2018 Gander Outdoors 400 (Dover)
Motor car race
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2018 Gander Outdoors 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 7, 2018 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. Contested over 404 laps – extended from 400 laps due to an overtime finish – on the 1-mile (1.6-kilometre) concrete speedway, it was the 30th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, fourth race of the Playoffs, and the first race of the Round of 12.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 30 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
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| Date | October 7, 2018 | ||
| Location | Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1 miles (1.609 km) | ||
| Distance | 404 laps, 404 mi (650.175 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 400 laps, 400 mi (643.738 km) | ||
| Average speed | 122.404 miles per hour (196.990 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | |
| Laps | 286 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Nielsen ratings | 1.2/1.3 (Overnight)[10] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn announcers | Mike Bagley (Backstretch) | ||
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott took his 2nd win of the season, taking the race lead when Stewart–Haas Racing's Aric Almirola pitted with 6 laps to go, and maintained the lead through the overtime finish to advance to the Round of 8.
Report
Background
Dover International Speedway (formerly Dover Downs International Speedway) is a race track in Dover, Delaware, United States. Since opening in 1969, it has held at least one NASCAR race a season. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the Verizon IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6-kilometre) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.
The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.
Entry list
First practice
Kyle Larson was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 21.892 seconds and a speed of 164.444 mph (264.647 km/h).[11]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 21.892 | 164.444 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 22.025 | 163.451 |
| 3 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 22.037 | 163.362 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying on Friday was cancelled due to rain and Kyle Busch, the point leader, was awarded the pole as a result.[12]
Starting lineup
Practice (post-qualifying)
Second practice
Second practice session scheduled for Saturday was cancelled due to rain.
Final practice
Kyle Larson was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 22.640 seconds and a speed of 159.011 mph (255.903 km/h).[13]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 22.640 | 159.011 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 22.880 | 157.343 |
| 3 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 22.916 | 157.095 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Race
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Kyle Busch led the field to green, and led the opening 15 laps of the race before being passed by Kevin Harvick. Harvick then led the majority of the race, leading a total of 286 laps and won both stages.[14][15] Having ceded the lead to Busch on lap 321, Harvick dropped further back when he suffered a loose wheel, but he was able to work back up to a sixth-placed finish from a lap down.[15] Aric Almirola took the lead from Busch on lap 323, and despite losing the lead to Brad Keselowski during the pit cycle at the third caution (for debris), Almirola regained the lead on the restart on lap 349. He led the race until the final ten laps, when Clint Bowyer crashed to cause the fourth caution, and Almirola pitted. Chase Elliott assumed the lead, as one of three drivers that did not pit, along with Martin Truex Jr. and Keselowski. On the restart, Elliott cleared Keselowski, who ultimately collided with Almirola, while Ryan Blaney, Truex Jr. and Alex Bowman were also involved, and the race went to a green–white–checkered finish.[15] With a bump from Erik Jones, Elliott pulled clear on the restart and ultimately closed out the race for his 2nd win of the season to advance to the Round of 8.[14][15]
Stage results
Stage 1 Laps: 120
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 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 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 120
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final stage results
Stage 3 Laps: 160
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 404 | 48 |
| 2 | 15 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 404 | 38 |
| 3 | 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 404 | 50 |
| 4 | 16 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 404 | 33 |
| 5 | 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 404 | 40 |
| 6 | 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 404 | 51 |
| 7 | 14 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 404 | 30 |
| 8 | 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 404 | 41 |
| 9 | 21 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 404 | 28 |
| 10 | 19 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 404 | 27 |
| 11 | 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 404 | 30 |
| 12 | 10 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 404 | 25 |
| 13 | 11 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 404 | 32 |
| 14 | 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 404 | 29 |
| 15 | 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 404 | 31 |
| 16 | 18 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 403 | 21 |
| 17 | 17 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 403 | 20 |
| 18 | 20 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 402 | 19 |
| 19 | 22 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 402 | 18 |
| 20 | 28 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 402 | 17 |
| 21 | 25 | 95 | Regan Smith | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 401 | 16 |
| 22 | 24 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 15 |
| 23 | 29 | 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 14 |
| 24 | 26 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 399 | 13 |
| 25 | 23 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 399 | 12 |
| 26 | 27 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 399 | 11 |
| 27 | 31 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 397 | 10 |
| 28 | 12 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 396 | 9 |
| 29 | 30 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 396 | 8 |
| 30 | 33 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 394 | 7 |
| 31 | 37 | 96 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 394 | 6 |
| 32 | 35 | 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 392 | 0 |
| 33 | 34 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 |
| 34 | 36 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 389 | 0 |
| 35 | 5 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 388 | 18 |
| 36 | 13 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 387 | 1 |
| 37 | 32 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 314 | 0 |
| 38 | 39 | 52 | Harrison Rhodes | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 308 | 1 |
| 39 | 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 35 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 15 among 8 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 5 for 31 laps
- Red flags: 1 for 4 minutes and 59 seconds
- Time of race: 3 hours, 18 minutes and 2 seconds
- Average speed: 122.404 miles per hour (196.990 km/h)
Media
Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 2006 race winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and 2001 race 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
MRN had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on SiriusXM's NASCAR Radio channel.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Backstretch: Mike Bagley | Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post Kim Coon |
Standings after the race
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