# 2018 DC Solar 200

The 2018 DC Solar 200 was the fourth stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 14th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, March 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, Brad Keselowski of Team Penske would take control after the final pit stops to overcome a penalty and win his 37th career NASCAR Xfinity Series season and his first of his part-time season. To fill out the podium, Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports and Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

ISM 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

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Glue |
| 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Beechcraft, Cessna |
| 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Tape |
| 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Dollar Shave Club #DSC500 |
| 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cabela's, Bass Pro Shops |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Seal |
| 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pilot Flying J |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Brandt Professional Agriculture |
| 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | 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 | Bar Harbor |
| 15 | Matt Mills | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Shot |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | DriveDownA1C.com |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | NOS Energy |
| 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Juniper Networks |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Rheem |
| 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 22 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | Fitzgerald Glider Kits |
| 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Kingman Chevrolet |
| 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 | Donate Life Arizona |
| 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Wholey's, Can-Am |
| 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Superior Essex |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | TAP & Sons, Lighting SouthWest |
| 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | MBM Motorsports |
| 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | DC Solar |
| 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | Prevagen |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | RepairableVehicles.com |
| 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Whataburger |
| 55 | Stephen Leicht | JP Motorsports | Toyota | Jani-King "The King of Clean" |
| 60 | Austin Cindric | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Pirtek |
| 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | CrashClaimsR.Us, Chris Kyle Memorial Benefit |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | Shadow Warriors Project, Koolbox |
| 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Grunt Style "This We'll Defend" |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | JW Transport |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Visone RV Motorhome Parts, Racing with Jesus |
| 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Scott Foundation, Phoenix Children's Hospital |
| 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first 50-minute practice session would occur on Friday, March 9, at 12:05 PM MST. Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest lap in the session with a time of 26.892 and an average speed of 133.869 miles per hour (215.441 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.892 | 133.869 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.220 | 132.256 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.401 | 131.382 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The second and final 50-minute practice session would occur on Friday, March 9, at 2:05 PM MST. Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste would set the fastest lap in the session with a time of 27.393 and an average speed of 131.420 miles per hour (211.500 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 27.393 | 131.420 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.513 | 130.847 |
| 3 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 27.527 | 130.781 |
| Full final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying would take place on Saturday, March 10, at 11:05 AM MST. 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.
Justin Allgaier would win the pole after making through both preliminary rounds and setting a time of 26.896 and an average speed of 133.849 miles per hour (215.409 km/h) in the third round. 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 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | 26.896 | 133.849 |
| 2 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | | | | | 26.909 | 133.784 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | | | | | 26.910 | 133.779 |
| 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | | | | | 26.933 | 133.665 |
| 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | | | | | 26.940 | 133.630 |
| 6 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | 27.016 | 133.254 |
| 7 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | 27.023 | 133.220 |
| 8 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | 27.056 | 133.057 |
| 9 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | 27.092 | 132.881 |
| 10 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | | | | | 27.142 | 132.636 |
| 11 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | | | | | 27.341 | 131.670 |
| 12 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | 27.378 | 131.492 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 |||||||||||
| 13 | 60 | Austin Cindric | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | | | 27.350 | 131.627 | — | — |
| 14 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | | | 27.356 | 131.598 | — | — |
| 15 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | 27.373 | 131.516 | — | — |
| 16 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | | | 27.462 | 131.090 | — | — |
| 17 | 24 | Kaz Grala | JGL Racing | Ford | | | 27.475 | 131.028 | — | — |
| 18 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | 27.503 | 130.895 | — | — |
| 19 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | | | 27.627 | 130.307 | — | — |
| 20 | 28 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Ford | | | 27.757 | 129.697 | — | — |
| 21 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | | | 27.773 | 129.622 | — | — |
| 22 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | | | 27.867 | 129.185 | — | — |
| 23 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | | | 27.932 | 128.884 | — | — |
| 24 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.826 | 129.375 | — | — | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||||
| 25 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 27.963 | 128.742 | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.967 | 128.723 | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.009 | 128.530 | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 28.100 | 128.114 | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 28.125 | 128.000 | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 28.428 | 126.636 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.472 | 126.440 | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | 55 | Stephen Leicht | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 28.538 | 126.148 | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.662 | 125.602 | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||||
| 34 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 28.669 | 125.571 | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | 15 | Matt Mills | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.830 | 124.870 | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 28.874 | 124.680 | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 28.904 | 124.550 | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.966 | 124.284 | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 28.987 | 124.194 | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Official starting lineup |||||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 45
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 5 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 7 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 5 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 24 | Kaz Grala | JGL Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 110
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 66 | running | 0 |
| 2 | 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 76 | running | 49 |
| 3 | 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 39 | running | 0 |
| 4 | 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 5 | running | 43 |
| 5 | 6 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 6 | 8 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 46 |
| 7 | 9 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 34 |
| 8 | 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 37 |
| 9 | 24 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 28 |
| 10 | 40 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 6 | running | 27 |
| 11 | 10 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 199 | 0 | running | 29 |
| 12 | 17 | 24 | Kaz Grala | JGL Racing | Ford | 199 | 8 | running | 28 |
| 13 | 14 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 14 | 12 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 28 |
| 15 | 7 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 29 |
| 16 | 13 | 60 | Austin Cindric | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 21 |
| 17 | 15 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 20 |
| 18 | 11 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 18 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 18 |
| 20 | 21 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 17 |
| 21 | 16 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 18 |
| 22 | 22 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 15 |
| 23 | 20 | 28 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 14 |
| 24 | 19 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 13 |
| 25 | 23 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 12 |
| 26 | 26 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 11 |
| 27 | 27 | 8 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 195 | 0 | running | 10 |
| 28 | 31 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 195 | 0 | running | 9 |
| 29 | 28 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 | running | 8 |
| 30 | 34 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 | running | 7 |
| 31 | 32 | 55 | Stephen Leicht | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 193 | 0 | running | 6 |
| 32 | 39 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 193 | 0 | running | 5 |
| 33 | 33 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | running | 4 |
| 34 | 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 190 | 0 | running | 3 |
| 35 | 37 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 185 | 0 | running | 2 |
| 36 | 36 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 104 | 0 | engine | 1 |
| 37 | 29 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 56 | 0 | brakes | 1 |
| 38 | 35 | 15 | Matt Mills | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 39 | 30 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 24 | 0 | engine | 1 |
| 40 | 25 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 18 | 0 | brakes | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||