144 | 116.661 | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.208 | 116.339 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 23.251 | 116.124 | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 23.300 | 115.880 | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 23.353 | 115.617 | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points | ||||||||||
| 34 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 23.373 | 115.518 | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | 28 | Tony Mrakovich | JGL Racing | Ford | 23.404 | 115.365 | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.417 | 115.301 | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 23.550 | 114.650 | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.559 | 114.606 | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 23.617 | 114.324 | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 24.111 | 111.982 | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results | ||||||||||
| Official starting lineup | ||||||||||
Race results
editStage 1 Laps: 75
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 3 | Jeb Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 75
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 3 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 100
References
edit- ^ Spencer, Reid (2018-04-21). "Bell holds off Gragson for win, Sadler wins Dash 4 Cash". Official Site Of NASCAR. Archived from the original on 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ a b c "2018 NASCAR XFINITY Richmond Race Page". ESPN.com. 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ a b Long, Dustin (2018-04-20). "Xfinity practice report at Richmond". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2018-04-20). "Cole Custer wins pole for Xfinity race at Richmond". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ "2018 ToyotaCare 250 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-12-20.