# 2018 O'Reilly Auto Parts 300

The 2018 O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge was the 31st stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the second race in the Round of 12, and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, November 3, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas at Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. A wild finish would see Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste best JR Motorsports driver Tyler Reddick with a last-lap pass on the backstretch to win his second career NASCAR Xfinity Series race, his first and only win of the season, and a guaranteed spot in the Championship 4. To fill out the podium, Austin Cindric of Team Penske would finish third.

## Background

Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns, and is of the oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track layout is similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway). The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the same company that owns Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedway, as well as the short-track Bristol Motor Speedway.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Trophy Tractor, Equipment World |
| 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | Autodesk |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | OneMain Financial "Lending Done Human" |
| 01 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Anderson's Maple Syrup, Albertsons |
| 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 | Suave Men |
| 8 | Ray Black Jr. | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Isokern Fireplaces & Chimmeys |
| 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | BurgerFi |
| 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection |
| 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | MBM Motorsports |
| 15 | Quin Houff | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | DriveDownA1C.com |
| 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Johns Manville |
| 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Interstate Batteries |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | GameStop, NBA 2K19 |
| 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | Discount Tire |
| 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Allegiant Air |
| 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Donate Life Texas, Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency |
| 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Alpha Prime Regimen |
| 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RagingWire Data Centers |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | East Texas Baptist University |
| 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | Smithbilt Homes |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Romco Equipment Co. |
| 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 | Bayley Currey* | JP Motorsports | Toyota | Touched by Pros, Rollin Smoke Barbecue |
| 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Ford |
| 66 | Bobby Dale Earnhardt | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | HABCO Material Handling Specialists, Copeland Insurance Agency |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | Shadow Warriors Project, The Journey Home Project |
| 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Grunt Style "This We'll Defend" |
| 78 | Vinnie Miller | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | CorvetteParts.net |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Visone RV Motorhome Parts, Racing with Jesus |
| 90 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | Coalition to Salute America's Heroes |
| 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 99 | Stephen Leicht | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | B. J. McLeod Motorsports |
| Official entry list |||||
*Bilicki would wreck during pre-race activities, and as JP Motorsports had no backup cars, they would withdraw the #55 entry, and move Currey to the #45 entry.

