# 2018 DC Solar 300

The 2018 DC Solar 300 was the 26th stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the final race of the regular season, and the inaugural iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 15, 2018, in North Las Vegas, Nevada at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Ross Chastain of Chip Ganassi Racing would dominate, redeeming himself from the 2018 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 to win his first ever NASCAR Xfinity Series career win and his first and only win of the season. To fill out the podium, Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports and Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada outside the Las Vegas city limits and about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | FAME-USA.com |
| 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | Code 3 Associates |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | OneMain Financial "Lending Done Human" |
| 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JAS Expedited Trucking |
| 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | KC Motorgroup |
| 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Childress Vineyards |
| 4 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Allstate Parts & Service Group |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Brandt Professional Agriculture |
| 8 | Ray Black Jr. | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Isokern Fireplaces & Chimmeys |
| 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Nationwide Children's Hospital |
| 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection |
| 13 | Stan Mullis | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | LasVegas.net, A Mob Story |
| 15 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | DriveDownA1C.com |
| 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Rheem |
| 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Menards, Mastercraft Doors |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | GameStop, Shadow of the Tomb Raider |
| 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | MoneyLion |
| 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Allegiant Air |
| 26 | Max Tullman | Tullman-Walker Racing | Ford | Yurpal |
| 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Sparks Energy |
| 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | James Carter Attorney at Law, Sticky Stuff Custom Signs & Graphics |
| 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Superior Essex |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Big Valley Towing |
| 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | LasVegas.net, Smithbilt Homes |
| 42 | Ross Chastain | 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 | OxyxAutos.com, Acre One |
| 55 | Bayley Currey | JP Motorsports | Toyota | Touched by Pros, Rollin Smoke Barbecue |
| 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Ford |
| 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | James Carter Attorney at Law |
| 72 | John Jackson | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | James Carter Attorney at Law |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | Shadow Warriors Project, Smitty's Beard Sauce |
| 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Grunt Style "This We'll Defend" |
| 78 | Cole Rouse | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | B. J. McLeod Motorsports |
| 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Mastin and Cain Warehousing, Sleep Well Sleep Disorder Specialists |
| 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session would occur on Friday, September 14, at 12:05 PM PST, and would last for 40 minutes. Matt Tifft of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.403 and an average speed of 177.614 miles per hour (285.842 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.403 | 177.614 |
| 2 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.489 | 177.113 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.581 | 176.580 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Friday, September 14, at 2:05 PM PST, and would last for 45 minutes. Tyler Reddick of JR Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.561 and an average speed of 176.696 miles per hour (284.365 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.561 | 176.696 |
| 2 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 30.661 | 176.120 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 30.690 | 175.953 |
| Full final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying would take place on Saturday, March 3, at 10:05 AM PST. Since Las Vegas 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.
Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste would win the pole, advancing through both preliminary rounds and setting a time of 30.118 and an average speed of 179.295 miles per hour (288.547 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 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 30.503 | 177.032 | 30.268 | 178.406 | 30.118 | 179.295 |
| 2 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 30.879 | 174.876 | 30.366 | 177.830 | 30.360 | 177.866 |
| 3 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.684 | 175.987 | 30.648 | 176.194 | 30.367 | 177.825 |
| 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.662 | 176.114 | 30.445 | 177.369 | 30.387 | 177.708 |
| 5 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 31.009 | 174.143 | 30.305 | 178.188 | 30.454 | 177.317 |
| 6 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.690 | 175.953 | 30.713 | 175.821 | 30.456 | 177.305 |
| 7 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.621 | 176.350 | 30.422 | 177.503 | 30.545 | 176.788 |
| 8 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.561 | 176.696 | 30.570 | 176.644 | 30.577 | 176.603 |
| 9 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.557 | 171.119 | 30.748 | 175.621 | 30.839 | 175.103 |
| 10 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.737 | 175.684 | 30.750 | 175.610 | 30.858 | 174.995 |
