# 2018 Alpha Energy Solutions 250

The 2018 Alpha Energy Solutions 250 was the 4th stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the 24th iteration of the event. The race was originally held on Saturday, March 24, 2018 but after 24 laps, rain and snow postponed the race until Monday, March 26, 2018. The race was held in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway. The race took the scheduled 250 laps to complete. John Hunter Nemechek, driving a part-time schedule for NEMCO Motorsports would win the race after holding off Kyle Benjamin on a late-race restart, garnering the 6th win of his career and the first of the season.
The race was the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut for Tyler Matthews, Cory Roper, and Reid Wilson.

## Background

Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Mike Senica | TJL Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pennsylvania Power Products, Inc. |
| 2 | Cody Coughlin | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Jegs |
| 02 | Austin Hill | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | United Rentals |
| 3 | Jordan Anderson | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Bommarito Automotive Group, Lucas Oil |
| 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | Mobil 1 |
| 04 | Cory Roper | Roper Racing | Ford | Preferred Industrial Contractors, Inc. |
| 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | Zomongo |
| 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | Fleetwing, D. A. B. Constructors, Inc. |
| 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | Driven2Honor.org |
| 13 | Myatt Snider | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Liberty Tax "You Do Life, We Do Taxes" |
| 15 | Robby Lyons | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bubba Bear Sauce Ain't Giving It Up Sauce |
| 16 | Brett Moffitt | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | Aisin |
| 18 | Noah Gragson | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | Safelite Auto Glass |
| 20 | Reid Wilson | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | OEM2 powered by TruNorth |
| 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Allegiant Air |
| 22 | Austin Wayne Self | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kreuz Market "Shipping Real TX BBQ" |
| 24 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Fraternal Order of Eagles |
| 25 | Dalton Sargeant | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Performance Plus Motor Oil |
| 33 | Josh Reaume | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Green Heart Partners, R-Coin |
| 35 | Travis Kvapil* | NextGen Motorsports | Chevrolet | |
| 41 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Alpha Energy Solutions |
| 45 | Justin Fontaine | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | ProMatic Automation |
| 49 | Wendell Chavous | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | SobrietyNation.org Archived 2018-05-31 at the Wayback Machine |
| 50 | Dawson Cram | Beaver Motorsports | Chevrolet | Fluidyne, Bojangles |
| 51 | Harrison Burton | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | DEX Imaging |
| 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet | Halmar "We Build America" |
| 54 | Kyle Benjamin | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | Crosley Brands |
| 57 | Jeff Zillweger* | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | |
| 63 | Kevin Donahue | Copp Motorsports | Chevrolet | First Responder Racing |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | Horizon Transport |
| 83 | Kyle Donahue | Copp Motorsports | Chevrolet | First Responder Racing |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek* | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | |
| 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Menards, Ideal Door Garage Doors |
| 92 | Timothy Peters | RBR Enterprises | Ford | BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors |
| 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Champion Power Equipment "Powering Your Life." |
| 99 | Tyler Matthews | MDM Motorsports | Chevrolet | Scott & Stringfellow, BB&T, Popeyes |
| Official entry list |||||
*Withdrew.

## Practice
### First practice

First practice was held on Friday, March 23, at 11:05 AM EST. Justin Haley of GMS Racing would set the fastest time with a 20.118 and an average speed of 94.125 miles per hour (151.480 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 24 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 20.118 | 94.125 |
| 2 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 20.168 | 93.891 |
| 3 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 20.201 | 93.738 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

Second practice was held on Friday, March 23, at 1:05 PM EST. Matt Crafton of ThorSport Racing would set the fastest time with a 20.023 and an average speed of 94.571 miles per hour (152.197 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 20.023 | 94.571 |
| 2 | 16 | Brett Moffitt | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 20.026 | 94.557 |
| 3 | 2 | Cody Coughlin | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 20.032 | 94.529 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third and final practice

