The 2018 NextEra Energy Resources 250 was the first stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, and the 19th iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, February 16, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangle-shaped superspeedway racetrack. The race would take 100 laps to complete. In a wreck filled race, Johnny Sauter driving for GMS Racing would survive and hold off the field to win the race.[1] To fill out the podium, Justin Haley of GMS Racing and Joe Nemechek, driving for his own team NEMCO Motorsports would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
The race was the debut for Bo LeMastus and Jordan Anderson Racing.[2]
Background
Background
Daytona International Speedway is one of two superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other being Talladega Superspeedway.[3] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.[4] The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[4]
Entry list
†In partnership with MB Motorsports.[5]
Practice
1st practice
The first practice was held on Thursday, February 15 at 1:00 PM EST. Grant Enfinger of ThorSport Racing would set the fastest time in practice with a 46.867 and an average speed of 192.033 miles per hour (309.047 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 46.867 | 192.033 |
| 2 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 46.932 | 191.767 |
| 3 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 46.959 | 191.657 |
| Full 1st practice results | ||||||
2nd practice
The second practice was held on Thursday, February 15 at 3:32 PM EST. Ben Rhodes of ThorSport Racing would set the fastest time in practice with a 46.657 and an average speed of 192.897 miles per hour (310.438 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 46.657 | 192.897 |
| 2 | 24 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 46.855 | 192.082 |
| 3 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 47.025 | 191.388 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
3rd and final practice
The third and final practice was held on Thursday, February 15 at 5:28 PM EST. Johnny Sauter of GMS Racing would set the fastest time in practice with a 49.397 and an average speed of 182.197 miles per hour (293.218 km/h).[8]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 49.397 | 182.197 |
| 2 | 68 | Clay Greenfield | Clay Greenfield Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.410 | 182.149 |
| 3 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 49.596 | 181.466 |
| Full final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, February 16 at 5:49 PM EST. Qualifying was held in two rounds, both consisting of two lap runs. The first round included every driver, and the second would take the 12 fastest qualifiers from the first round and make them run another two lap run; whoever was fastest won the pole. David Gilliland driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports would run the fastest time in both rounds and win the pole, with a time of 49.017 and an average speed of 183.610 miles per hour (295.492 km/h) in the second round.[9]
Bobby Gerhart, Josh Reaume, Cody Ware, and B. J. McLeod would all fail to qualify.
Qualifying results
Race
Pre-race ceremonies
Race recap
Post-race driver comments
Race results
Stage 1 Laps: 20
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | David Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 25 | Dalton Sargeant | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 68 | Clay Greenfield | Clay Greenfield Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 13 | Myatt Snider | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Cody Coughlin | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 20
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 4 | David Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Cody Coughlin | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 24 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 75 | Parker Kligerman | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 7 | Korbin Forrister | All Out Motorsports | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 10 | 51 | Spencer Davis | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 60
References
- ^ "Johnny Sauter Wins NextEra Energy Solutions 250 at Daytona - MRN". MRN - Motor Racing Network. 2018-02-17. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ Fan4Racing (2018-02-15). "Bo LeMastus and David Gilliland Team Up for Driver Development with DGR-Crosley". Fan4Racing Blog and Radio. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "NASCAR.COM : Tracks". 2010-08-11. Archived from the original on 2010-08-11. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ a b "Daytona International Speedway: The World Center of Racing". 2010-08-30. Archived from the original on 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ "MB Motorsports Advance: NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona". SP Air USA. 2018-02-22. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ Wolkin, Joseph (2018-02-15). "Grant Enfinger Paces Opening Truck Series Practice At Daytona". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ Albino, Dustin (2018-02-15). "Ben Rhodes Leads Second Truck Series Practice At Daytona". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ Albino, Dustin (2018-02-15). "Johnny Sauter Leads Final Truck Series Practice At Daytona". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2018-02-16). "David Gilliland wins pole for Truck Series opener at Daytona". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ "2018 NextEra Energy Resources 250 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-10-03.