# 2018 Sparks Energy 300

The 2018 Sparks Energy 300 was the ninth stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the 27th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, April 28, 2018, in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race was extended from the scheduled 113 laps to 115 due to a NASCAR overtime finish. At race's end, Spencer Gallagher of GMS Racing would make a last lap pass on Tyler Reddick and fend off the field to win a shocker, winning his first and so far final NASCAR Xfinity Series win of his career and his first and only win of the season. To fill out the podium, Brandon Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing and Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | FAME USA |
| 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 | KC Motorgroup |
| 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Childress Vineyards |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Seal |
| 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pilot Flying J |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | TradeMark Nitrogen |
| 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | B. J. McLeod Motorsports |
| 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Armour Chili |
| 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Bar Harbor |
| 15 | Joe Nemechek | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Fleetwing |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | DriveDownA1C.com |
| 18 | Noah Gragson | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Switch "Motivated By Invention. Driven By Perfection." |
| 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 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Allegiant Air |
| 24 | Kaz Grala | JGL Racing | Ford | Nettts |
| 28 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Ford | ThinQ Technology Partners |
| 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Sparks Energy, Donate Life Alabama |
| 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Wholey's, Can-Am |
| 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Josh Roberts Trucking |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Alabama Soda & Abrasive Blasting |
| 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | Smithbilt Homes |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Fire Alarm Services |
| 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | Prevagen |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | RepairableVehicles.com |
| 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Whataburger |
| 54 | ?* | NXT Motorsports | Toyota | VS1 Racing |
| 55 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | JP Motorsports | Toyota | Jani-King "The King of Clean", Swampdaddy Crawfish |
| 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Ford |
| 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | CrashClaimsR.Us, VS1 Racing |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | Shadow Warriors Project, Horizon Transport |
| 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Grunt Style "This We'll Defend" |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | B. J. McLeod Motorsports |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Visone RV |
| 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Sleep Well Sleep Disorder Specialists, StarTron |
| 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | C2 Freight Resources |
| 98 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | Ford |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session would occur on Friday, April 27, at 10:35 AM EST, and would last for 50 minutes. Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 49.329 and an average speed of 194.125 miles per hour (312.414 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 49.329 | 194.125 |
| 2 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 49.366 | 193.980 |
| 3 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 49.373 | 193.952 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Friday, April 27, at 12:35 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes. Shane Lee of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 50.953 and an average speed of 187.938 miles per hour (302.457 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50.953 | 187.938 |
| 2 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 51.389 | 186.343 |
| 3 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 51.443 | 186.148 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying would occur on Saturday, April 28, at 10:00 AM EST. Since Talladega Superspeedway at least 2 miles (3.2 km), the qualifying system was a single car, single lap, two round system where in the first round, everyone would set a time to determine positions 13-40. Then, the fastest 12 qualifiers would move on to the second round to determine positions 1-12.
Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 50.559 and an average speed of 189.402 miles per hour (304.813 km/h) in the second round.
One driver would fail to qualify: Morgan Shepherd.
