2018 Daytona 500
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | February 18, 2018 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) | ||
| Distance | 207 laps, 517.5 mi (828 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (800 km) | ||
| Average speed | 150.545 mph (242.279 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 46.002 | ||
| Qualifying race winners | |||
| Duel 1 Winner | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | |
| Duel 2 Winner | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | |
| Laps | 118 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 5.3/12 (Overnight)[14] | ||
| 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) | ||
The 2018 Daytona 500, the 60th running of the event, was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on February 18, 2018, contested over 207 laps—extended from 200 laps due to an overtime finish—on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway. It was the first race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and also marked the first race for the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as Chevrolet's car for this season, replacing the SS. Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing won the race after contact with Aric Almirola on the final lap resulted in a single-car accident for the latter. Bubba Wallace making his first Daytona 500 start finished second while Denny Hamlin came in third. This was the last Daytona 500 starts for Danica Patrick, Trevor Bayne, Kasey Kahne, David Gilliland, Mark Thompson (in his only Daytona 500 start), BK Racing, Furniture Row Racing and D.J. Kennington.
Report[]
Background[]
Daytona International Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the others being Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway, and Talladega Superspeedway.[15] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.[16] The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[16]
Notes[]
This was the first Daytona 500 race since 1982 where none of the cars were sponsored by beer companies (Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski, sponsored by Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors, respectively, were instead sponsored by Jimmy John's and Discount Tire for the race).[17] Only 40 cars entered the race, meaning no entrants would fail to qualify for the race.
Entry list[]
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray (W) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick (W) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne (W) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Danica Patrick | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (W) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano (W) | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Ryan Newman (W) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Kurt Busch (W) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Justin Marks (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 66 | Mark Thompson | MBM Motorsports | Ford |
| 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 92 | David Gilliland (i) | RBR Enterprises | Ford |
| 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet |
| 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| Official entry list | |||
- (R) Denotes Rookie of the Year candidate.
- (i) Denotes driver has declared for another NASCAR national touring series championship and is thus ineligible for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship points.
- (W) denotes past winner of the 500.
Practice[]
First practice (February 10)[]
Kyle Busch was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 45.058 seconds and a speed of 199.743 mph (321.455 km/h).[18]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.058 | 199.743 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.085 | 199.623 |
| 3 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.088 | 199.610 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Second practice (February 10)[]
William Byron was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 44.625 seconds and a speed of 201.681 mph (324.574 km/h).[19]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 44.625 | 201.681 |
| 2 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 44.632 | 201.649 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 44.641 | 201.608 |
| Official second practice results | ||||||
Qualifying[]
Alex Bowman scored the pole for the race with a time of 46.002 and a speed of 195.644 mph (314.858 km/h).[20]
Qualifying results[]
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.181 | 46.002 |
| 2 (2) | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 46.201 | 46.132 |
| 3 (1) | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.420 | 46.217 |
| 4 (2) | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 46.366 | 46.224 |
| 5 (1) | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.328 | 46.261 |
| 6 (2) | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 46.513 | 46.279 |
| 7 (1) | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 46.412 | 46.280 |
| 8 (2) | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 46.420 | 46.281 |
| 9 (1) | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 46.313 | 46.381 |
| 10 (2) | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.534 | 46.413 |
| 11 (1) | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 46.422 | 46.437 |
| 12 (2) | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 46.470 | 46.584 |
| 13 (1) | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 46.539 | — |
| 14 (2) | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 46.546 | — |
| 15 (1) | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 46.577 | — |
| 16 (2) | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 46.658 | — |
| 17 (1) | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 46.678 | — |
| 18 (2) | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 46.694 | — |
| 19 (1) | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 46.698 | — |
| 20 (2) | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 46.781 | — |
| 21 (1) | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 46.816 | — |
| 22 (2) | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 46.817 | — |
| 23 (1) | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 46.836 | — |
| 24 (2) | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 46.899 | — |
| 25 (1) | 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.938 | — |
| 26 (2) | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 47.002 | — |
| 27 (1) | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 47.074 | — |
| 28 (2) | 7 | Danica Patrick | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.081 | — |
| 29 (1) | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 47.095 | — |
| 30 (2) | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 47.144 | — |
| 31 (1) | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.398 | — |
| 32 (1) | 51 | Justin Marks (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 47.464 | — |
| 33 (2) | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 47.675 | — |
| 34 (2) | 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 47.848 | — |
| 35 (1) | 00 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 47.866 | — |
| 36 (1) | 92 | David Gilliland (i) | RBR Enterprises | Ford | 47.884 | — |
| 37 (2) | 66 | Mark Thompson | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 48.267 | — |
| 38 (2) | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.372 | — |
| 39 (2) | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 0.000 | — |
| 40 (1) | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 0.000 | — |
| Official qualifying results | ||||||
Can-Am Duels[]
The Can-Am Duels are a pair of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races held in conjunction with the Daytona 500 annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. They consist of two races 60 laps and 150 miles (240 km) in length, which serve as heat races that set the lineup for the Daytona 500. The first race sets the lineup for cars that qualified in odd-numbered positions on pole qualifying day, while the second race sets the lineup for cars that qualified in even-numbered positions. The Duels set the lineup for positions 3–38, while positions 39 and 40 are filled by the two "Open" (teams without a charter) cars that set the fastest times in qualifying, but did not lock in a spot in the Duels.
