| Dates | 12 May 2018 – 23 June 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 9 | ||
| Champions | Donegal (2nd title) Mickey McCann (manager) | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Matches played | 6 | ||
| Top scorer(s) | Joe O'Brien (2-24) | ||
| |||
The 2018 Nicky Rackard Cup was the 14th staging of the Nicky Rackard Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. It was the fourth tier[1] of senior inter-county hurling as of 2018.
The competition began on Saturday 12 May 2018 and ended on Saturday 23 June 2018.
Derry were the 2017 champions, beating Armagh in the final. Both teams were promoted to the 2018 Christy Ring Cup as a result of the restructuring of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Following the withdrawal of the Fingal team from the competition in 2017, there was no relegation from the 2017 competition and Warwickshire were promoted from the 2017 Lory Meagher Cup.