# 2018 PowerShares QQQ 300

The 2018 PowerShares QQQ 300 was the 1st stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the 37th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, February 17, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race was extended from the scheduled 120 laps to 143 laps due to five NASCAR overtime attempts. At race's end, Tyler Reddick of JR Motorsports would best out teammate Elliott Sadler in the closest finish in NASCAR history, beating Sadler out by only 0.0004 seconds. To fill out the podium, Ryan Reed of Roush Fenway Racing would finish 3rd.

## Background

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Tape |
| 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | Haas CNC |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | OneMain Financial "Lending Done Human" |
| 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Glue |
| 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Nexteer |
| 3 | Austin 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 | Caesar Bacarella | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | Alpha Prime Regimen |
| 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | BurgerFi |
| 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Bar Harbor |
| 15 | Joe Nemechek | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | D. A. B. Constructors, Inc., Fleetwing |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | DriveDownA1C.com |
| 18 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Interstate Batteries |
| 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 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | Fitzgerald Glider Kits |
| 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Allegiant Air |
| 24 | Kaz Grala | JGL Racing | Ford | Nettts |
| 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | Advanced Communications Group |
| 28 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Ford | ThinQ Technology Partners |
| 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Sparks Energy |
| 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Wholey's, Can-Am |
| 38 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Night Owl Contractors |
| 39 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Superior Essex |
| 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | Smithbilt Homes |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | 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 |
| 54 | Gray Gaulding | NXT Motorsports | Toyota | Earthwater, VS1 Racing |
| 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 | Toyota | CrashClaimsR.Us |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | Shadow Warriors Project |
| 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Grunt Style "This We'll Defend" |
| 78 | Ryan Ellis | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | Densify |
| 86 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | CONO.io, Coastal Carolina University |
| 88 | Chase Elliott | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hellmann's |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Visone RV Motorhome Parts, Racing with Jesus |
| 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Star Tron, Sleep Well Sleep Disorder Specialists |
| 93 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Code Rum "Keep To The Code." |
| 98 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | DenBeste Water Solutions, Smithfield |
| 99 | Ray Black Jr. | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | America's Donuts, Zomongo |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

First practice was held on Friday, February 16, at 12:05 PM EST. Tyler Reddick of JR Motorsports would set the fastest lap, with a 45.874 and an average speed of 196.190 miles per hour (315.737 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45.874 | 196.190 |
| 2 | 18 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.927 | 195.963 |
| 3 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 45.973 | 195.767 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second and final practice was held on Friday, February 16, at 2:05 PM EST. Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest lap, with a 47.041 and an average speed of 191.322 miles per hour (307.903 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 47.041 | 191.322 |
| 2 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 47.044 | 191.310 |
| 3 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.231 | 190.553 |
| Full final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying would take place on Saturday, February 17, at 9:35 AM EST. Since Daytona International Speedway is 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 advance from Round 1 and set the fastest lap in Round 2, with a time of 47.541 and an average speed of 189.310 miles per hour (304.665 km/h), winning the pole for the race.
The drivers that would fail to qualify would consist of: Ray Black Jr., Chris Cockrum, Timmy Hill, Morgan Shepherd, Josh Bilicki, and Mike Harmon. Originally, Timmy Hill was slated to qualify for the race after qualifying on owner's points, supposed to be starting in 36th. However, the times of Matt Tifft and Josh Williams were both disallowed after they both failed post-qualifying inspection. This would allow Gray Gaulding, previously a non-qualifier, to make the race and bump Hill out of the race.

