2018 AAA Texas 500
Motor car race
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2018 AAA Texas 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on November 4, 2018, at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Contested over 337 laps – extended from 334 laps due to an overtime finish – on the 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometre) intermediate quad-oval, it was the 34th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the eighth race of the Playoffs, and the second race of the Round of 8.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 34 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
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| Date | November 4, 2018 | ||
| Location | Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.5 miles (2.414 km) | ||
| Distance | 337 laps, 505.5 mi (813.523 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km) | ||
| Average speed | 150.558 miles per hour (242.300 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Team Penske | ||
| Time | 26.932 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | |
| Laps | 177 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Nielsen ratings | 1.4/1.5 (Overnight)[11] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | PRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Doug Rice and Mark Garrow | ||
| Turn announcers | Rob Albright (1 & 2) and Pat Patterson (3 & 4) | ||
Leading 177 laps during the race, Stewart–Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick took his 8th victory of the season, which was initially thought to advance him to the Championship 4. However, Harvick's car was found to have a non-conforming spoiler during post-race technical checks, and as a result, lost his automatic qualification to the Championship 4.
Report
Background
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in Fort Worth, Texas. The track measures 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns, and is of the oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track layout is similar to Charlotte Motor Speedway. The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports.
Entry list
First practice
Ryan Blaney was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 27.139 seconds and a speed of 198.976 mph (320.221 km/h).[12]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 27.139 | 198.976 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 27.210 | 198.456 |
| 3 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 27.254 | 198.136 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
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Ryan Blaney scored the pole for the race with a time of 26.932 and a speed of 200.505 mph (322.682 km/h).[13]
Qualifying results
Practice (post-qualifying)
Second practice
Aric Almirola was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 27.856 seconds and a speed of 193.854 mph (311.978 km/h).[14]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 27.856 | 193.854 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.863 | 193.805 |
| 3 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 27.868 | 193.771 |
| Official second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 28.074 seconds and a speed of 192.349 mph (309.556 km/h).[15]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush–Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.074 | 192.349 |
| 2 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 28.114 | 192.075 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 28.142 | 191.884 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Race
Stage results
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Stage 1 Laps: 85
| 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 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 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 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final stage results
Stage 3 Laps: 164
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 337 | 20[a] |
| 2 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 337 | 31 |
| 3 | 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 337 | 45 |
| 4 | 12 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 337 | 25 |
| 5 | 22 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 337 | 32 |
| 6 | 16 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 337 | 34 |
| 7 | 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 337 | 42 |
| 8 | 4 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 337 | 35 |
| 9 | 13 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 337 | 42 |
| 10 | 26 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 337 | 27 |
| 11 | 17 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 337 | 26 |
| 12 | 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 337 | 32 |
| 13 | 11 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 337 | 27 |
| 14 | 18 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 337 | 23 |
| 15 | 23 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 337 | 22 |
| 16 | 9 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 337 | 21 |
| 17 | 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 337 | 24 |
| 18 | 14 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 335 | 19 |
| 19 | 20 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 335 | 18 |
| 20 | 25 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 335 | 17 |
| 21 | 15 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 335 | 16 |
| 22 | 24 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 335 | 15 |
| 23 | 21 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 335 | 14 |
| 24 | 27 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 335 | 13 |
| 25 | 30 | 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 335 | 12 |
| 26 | 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 334 | 11 |
| 27 | 28 | 95 | Regan Smith | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 332 | 10 |
| 28 | 19 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 332 | 11 |
| 29 | 29 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 331 | 8 |
| 30 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 331 | 7 |
| 31 | 34 | 96 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 329 | 0 |
| 32 | 33 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 326 | 0 |
| 33 | 38 | 7 | Reed Sorenson (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 326 | 0 |
| 34 | 36 | 99 | Kyle Weatherman | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 323 | 3 |
| 35 | 32 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 321 | 0 |
| 36 | 35 | 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 321 | 0 |
| 37 | 39 | 51 | Joey Gase (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 317 | 0 |
| 38 | 31 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 300 | 1 |
| 39 | 40 | 97 | David Starr (i) | Obaika Racing | Toyota | 287 | 0 |
| 40 | 37 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 269 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 16 among 7 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 8 for 37 laps
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 21 minutes and 27 seconds
- Average speed: 150.558 miles per hour (242.300 km/h)
Media
Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, two-time Texas winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and 2000 Texas winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth, while Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane.
| 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
PRN had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on SiriusXM's NASCAR Radio channel.
| PRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Mark Garrow | Turns 1 & 2: Rob Albright Turns 3 & 4: Pat Patterson | Brad Gillie Brett McMillan Wendy Venturini Steve Richards |
Standings after the race
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