The 2018 Consumers Energy 400 is a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on August 12, 2018 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Contested over 200 laps on the D-shaped oval, it is the 23rd race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
Report
Background
Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation (ISC). Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards). Michigan is the fastest track in NASCAR due to its wide, sweeping corners and long straightaways; typical qualifying speeds are in excess of and corner entry speeds are anywhere from after the 2012 repaving of the track.
Entry list Driver Team Manufacturer 00 Landon Cassill 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 7 Garrett Smithley (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 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 Blake Jones 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 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports 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 Jeffrey Earnhardt Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 99 Gray Gaulding StarCom Racing ChevroletOfficial entry list
First practice Denny Hamlin was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 35.603 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 35.603 202.230 2 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 35.661 201.901 3 19 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 35.670 201.850Official first practice results
Qualifying
Denny Hamlin scored the pole for the race with a time of 35.504 and a speed of .
Qualifying results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 111 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 35.716 35.604 35.504 218 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 36.107 35.682 35.515 34 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas RacingFord 36.218 35.662 35.626 420 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 35.945 35.750 35.678 53 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 36.198 35.812 35.688 631 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 36.055 35.784 35.704 778 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 36.025 35.707 35.746 812 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 35.932 35.836 35.766 922 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 35.830 35.762 35.780 1088 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 35.827 35.715 35.788 1110 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas RacingFord 35.829 35.798 35.906 1241 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas RacingFord 35.784 35.698 35.994 1317 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 36.145 35.849 — 1421 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 35.871 35.854 — 151 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 36.206 35.897 — 1614 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas RacingFord 35.844 35.952 — 1742 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 36.159 35.987 — 182 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 35.908 36.074 — 1948 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 36.324 36.091 — 2024 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 36.361 36.139 — 219 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 36.142 36.167 — 2243 Bubba Wallace (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 36.444 36.415 — 2337 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 36.268 36.438 — 2438 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 36.457 36.467 — 2547 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 36.483 — — 266 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 36.493 — — 2713 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 36.493 — — 2895 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 36.495 — — 2934 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 36.639 — — 3032 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 36.663 — — 3100 Landon Cassill StarCom Racing Chevrolet 36.816 — — 3272 Corey LaJoie TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 37.203 — — 3351 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 37.550 — — 3499 Gray Gaulding StarCom Racing Chevrolet 37.806 — — 3515 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 37.962 — — 367 Garrett Smithley (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 38.228 — — 3766 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Chevrolet 38.783 — — 3896 Jeffrey Earnhardt Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 39.119 — — 3923 Blake Jones BK Racing Toyota 39.492 — — 4019 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 0.000 — —Official qualifying results
Reed Sorenson practiced and qualified the No. 15 for Ross Chastain who was in Ohio for the Xfinity Series race.
Practice (post-qualifying)
Second practice Erik Jones was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 35.973 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 35.973 200.150 2 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 36.058 199.678 3 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 36.116 199.358Official second practice results
Final practice Joey Logano was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 36.441 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 36.441 197.580 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 36.452 197.520 3 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 36.489 197.320Official final practice results
Race
Stage Results
Stage 1 Laps: 60
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 102 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 93 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 84 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 75 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 66 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 57 10 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 48 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 210 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1Official stage one results
Stage 2 Laps: 60
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 102 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 93 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 84 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 75 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 66 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 57 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 48 10 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 39 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 210 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 1Official stage two results
Final Stage Results
Stage 3 Laps: 80
Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points1 3 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 200 602 18 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 200 393 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 524 5 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 395 8 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 200 486 12 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 200 457 11 10 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 200 378 1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 349 21 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 2810 9 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 200 3211 40 19 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 2612 16 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 200 2913 4 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 2414 7 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 200 2915 6 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 2516 14 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 200 2117 17 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 200 2118 13 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 200 1919 10 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 1920 23 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 200 1721 15 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 200 1622 25 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 199 1523 22 43 Bubba Wallace (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 199 1424 30 32 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 199 1325 29 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 199 1226 28 95 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 199 1127 24 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 199 1028 19 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 198 929 31 00 Landon Cassill StarCom Racing Chevrolet 197 830 39 23 Blake Jones BK Racing Toyota 194 731 33 51 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 194 032 36 7 Garrett Smithley (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 193 033 34 99 Gray Gaulding StarCom Racing Chevrolet 191 434 26 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 189 335 35 15 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 187 036 20 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 187 137 37 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Chevrolet 138 038 27 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 131 139 38 96 Jeffrey Earnhardt Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 102 140 32 72 Corey LaJoie TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 37 1Official race results
Race statistics Lead changes: 9 among different drivers Cautions/Laps: 8 for 37 Red flags: 0 Time of race: 2 hours, 50 minutes and 51 seconds Average speed:
Media
Television NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and two-time Michigan winner, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.
NBCSNBooth announcersPit reporters Lap-by-lap: Rick AllenColor-commentator: Jeff BurtonColor-commentator: Steve LetarteColor-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dave BurnsMarty SniderKelli Stavast
Radio Motor Racing Network had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
MRNBooth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters Lead announcer: Joe MooreAnnouncer: Jeff StriegleAnnouncer: Rusty Wallace Turns 1 & 2: Dave MoodyTurns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey Alex HaydenWoody CainKim CoonGlenn Jarrett
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Kyle Busch 986 2 Kevin Harvick 924 (–62) 3 Martin Truex Jr. 842 (–144) 4 Kurt Busch 750 (–236) 5 Clint Bowyer 732 (–254) 6 Joey Logano 723 (–263) 7 Brad Keselowski 709 (–277) 2 8 Ryan Blaney 687 (–299) 9 Denny Hamlin 684 (–302) 2 10 Kyle Larson 681 (–305) 11 Chase Elliott 647 (–339) 12 Aric Almirola 639 (–347) 13 Erik Jones 596 (–390) 14 Jimmie Johnson 572 (–414) 15 Alex Bowman 542 (–444) 16 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 480 (–506)Official driver's standings
Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Toyota 844 2 Ford 815 (–29) 3 Chevrolet 748 (–96)Official manufacturers' standings
Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.