The 2017 Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on July 8, 2017 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. Contested over 274 laps, extended from 267 laps due to overtime, on the speedway, it was the 18th race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
Furniture Row Racing's Martin Truex Jr. took his third victory of the season, winning both stages and leading the most laps (152) during the race.
Entry list Driver Team Manufacturer 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 13 Ty Dillon (R) Germain Racing Chevrolet 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 15 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19 Daniel Suárez (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21 Ryan Blaney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 23 Joey Gase (i) BK Racing Toyota 24 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 32 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 33 Jeffrey Earnhardt Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 34 Landon Cassill Front Row Motorsports Ford 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 43 Bubba Wallace (i) Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 55 Gray Gaulding (R) Premium Motorsports Toyota 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Chevrolet 72 Cole Whitt TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 77 Erik Jones (R) Furniture Row Racing Toyota 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 83 Ryan Sieg (i) BK Racing Toyota 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing ChevroletOfficial entry list
Practice
First practice Jamie McMurray was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 28.911 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.911 186.780 2 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 28.963 186.445 3 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 29.017 186.098Official first practice results
Final practice Kyle Larson was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 28.695 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.695 188.186 2 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 28.848 187.188 3 24 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.892 186.903Official final practice results
Qualifying
Kyle Busch scored the pole for the race with a time of 28.379 and a speed of after only two rounds of qualifying were completed due to weather.
Qualifying results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 118 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.736 28.379 278 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 28.675 28.392 320 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.567 28.460 41 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.729 28.464 511 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.626 28.468 621 Ryan Blaney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 28.641 28.487 74 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas RacingFord 28.656 28.488 848 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.625 28.523 919 Daniel Suárez (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.770 28.528 102 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 28.945 28.539 1122 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 28.625 28.555 1224 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.506 28.595 1388 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.772 28.606 1477 Erik Jones (R) Furniture Row Racing Toyota 28.734 28.609 1541 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas RacingFord 28.661 28.619 1614 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas RacingFord 29.010 28.634 1743 Bubba Wallace (i) Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.829 28.656 1817 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.690 28.676 196 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.711 28.676 2010 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas RacingFord 28.986 28.797 2195 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 29.090 28.991 2237 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 28.959 29.002 235 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.586 29.013 2427 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.995 29.048 253 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.101 — 2638 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 29.129 — 2713 Ty Dillon (R) Germain Racing Chevrolet 29.221 — 2847 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 29.228 — 2931 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.247 — 3032 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 29.367 — 3183 Ryan Sieg (i) BK Racing Toyota 29.728 — 3272 Cole Whitt TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 29.790 — 3315 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 29.921 — 3423 Joey Gase (i) BK Racing Toyota 30.063 — 3534 Landon Cassill Front Row Motorsports Ford 30.193 — 3633 Jeffrey Earnhardt Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 30.338 — 3751 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 30.490 — 3866 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Chevrolet 30.544 — 3955 Gray Gaulding (R) Premium Motorsports Toyota 30.603 — 4042 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 0.000 —Official qualifying results
Race First stage Kyle Busch led the field to the green flag at 7:49 p.m. He led the first 29 laps before Martin Truex Jr. edged him out at the line to take the lead on Lap 30. Busch took it back the following lap, just as caution #1, a scheduled competition caution due to rain, flew for the first time. It went back to green on Lap 36. Truex drove down and passed Busch on Lap 69, and drove on to win the first stage. Caution #2 flew moments after on Lap 81 for the conclusion of the stage. Under the caution, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson were sent to the tail-end of the field on the following restart for speeding on pit road.
Second stage Busch retook the lead from Truex going into Turn 3 on the Lap 88 restart. Entering Turn 3 further back in the field on the same lap, Brad Keselowski got loose and spun out, collecting Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson, who suffered critical damage to his right-front wheel well after contact with Keselowski. This brought out the third caution. Restarting on Lap 93, caution #4 flew two laps later when Kasey Kahne tried to force his way underneath Trevor Bayne, sending Bayne spinning and himself into the Turn 1 wall. Caution flew for the fifth time 12 laps after the Lap 100 restart when Bayne got loose and spun out exiting Turn 4.
The race settled into a longer green run after the Lap 117 restart, forcing Busch to navigate lapped traffic. Doing so allowed Truex to reel him in and retake the lead on Lap 136. Joey Gase brought out the sixth caution two laps later when he suffered a tire failure and slammed the wall in Turn 2. Truex took off when the race went back green on Lap 142 and won the second stage on Lap 161. Under the stage break caution, Joey Logano chose not to pit and assumed the race lead.
Final stage
Four laps after the Lap 167 restart, Truex took back the lead and set sail from the field. Aside from the five laps Dale Earnhardt Jr. spent in the lead during a cycle of green flag stops, Truex had the race in check, with as much as a 16-second lead over the second-place car. Kurt Busch's engine gave up on the frontstretch and that brought out caution #7 with two laps to go, forcing an overtime finish. Truex opted to stay out, while Kyle Busch, Larson and the other five drivers on the lead lap hit pit road. The final restart had Truex restart on the outside line, with Busch to his inside with 2 fresh left side tires.
Overtime Larson with 4 fresh tires gave a shove to Truex coming to the green, giving him the lead going into Turn 1. Coming to the white flag, Bubba Wallace drove Matt Kenseth up out of the racing groove, which got loose and spun out in front of Daniel Suárez, triggering a four-car wreck in Turn 4 that ended the race under caution. It rendered victory unto Truex.
Race results
Stage results
Stage 1 Laps: 80
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 102 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 93 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 84 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 75 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 66 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 57 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 48 77 Erik Jones (R) Furniture Row Racing Toyota 39 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 210 24 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1Official stage one results
Stage 2 Laps: 80
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 102 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 93 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 84 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 75 77 Erik Jones (R) Furniture Row Racing Toyota 66 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 57 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 48 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 39 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 210 24 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1Official stage two results
Final stage results
Stage 3 Laps: 114
Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points1 2 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 274 602 40 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 274 433 12 24 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 274 364 5 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 274 405 1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 274 506 14 77 Erik Jones (R) Furniture Row Racing Toyota 274 407 4 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 274 418 11 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 274 299 7 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 274 4210 6 21 Ryan Blaney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 273 2711 17 43 Bubba Wallace (i) Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 273 012 13 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 273 2513 16 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 273 2614 18 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 273 2315 20 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 273 2216 22 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 273 2117 3 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 273 3318 9 19 Daniel Suárez (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 273 1919 25 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 272 1820 28 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 272 1721 24 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 272 1622 29 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 272 1523 21 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 271 1424 26 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 270 1325 30 32 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 270 1226 35 34 Landon Cassill Front Row Motorsports Ford 268 1127 31 83 Ryan Sieg (i) BK Racing Toyota 266 028 33 15 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 265 929 36 33 Jeffrey Earnhardt Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 265 830 15 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 264 1131 38 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Chevrolet 261 032 37 51 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 260 033 27 13 Ty Dillon (R) Germain Racing Chevrolet 253 434 32 72 Cole Whitt TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 212 335 39 55 Gray Gaulding (R) Premium Motorsports Toyota 206 236 34 23 Joey Gase (i) BK Racing Toyota 129 037 19 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 101 138 23 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 93 139 10 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 89 140 8 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 87 3Official race results
Race statistics Lead changes: 9 among 4 different drivers