For championship purposes, each Duel is a full Championship Stage, except there is no playoff point awarded. The top ten drivers receive championship points.
Duel 1[]
Duel 1 results[]
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 63 | 10 |
| 2 | 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 63 | 9 |
| 3 | 13 | 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 63 | 8 |
| 4 | 5 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 63 | 7 |
| 5 | 9 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 63 | 6 |
| 6 | 11 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 5 |
| 7 | 20 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 63 | 4 |
| 8 | 4 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 63 | 3 |
| 9 | 12 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 2 |
| 10 | 15 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 1 |
| 11 | 14 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 0 |
| 12 | 16 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 63 | 0 |
| 13 | 18 | 00 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 0 |
| 14 | 1 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 63 | 0 |
| 15 | 17 | 51 | Justin Marks (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 0 |
| 16 | 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 57 | 0 |
| 17 | 19 | 92 | David Gilliland (i) | RBR Enterprises | Ford | 47 | 0 |
| 18 | 3 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 38 | 0 |
| 19 | 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 | 0 |
| 20 | 7 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Duel 2[]
Duel 2 results[]
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 9 |
| 3 | 3 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 60 | 8 |
| 4 | 8 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 7 |
| 5 | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 60 | 6 |
| 6 | 7 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 5 |
| 7 | 6 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 60 | 4 |
| 8 | 10 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 60 | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 60 | 2 |
| 10 | 15 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 1 |
| 11 | 12 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 60 | 0 |
| 12 | 13 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 60 | 0 |
| 13 | 9 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 14 | 14 | 7 | Danica Patrick | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 |
| 15 | 17 | 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 58 | 0 |
| 16 | 19 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 58 | 0 |
| 17 | 20 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 55 | 0 |
| 18 | 18 | 66 | Mark Thompson | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 32 | 0 |
| 19 | 16 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 11 | 0 |
| 20 | 11 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 11 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Starting lineup[]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Fastest in pole qualifying |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Second in pole qualifying |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | Duel race #1 winner |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Duel race #2 winner |
| 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | Second in Duel 1 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Second in Duel 2 |
| 7 | 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | Third in Duel 1 |
| 8 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Third in Duel 2 |
| 9 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Fourth in Duel 1 |
| 10 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Fourth in Duel 2 |
| 11 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Fifth in Duel 1 |
| 12 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Fifth in Duel 2 |
| 13 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Sixth in Duel 1 |
| 14 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Sixth in Duel 2 |
| 15 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Seventh in Duel 1 |
| 16 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Seventh in Duel 2 |
| 17 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Eighth in Duel 1 |
| 18 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Eighth in Duel 2 |
| 19 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Ninth in Duel 1 |
| 20 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 10th in Duel 2 |
| 21 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 10th in Duel 1 |
| 22 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 11th in Duel 2 |
| 23 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 11th in Duel 1 |
| 24 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 12th in Duel 2 |
| 25 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 12th in Duel 1 |
| 26 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 13th in Duel 2 |
| 27 | 00 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 13th in Duel 1 |
| 28 | 7 | Danica Patrick | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 14th in Duel 2 |
| 29 | 51 | Justin Marks (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 15th in Duel 1 |
| 30 | 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 15th in Duel 2 |
| 31 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 16th in Duel 1 |
| 32 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16th in Duel 2 |
| 33 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 18th in Duel 1 |
| 34 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 17th in Duel 2 |
| 35 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19th in Duel 1 |
| 36 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 19th in Duel 2 |
| 37 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 20th in Duel 1 |
| 38 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 20th in Duel 2 |
| 39 | 92 | David Gilliland (i) | RBR Enterprises | Ford | Qualifying speed |
| 40 | 66 | Mark Thompson | MBM Motorsports | Ford | Qualifying speed |
| Official starting lineup | |||||
Practice (post–Duels)[]
Third practice (February 16)[]
Daniel Suárez was the fastest in the third practice session with a time of 45.036 seconds and a speed of 199.840 mph (321.611 km/h).[21]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.036 | 199.840 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.058 | 199.743 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 45.069 | 199.694 |
| Official third practice results | ||||||
Fourth practice (February 16)[]
Daniel Suárez was the fastest in the fourth practice session with a time of 44.296 seconds and a speed of 203.179 mph (326.985 km/h).[22]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 44.296 | 203.179 |
| 2 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 44.347 | 202.945 |
| 3 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 44.364 | 202.867 |
| Official fourth practice results | ||||||
Final practice (February 17)[]
Bubba Wallace was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 45.696 seconds and a speed of 196.954 mph (316.967 km/h).[23]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45.696 | 196.954 |
| 2 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45.795 | 196.528 |
| 3 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 45.810 | 196.464 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Race[]
Stage 1[]
Start[]
The 60th running of the Daytona 500 began with Alex Bowman leading the field to the green flag. Denny Hamlin took the lead on lap 1 and led the first 10 laps. The first caution of the race came out on lap 9 when Corey LaJoie blew an engine in Turn 2, and Hamlin was penalized one lap for pitting outside his box prior to the caution.
