2017 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
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| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 36 in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | March 4, 2017 | ||
| Location | Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.54 miles (2.48 km) | ||
| Distance | 325 laps, 500.5 mi (806 km) | ||
| Average speed | 140.898 mph (226.753 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Stewart–Haas Racing | ||
| Time | 29.118 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | |
| Laps | 293 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Nielsen ratings |
3.6/7 (Overnight)[10] 3.8/7 (Final)[11] 6.6 million viewers[11] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | PRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Doug Rice, Mark Garrow and Wendy Venturini | ||
| Turn announcers | Rob Albright (1 & 2) and Pat Patterson (3 & 4) | ||
The 2017 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on March 5, 2017, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Contested over 325 laps on the 1.54-mile-long (2.48 km) asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway, it was the second race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and the 2,500th race in the history of the Cup Series. The race was won by the #2 Ford Fusion driven by Brad Keselowski for Team Penske.
Practice
First practice
Ryan Newman was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 29.509 seconds and a speed of 187.875 mph (302.356 km/h).[12]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.509 | 187.875 |
| 2 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 29.531 | 187.735 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.553 | 187.595 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
Chase Elliott was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 29.487 seconds and a speed of 188.015 mph (302.581 km/h).[13]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.487 | 188.015 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 29.552 | 187.602 |
| 3 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 29.556 | 187.576 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Kevin Harvick scored the pole for the race with a time of 29.118 and a speed of 190.398 mph (306.416 km/h).[14] He said in his last qualifying run, he "was able to carry more speed and do some things with the car that I wasn't able to do in the first two runs. At that point I just didn't want to screw it up, because I felt like I'd gotten to the green, which I didn't do in the second round. I got to the green good, I got through (Turns) 1 and 2 good. I just needed to hit the bottom and get that left front on the line so that it would hook and get up off the corner. That was by far the best of the three laps, and we saved it perfectly for the end."[15]
Derrike Cope, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Michael McDowell, Cody Ware and Cole Whitt failed to post a timed lap because their cars didn't pass pre-qualifying inspection in time.[16] This was a result of new procedures that require cars that fail any station of inspection to return to the garage to make adjustments.[17]
Qualifying results
Race
Stage 1
Kevin Harvick led the field to the green flag at 2:48 p.m. Joey Logano and Jamie McMurray made contact exiting Turn 2, but both saved themselves from spinning and continued racing. A number of cars started pitting on lap 32. Harvick pitted on lap 38 and Ryan Newman took the lead. He pitted on lap 40 and the lead cycled back to Harvick. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth were given pass through penalty's for speeding on pit road.[18]
Ryan Blaney made an unscheduled stop for a loose right-front wheel on lap 48. Earnhardt made an unscheduled stop on lap 71 for a shredded right-rear tire. Harvick won the first stage and the first caution of the race flew for the completion of the stage.[19]
Stage 2
The race restarted on lap 94. Brad Keselowski made an unscheduled stop for a tire issue on lap 117. Two laps later, teammate Logano pitted. He was cited for speeding and served a pass through penalty. Keselowski un-lapped himself on lap 125 by passing Harvick on the high side in Turn 4. The next lap, another wave of green flag stops commenced. When Harvick pitted on lap 130, the lead cycled to Keselowski. Jimmie Johnson was given a pass through penalty for speeding on pit road.[20]
Harvick powered by Keselowski on the backstretch to retake the lead on lap 143. Denny Hamlin made an unscheduled stop on lap 161 for a vibration. After pitting, he failed to get up to speed and reported that “something is broken.” He took his car to the garage and retired from the race with a track bar issue. Harvick won the second stage and the second caution flew on lap 171 for the end of the stage.[19]
Final stage
The race restarted on lap 178. The next round of green flag pit stops started with 118 laps to go. Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. were given pass through penalties for speeding.[19]
Debris in Turn 4 brought out the third caution with 86 to go.[19]
The race restarted with 80 to go. Gray Gaulding lost an engine in Turn 4, bringing out the fourth caution with 63 to go.[21] Keselowski exited pit road first, but came back down pit road for a loose wheel, related to unsecure lug nuts, and Harvick assumed the lead once more.[22]
