2018 Ford EcoBoost 400
The 2018 Ford EcoBoost 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on November 18, 2018, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) oval, it was the 36th and final race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and was also the last race for the Ford Fusion, as it will be replaced for the 2019 season by the Mustang GT. This race was the final career Cup start for A. J. Allmendinger.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 36 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
| Date | November 18, 2018 | ||
| Location | Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (640.8 km) | ||
| Average speed | 133.056 miles per hour (214.133 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 31.059 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Joey Logano | Team Penske | |
| Laps | 80 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 2.5 (Overnight)[11] | ||
| 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) | ||
Report
Background
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a motor racing track located in Homestead, Florida. The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, including NASCAR, the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and the Championship Cup Series.
Since 2002, Homestead-Miami Speedway has hosted the final race of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series. Ford Motor Company sponsors all three of the season-ending races; the races have the names Ford EcoBoost 400, Ford EcoBoost 300 and Ford EcoBoost 200, respectively, and the weekend is marketed as Ford Championship Weekend. The Xfinity Series (then known as the Busch Series) has held its season-ending races at Homestead since 1995.
Championship drivers
Joey Logano was the first of the four drivers to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, winning the first race of the Round of 8 at Martinsville.
Kyle Busch clinched the second spot in the Championship 4 based on points at the Phoenix race when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. crashed out of the race and finished 33rd. Busch had to finish at least 33rd to be locked in on points. He later clinched a playoff berth anyway by winning the race.
Martin Truex Jr. clinched the third spot in the Championship 4 based on points.
Kevin Harvick clinched the final spot based on points after his Texas win was encumbered after a spoiler violation.
Entry list
First practice
Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 31.035 seconds and a speed of 173.997 mph (280.021 km/h).[12]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 31.035 | 173.997 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 31.160 | 173.299 |
| 3 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 31.218 | 172.828 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Denny Hamlin scored the pole for the race with a time of 31.059 and a speed of 173.863 mph (279.805 km/h).[13]
Qualifying results
Practice (post-qualifying)
Second practice
Joey Logano was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 31.838 seconds and a speed of 169.609 mph (272.959 km/h).[14]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 31.838 | 169.609 |
| 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 31.916 | 169.194 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 32.049 | 168.492 |
| Official second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
Joey Logano was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 31.450 seconds and a speed of 171.701 mph (276.326 km/h).[15]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 31.450 | 171.701 |
| 2 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 31.656 | 170.584 |
| 3 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 31.685 | 170.428 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Race
Note: Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Busch were not eligible for stage points in this race because of their participation as the Championship 4 drivers.
Stage Results
Stage 1 Laps: 80
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 5 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 80
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 0 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 4 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 5 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage 3 Laps: 107
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 40 |
| 2 | 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 267 | 35 |
| 3 | 12 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 34 |
| 4 | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 33 |
| 5 | 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 34 |
| 6 | 17 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 31 |
| 7 | 14 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 30 |
| 8 | 26 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 30 |
| 9 | 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 38 |
| 10 | 6 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 32 |
| 11 | 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 26 |
| 12 | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 33 |
| 13 | 11 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 43 |
| 14 | 19 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 25 |
| 15 | 8 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 22 |
| 16 | 9 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 21 |
| 17 | 15 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 20 |
| 18 | 21 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 19 |
| 19 | 20 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 18 |
| 20 | 25 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 266 | 17 |
| 21 | 23 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 16 |
| 22 | 31 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 15 |
| 23 | 27 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 14 |
| 24 | 28 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 13 |
| 25 | 22 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 265 | 12 |
| 26 | 29 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 264 | 11 |
| 27 | 7 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 264 | 13 |
| 28 | 24 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 263 | 9 |
| 29 | 13 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 263 | 8 |
| 30 | 18 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 262 | 7 |
| 31 | 32 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 262 | 0 |
| 32 | 33 | 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Ford | 261 | 0 |
| 33 | 39 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 259 | 0 |
| 34 | 34 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 259 | 3 |
| 35 | 36 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 256 | 0 |
| 36 | 35 | 99 | Kyle Weatherman | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 1 |
| 37 | 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 254 | 0 |
| 38 | 37 | 97 | Tanner Berryhill | Obaika Racing | Toyota | 254 | 1 |
| 39 | 30 | 95 | Regan Smith | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 240 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 7 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 5 for 26
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 0 minutes and 36 seconds
- Average speed: 133.056 miles per hour (214.133 km/h)
Media
Television
NBC covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race. While the race itself aired on NBC, NBCSN aired NBCSN NASCAR Hot Pass, a simultaneous live feed dedicated to each of the Championship drivers, with commentary by Leigh Diffey and Dale Jarrett. Also, three different angles from in-car cameras and a track map tracked the driver's position and changes throughout the field.
| NBC | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dave Burns Parker Kligerman Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast 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: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley | Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post Kim Coon |
Standings after the race
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- "2018 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
- "Homestead-Miami Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
- "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- "Ford EcoBoost 400 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- "Homestead TV ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- Utter, Jim (November 16, 2018). "Martin Truex Jr. fastest in Friday's Cup practice at Homestead". Motorsport.com. Homestead, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- Fryer, Jenna (November 16, 2018). "Kyle Busch leads title contenders in qualifying for finale". Associated Press. Homestead, Florida: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- DeGroot, Nick (November 17, 2018). "Joey Logano leads Saturday's first Cup practice at Homestead". Motorsport.com. Homestead, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- Utter, Jim (November 17, 2018). "Logano and Truex top final practice; Kyle Busch scrapes the wall". Motorsport.com. Homestead, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
| Previous race: 2018 Can-Am 500 |
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2018 season |
Next race: 2019 Daytona 500 |