# 2018 Rock N Roll Tequila 170

The 2018 Rock N Roll Tequila 170 presented by Amethyst Beverage was the 21st stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the sixth iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 11, 2018, in Lexington, Ohio at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a 2.258 miles (3.634 km) permanent road course. The race took the scheduled 75 laps to complete. At race's end, Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports would pass a dominating Austin Cindric from Team Penske with new tires to win his eighth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win and his third of the season. To fill out the podium, Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing would finish third.

## Background

The track is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central region of the state, from south of Sandusky to the north of Columbus.
The track opened as a 15-turn, 2.4 mile (3.86 km) road circuit run clockwise. The back portion of the track allows speeds approaching 180 mph (290 km/h). A separate starting line is located on the backstretch to allow for safer rolling starts. The regular start / finish line is located on the pit straight. There is grandstand seating for 10,000 spectators and three observation mounds alongside the track raise the capacity to over 75,000.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Wheeling Nailers |
| 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hunt Brothers Pizza |
| 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JAS Expedited Trucking |
| 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cleveland Indians, Fanatics |
| 3 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, Beard Oil Distributing |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | SEM |
| 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Allstate Parts & Service |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Brandt Professional Agriculture |
| 8 | Cody Ware | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | B. J. McLeod Motorsports |
| 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Nationwide Children's Hospital |
| 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection |
| 13 | John Jackson | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | CrashClaimsR.Us |
| 15 | Katherine Legge | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Airtec |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | DriveDownA1C.com |
| 18 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Mobil 1, Toyota Service Centers |
| 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Menards, Atlas Designer Shingles |
| 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 | PPG |
| 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Allegiant Air |
| 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Sparks Energy |
| 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | La Rue Industrial Snowblowers |
| 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Midstate Basement Authorities |
| 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | Smithbilt Homes |
| 42 | Justin Marks | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Chevrolet Accessories |
| 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | Prevagen |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | BRT Extrustions |
| 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Extreme Kleaner |
| 55 | Dylan Murcott | JP Motorsports | Toyota | Prevagen |
| 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Ford |
| 61 | Kaz Grala | Fury Race Cars | Ford | DMB Financial |
| 66 | Tim Cowen | MBM Motorsports | Ford | Cowen Logistics |
| 74 | Stephen Leicht | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | Shadow Warriors Project, Horizon Transport |
| 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Grunt Style "This We'll Defend" |
| 78 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | B. J. McLeod Motorsports |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Visone RV |
| 90 | Andy Lally | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Amethyst Beverage, Aase Sales |
| 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session would occur on Friday, August 10, at 1:35 PM EST and would last for one hour and 20 minutes. Ryan Reed of Roush Fenway Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:25.829 and an average speed of 94.709 miles per hour (152.419 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1:25.829 | 94.709 |
| 2 | 90 | Andy Lally | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 1:26.020 | 94.499 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:26.137 | 94.371 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Friday, August 10, at 4:05 PM EST and would last for 50 minutes. As rain would hinder the session, only five cars would make a lap. Brendan Gaughan of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:32.649 and an average speed of 87.738 miles per hour (141.201 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 3 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:32.649 | 87.738 |
| 2 | 42 | Justin Marks | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 1:33.790 | 86.670 |
| 3 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:34.371 | 86.137 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, August 11, at 11:30 AM EST. Since the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course, the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included two rounds. The first round was 25 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 25 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 12 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Whoever set the fastest time in Round 2 would win the pole.
Austin Cindric of Team Penske would win the pole, setting a time of 1:24.336 and an average speed of 96.386 miles per hour (155.118 km/h) in the second round.
No drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) |
| 1 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 1:23.972 | 96.804 | 1:24.336 | 96.386 |
| 2 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:25.002 | 95.631 | 1:24.859 | 95.792 |
| 3 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:24.912 | 95.732 | 1:24.905 | 95.740 |
| 4 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 1:24.672 | 96.003 | 1:25.033 | 95.596 |
| 5 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:25.118 | 95.500 | 1:25.075 | 95.549 |
| 6 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1:25.311 | 95.284 | 1:25.301 | 95.295 |
| 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:24.985 | 95.650 | 1:25.324 | 95.270 |
| 8 | 90 | Andy Lally | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 1:25.327 | 95.266 | 1:25.341 | 95.251 |