The race restarted with 56 to go. Austin Dillon, restarting on the outside line, spun his tires and backed up the cars lined up on the outside. Clint Bowyer tagged the wall in Turn 1 and made contact with Erik Jones. With 47 to go, Bowyer suffered a left-front tire blowout and slammed the wall in Turn 1, bringing out the fifth caution. Newman, who was running fourth, was sent to the tail end of the field on the restart for a crew member being over the wall too soon when he pitted.[19]
The race restarted with 42 to go. Two laps later, Newman came back down pit road, and subsequently went to the garage, for a battery issue. He returned to the race with 19 to go, but the same issue befell teammate Dillon with 17 to go. He was told not to pit and his car stalled on the apron in Turn 2, bringing out the sixth caution with 16 to go.[23] Harvick exited pit road as the race leader, but was cited for speeding and sent to the tail end of the field on the restart.[24] He said after the race that he "just made a mistake that I preach all the time that you don’t need to make – (don’t) beat yourself. Then you go out and make it yourself instead of following all the things you preach. That part is hard for me to swallow.”[25] Kyle Larson inherited the lead.[26]
The race restarted with 11 to go. Keselowski took second from Elliott on the restart and set his sights on Larson. With seven to go, they were side-by-side for the lead, with Keselowski emerging with the lead and scoring the victory.[27]
Post-race
Driver comments
Keselowski said in victory lane that this victory "kind of fell in our lap at the end, and my team put it all together when it counted. They gave me a great Autotrader Ford Fusion, and we were able to get by Kyle there at the end. I knew that he wasn't going to be easy to pass. His car was great, and I was able to make the right moves to get by him."[28]
After finishing fourth despite a poor handling car early on, Kasey Kahne said he thought in the first 50 laps '"[Oh] my god, this feels just like last year.' But then suddenly we figured out how to fix [the handling problems] and that was awesome."[29]
Infractions
Post-race inspection revealed that A. J. Allmendinger's car had three insecure lug nuts.[30] On the Wednesday after the race, he was docked 35 points, fined $65,000 and his crew chief Randall Burnett was suspended three races.[31]
Race results
Stage results
Stage 1 Laps: 85
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 85
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 77 | Erik Jones (R) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final stage results
Stage 3 Laps: 155
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 325 | 53 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 325 | 43 |
| 3 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 325 | 34 |
| 4 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 325 | 33 |
| 5 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 325 | 49 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 325 | 37 |
| 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 325 | 30 |
| 8 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 325 | 43 |
| 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 325 | 48 |
| 10 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 325 | 27 |
| 11 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 325 | 28 |
| 12 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 325 | 26 |
| 13 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 325 | 28 |
| 14 | 77 | Erik Jones (R) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 325 | 26 |
| 15 | 13 | Ty Dillon (R) | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 325 | 22 |
| 16 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 325 | 21 |
| 17 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 325 | 20 |
| 18 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 324 | 19 |
| 19 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 324 | 19 |
| 20 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 324 | 17 |
| 21 | 19 | Daniel Suárez (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 323 | 16 |
| 22 | 34 | Landon Cassill | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 323 | 15 |
| 23 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 323 | 14 |
| 24 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 323 | 13 |
| 25 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 322 | 12 |
| 26 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 322 | 11 |
| 27 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 321 | 10 |
| 28 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 321 | 9 |
| 29 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 320 | 8 |
| 30 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 320 | 7 |
| 31 | 15 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 320 | 6 |
| 32 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 319 | 10 |
| 33 | 33 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 317 | 4 |
| 34 | 83 | Corey LaJoie (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 313 | 3 |
| 35 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 15 |
| 36 | 55 | Derrike Cope | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 298 | 1 |
| 37 | 23 | Gray Gaulding (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 253 | 1 |
| 38 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 182 | 4 |
| 39 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 74 | 1 |
| Official race results | ||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 5 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 6 for 32
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 33 minutes and 8 seconds
- Average speed: 140.898 miles per hour (226.753 km/h)
