2018 Ford EcoBoost 300
The 2018 EcoBoost 300 was the 33rd and final stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the championship race of that year, and the 24th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, November 17, 2018, in Homestead, Florida at Homestead–Miami Speedway, a permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, JR Motorsports driver Tyler Reddick would take the lead after cunning pit strategy late in the race to win his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, his 3rd win of his career in the series, and his second and final win of the season.
Background
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a motor racing track located in Homestead, Florida. The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, including NASCAR, the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and the Championship Cup Series.From 2002 to 2019, Homestead–Miami Speedway hosted the final race of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Ford Motor Company sponsored all three of the season-ending races, under the names Ford EcoBoost 400, Ford EcoBoost 300, and Ford EcoBoost 200, respectively. The weekend itself was marketed as Ford Championship Weekend. The Xfinity Series held its season-ending races at Homestead from 1995 until 2020, when it was moved to Phoenix Raceway, along with NASCAR's other two series.
Championship drivers
- Christopher Bell advanced after winning the 2018 Whelen Trusted to Perform 200.
- Cole Custer advanced after winning the 2018 O'Reilly Auto Parts 300.
- Daniel Hemric advanced by virtue of points.
- Tyler Reddick advanced by virtue of points.
Entry list
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, November 16, at 2:35 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes. Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.298 and an average speed of.Second and final practice
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, November 16, at 5:05 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes. Ryan Reed of Roush Fenway Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.442 and an average speed of.Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Saturday, November 17, at 12:35 PM EST. Since Homestead–Miami Speedway is under 2 miles, 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 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.
Five drivers would fail to qualify: Josh Williams, Stephen Leicht, Josh Bilicki, Bayley Currey, and Tim Viens.
Race results
- Note: Christopher Bell, Cole Custer, Daniel Hemric, and Tyler Reddick are not eligible for stage points because of their participation in the Championship 4.
Stage 2 Laps: 45
Stage 3 Laps: 110