2018 Overton's 400
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 17 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 The 2018 Overton's 400 program cover, featuring Martin Truex Jr. | |||
| Date | July 1, 2018 | ||
| Location | Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (640.8 km) | ||
| Average speed | 140.636 miles per hour (226.332 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Wood Brothers Racing | ||
| Time | 29.998 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| Laps | 70 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 1.6 (Overnight)[10] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2) and Mike Bagley (3 & 4) | ||
The 2018 Overton's 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on July 1, 2018 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) intermediate speedway, it was the 17th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The race would become best known for its intense finish, and for producing arguably one of the best finishes in NASCAR history, as Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson dueled in the closing laps of the race for the win.
Report
[edit]Background
[edit]
Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IndyCar Series, recording numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and located adjacent to Route 66 Raceway.
Entry list
[edit]Practice
[edit]First practice
[edit]Ryan Blaney was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 30.169 seconds and a speed of 178.992 mph (288.060 km/h).[11]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 30.169 | 178.992 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.191 | 178.861 |
| 3 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.210 | 178.749 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
[edit]Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 29.863 seconds and a speed of 180.826 mph (291.011 km/h).[12]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 29.863 | 180.826 |
| 2 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 29.891 | 180.656 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 29.952 | 180.288 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
[edit]
Paul Menard scored the pole for the race with a time of 29.998 and a speed of 180.012 mph (289.701 km/h).[13]
Starting Lineup
[edit]† The cars of Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Chris Buescher all started in the rear of the field after failing post-qualifying inspection.
Race
[edit]
Stage Results
[edit]Stage 1 Laps: 80
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 80
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Lap
[edit]With 4 laps to go, Kyle Busch built a full second lead over Kyle Larson but Larson was closing the gap fast. With 3 to go, Busch and Larson had to navigate through lapped traffic with a total of 4 lapped cars bunched together all around them making it difficult for them to pass the cars. On the final lap, Larson had closed the gap to 0.35 seconds and attempted to pass Busch on the inside in turn one trying to use the slide job but failed to get in front of Busch. The two made contact with Larson putting Busch in the wall in turn 2. Down the backstretch, Larson took the lead from Busch heading into turn 3. Busch sent the car hard into turn 3 hitting Larson in the rear hard causing Larson to go sideways trying to save his car and Busch hit the wall again by driving his car deep into the corner. Busch ended up taking the win over Larson in one of the most memorable finishes in NASCAR history.
Final Stage Results
[edit]Stage 3 Laps: 107
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 40 |
| 2 | 18 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 52 |
| 3 | 11 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 50 |
| 4 | 36 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 267 | 48 |
| 5 | 5 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 35 |
| 6 | 9 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 32 |
| 7 | 37 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 32 |
| 8 | 12 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 33 |
| 9 | 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 38 |
| 10 | 15 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 27 |
| 11 | 10 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 26 |
| 12 | 13 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 25 |
| 13 | 1 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 267 | 24 |
| 14 | 38 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 23 |
| 15 | 17 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 22 |
| 16 | 20 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 266 | 21 |
| 17 | 4 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 266 | 36 |
| 18 | 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 266 | 29 |
| 19 | 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 24 |
| 20 | 8 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 17 |
| 21 | 26 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 266 | 16 |
| 22 | 39 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 15 |
| 23 | 22 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 14 |
| 24 | 19 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 13 |
| 25 | 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 266 | 22 |
| 26 | 21 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 265 | 11 |
| 27 | 24 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 264 | 10 |
| 28 | 25 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 264 | 9 |
| 29 | 28 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 262 | 8 |
| 30 | 27 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 261 | 0 |
| 31 | 29 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 260 | 6 |
| 32 | 34 | 7 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 259 | 5 |
| 33 | 30 | 99 | Kyle Weatherman | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 255 | 4 |
| 34 | 32 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 233 | 3 |
| 35 | 33 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 227 | 0 |
| 36 | 31 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 224 | 1 |
| 37 | 14 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 189 | 1 |
| 38 | 23 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 189 | 1 |
| 39 | 35 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 185 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
[edit]- Lead changes: 10 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 5 for 23
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 2 hours, 50 minutes and 52 seconds
- Average speed: 140.636 miles per hour (226.332 km/h)
Media
[edit]Television
[edit]NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, and 2005 race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., in his debut as a color commentator for NASCAR on NBC, had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.
| NBCSN | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Dave Burns Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
Radio
[edit]The Motor Racing Network had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Dave Moody Announcer: Rusty Wallace |
Turns 1 & 2: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey |
Alex Hayden Pete Pistone Steve Post Kim Coon |
Standings after the race
[edit]
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References
[edit]- ^ "2018 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ "Chicagoland Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ^ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ^ "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ^ "Overton's 400 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 2, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 2, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ "Chicago Overnight TV Ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ DeGroot, Nick (June 30, 2018). "Ryan Blaney tops first Cup practice at Chicagoland". Motorsport.com. Joliet, Illinois: Motorsport Network. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ^ Utter, Jim (June 30, 2018). "Brad Keselowski leads the way in final practice at Chicagoland". Motorsport.com. Joliet, Illinois: Motorsport Network. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ^ "Paul Menard wins pole for NASCAR Cup Series race". Associated Press. Joliet, Illinois: AP Sports. Associated Press. June 30, 2018. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.