Third and final practice was held on Friday, March 23, at 3:05 PM EST. Grant Enfinger of ThorSport Racing would set the fastest time with a 19.921 and an average speed of 95.056 miles per hour (152.978 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 19.921 | 95.056 |
| 2 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 19.924 | 95.041 |
| 3 | 54 | Kyle Benjamin | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | 19.959 | 94.874 |
| Full final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, March 24, at 11:05 AM EST. Since Martinsville Speedway is a short track, 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.
Ben Rhodes of ThorSport Racing would set the fastest time in Round 3, with a 19.737 and an average speed of 95.942 miles per hour (154.404 km/h), thus winning the pole.
While Mike Harmon would not set the slowest time (Mike Senica would set the slowest, being a over a second slower than Harmon), Harmon would not have enough owner points to qualify, making Harmon the only driver to fail to qualify for the race.
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
| 1 | 41 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | | | | | 19.737 | 95.942 |
| 2 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | | | | | 19.786 | 95.704 |
| 3 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | | | | | 19.810 | 95.588 |
| 4 | 54 | Kyle Benjamin | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | | | | | 19.830 | 95.492 |
| 5 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | 19.831 | 95.487 |
| 6 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | 19.832 | 95.482 |
| 7 | 16 | Brett Moffitt | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | | | | | 19.850 | 95.395 |
| 8 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | 19.851 | 95.391 |
| 9 | 13 | Myatt Snider | ThorSport Racing | Ford | | | | | 19.889 | 95.208 |
| 10 | 2 | Cody Coughlin | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | 19.902 | 95.146 |
| 11 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | | | | | 19.965 | 94.846 |
| 12 | 24 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | 20.050 | 94.444 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 |||||||||||
| 13 | 51 | Harrison Burton | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | | | 19.981 | 94.770 | — | — |
| 14 | 99 | Tyler Matthews | MDM Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | 20.011 | 94.628 | — | — |
| 15 | 02 | Austin Hill | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | 20.047 | 94.458 | — | — |
| 16 | 92 | Timothy Peters | RBR Enterprises | Ford | | | 20.097 | 94.223 | — | — |
| 17 | 04 | Cory Roper | Roper Racing | Ford | | | 20.133 | 94.055 | — | — |
| 18 | 25 | Dalton Sargeant | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | | | 20.176 | 93.854 | — | — |
| 19 | 45 | Justin Fontaine | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | 20.227 | 93.617 | — | — |
| 20 | 20 | Reid Wilson | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | 20.248 | 93.520 | — | — |
| 21 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | 20.262 | 93.456 | — | — |
| 22 | 83 | Kyle Donahue | Copp Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | 20.406 | 92.796 | — | — |
| 23 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 19.888 | 95.213 | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | 15 | Robby Lyons | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.248 | 93.520 | — | — | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||||
| 25 | 3 | Jordan Anderson | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 20.414 | 92.760 | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | 33 | Josh Reaume | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 20.458 | 92.560 | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | 63 | Kevin Donahue | Copp Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.474 | 92.488 | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||||
| 28 | 50 | Dawson Cram | Beaver Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.532 | 92.227 | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | 49 | Wendell Chavous | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.783 | 91.113 | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | 20.998 | 90.180 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | 21.669 | 87.388 | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | 1 | Mike Senica | TJL Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.001 | 82.327 | — | — | — | — |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||||||
| 33 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 21.621 | 87.582 | — | — | — | — |
| WD | 35 | Travis Kvapil | NextGen Motorsports | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| WD | 57 | Jeff Zillweger | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| WD | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Official starting lineup |||||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 70
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 41 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 54 | Kyle Benjamin | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | 0 |
| 6 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 7 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 16 | Brett Moffitt | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 13 | Myatt Snider | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 70
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 41 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 16 | Brett Moffitt | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 13 | Myatt Snider | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 51 | Harrison Burton | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 110
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 8 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 31 | running | 0 |
| 2 | 4 | 54 | Kyle Benjamin | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | 250 | 74 | running | 0 |
| 3 | 7 | 16 | Brett Moffitt | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 250 | 0 | running | 41 |
| 4 | 3 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 44 |
| 5 | 11 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 250 | 0 | running | 39 |
| 6 | 9 | 13 | Myatt Snider | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 34 |
| 7 | 16 | 92 | Timothy Peters | RBR Enterprises | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 30 |
| 8 | 13 | 51 | Harrison Burton | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 250 | 0 | running | 30 |
| 9 | 15 | 02 | Austin Hill | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 28 |
| 10 | 12 | 24 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 27 |
| 11 | 18 | 25 | Dalton Sargeant | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 26 |
| 12 | 1 | 41 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 250 | 134 | running | 45 |
| 13 | 17 | 04 | Cory Roper | Roper Racing | Ford | 250 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 14 | 23 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 250 | 1 | running | 32 |
| 15 | 2 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 250 | 4 | running | 38 |
| 16 | 20 | 20 | Reid Wilson | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 21 |
| 17 | 28 | 50 | Dawson Cram | Beaver Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 20 |
| 18 | 29 | 49 | Wendell Chavous | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 6 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 33 |
| 20 | 5 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet | 248 | 6 | running | 21 |
| 21 | 14 | 99 | Tyler Matthews | MDM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 248 | 0 | running | 16 |
| 22 | 25 | 3 | Jordan Anderson | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 248 | 0 | running | 15 |
| 23 | 22 | 83 | Kyle Donahue | Copp Motorsports | Chevrolet | 234 | 0 | electrical | 14 |
| 24 | 24 | 15 | Robby Lyons | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 227 | 0 | engine | 13 |
| 25 | 26 | 33 | Josh Reaume | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 227 | 0 | running | 12 |
| 26 | 10 | 2 | Cody Coughlin | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 225 | 0 | running | 11 |
| 27 | 21 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 164 | 0 | electrical | 10 |
| 28 | 19 | 45 | Justin Fontaine | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | crash | 9 |
| 29 | 31 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | 55 | 0 | electrical | 8 |
| 30 | 27 | 63 | Kevin Donahue | Copp Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | brakes | 7 |
| 31 | 30 | 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | 35 | 0 | too slow | 6 |
| 32 | 32 | 1 | Mike Senica | TJL Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 | 0 | parked | 5 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew ||||||||||
| 33 | | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | | | | |
| WD | | 35 | Travis Kvapil | NextGen Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | |
| WD | | 57 | Jeff Zillweger | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | | | | |
| WD | | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | |