The2018 Ford EcoBoost 400was aMonster Energy NASCAR Cup Seriesracethat was held on November 18, 2018, atHomestead-Miami SpeedwayinHomestead, Florida.Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) oval, it was the 36th and final race of the2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Seriesseason.Joey Loganowon the race, claiming his first Cup Series championship. This was the final race for theFord Fusion,as it was replaced in the2019 seasonby theMustang GT.This race was also the final start forFurniture Row RacingandBK Racing.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 36 of 36 in the2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | November 18, 2018 | ||
| Location | Homestead-Miami SpeedwayinHomestead, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (640.8 km) | ||
| Average speed | 133.056 miles per hour (214.133 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 31.059 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Joey Logano | Team Penske | |
| Laps | 80 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen,Jeff Burton,Steve LetarteandDale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 2.5 (Overnight)[11] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle andRusty Wallace | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody(1 & 2) andMike Bagley(3 & 4) | ||
Report
editBackground
edit
Homestead-Miami Speedway is amotor racingtrack located inHomestead, Florida.The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, includingNASCAR,theVerizon IndyCar Series,the Grand-AmRolex Sports Car Seriesand theChampionship Cup Series.
From 2002 to 2019, Homestead–Miami Speedway hosted the final race of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: theCup Series,theXfinity Series,and theCamping World Truck Series.Ford Motor Companysponsored all three of the season-ending races, under the namesFord EcoBoost 400,Ford EcoBoost 300,andFord EcoBoost 200,respectively. The weekend itself was marketed asFord Championship Weekend.The Xfinity Series held its season-ending races at Homestead from 1995 until 2020, when it was moved toPhoenix Raceway,along with NASCAR's other two series.
Championship drivers
editJoey Loganowas the first of the four drivers to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, winning the first race of the Round of 8 atMartinsville.
Kyle Buschclinched the second spot in the Championship 4 based on points at thePhoenixrace whenRicky Stenhouse Jr.crashed out of the race and finished 33rd. Busch had to finish at least 33rd to be locked in on points. He later clinched a playoff berth anyway by winning the race.
Martin Truex Jr.clinched the third spot in the Championship 4 based on points.
Kevin Harvickclinched the final spot based on points after hisTexaswin was encumbered after a spoiler violation.
Entry list
editFirst practice
editMartin Truex Jr.was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 31.035 seconds and a speed of 173.997 mph (280.021 km/h).[12]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 31.035 | 173.997 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 31.160 | 173.299 |
| 3 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 31.218 | 172.828 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
edit
Denny Hamlinscored the pole for the race with a time of 31.059 and a speed of 173.863 mph (279.805 km/h).[13]
Qualifying results
edit| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 | R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 31.112 | 31.243 | 31.059 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch(CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.920 | 31.112 | 31.102 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr.(CC) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 31.013 | 31.045 | 31.117 |
| 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 31.031 | 31.139 | 31.136 |
| 5 | 22 | Joey Logano(CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 30.949 | 31.122 | 31.148 |
| 6 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 31.088 | 31.165 | 31.298 |
| 7 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 31.301 | 31.028 | 31.303 |
| 8 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.113 | 31.258 | 31.317 |
| 9 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 31.215 | 31.147 | 31.322 |
| 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 31.250 | 31.221 | 31.331 |
| 11 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 31.283 | 31.293 | 31.390 |
| 12 | 4 | Kevin Harvick(CC) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 31.259 | 31.182 | 31.406 |
| 13 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.187 | 31.299 | — |
| 14 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.225 | 31.301 | — |
| 15 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 31.051 | 31.345 | — |
| 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.231 | 31.351 | — |
| 17 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 31.296 | 31.359 | — |
| 18 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 31.135 | 31.395 | — |
| 19 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.291 | 31.404 | — |
| 20 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 31.369 | 31.476 | — |
| 21 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 31.288 | 31.482 | — |
| 22 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.224 | 31.511 | — |
| 23 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr.(R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.371 | 31.574 | — |
| 24 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 31.360 | 31.633 | — |
| 25 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 31.393 | — | — |
| 26 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 31.427 | — | — |
| 27 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 31.536 | — | — |
| 28 | 24 | William Byron(R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.616 | — | — |
| 29 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 31.672 | — | — |
| 30 | 95 | Regan Smith | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 31.818 | — | — |
| 31 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 31.830 | — | — |
| 32 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 31.962 | — | — |
| 33 | 23 | J. J. Yeley(i) | BK Racing | Ford | 32.297 | — | — |
| 34 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.335 | — | — |
| 35 | 99 | Kyle Weatherman | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 32.355 | — | — |
| 36 | 51 | B. J. McLeod(i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 32.842 | — | — |
| 37 | 97 | Tanner Berryhill | Obaika Racing | Toyota | 33.138 | — | — |
| 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill(i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 33.414 | — | — |
| 39 | 15 | Ross Chastain(i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| Official qualifying results | |||||||
Practice (post-qualifying)
editSecond practice
editJoey Loganowas the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 31.838 seconds and a speed of 169.609 mph (272.959 km/h).[14]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 31.838 | 169.609 |
| 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 31.916 | 169.194 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 32.049 | 168.492 |
| Official second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
editJoey Loganowas the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 31.450 seconds and a speed of 171.701 mph (276.326 km/h).[15]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 31.450 | 171.701 |
| 2 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 31.656 | 170.584 |
| 3 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 31.685 | 170.428 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Race
edit
Note: Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Busch were not eligible for stage points in this race because of their participation as the Championship 4 drivers.
