The 2018 First Data 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 28, 2018, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 500 laps on the .526 mile (.847 km) short track (extended from 500 laps), it was the 33rd race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, seventh race of the Playoffs, and first race of the Round of 8.
Report
Background
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series. The track is also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948. Along with this, Martinsville is the only NASCAR oval track on the entire NASCAR track circuit to have asphalt surfaces on the straightaways, then concrete to cover the turns.
Entry list
Practice
First practice
Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 19.784 seconds and a speed of 95.714 mph (154.037 km/h).1
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 19.784 | 95.714 |
| 2 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 19.798 | 95.646 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.809 | 95.593 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
Ryan Newman was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 19.785 seconds and a speed of 95.709 mph (154.029 km/h).2
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 19.785 | 95.709 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.951 | 94.913 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.978 | 94.784 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Kyle Busch scored the pole for the race with a time of 19.673 and a speed of 96.254 mph (154.906 km/h).3
Qualifying results
Race
Stage Results
Stage 1 Laps: 130
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 130
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage 3 Laps: 240
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 59 |
| 2 | 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 54 |
| 3 | 6 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 500 | 45 |
| 4 | 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 49 |
| 5 | 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 33 |
| 6 | 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 43 |
| 7 | 21 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 34 |
| 8 | 18 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 39 |
| 9 | 9 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 28 |
| 10 | 13 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 29 |
| 11 | 5 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 27 |
| 12 | 23 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 25 |
| 13 | 15 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 24 |
| 14 | 17 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 25 |
| 15 | 26 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 22 |
| 16 | 19 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 21 |
| 17 | 16 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 20 |
| 18 | 14 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 500 | 19 |
| 19 | 20 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 500 | 18 |
| 20 | 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 20 |
| 21 | 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 499 | 26 |
| 22 | 39 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 499 | 15 |
| 23 | 27 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 499 | 14 |
| 24 | 31 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 498 | 13 |
| 25 | 22 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 497 | 12 |
| 26 | 24 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 494 | 11 |
| 27 | 33 | 96 | D. J. Kennington (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 493 | 0 |
| 28 | 30 | 95 | Regan Smith | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 492 | 9 |
| 29 | 25 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 492 | 0 |
| 30 | 28 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 491 | 7 |
| 31 | 34 | 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 491 | 0 |
| 32 | 40 | 99 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 490 | 0 |
| 33 | 36 | 51 | Jeb Burton (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 489 | 0 |
| 34 | 32 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 488 | 3 |
| 35 | 35 | 00 | Joey Gase (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 467 | 0 |
| 36 | 29 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 451 | 1 |
| 37 | 10 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 1 |
| 38 | 37 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 368 | 0 |
| 39 | 12 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 364 | 1 |
| 40 | 38 | 7 | Hermie Sadler | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 230 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 6 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 8 for 68
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 29 minutes and 32 seconds
- Average speed: 75.310 miles per hour (121.200 km/h)
Media
Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 1997 race winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and 2014 race winner 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.
| NBCSN | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick AllenColor-commentator: Jeff BurtonColor-commentator: Steve LetarteColor-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dave Burns Parker KligermanMarty SniderKelli Stavast |
Radio
MRN covered the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe MooreAnnouncer: Jeff StriegleAnnouncer: Rusty Wallace | Backstretch: Dave Moody | Alex HaydenWinston KelleySteve PostKim Coon |
Standings after the race
| Manufacturers' Championship standings
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References
Utter, Jim (October 27, 2018). "Brad Keselowski tops two playoffs drivers in Saturday's first practice". Motorsport.com. Ridgeway, Virginia: Motorsport Network. Retrieved October 27, 2018. https://www.motorsport.com/us/nascar-cup/news/nascar-brad-keselowski-leads-practice/3203657/ ↩
Utter, Jim (October 27, 2018). "Ryan Newman fastest in final practice at Martinsville". Motorsport.com. Ridgeway, Virginia: Motorsport Network. Retrieved October 27, 2018. https://www.motorsport.com/us/nascar-cup/news/ryan-newman-fastest-in-saturdays-final-practice-at-martinsville/3203787/ ↩
"Kyle Busch to lead next round of NASCAR's playoffs". Associated Press. Ridgeway, Virginia: AP Sports. Associated Press. October 27, 2018. Archived from the original on October 28, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181028073736/https://racing.ap.org/article/kyle-busch-lead-next-round-nascars-playoffs ↩