# 2018 Iowa 250

The 2018 Iowa 250 presented by Enogen was the 14th stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 8th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 17, 2018, in Newton, Iowa at Iowa Speedway, a 7⁄8 mile (1.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 250 laps to complete. At race's end, JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier would dominate the race to win his seventh career NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his second of the season. To fill out the podium, Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing and Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Iowa Speedway is a 7/8-mile (1.4 km) paved oval motor racing track in Newton, Iowa, United States, approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of Des Moines. The track was designed with influence from Rusty Wallace and patterned after Richmond Raceway, a short track where Wallace was very successful. It has over 25,000 permanent seats as well as a unique multi-tiered Recreational Vehicle viewing area along the backstretch.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | OneMain Financial "Lending Done Human" |
| 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JAS Expedited Trucking |
| 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Wastebits |
| 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Childress Vineyards |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Northland Oil |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Brandt Professional Agriculture |
| 8 | Blake Jones | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tennessee Shine Company |
| 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | BurgerFi |
| 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Phantom Fireworks |
| 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | O.C.R. Gaz Bar |
| 15 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | DriveDownA1C.com |
| 18 | Riley Herbst | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Advance Auto Parts |
| 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | XYO Network |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Rheem |
| 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | Fitzgerald Glider Kits |
| 23 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Fraternal Order of Eagles |
| 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Premier Millwright, Iowa Donor Network |
| 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Wholey's, Can-Am |
| 38 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | Smithbilt Homes |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Chevrolet Accessories |
| 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | Prevagen |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | RepairableVehicles.com |
| 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Circle Track Warehouse |
| 55 | Brandon Hightower | JP Motorsports | Toyota | Allgayer, Premier Recycling, LLC |
| 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Ford |
| 61 | Kaz Grala | Fury Race Cars | Ford | Nettts |
| 66 | Stan Mullis | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | LasVegas.net, TLC Resorts |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | Shadow Warriors Project, Koolbox ICE |
| 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Grunt Style "This We'll Defend" |
| 78 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Riessen Construction |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Visone RV Motorhome Parts, Racing with Jesus |
| 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Bethel Glass & Shower Door, Sleep Well Sleep Disorder Specialists |
| 93 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Saturday, June 16, at 2:05 PM CST, and would last for 50 minutes. Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.270 and an average speed of 129.790 miles per hour (208.877 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 24.270 | 129.790 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 24.295 | 129.656 |
| 3 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 24.305 | 129.603 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 16, at 4:40 PM CST, and would last for 50 minutes. Kaz Grala of Fury Race Cars would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.221 and an average speed of 130.052 miles per hour (209.298 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 61 | Kaz Grala | Fury Race Cars | Ford | 24.221 | 130.052 |
| 2 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.334 | 129.449 |
| 3 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 24.369 | 129.263 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Sunday, June 17, at 1:35 PM CST. Since Iowa 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.
Austin Cindric of Team Penske would win the pole after advancing from both preliminary rounds and setting the fastest lap in Round 3, with a time of 23.971 and an average speed of 131.409 miles per hour (211.482 km/h).
No drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
| 1 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | | | | | 23.971 | 131.409 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | 24.048 | 130.988 |
| 3 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | | | | | 24.076 | 130.836 |
| 4 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | 24.132 | 130.532 |
| 5 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | | | | | 24.150 | 130.435 |
| 6 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | 24.191 | 130.214 |
| 7 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | 24.236 | 129.972 |
| 8 | 61 | Kaz Grala | Fury Race Cars | Ford | | | | | 24.259 | 129.849 |
| 9 | 18 | Riley Herbst | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | | | | | 24.281 | 129.731 |
| 10 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | 24.309 | 129.582 |
| 11 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | 24.326 | 129.491 |
| 12 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | 24.364 | 129.289 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 |||||||||||
| 13 | 23 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | | | 24.187 | 130.235 | — | — |
| 14 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | | | 24.187 | 130.235 | — | — |
| 15 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | | | 24.201 | 130.160 | — | — |
| 16 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | 24.220 | 130.058 | — | — |
| 17 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | | | 24.229 | 130.009 | — | — |
| 18 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | | | 24.363 | 129.294 | — | — |
| 19 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | | | 24.390 | 129.151 | — | — |
| 20 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | 24.500 | 128.571 | — | — |
| 21 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | | | 24.515 | 128.493 | — | — |
| 22 | 15 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 24.559 | 128.263 | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | 38 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 24.596 | 128.070 | — | — | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||||
| 25 | 78 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.613 | 127.981 | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 24.660 | 127.737 | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 24.674 | 127.665 | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | 55 | Brandon Hightower | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 24.829 | 126.868 | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 24.843 | 126.796 | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 24.855 | 126.735 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | 93 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 24.878 | 126.618 | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | 8 | Blake Jones | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.961 | 126.197 | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 25.087 | 125.563 | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||||
| 34 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 25.097 | 125.513 | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 25.178 | 125.109 | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25.216 | 124.921 | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 25.885 | 121.692 | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | 66 | Stan Mullis | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.314 | 119.708 | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Official starting lineup |||||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 60
| 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 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Riley Herbst | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 10 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 60
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 18 | Riley Herbst | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 8 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 130
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 11 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 182 | running | 60 |
| 2 | 39 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 250 | 2 | running | 48 |
| 3 | 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 2 | running | 51 |
| 4 | 5 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 250 | 6 | running | 46 |
| 5 | 3 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 250 | 0 | running | 44 |
| 6 | 9 | 18 | Riley Herbst | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 250 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 7 | 17 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 32 |
| 8 | 7 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 33 |
| 9 | 12 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 28 |
| 10 | 8 | 61 | Kaz Grala | Fury Race Cars | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 27 |
| 11 | 1 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 250 | 58 | running | 41 |
| 12 | 13 | 23 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 13 | 10 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 14 | 6 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 23 |
| 15 | 15 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 28 |
| 16 | 14 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 22 |
| 17 | 40 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 21 |
| 18 | 21 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 16 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 18 |
| 20 | 19 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 17 |
| 21 | 27 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 16 |
| 22 | 26 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 247 | 0 | running | 15 |
| 23 | 18 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 247 | 0 | running | 14 |
| 24 | 23 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 247 | 0 | running | 13 |
| 25 | 20 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 244 | 0 | running | 12 |
| 26 | 29 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 244 | 0 | running | 11 |
| 27 | 32 | 8 | Blake Jones | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 243 | 0 | running | 10 |
| 28 | 4 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 239 | 0 | running | 9 |
| 29 | 22 | 15 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 239 | 0 | running | 8 |
| 30 | 28 | 55 | Brandon Hightower | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 220 | 0 | crash | 7 |
| 31 | 36 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 205 | 0 | overheating | 6 |
| 32 | 25 | 78 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | running | 5 |
| 33 | 38 | 66 | Stan Mullis | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | running | 4 |
| 34 | 33 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | electrical | 3 |
| 35 | 24 | 38 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 131 | 0 | driveshaft | 2 |
| 36 | 34 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 95 | 0 | fuel pump | 1 |
| 37 | 35 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 75 | 0 | brakes | 1 |
| 38 | 37 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 31 | 0 | rear gear | 1 |
| 39 | 30 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 28 | 0 | brakes | 1 |
| 40 | 31 | 93 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 21 | 0 | vibration | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||