Stage Results
editStage 1 Laps:80
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick(CC) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch(CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano(CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 5 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr.(CC) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps:80
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick(CC) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 0 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano(CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 4 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr.(CC) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 5 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch(CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
editStage 3 Laps:107
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 22 | Joey Logano(CC) | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 40 |
| 2 | 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr.(CC) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 267 | 35 |
| 3 | 12 | 4 | Kevin Harvick(CC) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 34 |
| 4 | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch(CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 33 |
| 5 | 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 34 |
| 6 | 17 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 31 |
| 7 | 14 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 30 |
| 8 | 26 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 30 |
| 9 | 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 38 |
| 10 | 6 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 32 |
| 11 | 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 26 |
| 12 | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 33 |
| 13 | 11 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 43 |
| 14 | 19 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 25 |
| 15 | 8 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 22 |
| 16 | 9 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 21 |
| 17 | 15 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 20 |
| 18 | 21 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 19 |
| 19 | 20 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 18 |
| 20 | 25 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 266 | 17 |
| 21 | 23 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr.(R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 16 |
| 22 | 31 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 15 |
| 23 | 27 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 14 |
| 24 | 28 | 24 | William Byron(R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 13 |
| 25 | 22 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 265 | 12 |
| 26 | 29 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 264 | 11 |
| 27 | 7 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 264 | 13 |
| 28 | 24 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 263 | 9 |
| 29 | 13 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 263 | 8 |
| 30 | 18 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 262 | 7 |
| 31 | 32 | 00 | Landon Cassill(i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 262 | 0 |
| 32 | 33 | 23 | J. J. Yeley(i) | BK Racing | Ford | 261 | 0 |
| 33 | 39 | 15 | Ross Chastain(i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 259 | 0 |
| 34 | 34 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 259 | 3 |
| 35 | 36 | 51 | B. J. McLeod(i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 256 | 0 |
| 36 | 35 | 99 | Kyle Weatherman | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 1 |
| 37 | 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill(i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 254 | 0 |
| 38 | 37 | 97 | Tanner Berryhill | Obaika Racing | Toyota | 254 | 1 |
| 39 | 30 | 95 | Regan Smith | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 240 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
edit- Lead changes: 7 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 5 for 26
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 0 minutes and 36 seconds
- Average speed: 133.056 miles per hour (214.133 km/h)
Media
editTelevision
editNBCcovered the race on the television side.Rick Allen,Jeff Burton,Steve LetarteandDale Earnhardt Jr.had the call in the booth for the race.Dave Burns,Parker Kligerman,Marty Snider andKelli Stavastreported from pit lane during the race. While the race itself aired on NBC,NBCSNairedNBCSN NASCAR Hot Pass,a simultaneous live feed dedicated to each of the Championship drivers, with commentary byLeigh DiffeyandDale Jarrett.Also, three different angles from in-car cameras and a track map tracked the driver's position and changes throughout the field.
| NBC | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap:Rick Allen Color-commentator:Jeff Burton Color-commentator:Steve Letarte Color-commentator:Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Dave Burns Parker Kligerman Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
Radio
editMRNhad the radio call for the race, which was simulcast onSirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer:Joe Moore Announcer:Jeff Striegle Announcer:Rusty Wallace |
Turns 1 & 2:Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4:Mike Bagley |
Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post Kim Coon |
Standings after the race
edit
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References
edit- ^"2018 schedule".Jayski.Jayski's Silly Season Site.May 5, 2017. Archived fromthe originalon December 24, 2017.RetrievedOctober 14,2018.
- ^"Homestead-Miami Speedway".NASCAR.NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived fromthe originalon April 28, 2017.RetrievedOctober 14,2018.
- ^"Entry List".MRN.Motor Racing Network.November 13, 2018.RetrievedNovember 13,2018.
- ^"First Practice Results".MRN.Motor Racing Network.November 16, 2018.RetrievedNovember 16,2018.
- ^"Starting Lineup".MRN.Motor Racing Network.November 16, 2018.RetrievedNovember 16,2018.
- ^"Second Practice Results".MRN.Motor Racing Network.November 17, 2018.RetrievedNovember 17,2018.
- ^"Final Practice Results".MRN.Motor Racing Network.November 17, 2018.RetrievedNovember 17,2018.
- ^"Ford EcoBoost 400 Results".MRN.Motor Racing Network.November 18, 2018.RetrievedNovember 18,2018.
- ^"Points standings"(PDF).Jayski.Jayski's Silly Season Site.November 19, 2018. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2019-01-29.RetrievedNovember 19,2018.
- ^"Manufacturer standings"(PDF).Jayski.Jayski's Silly Season Site.November 19, 2018. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2019-01-29.RetrievedNovember 19,2018.
- ^"Homestead TV ratings".Jayski's Silly Season Site.ESPN.Retrieved20 November2018.
- ^Utter, Jim (November 16, 2018)."Martin Truex Jr. fastest in Friday's Cup practice at Homestead".Motorsport.Homestead, Florida:Motorsport Network.RetrievedNovember 16,2018.
- ^Fryer, Jenna (November 16, 2018)."Kyle Busch leads title contenders in qualifying for finale".Associated Press.Homestead, Florida:AP Sports.Associated Press.Archived fromthe originalon November 17, 2018.RetrievedNovember 16,2018.
- ^DeGroot, Nick (November 17, 2018)."Joey Logano leads Saturday's first Cup practice at Homestead".Motorsport.Homestead, Florida:Motorsport Network.RetrievedNovember 17,2018.
- ^Utter, Jim (November 17, 2018)."Logano and Truex top final practice; Kyle Busch scrapes the wall".Motorsport.Homestead, Florida:Motorsport Network.RetrievedNovember 17,2018.