The 2018 North Carolina Education Lottery 200 was the 7th stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, and the 16th iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, May 18, 2018 in Concord, North Carolina at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) tri-oval permanent racetrack. The race took the scheduled 134 laps to complete. Johnny Sauter of GMS Racing would dominate the race and win the race, the 20th of his career and the 2nd of the season.[1] To fill the podium, Kyle Busch and Brandon Jones, both from Kyle Busch Motorsports would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 23 of the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | May 18, 2018 | ||
| Official name | North Carolina Education Lottery 200 | ||
| Location | Concord, North Carolina, Charlotte Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 134 laps, 201 mi (323.478 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 134 laps, 201 mi (323.478 km) | ||
| Average speed | 112.675 miles per hour (181.333 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | GMS Racing | ||
| Time | N/A | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | |
| Laps | 71 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | |
| 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 | ||
Background edit
The race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, located in Concord, North Carolina. The speedway complex includes a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) quad-oval track that was utilized for the race, as well as a dragstrip and a dirt track. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams based in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith serving as track president.
Entry list edit
Practice edit
First practice edit
First practice was held on Friday, May 18, at 9:05 AM EST. Matt Crafton of ThorSport Racing would set the fastest time with a 29.813 and an average speed of 181.129 miles per hour (291.499 km/h).[2]
Austin Wayne Self of Niece Motorsports would hit the wall in the opening minutes of practice, forcing him to go to a backup truck.[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 29.813 | 181.129 |
| 2 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 29.835 | 180.995 |
| 3 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 29.956 | 180.264 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice edit
Second and final practice was held on Friday, May 18, at 10:35 AM EST. Dalton Sargeant of GMS Racing would set the fastest time with a 30.176 and an average speed of 178.950 miles per hour (287.992 km/h).[2]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | Dalton Sargeant | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.176 | 178.950 |
| 2 | 41 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 30.242 | 178.560 |
| 3 | 24 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.300 | 178.218 |
| Full final practice results | ||||||
Starting lineup edit
Qualifying was meant to be held on Friday, May 18, but rain would force the cancellation of qualifying. As a result, the starting lineup was determined by owner's points. Johnny Sauter of GMS Racing would end up winning the pole for the race.[4]
Due to the cancellation, Korbin Forrister, Timothy Peters, and Bo LeMastus would all not qualify for the race.[5]
Race results edit
Stage 1 Laps: 40
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Brett Moffitt | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 24 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 25 | Dalton Sargeant | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 51 | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 0 |
| 7 | 75 | Parker Kligerman | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 97 | Jesse Little | JJL Motorsports | Ford | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 40
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 51 | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 0 |
| 3 | 16 | Brett Moffitt | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 41 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 24 | Justin Haley | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 46 | Brandon Jones | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 0 |
| 10 | 18 | Noah Gragson | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 54
References edit
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2018-05-19). "Johnny Sauter wins Truck Series race at Charlotte". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
- ^ a b Henderson, Amy (2018-05-18). "Matt Crafton And Dalton Sergeant Top CWTS Practices At Charlotte". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
- ^ "2018 NASCAR Truck Series Charlotte Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2018-05-18). "Rain cancels Truck qualifying at Charlotte; Johnny Sauter on pole". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
- ^ Beard, Brock. "TRUCKS: In and out of the garage, J.J. Yeley extends Mittler team's last-place streak". Retrieved 2021-10-10.
- ^ "2018 North Carolina Education Lottery 200 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-10-10.