| 9 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:25.219 | 95.387 | 1:25.406 | 95.178 |
| 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:25.170 | 95.442 | 1:25.408 | 95.176 |
| 11 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1:25.384 | 95.203 | 1:25.513 | 95.059 |
| 12 | 18 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:25.297 | 95.300 | 1:25.704 | 94.847 |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||
| 13 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 1:25.388 | 95.198 | — | — |
| 14 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:25.514 | 95.058 | — | — |
| 15 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:25.546 | 95.023 | — | — |
| 16 | 3 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:25.697 | 94.855 | — | — |
| 17 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 1:25.703 | 94.848 | — | — |
| 18 | 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1:25.768 | 94.777 | — | — |
| 19 | 61 | Kaz Grala | Fury Race Cars | Ford | 1:25.808 | 94.732 | — | — |
| 20 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 1:26.017 | 94.502 | — | — |
| 21 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 1:26.246 | 94.251 | — | — |
| 22 | 15 | Katherine Legge | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:26.261 | 94.235 | — | — |
| 23 | 42 | Justin Marks | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 1:26.382 | 94.103 | — | — |
| 24 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:26.565 | 93.904 | — | — |
| 25 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 1:26.581 | 93.887 | — | — |
| 26 | 8 | Cody Ware | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:27.617 | 92.777 | — | — |
| 27 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 1:27.818 | 92.564 | — | — |
| 28 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 1:28.252 | 92.109 | — | — |
| 29 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 1:28.478 | 91.874 | — | — |
| 30 | 78 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:28.767 | 91.575 | — | — |
| 31 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:28.769 | 91.573 | — | — |
| 32 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 1:28.861 | 91.478 | — | — |
| 33 | 66 | Tim Cowen | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 1:29.154 | 91.177 | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||
| 34 | 55 | Dylan Murcott | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 1:29.498 | 90.827 | — | — |
| 35 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 1:30.451 | 89.870 | — | — |
| 36 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 1:31.085 | 89.244 | — | — |
| 37 | 74 | Stephen Leicht | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 1:31.118 | 89.212 | — | — |
| 38 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:32.338 | 88.033 | — | — |
| 39 | 13 | John Jackson | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 1:34.152 | 86.337 | — | — |
| 40 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 1:40.582 | 80.818 | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 61 | Kaz Grala | Fury Race Cars | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 15 | Katherine Legge | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Matt Tifft | 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 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 3 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 35
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 75 | 8 | running | 51 |
| 2 | 1 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 75 | 59 | running | 51 |
| 3 | 9 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 40 |
| 4 | 5 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 43 |
| 5 | 6 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 40 |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 43 |
| 7 | 4 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 75 | 0 | running | 37 |
| 8 | 20 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 33 |
| 9 | 13 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 28 |
| 10 | 11 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 75 | 0 | running | 27 |
| 11 | 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 75 | 1 | running | 34 |
| 12 | 16 | 3 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 13 | 12 | 18 | Kyle Benjamin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 75 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 14 | 18 | 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 75 | 0 | running | 25 |
| 15 | 8 | 90 | Andy Lally | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 7 | running | 22 |
| 16 | 14 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 28 |
| 17 | 17 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 18 | 24 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 30 | 78 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 18 |
| 20 | 28 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 75 | 0 | running | 17 |
| 21 | 32 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 16 |
| 22 | 23 | 42 | Justin Marks | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 15 |
| 23 | 3 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 75 | 0 | running | 14 |
| 24 | 27 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 13 |
| 25 | 35 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 12 |
| 26 | 33 | 66 | Tim Cowen | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 75 | 0 | running | 11 |
| 27 | 19 | 61 | Kaz Grala | Fury Race Cars | Ford | 75 | 0 | running | 15 |
| 28 | 31 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | running | 9 |
| 29 | 36 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 75 | 0 | running | 8 |
| 30 | 22 | 15 | Katherine Legge | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | engine | 10 |
| 31 | 15 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 | crash | 11 |
| 32 | 25 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 48 | 0 | rear gear | 5 |
| 33 | 26 | 8 | Cody Ware | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 37 | 0 | crash | 0 |
| 34 | 21 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 29 | 0 | transmission | 3 |
| 35 | 39 | 13 | John Jackson | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 23 | 0 | transmission | 2 |
| 36 | 38 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 14 | 0 | brakes | 1 |
| 37 | 37 | 74 | Stephen Leicht | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 11 | 0 | clutch | 1 |
| 38 | 40 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 9 | 0 | overheating | 1 |
| 39 | 29 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 6 | 0 | brakes | 1 |
| 40 | 34 | 55 | Dylan Murcott | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 0 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||