| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 33 of the2018 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 | ||
| Course length | 0.533 miles (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 withBiagi-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 | ||
The2018 Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 was the seventhstock car race of the2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the 36th iteration of theevent. The race was held Saturday, April 14, 2018, inBristol, Tennessee atBristol 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 ofJoe Gibbs Racing would take the lead on the final restart with 10 laps to go and win his second and to date, final careerNASCAR Xfinity Series win and his first and only win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium,Justin Allgaier ofJR Motorsports andDaniel Hemric ofRichard Childress Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
TheBristol Motor Speedway, formerly known asBristol International Raceway andBristol Raceway, is aNASCARshort track venue located inBristol, 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, twopit roads, andstadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.
*Driver would change toDylan Lupton.[2]
**The two would swap seats for the race, after Sieg destroyed his primary car in qualifying. Yeley would insteadstart and park the #39.[3]
The first practice session would occur on Friday, April 13, at 1:05 PMEST, and would last for 50 minutes.[4]Brandon Jones ofJoe 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 | ||||||
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Friday, April 13, at 3:05 PMEST, and would last for 50 minutes.[4]Cole Custer ofStewart-Haas Racing withBiagi-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 withBiagi-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 was held on Saturday, April 14, at 9:35 AMEST.[4] SinceBristol 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 ofStewart-Haas Racing withBiagi-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.
Stage 1 Laps: 85
Stage 2 Laps: 85
Stage 3 Laps: 130
| Previous race: 2018 My Bariatric Solutions 300 | NASCAR Xfinity Series 2018 season | Next race: 2018 ToyotaCare 250 |