2018_Alsco_300_(Charlotte)
2018 Alsco 300 (Charlotte)
11th race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series
The 2018 Alsco 300 was the 11th stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 37th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 26, 2018, in Concord, North Carolina at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race was extended from 200 laps to 204 due to a NASCAR overtime finish. At race's end, Brad Keselowski of Team Penske would win the race under caution, as Tyler Reddick and Ty Majeski would both wreck on the backstretch on the final lap, putting out a caution.[1] The win was Keselowski's 38th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his second of the season. To fill out the podium, Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste and Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 11 of 33 of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
| Date | May 26, 2018 | ||
| Official name | 37th Annual Alsco 300 | ||
| Location | Concord, North Carolina, Charlotte Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 204 laps, 306 mi (492.459 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 108.596 miles per hour (174.768 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Team Penske | ||
| Time | 29.287 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 93 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 22 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Sports 1 | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Michael Waltrip, Erik Jones | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
The race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, located in Concord, North Carolina. The speedway complex includes a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) quad-oval track that was utilized for the race, as well as a dragstrip and a dirt track. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams based in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith serving as track president.
Entry list
First practice
The first practice session would occur on Thursday, May 24, at 4:05 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes.[2] Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 29.773 and an average speed of 181.372 miles per hour (291.890 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.773 | 181.372 |
| 2 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 29.979 | 180.126 |
| 3 | 23 | Chase Elliott | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 29.982 | 180.108 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Thursday, May 24, at 6:05 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Brad Keselowski of Team Penske would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 29.615 and an average speed of 182.340 miles per hour (293.448 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 29.615 | 182.340 |
| 2 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.788 | 181.281 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.807 | 181.165 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying would occur on Saturday, May 26, at 10:10 AM EST. Since Charlotte 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]
Brad Keselowski of Team Penske would win the pole, setting a time of 29.287 and an average speed of 184.382 miles per hour (296.734 km/h) in the third round.[5]
Full qualifying results
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 29.354 | 183.961 | 29.441 | 183.418 | 29.287 | 184.382 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 29.520 | 182.927 | 29.488 | 183.125 | 29.331 | 184.106 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.889 | 180.668 | 29.431 | 183.480 | 29.431 | 183.480 |
| 4 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.600 | 182.432 | 29.516 | 182.952 | 29.438 | 183.436 |
| 5 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.573 | 182.599 | 29.528 | 182.877 | 29.457 | 183.318 |
| 6 | 23 | Chase Elliott | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 29.664 | 182.039 | 29.512 | 182.976 | 29.485 | 183.144 |
| 7 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.758 | 181.464 | 29.670 | 182.002 | 29.514 | 182.964 |
| 8 | 12 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 29.251 | 184.609 | 29.459 | 183.306 | 29.530 | 182.865 |
| 9 | 98 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 29.785 | 181.299 | 29.622 | 182.297 | 29.597 | 182.451 |
| 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.491 | 183.107 | 29.743 | 181.555 | 29.708 | 181.769 |
| 11 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 29.716 | 181.720 | 29.674 | 181.977 | 29.780 | 181.330 |
| 12 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 29.601 | 182.426 | 29.762 | 181.439 | 29.810 | 181.147 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 | ||||||||||
| 13 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.841 | 180.959 | 29.779 | 181.336 | — | — |
| 14 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.596 | 182.457 | 29.825 | 181.056 | — | — |
| 15 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 29.758 | 181.464 | 29.842 | 180.953 | — | — |
| 16 | 61 | Kaz Grala | Fury Race Cars | Ford | 29.757 | 181.470 | 29.883 | 180.705 | — | — |
| 17 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.973 | 180.162 | 29.903 | 180.584 | — | — |
| 18 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.027 | 179.838 | 29.957 | 180.258 | — | — |
| 19 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.892 | 180.650 | 29.990 | 180.060 | — | — |
| 20 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 29.882 | 180.711 | 30.048 | 179.712 | — | — |
| 21 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 29.723 | 181.677 | 30.177 | 178.944 | — | — |
| 22 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.016 | 179.904 | 30.191 | 178.861 | — | — |
| 23 | 28 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Ford | 29.887 | 180.681 | 30.545 | 176.788 | — | — |
| 24 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 30.109 | 179.348 | — | — | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 | ||||||||||
| 25 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.139 | 179.170 | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 30.170 | 178.986 | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 30.289 | 178.283 | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | 15 | Joe Nemechek | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.349 | 177.930 | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.358 | 177.877 | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | 99 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.438 | 177.410 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.584 | 176.563 | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.870 | 174.927 | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 30.892 | 174.803 | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points | ||||||||||
| 34 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 30.928 | 174.599 | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 30.951 | 174.469 | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.089 | 173.695 | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | 78 | Ray Black Jr. | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.116 | 173.544 | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 31.584 | 170.973 | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | 55 | Brandon Hightower | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 31.588 | 170.951 | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 41 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 30.981 | 174.300 | — | — | — | — |
| 42 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 31.229 | 172.916 | — | — | — | — |
| 43 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 31.785 | 169.891 | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results | ||||||||||
| Official starting lineup | ||||||||||
Stage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 23 | Chase Elliott | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 10 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 5 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 23 | Chase Elliott | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 8 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 98 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 114
- McFadin, Daniel (2018-05-26). "Brad Keselowski wins Xfinity race at Charlotte in overtime finish". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
- "2018 NASCAR XFINITY Charlotte Race Page". ESPN.com. 2018-05-29. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
- McFadin, Daniel (2018-05-24). "Xfinity practice report from Charlotte Motor Speedway". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
- "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- McFadin, Daniel (2018-05-26). "Brad Keselowski wins Xfinity pole at Charlotte". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
- "2018 Alsco 300 (Charlotte) - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
| Previous race: 2018 OneMain Financial 200 |
NASCAR Xfinity Series 2018 season |
Next race: 2018 Pocono Green 250 |