2018 Food City 500

The 2018 Food City 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on April 15 and 16, 2018, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. The second half of the race was postponed to April 16 due to rain. Contested over 500 laps on the 0.533 miles (0.858 km) concrete short track, it was the eighth race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

2018 Food City 500
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Race 8 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Date April 15–16, 2018
Location Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.858 km)
Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (429 km)
Average speed 77.465 miles per hour (124.668 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Joe Gibbs Racing
Time 14.895
Most laps led
Driver Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing
Laps 200
Winner
No. 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip
Nielsen Ratings 1.4 (Overnight)[11]
Radio in the United States
Radio PRN
Booth Announcers Doug Rice, Mark Garrow and Wendy Venturini
Turn Announcers Rob Albright (Backstretch)

Report

Background

Bristol Motor Speedway, the track where the race was held.

Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating.

Entry list

No. Driver Team Manufacturer
00Landon CassillStarCom RacingChevrolet
1Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
2Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord
3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord
6Trevor BayneRoush Fenway RacingFord
9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
10Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord
11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord
13Ty DillonGermain RacingChevrolet
14Clint BowyerStewart-Haas RacingFord
15Ross Chastain (i)Premium MotorsportsChevrolet
17Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord
18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
19Daniel SuárezJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
20Erik JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
21Paul MenardWood Brothers RacingFord
22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord
23Gray GauldingBK RacingToyota
24William Byron (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
31Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
32Matt DiBenedettoGo Fas RacingFord
34Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord
37Chris BuescherJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
38David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord
41Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingFord
42Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
43Darrell Wallace Jr. (R)Richard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet
47A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
51Harrison RhodesRick Ware RacingToyota
55Reed SorensonPremium MotorsportsChevrolet
66Chad Finchum (i)MBM MotorsportsToyota
72Corey LaJoieTriStar MotorsportsChevrolet
78Martin Truex Jr.Furniture Row RacingToyota
88Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
95Kasey KahneLeavine Family RacingChevrolet
96D. J. KenningtonGaunt Brothers RacingToyota
Official entry list

First practice

Ryan Blaney was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 14.774 seconds and a speed of 129.877 mph (209.017 km/h).[12]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord14.774129.877
2 20Erik JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota14.774129.877
3 41Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingFord14.799129.657
Official first practice results

Qualifying

Kyle Busch scored the pole for the race with a time of 14.895 and a speed of 128.822 mph (207.319 km/h).[13]

Qualifying results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2 R3
1 18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota14.87914.87814.895
2 41Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingFord14.94614.87114.897
3 2Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord15.12414.98814.960
4 17Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord15.07415.05214.961
5 12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord15.05114.95314.969
6 42Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet15.19715.01814.985
7 21Paul MenardWood Brothers RacingFord15.04215.06614.993
8 88Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.05115.05315.010
9 34Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord15.10815.18315.029
10 22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord15.00415.17615.041
11 24William Byron (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.19015.04315.053
12 19Daniel SuárezJoe Gibbs RacingToyota15.13215.06915.153
13 20Erik JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota15.19515.071
14 14Clint BowyerStewart-Haas RacingFord15.09115.086
15 95Kasey KahneLeavine Family RacingChevrolet15.17815.095
16 9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.13815.105
17 48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.10315.112
18 47A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet15.13915.136
19 10Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord15.18315.144
20 43Darrell Wallace Jr. (R)Richard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet15.16315.178
21 3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet15.21615.181
22 37Chris BuescherJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet15.19015.196
23 38David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord15.13515.204
24 32Matt DiBenedettoGo Fas RacingFord15.22315.285
25 31Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet15.383
26 1Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet15.410
27 11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota15.256
28 78Martin Truex Jr.Furniture Row RacingToyota15.257
29 15Ross Chastain (i)Premium MotorsportsChevrolet15.320
30 23Gray GauldingBK RacingToyota15.358
31 00Landon CassillStarCom RacingChevrolet15.360
32 13Ty DillonGermain RacingChevrolet15.477
33 6Trevor BayneRoush Fenway RacingFord15.499
34 72Corey LaJoieTriStar MotorsportsChevrolet15.755
35 96D. J. KenningtonGaunt Brothers RacingToyota15.807
36 55Reed SorensonPremium MotorsportsChevrolet15.810
37 51Harrison RhodesRick Ware RacingToyota16.253
38 66Chad Finchum (i)MBM MotorsportsToyota16.735
39 4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord0.000
Official qualifying results

