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.
Report
Background
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 Driver Team Manufacturer 00 Joey Gase (i) 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 55 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 62 Brendan Gaughan Beard Motorsports Chevrolet 72 Cole Whitt TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 92 Timothy Peters (i) RBR Enterprises Ford 95 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 96 D. J. Kennington Gaunt Brothers Racing ToyotaOfficial entry list
Practice
First practice Ty Dillon was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 47.182 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 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 47.247 202.680Official first practice results
Final practice Jamie McMurray was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 46.947 seconds and a speed of . 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. McMurray's accident led to NASCAR reducing the restrictor plates from 7/8th to 55/64th of an inch.
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 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 47.154 203.079Official final practice results
Qualifying
Kevin Harvick scored the pole for the race with a time of 49.247 and a speed of .
Qualifying results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 14 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas RacingFord 49.291 49.247 241 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas RacingFord 49.381 49.340 378 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 49.692 49.482 411 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 49.829 49.633 59 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49.722 49.680 620 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 49.715 49.686 717 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 49.951 49.900 814 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas RacingFord 49.969 49.947 922 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 49.872 49.968 102 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 49.941 50.046 1188 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49.973 50.071 1238 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 49.991 50.113 1321 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 50.009 — 1419 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 50.011 — 1543 Bubba Wallace (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 50.054 — 1648 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 50.068 — 1724 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 50.087 — 1831 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 50.107 — 1918 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 50.109 — 2034 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 50.138 — 216 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 50.140 — 2242 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 50.151 — 2312 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 50.269 — 243 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 50.363 — 2537 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 50.454 — 2695 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 50.462 — 271 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 50.474 — 2847 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 50.476 — 2913 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 50.762 — 3062 Brendan Gaughan Beard Motorsports Chevrolet 50.766 — 3196 D. J. Kennington Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 51.145 — 3292 Timothy Peters (i) RBR Enterprises Ford 51.190 — 3332 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 51.319 — 3400 Joey Gase (i) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 51.484 — 3515 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 51.564 — 3672 Cole Whitt TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 51.710 — 3723 Gray Gaulding BK Racing Toyota 52.102 — 3855 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 52.372 — 3951 Timmy Hill (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 52.647 — 4010 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas RacingFord 54.604 — Official qualifying results
Race
Stage Results
Stage 1 Laps: 55
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 102 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 93 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 84 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 75 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 66 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 57 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 48 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 39 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 210 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1Official stage one results
Stage 2 Laps: 55
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 102 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 93 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 84 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 75 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 66 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 57 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 48 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 39 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 210 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1Official stage two results
Final Stage Results
Stage 3 Laps: 78
Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points1 9 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 188 582 2 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 188 383 5 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 188 344 1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 188 425 7 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 188 416 12 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 188 367 40 10 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 188 308 11 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 188 299 18 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 188 2810 14 19 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 188 2711 25 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 188 2612 16 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 188 3013 19 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 188 3214 4 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 188 2815 29 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 188 2216 15 43 Bubba Wallace (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 188 2117 26 95 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 188 2018 23 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 188 3119 33 32 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 188 1820 31 96 D. J. Kennington Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 188 1721 36 72 Cole Whitt TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 188 1622 30 62 Brendan Gaughan Beard Motorsports Chevrolet 188 1523 32 92 Timothy Peters (i) RBR Enterprises Ford 187 024 37 23 Gray Gaulding BK Racing Toyota 187 1325 35 15 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 186 026 3 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 184 1927 34 00 Joey Gase (i) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 178 028 27 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 174 929 17 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 165 1030 13 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 165 2331 8 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 165 632 20 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 165 533 10 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 165 1434 28 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 165 335 24 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 165 236 39 51 Timmy Hill (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 151 037 38 55 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 79 138 21 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 71 139 6 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 71 140 22 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 71 1Official race results
Race statistics 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:
Media
Television Fox 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 TelevisionBooth 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 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 RadioBooth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters Lead announcer: Joe MooreAnnouncer: Jeff StriegleAnnouncer: Rusty Wallace Turns 1 & 2: Dave MoodyBackstretch: Mike BagleyTurns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey Alex HaydenWinston KelleyKim CoonSteve Post
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Kyle Busch 447 2 Joey Logano 417 (–30) 1 3 Kevin Harvick 366 (–81) 1 4 Clint Bowyer 335 (–112) 4 5 Kurt Busch 320 (–127) 1 6 Brad Keselowski 317 (–130) 1 7 Denny Hamlin 314 (–133) 8 Ryan Blaney 313 (–134) 2 9 Martin Truex Jr. 303 (–144) 10 Kyle Larson 280 (–167) 11 Aric Almirola 278 (–169) 1 12 Alex Bowman 238 (–209) 1 13 Erik Jones 234 (–213) 1 14 Jimmie Johnson 230 (–217) 4 15 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 217 (–230) 1 16 Ryan Newman 214 (–233)Official driver's standings
Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 1 Ford 359 1 2 Toyota 359 (–0) 3 Chevrolet 331 (–28)Official manufacturers' standings
Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.