2018 TicketGuardian 500
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
|
The 2018 TicketGuardian 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | March 11, 2018 | ||
| Location | ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1 miles (1.6 km) | ||
| Distance | 312 laps, 312 mi (499.2 km) | ||
| Average speed | 108.073 miles per hour (173.927 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Furniture Row Racing | ||
| Time | 26.288 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 128 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Nielsen ratings | 2.9/2.8 (Overnight)[11] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn announcers | Dan Hubbard (1 & 2) and Kyle Rickey (3 & 4) | ||
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 one-mile (1.6 km) 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
First practice
Kyle Larson was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 26.034 seconds and a speed of 138.281 mph (222.542 km/h).[12]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 137.662 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Martin Truex Jr. scored the pole for the race with a time of 26.288 and a speed of 136.945 mph (220.392 km/h).[13]
Qualifying results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 | R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 26.704 | 26.497 | 26.288 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.706 | 26.400 | 26.346 |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.655 | 26.406 | 26.446 |
| 4 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.770 | 26.439 | 26.455 |
| 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.682 | 26.445 | 26.490 |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.685 | 26.484 | 26.496 |
| 7 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.766 | 26.551 | 26.497 |
| 8 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.653 | 26.523 | 26.504 |
| 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 26.771 | 26.596 | 26.564 |
| 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 26.717 | 26.566 | 26.622 |
| 11 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.829 | 26.614 | 26.708 |
| 12 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 26.840 | 26.614 | 26.711 |
| 13 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.780 | 26.615 | — |
| 14 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 26.800 | 26.631 | — |
| 15 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.932 | 26.652 | — |
| 16 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 26.938 | 26.664 | — |
| 17 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.544 | 26.665 | — |
| 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.914 | 26.667 | — |
| 19 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 26.772 | 26.726 | — |
| 20 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 26.930 | 26.809 | — |
| 21 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 26.953 | 26.818 | — |
| 22 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 26.939 | 26.850 | — |
| 23 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 26.940 | 26.913 | — |
| 24 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 26.941 | 26.953 | — |
| 25 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 27.012 | — | — |
| 26 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 27.024 | — | — |
| 27 | 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.057 | — | — |
| 28 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 27.065 | — | — |
| 29 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 27.084 | — | — |
| 30 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 27.150 | — | — |
| 31 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 27.305 | — | — |
| 32 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 27.542 | — | — |
| 33 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.612 | — | — |
| 34 | 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 27.757 | — | — |
| 35 | 51 | Timmy Hill (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 27.931 | — | — |
| 36 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.004 | — | — |
| 37 | 00 | 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 134.806 mph (216.949 km/h).[14]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 134.655 |
| Official 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 134.544 mph (216.528 km/h).[15]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 134.454 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Race results
Stage Results
Stage 1 Laps: 75
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Hass Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 75
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage 3 Laps: 162
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 53 |
| 2 | 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 52 |
| 3 | 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 39 |
| 4 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 40 |
| 5 | 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 312 | 41 |
| 6 | 19 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 32 |
| 7 | 22 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 30 |
| 8 | 15 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 29 |
| 9 | 9 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 29 |
| 10 | 23 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 40 |
| 11 | 13 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 26 |
| 12 | 11 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 25 |
| 13 | 4 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 24 |
| 14 | 17 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 23 |
| 15 | 25 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 312 | 35 |
| 16 | 12 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 311 | 21 |
| 17 | 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 20 |
| 18 | 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 27 |
| 19 | 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 311 | 20 |
| 20 | 21 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 311 | 17 |
| 21 | 20 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 16 |
| 22 | 16 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 311 | 15 |
| 23 | 29 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 311 | 22 |
| 24 | 26 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 15 |
| 25 | 30 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 311 | 12 |
| 26 | 8 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 310 | 11 |
| 27 | 36 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 |
| 28 | 27 | 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 309 | 9 |
| 29 | 24 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 8 |
| 30 | 28 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 12 |
| 31 | 34 | 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gault Brothers Racing | Toyota | 309 | 6 |
| 32 | 31 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 308 | 11 |
| 33 | 35 | 51 | Timmy Hill (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 306 | 0 |
| 34 | 32 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 304 | 3 |
| 35 | 37 | 00 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 292 | 2 |
| 36 | 14 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 189 | 1 |
| 37 | 33 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23 | 1 |
| Official 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: 107.617 miles per hour (173.193 km/h)
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 announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip |
Jamie Little Vince Welch Matt Yocum |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race which also was simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace |
Turns 1 & 2: Dan Hubbard Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey |
Alex Hayden Glenn Jarrett Steve Post |
Standings after the race
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References
- ^ "2018 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ "Phoenix International Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. March 9, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. March 9, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- ^ "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. March 10, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. March 10, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ "TicketGuardian 500 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 12, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 12, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ "Phoenix final TV ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
- ^ Utter, Jim (March 9, 2018). "Kyle Larson leads Ganassi 1-2 in pre-qualifying practice at Phoenix". Motorsport.com. Avondale, Arizona: Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- ^ Nicholson, John (March 9, 2018). "Martin Truex Jr. wins NASCAR Cup pole in Phoenix". Associated Press. Avondale, Arizona: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- ^ DeGroot, Nick (March 10, 2018). "Harvick and Elliott lead second Cup practice at Phoenix". Motorsport.com. Avondale, Arizona: Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ Utter, Jim (March 10, 2018). "Kevin Harvick leads the way in final Cup practice at Phoenix". Motorsport.com. Avondale, Arizona: Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 10, 2018.