Practice (post-qualifying)

Second practice

Kyle Larson was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 14.874 seconds and a speed of 129.004 mph (207.612 km/h).[14]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 42Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet14.874129.004
2 78Martin Truex Jr.Furniture Row RacingToyota14.880128.952
3 10Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord14.881128.943
Official second practice results

Final practice

David Ragan was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 15.051 seconds and a speed of 127.487 mph (205.170 km/h).[15]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 38David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord15.051127.487
2 9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.100127.073
3 11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota15.109126.997
Official final practice results

Race

First stage

Kyle Busch led the field to the green flag at 1:13 p.m. The first caution flew on lap 5 for a multi-car wreck involving Chase Elliott, William Byron, Martin Truex, Jr., Daniel Suárez, A.J. Allmendinger, Ross Chastain, Michael McDowell, David Ragan, and Chad Finchum.

The race restarted on lap 10, It went back under caution again for the second time on lap 17 for a two-car wreck in turn 2, involving A.J. Allmendinger and Jamie McMurray, The race restarted on lap 23 and the third caution flew for rain, and later intensified and the race was red flagged, After 25 minutes and 25 seconds, the race went back under caution.

Racing resumed on lap 60 and the fourth caution flew two laps later for a two-car wreck on lap 62 involving Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Erik Jones, Harrison Rhodes won the free pass under caution.

The race restarted on lap 68. Caution flew the fifth time for another multi-car wreck on lap 119 involving Ryan Blaney, Jamie McMurray, Chris Buescher, David Ragan, Harrison Rhodes, and Trevor Bayne, This brought out the red flag for the second time of the race to facilitate cleanup in turn 3, After 6 minutes and 29 minutes, The red flag was lifted and the race went back under caution.

The race restarted on lap 125. It remained green the remainder of the stage, that was won by Brad Keselowski, and went back under caution for the sixth time on lap 127 for the end of the stage.

Second stage

The race restarted on lap 135, Kyle Larson passed Keselowski to take the lead, The seventh caution flew on lap 156 when Trevor Bayne spun out in turn 4, Rain returned moments later and the red flag was displayed for the third time, After 26 minutes and 54 seconds, the race went back under caution, and the race restarted on lap 170.

Caution flew again for the eighth time for rain on lap 204, Persistent precipitation in the eastern Tennessee mountains delayed the restart of the race, and the cars went back to pit road as the red flag was displayed for the fourth time, Eventually, The remainder of the race was postponed until Monday.

When the race resumed on Monday, A mixture of rain and sleet fell on the track around lunchtime Monday, and track dryers were busy much of the day. Cars finally returned to the track at 1:32 p.m. ET, about a half-hour later than scheduled.

The race restarted on lap 218, Brad Keselowski won the second stage and the ninth caution flew for the conclusion of the stage. Following in the top 10 were Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Larson, Stenhouse, Bowman, Kevin Harvick, Austin Dillon and Wallace.

Final stage

Kyle Busch won the race from the pole position.

The race restarted on lap 262, and it remained green for 63 laps.

Contact from Ryan Newman sent Kyle Larson sliding through the center of the track on lap 324, bringing out the tenth caution, Larson, who had one of the race’s strongest cars, avoided contact with the wall and stayed on the lead lap.

The race restarted on lap 330, and the eleventh caution came out on lap 354 when Reed Sorenson spun out in turn 2. David Ragan won the free pass under caution.

The race restarted on lap 366, No one should have been surprised after two days of nasty weather, but rain returned on lap 391, bringing out the twelfth caution, Kyle Busch held a 1.1-second lead over Larson.

The race restarted on lap 400.


Brad Keselowski, one of the race’s leaders, slapped the wall on lap 471 after a tire issue, bringing out the thirteenth caution and wiping out leader Larson’s five-second advantage over second-place Stenhouse. Keselowski’s Ford suffered minor damage.

The race restarted on lap 479, Kyle Busch remained sizzling hot, taking the lead on Kyle Larson on lap 494 and winning for the second consecutive week after prevailing at Texas the previous weekend.[16]

"The long delays get you in and out of your game, but you just gotta focus," Busch said in victory lane. "I can't say enough about this Skittles Toyota Camry. We knew it was going to be good in the long runs. We weren't quite as good as the 42 (Larson) on that long run before that last caution came out. I actually thought I had a tire going down, but we were able to get some tires on it and gave it everything we had.

