2018 Alpha Energy Solutions 250
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 23 of the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | March 24-26 2018 | ||
| Official name | Alpha Energy Solutions 250 | ||
| Location | Martinsville, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.526 mi (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 250 laps, 131.5 mi (211.628 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 250 laps, 131.5 mi (211.628 km) | ||
| Average speed | 64.628 miles per hour (104.009 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | ThorSport Racing | ||
| Time | 19.737 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | |
| Laps | 134 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Sports 1 | ||
| Announcers | Vince Welch, Phil Parsons, Michael Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 2018 Alpha Energy Solutions 250 was the 4th stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the 24th iteration of the event. The race was originally held on Saturday, March 24, 2018 but after 24 laps, rain and snow postponed the race until Monday, March 26, 2018.[1] The race was held in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway. The race took the scheduled 250 laps to complete. John Hunter Nemechek, driving a part-time schedule for NEMCO Motorsports would win the race after holding off Kyle Benjamin on a late-race restart, garnering the 6th win of his career and the first of the season.[2]
The race was the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut for Tyler Matthews,[3][4][5] Cory Roper,[6] and Reid Wilson.[7][8]
Background[edit]
Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
Entry list[edit]
*Withdrew.
Practice[edit]
First practice[edit]
First practice was held on Friday, March 23, at 11:05 AM EST. Justin Haley of GMS Racing would set the fastest time with a 20.118 and an average speed of 94.125 miles per hour (151.480 km/h).[9]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 20.118 | 94.125 |
| 2 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 20.168 | 93.891 |
| 3 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 20.201 | 93.738 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice[edit]
Second practice was held on Friday, March 23, at 1:05 PM EST. Matt Crafton of ThorSport Racing would set the fastest time with a 20.023 and an average speed of 94.571 miles per hour (152.197 km/h).[9]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 20.023 | 94.571 |
| 2 | 16 | Brett Moffitt | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 20.026 | 94.557 |
| 3 | 2 | Cody Coughlin | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 20.032 | 94.529 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice[edit]
Third and final practice was held on Friday, March 23, at 3:05 PM EST. Grant Enfinger of ThorSport Racing would set the fastest time with a 19.921 and an average speed of 95.056 miles per hour (152.978 km/h).[9]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 19.921 | 95.056 |
| 2 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 19.924 | 95.041 |
| 3 | 54 | Kyle Benjamin | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | 19.959 | 94.874 |
| Full final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying[edit]
Qualifying was held on Saturday, March 24, at 11:05 AM EST. Since Martinsville Speedway is a short track, 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.[10]
Ben Rhodes of ThorSport Racing would set the fastest time in Round 3, with a 19.737 and an average speed of 95.942 miles per hour (154.404 km/h), thus winning the pole.[11]
While Mike Harmon would not set the slowest time (Mike Senica would set the slowest, being a over a second slower than Harmon), Harmon would not have enough owner points to qualify, making Harmon the only driver to fail to qualify for the race.
Race results[edit]
Stage 1 Laps: 70
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 54 | Kyle Benjamin | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | 0 |
| 6 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 7 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 16 | Brett Moffitt | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 13 | Myatt Snider | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 70
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 16 | Brett Moffitt | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 13 | Myatt Snider | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 51 | Harrison Burton | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 110
References[edit]
- ^ "NASCAR Truck race halted and postponed after just 24 laps". 2018-03-25. Archived from the original on 2018-03-25. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2018-03-26). "John Hunter Nemechek wins postponed Truck race at Martinsville". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ "Tyler Matthews Set to Make 2018 Truck Series Debut with MDM Motorsports at Martinsville". The Weekly Racer. 2018-01-20. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ "Tyler Matthews joins MDM Motorsports". ESPN.com. 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ Miller, Chris. "Matthews to race in NASCAR Truck Series". The Daily News. Archived from the original on 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ Massie, Michael (2018-06-12). "Cory Roper, The Definition Of Grassroots Racing". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ "Reid Wilson to make NASCAR Truck debut at Martinsville". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ Eggert, Seth. "Reid Wilson to Make Truck Series Debut with Young's Motorsports". Motorsports Tribune. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ a b c Koelle, Christian (2018-03-23). "Justin Haley, Matt Crafton, Grant Enfinger Lead Martinsville Truck Practices". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ Catanzareti, Zach (2018-03-24). "Ben Rhodes Scores Martinsville Pole In Truck Series". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ "2018 Alpha Energy Solutions 250 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-10-05.