2018 U.S. Cellular 250

The 2018 U.S. Cellular 250 presented by The Rasmussen Group was the 19th stock car race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the 10th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 28, 2018, in Newton, Iowa at Iowa Speedway, a 7⁄8 mile (1.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race was extended from its scheduled 250 laps to 257 due to a NASCAR overtime finish. At race's end, Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing would battle and hold off JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier in an overtime restart to win his fifth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, his fourth of the season, and his third consecutive win in the series, a feat that was last accomplished by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2018. To fill out the podium, Kyle Benjamin of Joe Gibbs Racing would finish third.

Background
Iowa Speedway is a 7/8-mile (1.4 km) paved oval motor racing track in Newton, Iowa, United States, approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of Des Moines. The track was designed with influence from Rusty Wallace and patterned after Richmond Raceway, a short track where Wallace was very successful. It has over 25,000 permanent seats as well as a unique multi-tiered Recreational Vehicle viewing area along the backstretch.

First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, July 27, at 4:05 PM CST, and would last for 50 minutes. Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.046 and an average speed of 130.999 mph.

Second and final practice
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, July 27, at 6:05 PM CST, and would last for 50 minutes. Casey Roderick of GMS Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.933 and an average speed of 131.617 mph.

Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Saturday, July 28, at 4:20 PM CST. Since Iowa 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.

Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports would win the pole after advancing from both preliminary rounds and setting the fastest lap in Round 3, with a time of 23.576 and an average speed of 133.610 mph.

No drivers would fail to qualify.

Race results
Stage 1 Laps: 60 Stage 2 Laps: 60 Stage 3 Laps: 137