Stage Results

Stage 1 Laps: 125

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
12Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord10
231Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet9
314Clint BowyerStewart-Haas RacingFord8
447A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet7
542Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet6
620Erik JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota5
748Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet4
810Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord3
917Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingFord2
1041Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord1
Official stage one results

Stage 2 Laps: 125

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
12Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord10
218Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota9
348Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet8
411Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota7
542Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet6
617Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord5
788Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet4
84Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord3
93Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet2
1043Darrell Wallace Jr. (R)Richard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

Stage 3 Laps: 250

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1118Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota50049
2642Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet50047
31748Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet50046
4417Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord50039
5888Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet50036
61910Aric AlmirolaStewart-Hass RacingFord50034
7394Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord50033
81414Clint BowyerStewart-Haas RacingFord50037
91022Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord50028
103031Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet50036
111219Daniel SuárezJoe Gibbs RacingToyota50026
122338David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord50025
13721Paul MenardWood Brothers RacingFord49924
142511Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota49930
15213Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet49924
162043Darrell Wallace Jr. (R)Richard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet49922
171847A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet49927
181124William Byron (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet49819
19311Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet49818
202900Landon CassillStarCom RacingChevrolet49817
212432Matt DiBenedettoGo Fas RacingFord49716
22241Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingFord49617
2332Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord49534
24336Trevor BayneRoush Fenway RacingFord49513
253472Corey LaJoieTriStar MotorsportsChevrolet49412
261320Erik JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota49416
273596D. J. KenningtonGaunt Brothers RacingToyota48210
283213Ty DillonGermain RacingChevrolet4759
29169Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet4738
302678Martin Truex Jr.Furniture Row RacingToyota4587
312823Gray GauldingBK RacingToyota4486
323655Reed SorensonPremium MotorsportsChevrolet3425
333866Chad Finchum (i)MBM MotorsportsToyota3350
341595Kasey KahneLeavine Family RacingChevrolet2363
35512Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord1172
362237Chris BuescherJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet1161
373751Harrison RhodesRick Ware RacingToyota1151
38934Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord91
392915Ross Chastain (i)Premium MotorsportsChevrolet30
Official race results

Race statistics

  • Lead changes: 8 among different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 13 for 114
  • Red flags: 3 for 18 hours 58 minutes and 48 seconds
  • Time of race: 3 hours, 26 minutes and 25 seconds
  • Average speed: 77.465 miles per hour (124.668 km/h)

Media

Television

Fox Sports covered their 18th race at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Mike Joy, five-time Bristol winner Jeff Gordon and 12-time Bristol winner – and all-time Bristol race winner – Darrell Waltrip had the call in the booth for the race. Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum handled the pit road duties for the television side.

Fox Sports Television
Booth announcersPit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon
Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip
Jamie Little
Vince Welch
Matt Yocum

Radio

PRN had the radio call for the race which was also be simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice, Mark Garrow and Wendy Venturini called the race in the booth when the field was racing down the frontstretch. Rob Albright called the race from atop the turn 3 suites when the field raced down the backstretch. Brad Gillie, Brett Mcmillan, Jim Noble, and Steve Richards covered the action on pit lane.

PRN Radio
Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters
Lead announcer: Doug Rice
Announcer: Mark Garrow
Announcer: Wendy Venturini
Backstretch: Rob AlbrightBrad Gillie
Brett McMillan
Jim Noble
Steve Richards

Standings after the race

References

  1. "2018 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  2. "Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  3. "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 9, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  4. "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 13, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  5. "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 13, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  6. "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 14, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  7. "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 14, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  8. "Food City 500 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  9. "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 17, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 21, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  10. "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 17, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 21, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  11. "Bristol final TV ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  12. Utter, Jim (April 13, 2018). "Ryan Blaney leads Cup practice at Bristol; Harvick wrecks". Motorsport.com. Bristol, Tennessee: Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  13. Reed, Steve (April 13, 2018). "Busch brothers will start on the front row at Bristol". Associated Press. Bristol, Tennessee: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 14, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  14. Southers, Tim (April 14, 2018). "Kyle Larson sets pace during Saturday's first Cup practice in Bristol". Motorsport.com. Bristol, Tennessee: Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  15. Utter, Jim (April 14, 2018). "David Ragan tops final practice at Bristol; Kurt Busch crashes". Motorsport.com. Bristol, Tennessee: Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  16. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2018/04/16/bristol-cup-race-food-city-500-winner-kyle-busch/521425002/
Previous race:
2018 O'Reilly Auto Parts 500
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
2018 season
Next race:
2018 Toyota Owners 400
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.