Racing resumed on lap 13. Kyle Busch's tire went flat on lap 30 and had to pit, dropping him from 5th to 38th to get his tire fixed. The second caution came out on lap 52 for a three-car wreck in turn 3. Kyle Busch spun out prior to the same time his tire went flat. The first ten cars did not opt to pit, waiting instead for the end of the first 60-lap stage, the second points-paying stage of the year (the Duels count as a championship points stage, but not a playoff points stage).
The race went back to green on lap 56, with five laps remaining in the first stage. On Lap 60, the final lap of the stage, a major pileup occurred on the end of the backstretch, bringing out the third caution flag of the race. The crash was triggered when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. attempted to block Ryan Blaney battling for second. Stenhouse briefly lost control of his car before saving it, but the resulting slowdown led to Erik Jones spinning in front of the field and starting the wreck. As the stage ended under caution 2017 Daytona 500 champion and leader Kurt Busch won the stage. A total of nine cars was involved in the melee, including William Byron, Erik Jones, Ty Dillon, Daniel Suárez, Jimmie Johnson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Larson. A total of four cars were out of the race, including Jimmie Johnson, Daniel Suárez, Erik Jones, and Ty Dillon.[24]
Stage 2[]
Stage 1 winner Kurt Busch was penalized for missing his pit box on the ensuing round of pit stops.
Racing restarted on lap 67. Ryan Blaney assumed the lead on lap 68 and led 26 laps until Paul Menard took the lead from Blaney on lap 94 and led one lap, but debris on the back straightaway brought out the fourth caution of the race on lap 94, from William Byron's car, and Martin Truex Jr. chose not to pit and he took the lead a lap later.
Racing resumed on lap 97. The fifth caution of the race came out for a seven-car wreck in turn 3 another (The Big One) involving Chase Elliott, Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick, David Ragan, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Kasey Kahne. A total of eleven cars were out of the race.
Restart occurred on Lap 109 for a 12-lap shootout to the end of the second stage, which Ryan Blaney won, claiming the ten championship and one playoff point after crossing the line to complete Lap 120.
Final stage[]
Back to the green flag with 73 to go, Denny Hamlin took the lead with 28 to go and led 3 laps, and Ryan Blaney assumed the lead with 26 to go and led 26 laps. The caution flew for the seventh time with 9 to go for a single-car spin as William Byron spun out into turn 2, so that meant Joey Logano won the free pass under caution.
Racing resumed with 6 to go and a major multi-car wreck (a third "The Big One") brought out the eighth caution of the race. 2017 Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch tried to pass Denny Hamlin but contact behind him triggered the melee. A total of twelve cars were involved were Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Matt DiBenedetto, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Ryan Newman, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Brendan Gaughan, and A. J. Allmendinger. The multi-car wreck sent the race into overtime.
Overtime[]
The race resumed on lap 205 of 200 advertised, for a 2-lap NASCAR Overtime. Aric Almirola was leading at the white flag, but a mistimed block on the super stretch forced Austin Dillon to drive into his right-rear corner and turn Almirola into the wall. Dillon drove on and scored his second career NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series victory along with Dillon’s first career Daytona 500 victory, 20 years after Dale Earnhardt won the 1998 Daytona 500 in the same seat.[25] After the September 2017 closure of the deal between Dillon's sponsor Dow Chemical to acquire E. I. DuPont and Nemours (which had been a NASCAR sponsor from 1992 to 2012), this win was the first for the merged DowDuPont, bringing together two major race-winning sponsors.
Post race[]
"I did what I had to do in the end; I hate it for the 10 Guys" said Dillon, after a series of burnouts. This was in reference to contact between the two on the final lap.
