The 2018 TicketGuardian 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on March 11, 2018, at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 312 laps on the oval, it was the fourth race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. It would also be the last Phoenix race to be using the 2011 reconfiguration as the start/finish line will be moved to the back-straightaway just past turn two for the November race.
Report Background
ISM Raceway, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
Entry list Driver Team Manufacturer 00 Jeffrey Earnhardt StarCom Racing Chevrolet 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 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 15 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 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 Team Penske Ford 23 Gray Gaulding BK Racing Toyota 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31 Ryan Newman 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 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 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Timmy Hill (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 72 Corey LaJoie TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 96 D. J. Kennington Gaunt Brothers Racing ToyotaOfficial entry list
First practice Kyle Larson was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 26.034 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 26.034 138.281 2 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 26.132 137.762 3 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 26.151 137.662Official first practice results
Qualifying
Martin Truex Jr. scored the pole for the race with a time of 26.288 and a speed of .
Qualifying results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 178 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 26.704 26.497 26.288 242 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 26.706 26.400 26.346 39 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26.655 26.406 26.446 488 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26.770 26.439 26.455 511 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 26.682 26.445 26.490 618 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 26.685 26.484 26.496 71 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 26.766 26.551 26.497 820 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 26.653 26.523 26.504 94 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas RacingFord 26.771 26.596 26.564 1022 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 26.717 26.566 26.622 1124 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26.829 26.614 26.708 1212 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 26.840 26.614 26.711 1331 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 26.780 26.615 — 1421 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 26.800 26.631 — 1519 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 26.932 26.652 — 1638 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 26.938 26.664 — 1748 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26.544 26.665 — 183 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 26.914 26.667 — 1914 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas RacingFord 26.772 26.726 — 2047 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 26.930 26.809 — 216 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 26.953 26.818 — 2210 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas RacingFord 26.939 26.850 — 2341 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas RacingFord 26.940 26.913 — 2437 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 26.941 26.953 — 252 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 27.012 — — 2695 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 27.024 — — 2743 Bubba Wallace (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 27.057 — — 2813 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 27.065 — — 2917 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 27.084 — — 3032 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 27.150 — — 3134 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 27.305 — — 3223 Gray Gaulding BK Racing Toyota 27.542 — — 3372 Corey LaJoie TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 27.612 — — 3496 D. J. Kennington Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 27.757 — — 3551 Timmy Hill (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 27.931 — — 3615 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 28.004 — — 3700 Jeffrey Earnhardt StarCom Racing Chevrolet 0.000 — —Official qualifying results
Practice (post-qualifying)
Second practice Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 26.705 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 26.705 134.806 2 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26.705 134.806 3 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 26.735 134.655Official second practice results
Final practice Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 26.757 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 26.757 134.544 2 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 26.765 134.504 3 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 26.775 134.454Official final practice results
Race results
Stage Results
Stage 1 Laps: 75
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 102 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Hass Racing Ford 93 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 84 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 75 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 66 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 57 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 48 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 39 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 210 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1Official stage one results
Stage 2 Laps: 75
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 102 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 93 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 84 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 75 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Racing Ford 66 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 57 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 48 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 39 95 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 210 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 1Official stage two results
Final Stage Results
Stage 3 Laps: 162
Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points1 10 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 312 532 7 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 312 523 3 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 312 394 6 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 312 405 1 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 312 416 19 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 312 327 22 10 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 312 308 15 19 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 312 299 9 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 312 2910 23 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 312 4011 13 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 312 2612 11 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 312 2513 4 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 312 2414 17 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 312 2315 25 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 312 3516 12 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 311 2117 18 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 311 2018 2 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 311 2719 5 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 311 2020 21 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 311 1721 20 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 311 1622 16 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 311 1523 29 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 311 2224 26 95 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 311 1525 30 32 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 311 1226 8 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 310 1127 36 15 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 310 028 27 43 Bubba Wallace (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 309 929 24 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 309 830 28 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 309 1231 34 96 D. J. Kennington Gault Brothers Racing Toyota 309 632 31 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 308 1133 35 51 Timmy Hill (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 306 034 32 23 Gray Gaulding BK Racing Toyota 304 335 37 00 Jeffrey Earnhardt StarCom Racing Chevrolet 292 236 14 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 189 137 33 72 Corey LaJoie TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 23 1Official race results
Race statistics Lead changes: 9 among different drivers Cautions/Laps: 6 for 36 Red flags: 0 Time of race: 2 hours, 53 minutes and 13 seconds Average speed:
Media
Television Fox Sports covered their 14th race at the Phoenix International Raceway. Mike Joy, two-time Phoenix winner Jeff Gordon and 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 Booth announcersPit reporters Lap-by-lap: Mike JoyColor-commentator: Jeff GordonColor commentator: Darrell Waltrip Jamie LittleVince WelchMatt Yocum
Radio MRN had the radio call for the race which also was simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
MRN Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters Lead announcer: Joe MooreAnnouncer: Jeff StriegleAnnouncer: Rusty Wallace Turns 1 & 2: Dan HubbardTurns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey Alex HaydenGlenn JarrettSteve Post
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 2 1 Kevin Harvick 168 3 2 Kyle Busch 156 (–12) 1 3 Martin Truex Jr. 156 (–12) 3 4 Joey Logano 152 (–16) 3 5 Ryan Blaney 152 (–16) 2 6 Denny Hamlin 137 (–31) 7 Brad Keselowski 134 (–34) 2 8 Kyle Larson 131 (–37) 2 9 Clint Bowyer 125 (–43) 2 10 Aric Almirola 123 (–45) 2 11 Kurt Busch 117 (–51) 2 12 Austin Dillon 114 (–54) 1 13 Ryan Newman 101 (–67) 5 14 Paul Menard 97 (–71) 4 15 Erik Jones 93 (–75) 5 16 Chase Elliott 91 (–77)Official driver's standings
Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Ford 145 1 2 Toyota 137 (–8) 1 3 Chevrolet 136 (–9)Official manufacturers' standings
Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.
References