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, November 2, at 2:05 PM CST, and would last for 45 minutes. Ryan Truex of Kaulig Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.852 and an average speed of 187.162 miles per hour (301.208 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 28.852 | 187.162 |
| 2 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.903 | 186.832 |
| 3 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.942 | 186.580 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, November 2, at 4:35 PM CST, and would last for 50 minutes. Ryan Truex of Kaulig Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.757 and an average speed of 187.780 miles per hour (302.203 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 28.757 | 187.780 |
| 2 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.771 | 187.689 |
| 3 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.773 | 187.676 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, November 3, at 12:40 PM CST. Since Texas Motor 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.
Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would win the pole after advancing from both preliminary rounds and setting the fastest lap in Round 3, with a time of 28.523 and an average speed of 189.321 miles per hour (304.683 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 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.824 | 187.344 | 28.527 | 189.294 | 28.523 | 189.321 |
| 2 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.786 | 187.591 | 28.660 | 188.416 | 28.563 | 189.056 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 29.061 | 185.816 | 28.653 | 188.462 | 28.608 | 188.758 |
| 4 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.011 | 186.136 | 28.707 | 188.107 | 28.649 | 188.488 |
| 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.219 | 184.811 | 28.657 | 188.436 | 28.670 | 188.350 |
| 6 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.696 | 188.180 | 28.584 | 188.917 | 28.686 | 188.245 |
| 7 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.953 | 186.509 | 28.821 | 187.363 | 28.722 | 188.009 |
| 8 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 28.941 | 186.587 | 28.657 | 188.436 | 28.741 | 187.885 |
| 9 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.688 | 188.232 | 28.552 | 189.129 | 28.752 | 187.813 |
| 10 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.950 | 186.528 | 28.689 | 188.225 | 28.882 | 186.968 |
| 11 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 28.990 | 186.271 | 28.765 | 187.728 | 28.883 | 186.961 |
| 12 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 29.251 | 184.609 | 28.821 | 187.363 | 28.936 | 186.619 |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||||
| 13 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.889 | 186.922 | 28.873 | 187.026 | — | — |
| 14 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.141 | 185.306 | 28.921 | 186.716 | — | — |
| 15 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 29.178 | 185.071 | 28.930 | 186.657 | — | — |
| 16 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.260 | 184.552 | 28.942 | 186.580 | — | — |
| 17 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 29.416 | 183.574 | 29.422 | 183.536 | — | — |
| 18 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 29.400 | 183.673 | 29.497 | 183.069 | — | — |
| 19 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 29.676 | 181.965 | 29.543 | 182.784 | — | — |
| 20 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 29.695 | 181.849 | 29.603 | 182.414 | — | — |
| 21 | 90 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.719 | 181.702 | 29.852 | 180.892 | — | — |
| 22 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 29.545 | 182.772 | 30.381 | 177.743 | — | — |
| 23 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.242 | 184.666 | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.894 | 180.638 | — | — | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 2 |||||||||||
| 25 | 01 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.936 | 180.385 | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | 15 | Quin Houff | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.941 | 180.355 | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 29.992 | 180.048 | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | 99 | Stephen Leicht | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.150 | 179.104 | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | 8 | Ray Black Jr. | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.297 | 178.235 | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 30.306 | 178.183 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.342 | 177.971 | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 30.483 | 177.148 | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 30.560 | 176.702 | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||||
| 34 | 45 | Bayley Currey | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 30.659 | 176.131 | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | 66 | Bobby Dale Earnhardt | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 30.690 | 175.953 | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | 78 | Vinnie Miller | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.730 | 175.724 | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 31.109 | 173.583 | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Withdrew |||||||||||
| WD | 55 | Bayley Currey | JP Motorsports | Toyota | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 110
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 200 | 16 | running | 59 |
| 2 | 4 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 54 | running | 50 |
| 3 | 8 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 34 |
| 4 | 10 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 6 | running | 35 |
| 5 | 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 37 | running | 45 |
| 6 | 14 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 4 | running | 33 |
| 7 | 7 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 39 |
| 8 | 13 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 40 |
| 9 | 12 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 28 |
| 10 | 9 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 42 | running | 40 |
| 11 | 23 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 26 |
| 12 | 17 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 25 |
| 13 | 38 | 60 | Ty Majeski | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 14 | 18 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 25 |
| 15 | 22 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 22 |
| 16 | 16 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 21 |
| 17 | 19 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 199 | 0 | running | 20 |
| 18 | 21 | 90 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 29 | 8 | Ray Black Jr. | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 18 |
| 20 | 24 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 17 |
| 21 | 34 | 45 | Bayley Currey | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 197 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 22 | 30 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 15 |
| 23 | 2 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 6 | running | 14 |
| 24 | 32 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 13 |
| 25 | 33 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 195 | 0 | running | 12 |
| 26 | 26 | 15 | Quin Houff | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 0 | running | 11 |
| 27 | 36 | 78 | Vinnie Miller | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 0 | running | 10 |
| 28 | 37 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | running | 9 |
| 29 | 15 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 186 | 0 | crash | 8 |
| 30 | 20 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 176 | 0 | running | 7 |
| 31 | 6 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 139 | 0 | crash | 17 |
| 32 | 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 133 | 35 | crash | 18 |
| 33 | 11 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 120 | 0 | crash | 4 |
| 34 | 35 | 66 | Bobby Dale Earnhardt | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 104 | 0 | crash | 3 |
| 35 | 27 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 56 | 0 | vibration | 2 |
| 36 | 25 | 01 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 44 | 0 | electrical | 1 |
| 37 | 28 | 99 | Stephen Leicht | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32 | 0 | fuel pump | 1 |
| 38 | 31 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 10 | 0 | brakes | 1 |
| 39 | 39 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 4 | 0 | electrical | 1 |
| Withdrew ||||||||||
| WD | | 55 | Bayley Currey | JP Motorsports | Toyota | | | | |
| Official race results ||||||||||