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) |
| 1 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50.640 | 189.100 | 50.559 | 189.402 |
| 2 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.794 | 188.526 | 50.727 | 188.775 |
| 3 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 50.842 | 188.348 | 50.762 | 188.645 |
| 4 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 50.940 | 187.986 | 50.810 | 188.467 |
| 5 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.848 | 188.326 | 50.814 | 188.452 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.793 | 188.530 | 50.885 | 188.189 |
| 7 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 51.044 | 187.603 | 50.914 | 188.082 |
| 8 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.999 | 187.768 | 50.929 | 188.026 |
| 9 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 51.039 | 187.621 | 51.030 | 187.654 |
| 10 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 51.033 | 187.643 | 51.106 | 187.375 |
| 11 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 50.959 | 187.916 | 51.123 | 187.313 |
| 12 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 51.260 | 186.812 | 51.322 | 186.587 |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||
| 13 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.283 | 186.729 | — | — |
| 14 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 51.309 | 186.634 | — | — |
| 15 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.322 | 186.587 | — | — |
| 16 | 98 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 51.341 | 186.518 | — | — |
| 17 | 28 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Ford | 51.411 | 186.264 | — | — |
| 18 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 51.452 | 186.115 | — | — |
| 19 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 51.549 | 185.765 | — | — |
| 20 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.653 | 185.391 | — | — |
| 21 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 51.699 | 185.226 | — | — |
| 22 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 51.733 | 185.104 | — | — |
| 23 | 15 | Joe Nemechek | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.752 | 185.036 | — | — |
| 24 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 51.844 | 184.708 | — | — |
| 25 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.946 | 184.345 | — | — |
| 26 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.989 | 184.193 | — | — |
| 27 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 52.002 | 184.147 | — | — |
| 28 | 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 52.036 | 184.026 | — | — |
| 29 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 52.090 | 183.836 | — | — |
| 30 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 52.195 | 183.466 | — | — |
| 31 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 52.216 | 183.392 | — | — |
| 32 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 52.276 | 183.182 | — | — |
| 33 | 24 | Kaz Grala | JGL Racing | Ford | 52.300 | 183.098 | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||
| 34 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.353 | 182.912 | — | — |
| 35 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 52.359 | 182.891 | — | — |
| 36 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 52.619 | 181.987 | — | — |
| 37 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 52.632 | 181.943 | — | — |
| 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 53.250 | 179.831 | — | — |
| 39 | 55 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 53.312 | 179.622 | — | — |
| 40 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 53.491 | 179.021 | — | — |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||||
| 41 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 52.504 | 182.386 | — | — |
| WD | 54 | ? | NXT Motorsports | Toyota | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 25
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 25
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 65
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 3 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 115 | 1 | running | 49 |
| 2 | 15 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 115 | 0 | running | 42 |
| 3 | 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 115 | 35 | running | 46 |
| 4 | 20 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 115 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 115 | 30 | running | 45 |
| 6 | 22 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 115 | 1 | running | 31 |
| 7 | 4 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 115 | 0 | running | 37 |
| 8 | 8 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 115 | 2 | running | 36 |
| 9 | 12 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 115 | 0 | running | 36 |
| 10 | 34 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 115 | 0 | running | 27 |
| 11 | 27 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 115 | 0 | running | 26 |
| 12 | 13 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 115 | 1 | running | 25 |
| 13 | 35 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 115 | 1 | running | 24 |
| 14 | 5 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 115 | 0 | running | 30 |
| 15 | 7 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 115 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 16 | 16 | 98 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 115 | 0 | running | 21 |
| 17 | 25 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 115 | 0 | running | 20 |
| 18 | 28 | 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 115 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 29 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 115 | 0 | running | 18 |
| 20 | 33 | 24 | Kaz Grala | JGL Racing | Ford | 114 | 0 | running | 17 |
| 21 | 18 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 114 | 0 | running | 18 |
| 22 | 19 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 114 | 1 | running | 23 |
| 23 | 1 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 114 | 39 | running | 24 |
| 24 | 21 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 114 | 0 | running | 13 |
| 25 | 10 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 114 | 0 | running | 22 |
| 26 | 31 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 114 | 0 | running | 11 |
| 27 | 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 114 | 0 | running | 10 |
| 28 | 32 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 114 | 0 | running | 9 |
| 29 | 39 | 55 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 114 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 30 | 11 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 114 | 3 | running | 7 |
| 31 | 23 | 15 | Joe Nemechek | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 113 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 32 | 37 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | running | 5 |
| 33 | 40 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 112 | 1 | running | 4 |
| 34 | 26 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 78 | 0 | suspension | 3 |
| 35 | 24 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 53 | 0 | fuel pump | 2 |
| 36 | 17 | 28 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Ford | 32 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 37 | 14 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 32 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 38 | 9 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 32 | 0 | crash | 9 |
| 39 | 36 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 32 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 40 | 30 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 32 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew ||||||||||
| 41 | | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | | | | |
| WD | | 54 | ? | NXT Motorsports | Toyota | | | | |
| Official race results ||||||||||