### Full starting lineup

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) |
| 1 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 47.672 | 188.790 | 47.541 | 189.310 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 47.839 | 188.131 | 47.624 | 188.980 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 47.789 | 188.328 | 47.808 | 188.253 |
| 4 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 47.914 | 187.837 | 47.839 | 188.131 |
| 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.931 | 187.770 | 47.843 | 188.115 |
| 6 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 47.976 | 187.594 | 47.846 | 188.103 |
| 7 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.926 | 187.790 | 47.857 | 188.060 |
| 8 | 88 | Chase Elliott | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.212 | 186.676 | 48.117 | 187.044 |
| 9 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.148 | 186.924 | 48.143 | 186.943 |
| 10 | 60 | Austin Cindric | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 48.149 | 186.920 | 48.188 | 186.768 |
| 11 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.044 | 187.328 | — | — |
| 12 | 98 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 48.242 | 186.559 | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||
| 13 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 48.294 | 186.359 | — | — |
| 14 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 48.328 | 186.227 | — | — |
| 15 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 48.410 | 185.912 | — | — |
| 16 | 15 | Joe Nemechek | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.450 | 185.759 | — | — |
| 17 | 18 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 48.457 | 185.732 | — | — |
| 18 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 48.459 | 185.724 | — | — |
| 19 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 48.594 | 185.208 | — | — |
| 20 | 28 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Ford | 48.710 | 184.767 | — | — |
| 21 | 93 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 48.723 | 184.718 | — | — |
| 22 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 48.738 | 184.661 | — | — |
| 23 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.799 | 184.430 | — | — |
| 24 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 48.826 | 184.328 | — | — |
| 25 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.861 | 184.196 | — | — |
| 26 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.016 | 183.614 | — | — |
| 27 | 24 | Kaz Grala | JGL Racing | Ford | 49.081 | 183.370 | — | — |
| 28 | 86 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.108 | 183.270 | — | — |
| 29 | 78 | Ryan Ellis | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 49.116 | 183.240 | — | — |
| 30 | 8 | Caesar Bacarella | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 49.224 | 182.838 | — | — |
| 31 | 38 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 49.227 | 182.826 | — | — |
| 32 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 49.327 | 182.456 | — | — |
| 33 | 54 | Gray Gaulding | NXT Motorsports | Toyota | 49.453 | 181.991 | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||
| 34 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 49.505 | 181.800 | — | — |
| 35 | 55 | Stephen Leicht | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 50.192 | 179.311 | — | — |
| 36 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 51.453 | 174.917 | — | — |
| 37 | 39 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 51.660 | 174.216 | — | — |
| 38 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by time |||||||||
| 39 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 47.708* | 188.648* | 47.640* | 188.917* |
| 40 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 48.937* | 183.910* | — | — |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||
| 41 | 99 | Ray Black Jr. | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 49.467 | 181.939 | — | — |
| 42 | 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | 49.475 | 181.910 | — | — |
| 43 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 49.511 | 181.778 | — | — |
| 44 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 49.805 | 180.705 | — | — |
| 45 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 50.681 | 177.581 | — | — |
| 46 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||
*Times disallowed after Tifft and Williams both failed post-qualifying inspection.

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 30
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 9 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 30
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 88 | Chase Elliott | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 98 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 0 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 18 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 5 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 8 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 83
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 9 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 11 | running | 50 |
| 2 | 11 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 2 | running | 41 |
| 3 | 15 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 143 | 3 | running | 34 |
| 4 | 27 | 24 | Kaz Grala | JGL Racing | Ford | 143 | 0 | running | 33 |
| 5 | 25 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 2 | running | 32 |
| 6 | 4 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 39 |
| 7 | 6 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 3 | running | 35 |
| 8 | 17 | 18 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 143 | 5 | running | 0 |
| 9 | 23 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 28 |
| 10 | 18 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 143 | 0 | running | 27 |
| 11 | 31 | 38 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 26 |
| 12 | 8 | 88 | Chase Elliott | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 17 | running | 0 |
| 13 | 30 | 8 | Caesar Bacarella | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 143 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 14 | 14 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 143 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 15 | 35 | 55 | Stephen Leicht | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 143 | 0 | running | 22 |
| 16 | 24 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 21 |
| 17 | 32 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 20 |
| 18 | 37 | 39 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 39 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 18 |
| 20 | 26 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 17 |
| 21 | 21 | 93 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 16 |
| 22 | 40 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 15 |
| 23 | 16 | 15 | Joe Nemechek | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 24 | 22 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 142 | 0 | running | 13 |
| 25 | 34 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 142 | 0 | running | 12 |
| 26 | 1 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 140 | 7 | running | 18 |
| 27 | 20 | 28 | Dylan Lupton | JGL Racing | Ford | 137 | 0 | crash | 10 |
| 28 | 36 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 136 | 0 | running | 9 |
| 29 | 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 134 | 61 | crash | 0 |
| 30 | 29 | 78 | Ryan Ellis | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 133 | 0 | crash | 7 |
| 31 | 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 124 | 0 | crash | 15 |
| 32 | 38 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 122 | 0 | crash | 0 |
| 33 | 19 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 122 | 0 | crash | 4 |
| 34 | 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 121 | 28 | crash | 0 |
| 35 | 12 | 98 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 121 | 4 | crash | 0 |
| 36 | 28 | 86 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 121 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 37 | 7 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 106 | 0 | crash | 5 |
| 38 | 33 | 54 | Gray Gaulding | NXT Motorsports | Toyota | 82 | 0 | rear gear | 0 |
| 39 | 13 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 11 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 40 | 10 | 60 | Austin Cindric | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 10 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| Failed to qualify ||||||||||
| 41 | | 99 | Ray Black Jr. | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | | | | |
| 42 | | 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | | | | |
| 43 | | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | | | | |
| 44 | | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | | | | |
| 45 | | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | | | | |
| 46 | | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | | | | |
| Official race results ||||||||||