The 2018 Whelen Trusted to Perform 200 was the 32nd stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the third and final race in the Round of 8, and the 20th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, November 10, 2018, in Avondale, Arizona, at ISM Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would dominate the late stages of the race to win his eighth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, his seventh win of the season, and a guaranteed spot in the Championship 4.[1] To fill out the podium, Daniel Hemric and Matt Tifft of Richard Childress Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 32 of 33 in the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
| Date | November 10, 2018 | ||
| Official name | 20th Annual Whelen Trusted to Perform 200 | ||
| Location | Avondale, Arizona, ISM Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1 mi (1.6 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 200 mi (321.868 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 200 mi (321.868 km) | ||
| Average speed | 100.643 miles per hour (161.969 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Chip Ganassi Racing | ||
| Time | 26.970 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 94 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
editISM Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.
ISM Raceway is home to two annual NASCAR race weekends, one of 13 facilities on the NASCAR schedule to host more than one race weekend a year. The track is both the first and last stop in the western United States, as well as the fourth and penultimate track on the schedule.
Entry list
editPractice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, November 9, at 12:35 PM MST, and would last for 50 minutes.[2] Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest lap in the session with a time of 27.210 and an average speed of 132.304 miles per hour (212.923 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.210 | 132.304 |
| 2 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.250 | 132.110 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 27.335 | 131.699 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
editThe second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, November 9, at 2:35 PM MST, and would last for 50 minutes.[2] John Hunter Nemechek of Chip Ganassi Racing would set the fastest lap in the session with a time of 27.053 and an average speed of 133.072 miles per hour (214.159 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 27.053 | 133.072 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.190 | 132.402 |
| 3 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 27.302 | 131.858 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Saturday, November 10, at 10:35 AM MST.[2] Since ISM 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]
John Hunter Nemechek of Chip Ganassi Racing would win the pole after making through both preliminary rounds and setting a time of 26.970 and an average speed of 133.482 miles per hour (214.818 km/h) in the third round.[5]
No drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
edit| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 27.287 | 131.931 | 26.957 | 133.546 | 26.970 | 133.482 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 27.339 | 131.680 | 26.986 | 133.403 | 26.987 | 133.398 |
| 3 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 27.220 | 132.256 | 27.090 | 132.890 | 27.058 | 133.048 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.328 | 131.733 | 27.178 | 132.460 | 27.081 | 132.935 |
| 5 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.467 | 131.066 | 27.087 | 132.905 | 27.121 | 132.738 |
| 6 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.574 | 130.558 | 27.150 | 132.597 | 27.174 | 132.480 |
| 7 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.255 | 132.086 | 27.173 | 132.484 | 27.216 | 132.275 |
| 8 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.653 | 130.185 | 27.199 | 132.358 | 27.228 | 132.217 |
| 9 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.440 | 131.195 | 27.320 | 131.772 | 27.230 | 132.207 |
| 10 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.543 | 130.705 | 27.240 | 132.159 | 27.254 | 132.091 |
| 11 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 27.781 | 129.585 | 27.399 | 131.392 | 27.319 | 131.776 |
| 12 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 27.647 | 130.213 | 27.399 | 131.392 | 27.479 | 131.009 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 | ||||||||||
| 13 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.788 | 129.552 | 27.399 | 131.392 | — | — |
| 14 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.712 | 129.908 | 27.414 | 131.320 | — | — |
| 15 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 27.555 | 130.648 | 27.478 | 131.014 | — | — |
| 16 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 27.619 | 130.345 | 27.487 | 130.971 | — | — |
| 17 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 27.912 | 128.977 | 27.710 | 129.917 | — | — |
| 18 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 27.863 | 129.204 | 27.719 | 129.875 | — | — |
| 19 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 28.066 | 128.269 | 27.928 | 128.903 | — | — |
| 20 | 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.986 | 128.636 | 27.986 | 128.636 | — | — |
| 21 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 28.142 | 127.923 | 28.006 | 128.544 | — | — |
| 22 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 28.128 | 127.986 | 28.151 | 127.882 | — | — |
| 23 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.723 | 129.856 | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 28.124 | 128.005 | — | — | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 | ||||||||||
| 25 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 28.227 | 127.537 | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | 90 | Donald Theetge | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 28.294 | 127.235 | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.308 | 127.173 | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | 01 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.353 | 126.971 | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | 15 | Quin Houff | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.415 | 126.694 | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | 99 | Stephen Leicht | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.566 | 126.024 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | 13 | Tyler Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 28.624 | 125.769 | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 28.649 | 125.659 | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | 66 | Akinori Ogata | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 28.737 | 125.274 | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points | ||||||||||
| 34 | 55 | Bayley Currey | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 28.843 | 124.814 | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 28.863 | 124.727 | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 29.153 | 123.486 | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | 78 | Vinnie Miller | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.287 | 122.921 | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results | ||||||||||
| Official starting lineup | ||||||||||
Race results
editStage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 110
References
edit- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2018-11-10). "Christopher Bell wins at Phoenix to clinch spot in Xfinity title race". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
- ^ a b c "2018 NASCAR XFINITY Phoenix Race Page". ESPN.com. 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
- ^ a b Long, Dustin (2018-11-09). "Xfinity practice report from Phoenix". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
- ^ "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2018-11-10). "John Hunter Nemechek wins Xfinity pole at Phoenix; Christopher Bell to start from rear". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
- ^ "2018 Whelen Trusted to Perform 200 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-01-29.