Race results[]
Stage Results[]
Stage One Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results[]
Stage Three Laps: 80
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 207 | 42 |
| 2 | 7 | 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 207 | 39 |
| 3 | 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 207 | 35 |
| 4 | 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 207 | 41 |
| 5 | 21 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 207 | 32 |
| 6 | 16 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 207 | 42 |
| 7 | 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 207 | 48 |
| 8 | 13 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 207 | 29 |
| 9 | 22 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 207 | 39 |
| 10 | 20 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 207 | 27 |
| 11 | 37 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 206 | 33 |
| 12 | 29 | 51 | Justin Marks (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 |
| 13 | 18 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 206 | 28 |
| 14 | 39 | 92 | David Gilliland (i) | RBR Enterprises | Ford | 206 | 0 |
| 15 | 10 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 206 | 22 |
| 16 | 19 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 205 | 21 |
| 17 | 1 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 205 | 29 |
| 18 | 24 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 205 | 30 |
| 19 | 38 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 204 | 18 |
| 20 | 34 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 204 | 17 |
| 21 | 27 | 00 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 204 | 16 |
| 22 | 40 | 66 | Mark Thompson | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 203 | 15 |
| 23 | 33 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 203 | 14 |
| 24 | 30 | 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 201 | 13 |
| 25 | 12 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 12 |
| 26 | 11 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 198 | 21 |
| 27 | 36 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 198 | 10 |
| 28 | 25 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 9 |
| 29 | 9 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 197 | 15 |
| 30 | 15 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 107 | 7 |
| 31 | 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 105 | 10 |
| 32 | 31 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 102 | 5 |
| 33 | 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 101 | 7 |
| 34 | 26 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 101 | 3 |
| 35 | 28 | 7 | Danica Patrick | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 101 | 2 |
| 36 | 8 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 59 | 1 |
| 37 | 17 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 59 | 1 |
| 38 | 35 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 59 | 1 |
| 39 | 23 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 59 | 1 |
| 40 | 32 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Racing statistics[]
- 24 lead changes among 14 drivers
- 8 cautions for 37 laps
- Time of race: 3 hours, 26 minutes and 58 seconds
- Average speed: 150.551 miles per hour (242.288 km/h)
- Margin of victory: 0.260 seconds
Media[]
Television[]
Since 2001—with the exception of 2002, 2004 and 2006—the Daytona 500 has been carried by Fox in the United States. The booth crew consisted of longtime NASCAR lap-by-lap announcer Mike Joy, three–time Daytona 500 champion Jeff Gordon, and 1989 race winner Darrell Waltrip. Pit road was manned by Jamie Little, Regan Smith, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum.
| Fox Television | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip |
Jamie Little Regan Smith Vince Welch Matt Yocum |
Radio[]
The race was broadcast on radio by the Motor Racing Network—who has covered the Daytona 500 since 1970—and simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. The booth crew consisted of longtime announcer Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and 1989 Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace. Longtime turn announcer – and prodigy of MRN co-founder Ken Squier – Dave Moody was the lead turn announcer. He called the Daytona 500 from atop the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 2 when the field was racing through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley worked the backstretch for the Daytona 500 from a spotter's stand on the inside of the track. Kyle Rickey called the Daytona 500 when the field was racing through turns 3 and 4 from the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 4. On pit road, MRN was manned by lead pit reporter and NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley. He was joined on pit road by Steve Post, Kim Coon and Alex Hayden.
| 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[]
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Notes[]
References[]
- ^ "2018 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
- ^ "Daytona International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
- ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- ^ "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 11, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 11, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Third Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ "Fourth Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 17, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- ^ "Daytona 500 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. February 19, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 13, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. February 19, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 13, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Daytona 500 TV ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
- ^ a b "NASCAR Tracks — The Daytona International Speedway". Speedway Guide. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ "There will be no beer-sponsored cars in the 2018 Daytona 500". Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ Spencer, Lee (February 10, 2018). "Daytona 500: Kyle Busch tops opening practice session". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- ^ Spencer, Lee (February 10, 2018). "Daytona 500: William Byron leads eventful pre-qualifying practice". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- ^ Fryer, Jenna (February 11, 2018). "Alex Bowman puts No. 88 on the pole at Daytona". Associated Press. Daytona Beach, Florida: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ Spencer, Lee (February 16, 2018). "Daytona 500: Daniel Suarez leads Toyota trio in first Friday practice". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Spencer, Lee (February 16, 2018). "Daytona 500: Daniel Suarez completes sweep of Friday practices". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Utter, Jim (February 17, 2018). "Daytona 500: Darrell Wallace Jr. tops final practice". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- ^ Bianchi, Jordan (February 18, 2018). "Big wreck knocks out several Daytona 500 contenders". SBNation.com. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
- ^ Velin, Bob (February 18, 2018). "Austin Dillon drives No. 3 to Daytona 500 win, 20 years after Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s triumph". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
- 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
- 2018 in sports in Florida
- February 2018 sports events in the United States
- NASCAR races at Daytona International Speedway