| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 26 of 33 of the2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
| Date | September 15, 2018 | ||
| Official name | Inaugural DC Solar 300 | ||
| Location | North Las Vegas, Nevada,Las Vegas Motor Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.5 miles (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 200 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 119.258 miles per hour (191.927 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Stewart-Haas Racing withBiagi-DenBeste | ||
| Time | 30.118 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| Laps | 180 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 42 | Ross Chastain | 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 | Performance Racing Network | ||
The2018 DC Solar 300 was the 26thstock car race of the2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the final race of the regular season, and the inaugural iteration of theevent. The race was held on Saturday, September 15, 2018, inNorth Las Vegas, Nevada atLas Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end,Ross Chastain ofChip Ganassi Racing would dominate, redeeming himself from the2018 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 to win his first everNASCAR Xfinity Series career win and his first and only win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium,Justin Allgaier ofJR Motorsports andCole Custer ofStewart-Haas Racing withBiagi-DenBeste would finish second and third, respectively.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located inClark County, Nevada outside theLas Vegas city limits and about 15 miles northeast of theLas Vegas Strip, is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned bySpeedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered inCharlotte, North Carolina.
The first practice session would occur on Friday, September 14, at 12:05 PMPST, and would last for 40 minutes.[2]Matt Tifft ofRichard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.403 and an average speed of 177.614 miles per hour (285.842 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.403 | 177.614 |
| 2 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.489 | 177.113 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.581 | 176.580 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Friday, September 14, at 2:05 PMPST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2]Tyler Reddick ofJR Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.561 and an average speed of 176.696 miles per hour (284.365 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.561 | 176.696 |
| 2 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 30.661 | 176.120 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing withBiagi-DenBeste | Ford | 30.690 | 175.953 |
| Full final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying would take place on Saturday, March 3, at 10:05 AMPST. SinceLas Vegas 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]
Cole Custer ofStewart-Haas Racing withBiagi-DenBeste would win the pole, advancing through both preliminary rounds and setting a time of 30.118 and an average speed of 179.295 miles per hour (288.547 km/h) in the third round.[5]
No drivers would fail to qualify.
Stage 1 Laps: 45
Stage 2 Laps: 45
Stage 3 Laps: 110
| Previous race: 2018 Lilly Diabetes 250 | NASCAR Xfinity Series 2018 season | Next race: 2018 Go Bowling 250 |