The 2018 STP 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on March 26, 2018, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 500 laps on the .526 mile (.847 km) paperclip-shaped short track, it was sixth race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The race was postponed from Sunday, March 25 to Monday, March 26 due to snow accumulation in Martinsville.
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 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
Entry list
Practice
First practice
Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 19.776 seconds and a speed of 95.752 mph (154.098 km/h).1
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 19.776 | 95.752 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 19.798 | 95.646 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.888 | 95.213 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 19.846 seconds and a speed of 95.415 mph (153.556 km/h).2
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 19.846 | 95.415 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 19.874 | 95.280 |
| 3 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.882 | 95.242 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying for Saturday was cancelled due to snow and Martin Truex Jr., the point leader, was awarded the pole as a result.3
Starting Lineup
Race
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 130
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 130
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 240
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 55 |
| 2 | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 50 |
| 3 | 5 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 52 |
| 4 | 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 500 | 33 |
| 5 | 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 42 |
| 6 | 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 35 |
| 7 | 16 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 30 |
| 8 | 25 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 36 |
| 9 | 21 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 28 |
| 10 | 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 43 |
| 11 | 11 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 33 |
| 12 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 41 |
| 13 | 15 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 500 | 24 |
| 14 | 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 23 |
| 15 | 18 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 499 | 24 |
| 16 | 7 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 499 | 21 |
| 17 | 13 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 497 | 20 |
| 18 | 23 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 497 | 19 |
| 19 | 14 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 497 | 18 |
| 20 | 20 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 497 | 17 |
| 21 | 24 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 497 | 16 |
| 22 | 32 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 496 | 15 |
| 23 | 22 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 496 | 14 |
| 24 | 29 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 496 | 13 |
| 25 | 28 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 495 | 12 |
| 26 | 26 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 495 | 11 |
| 27 | 35 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 493 | 10 |
| 28 | 37 | 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 493 | 9 |
| 29 | 33 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 493 | 0 |
| 30 | 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 493 | 7 |
| 31 | 38 | 55 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 493 | 0 |
| 32 | 31 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 488 | 5 |
| 33 | 27 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 486 | 4 |
| 34 | 19 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 486 | 3 |
| 35 | 30 | 51 | Harrison Rhodes | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 482 | 2 |
| 36 | 34 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 481 | 1 |
| 37 | 17 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 481 | 1 |
| 38 | 36 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 211 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 6 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 4 for 33
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 13 minutes and 14 seconds
- Average speed: 81.663 miles per hour (131.424 km/h)
Media
Television
Fox Sports was covering their 18th race at the Martinsville Speedway. Mike Joy, nine-time Martinsville winner Jeff Gordon and 11-time Martinsville winner Darrell Waltrip called in the booth for the race. Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum handled pit road duties for the entire race.
| FS1 | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike JoyColor-commentator: Jeff GordonColor commentator: Darrell Waltrip | Jamie LittleVince WelchMatt Yocum |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race which would also be simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and seven-time Martinsville winner Rusty Wallace called the race in the booth as the cars were on the frontstretch. Dave Moody called the race from atop the turn 3 stands as the field is racing down the backstretch. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley and Steve Post worked pit road for the radio side.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe MooreAnnouncer: Jeff StriegleAnnouncer: Rusty Wallace | Backstretch: Dave Moody | Alex HaydenWinston KelleySteve Post |
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings
| Manufacturers' Championship standings
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References
Utter, Jim (March 24, 2018). "Martin Truex Jr. fastest in Saturday's first Cup practice at Martinsville". Motorsport.com. Ridgeway, Virginia: Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 24, 2018. https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/martin-truex-jr-fastest-in-saturday-s-first-cup-practice-at-martinsville-1018454/ ↩
Utter, Jim (March 24, 2018). "Martin Truex Jr. fastest in final Cup practice; Stenhouse wrecks". Motorsport.com. Ridgeway, Virginia: Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 24, 2018. https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/martin-truex-jr-fastest-in-final-martinsville-practice-stenhouse-wrecks-1018487/?s=1 ↩
"Champ on the pole after weather washes out qualifying". Associated Press. Ridgeway, Virginia: AP Sports. Associated Press. March 24, 2018. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180325105752/https://racing.ap.org/article/champ-pole-after-weather-washes-out-qualifying ↩