The 2018 GEICO 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on April 29, 2018, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 188 laps on the 2.66 mile (4.28 km) superspeedway, it was the 10th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 10 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | April 29, 2018 | ||
| Location | Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.64 km) | ||
| Average speed | 152.489 miles per hour (245.407 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Stewart-Haas Racing | ||
| Time | 49.247 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Joey Logano | Team Penske | |
| Laps | 70 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 2.9/2.8 (Overnight)[10] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Kyle Rickey (3 & 4) | ||
Report
editBackground
edit
Talladega Superspeedway, formerly known as Alabama International Motor Speedway, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. A tri-oval, the track was constructed in 1969 by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking. The track currently hosts NASCAR's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km).
Entry list
editPractice
editFirst practice
editTy Dillon was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 47.182 seconds and a speed of 202.959 mph (326.631 km/h).[11]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 47.182 | 202.959 |
| 2 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 47.247 | 202.680 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 47.247 | 202.680 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
editJamie McMurray was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 46.947 seconds and a speed of 203.975 mph (328.266 km/h).[12] The practice was marred by a three-car crash on the back-straightaway that resulted in McMurray barrel rolling several times into the inside catchfence while Ty Dillon and Ryan Newman were also involved. “When I realized I was going to flip, I actually shut my eyes because I don't really want to see what's getting ready to happen,” McMurray said. “And then it just kept, it seemed like forever. I opened my eyes a couple times and I couldn't, I'm like I don't know if I'm going up or down or where it's going to hit next. So I was just thankful when it finally ... a couple of times I thought it was going to stop and it just kind of kept going.” McMurray's accident led to NASCAR reducing the restrictor plates from 7/8th to 55/64th of an inch.[13]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 46.947 | 203.975 |
| 2 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 47.031 | 203.610 |
| 3 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 47.154 | 203.079 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
edit
Kevin Harvick scored the pole for the race with a time of 49.247 and a speed of 194.448 mph (312.934 km/h).[14]
Qualifying results
editRace
edit
Stage Results
editStage 1 Laps: 55
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 55
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
editStage 3 Laps: 78
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 188 | 58 |
| 2 | 2 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 188 | 38 |
| 3 | 5 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 34 |
| 4 | 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 188 | 42 |
| 5 | 7 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 188 | 41 |
| 6 | 12 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 188 | 36 |
| 7 | 40 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 188 | 30 |
| 8 | 11 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 29 |
| 9 | 18 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 28 |
| 10 | 14 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 188 | 27 |
| 11 | 25 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 26 |
| 12 | 16 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 30 |
| 13 | 19 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 188 | 32 |
| 14 | 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 188 | 28 |
| 15 | 29 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 22 |
| 16 | 15 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 21 |
| 17 | 26 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 20 |
| 18 | 23 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 188 | 31 |
| 19 | 33 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 188 | 18 |
| 20 | 31 | 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 188 | 17 |
| 21 | 36 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 16 |
| 22 | 30 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 15 |
| 23 | 32 | 92 | Timothy Peters (i) | RBR Enterprises | Ford | 187 | 0 |
| 24 | 37 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 187 | 13 |
| 25 | 35 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 186 | 0 |
| 26 | 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 184 | 19 |
| 27 | 34 | 00 | Joey Gase (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 178 | 0 |
| 28 | 27 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 174 | 9 |
| 29 | 17 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 165 | 10 |
| 30 | 13 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 165 | 23 |
| 31 | 8 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 165 | 6 |
| 32 | 20 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 165 | 5 |
| 33 | 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 165 | 14 |
| 34 | 28 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 165 | 3 |
| 35 | 24 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 165 | 2 |
| 36 | 39 | 51 | Timmy Hill (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 151 | 0 |
| 37 | 38 | 55 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 79 | 1 |
| 38 | 21 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 71 | 1 |
| 39 | 6 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 71 | 1 |
| 40 | 22 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 71 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
edit- Lead changes: 16 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 6 for 29
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 16 minutes and 46 seconds
- Average speed: 152.489 miles per hour (245.407 km/h)
Media
editTelevision
editFox Sports covered their 18th race at the Talladega Superspeedway. Mike Joy, six-time Talladega winner – and all-time restrictor plate race wins record holder – Jeff Gordon and four-time Talladega winner Darrell Waltrip called the race in the booth for the race. Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum handled the action on pit road for the television side.
| Fox Television | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip |
Jamie Little Vince Welch Matt Yocum |
Radio
editMRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace called the race in the booth when the field raced through the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform inside the backstretch when the field raced down the backstretch. Kyle Rickey called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 4 when the field raced through turns 3 and 4. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley, Kim Coon, and Steve Post worked pit road for the radio side.
| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace |
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey |
Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Kim Coon Steve Post |
Standings after the race
edit
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "2018 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ "Talladega Superspeedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 27, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 27, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 28, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- ^ "GEICO 500 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 29, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 30, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 13, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ^ "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 30, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 13, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ^ "Talladega TV ratings". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ Utter, Jim (April 27, 2018). "Ty Dillon leads the first Talladega Cup practice at 203mph". Motorsport.com. Lincoln, Alabama: Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ Utter, Jim (April 27, 2018). "McMurray fastest, goes airborne in final practice at Talladega". Motorsport.com. Lincoln, Alabama: Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ "McMurray wrecks hard in final Talladega practice". Official Site Of NASCAR. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ Zenor, John (April 28, 2018). "Harvick, eyeing 4th win of year, to start on Talladega pole". Associated Press. Lincoln, Alabama: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2018.