| 11 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 30.728 | 175.735 | 30.535 | 176.846 | 30.922 | 174.633 |
| 12 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 30.787 | 175.399 | 30.664 | 176.102 | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 2 |||||||||||
| 13 | 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 30.872 | 174.916 | 30.755 | 175.581 | — | — |
| 14 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.973 | 174.345 | 30.967 | 174.379 | — | — |
| 15 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 31.401 | 171.969 | 31.036 | 173.991 | — | — |
| 16 | 4 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.270 | 172.689 | 31.209 | 173.027 | — | — |
| 17 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 31.178 | 173.199 | 31.345 | 172.276 | — | — |
| 18 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 31.395 | 172.002 | 31.438 | 171.767 | — | — |
| 19 | 55 | Bayley Currey | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 31.975 | 168.882 | 32.173 | 167.843 | — | — |
| 20 | 26 | Max Tullman | Tullman-Walker Racing | Ford | 31.873 | 169.422 | 32.823 | 164.519 | — | — |
| 21 | 8 | Ray Black Jr. | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.704 | 170.326 | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | 78 | Cole Rouse | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.717 | 170.256 | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | 15 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.751 | 170.073 | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 32.057 | 168.450 | — | — | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||||
| 25 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 32.211 | 167.645 | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 32.391 | 166.713 | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 32.431 | 166.507 | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 32.447 | 166.425 | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 32.512 | 166.093 | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 32.549 | 165.904 | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 32.734 | 164.966 | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | 72 | John Jackson | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 32.847 | 164.399 | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.253 | 162.391 | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||||
| 34 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | 13 | Stan Mullis | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 110
| Pos. | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 5 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 180 | running | 60 |
| 2 | 8 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 16 | running | 45 |
| 3 | 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste | Ford | 200 | 3 | running | 50 |
| 4 | 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | running | 49 |
| 5 | 3 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 45 |
| 6 | 34 | 18 | Ryan Preece | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | running | 31 |
| 7 | 36 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | running | 35 |
| 8 | 38 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 32 |
| 9 | 2 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 36 |
| 10 | 14 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 27 |
| 11 | 18 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 26 |
| 12 | 10 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 25 |
| 13 | 12 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 14 | 16 | 4 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 23 |
| 15 | 17 | 35 | Joey Gase | Go Green Racing with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 22 |
| 16 | 15 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 21 |
| 17 | 21 | 8 | Ray Black Jr. | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 20 |
| 18 | 39 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 23 | 15 | B. J. McLeod | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 18 |
| 20 | 31 | 90 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 17 |
| 21 | 22 | 78 | Cole Rouse | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 | running | 16 |
| 22 | 27 | 76 | Spencer Boyd | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 | runnign | 15 |
| 23 | 20 | 26 | Max Tullman | Tullman-Walker Racing | Ford | 192 | 0 | running | 14 |
| 24 | 19 | 55 | Bayley Currey | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 191 | 0 | running | 0 |
| 25 | 29 | 40 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 191 | 0 | running | 12 |
| 26 | 33 | 01 | Vinnie Miller | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 191 | 0 | running | 11 |
| 27 | 26 | 45 | Josh Bilicki | JP Motorsports | Toyota | 190 | 0 | running | 10 |
| 28 | 7 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | accident | 11 |
| 29 | 35 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 1 | accident | 22 |
| 30 | 6 | 3 | Shane Lee | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | accident | 7 |
| 31 | 13 | 60 | Chase Briscoe | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 181 | 0 | accident | 9 |
| 32 | 24 | 52 | David Starr | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 145 | 0 | engine | 5 |
| 33 | 28 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 93 | 0 | clutch | 4 |
| 34 | 25 | 66 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 74 | 0 | suspension | 3 |
| 35 | 11 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 64 | 0 | accident | 2 |
| 36 | 37 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 0 | accident | 1 |
| 37 | 40 | 13 | Stan Mullis | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 51 | 0 | vibration | 1 |
| 38 | 32 | 72 | John Jackson | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 30 | 0 | vibration | 1 |
| 39 | 30 | 93 | Jeff Green | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 18 | 0 | vibration | 1 |
| 40 | 9 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 | 0 | accident | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||