| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 31 of 33 in the2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
| Date | November 3, 2018 | ||
| Official name | 14th Annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge | ||
| Location | Fort Worth, Texas,Texas 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 | 116.82 miles per hour (188.00 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 28.523 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | |
| Laps | 54 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing withBiagi-DenBeste | |
| 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 O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge was the 31ststock car race of the2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the second race in the Round of 12, and the 18th iteration of theevent. The race was held on Saturday, November 3, 2018, inFort Worth, Texas atTexas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. A wild finish would seeCole Custer ofStewart-Haas Racing withBiagi-DenBeste bestJR Motorsports driverTyler Reddick with a last-lap pass on the backstretch to win his second careerNASCAR Xfinity Series race, his first and only win of the season, and a guaranteed spot in the Championship 4.[1] To fill out the podium,Austin Cindric ofTeam Penske would finish third.
Texas Motor Speedway is aspeedway located in the northernmost portion of theU.S. city ofFort Worth, Texas – the portion located inDenton County, Texas. The track measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns, and is of the oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track layout is similar toAtlanta Motor Speedway andCharlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway). The track is owned bySpeedway Motorsports, Inc., the same company that owns Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedway, as well as the short-trackBristol Motor Speedway.
*Bilicki would wreck during pre-race activities, and asJP Motorsports had no backup cars, they would withdraw the #55 entry, and move Currey to the #45 entry.[2]
The first practice session was held on Friday, November 2, at 2:05 PMCST, and would last for 45 minutes.[3]Ryan Truex ofKaulig Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.852 and an average speed of 187.162 miles per hour (301.208 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 28.852 | 187.162 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.903 | 186.832 |
| 3 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.942 | 186.580 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, November 2, at 4:35 PMCST, and would last for 50 minutes.[3]Ryan Truex ofKaulig Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.757 and an average speed of 187.780 miles per hour (302.203 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 28.757 | 187.780 |
| 2 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.771 | 187.689 |
| 3 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.773 | 187.676 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying was held on Saturday, November 3, at 12:40 PMCST.[3] SinceTexas 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.[5]
Christopher Bell ofJoe Gibbs Racing would win the pole after advancing from both preliminary rounds and setting the fastest lap in Round 3, with a time of 28.523 and an average speed of 189.321 miles per hour (304.683 km/h).[6]
No drivers would fail to qualify.
Stage 1 Laps: 45
Stage 2 Laps: 45
Stage 3 Laps: 110
| Previous race: 2018 Kansas Lottery 300 | NASCAR Xfinity Series 2018 season | Next race: 2018 Whelen Trusted to Perform 200 |