2018 First Data 500

Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Race 33 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Date	October 28, 2018 (2018-10-28)
Location	Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia
Course	Permanent racing facility .526 mi (.847 km)
Distance	500 laps, 263 mi (423.5 km)
Average speed	75.310 miles per hour (121.200 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing
Time	19.673
Most laps led
Driver	Joey Logano	Team Penske
Laps	309
Winner
No. 22	Joey Logano	Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network	NBCSN
Announcers	Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Nielsen Ratings	1.3 (Overnight)[10]
Radio in the United States
Radio	MRN
Booth Announcers	Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers	Dave Moody (Backstretch)

The 2018 First Data 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 28, 2018, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 500 laps on the .526 mile (.847 km) short track (extended from 500 laps), it was the 33rd race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, seventh race of the Playoffs, and first race of the Round of 8.

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 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series. The track is also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948. Along with this, Martinsville is the only NASCAR oval track on the entire NASCAR track circuit to have asphalt surfaces on the straightaways, then concrete to cover the turns.

Entry list

Practice

First practice

Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 19.784 seconds and a speed of 95.714 mph (154.037 km/h).^[11]

Final practice

Ryan Newman was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 19.785 seconds and a speed of 95.709 mph (154.029 km/h).^[12]

Qualifying

Kyle Busch scored the pole for the race with a time of 19.673 and a speed of 96.254 mph (154.906 km/h).^[13]

Qualifying results

Race

Stage Results

Stage 1 Laps: 130

Stage 2 Laps: 130

Final Stage Results

Stage 3 Laps: 240

Race statistics

• Lead changes: 6 among different drivers
• Cautions/Laps: 8 for 68
• Red flags: 0
• Time of race: 3 hours, 29 minutes and 32 seconds
• Average speed: 75.310 miles per hour (121.200 km/h)

Media

Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 1997 race winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and 2014 race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.

Radio

MRN covered the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Standings after the race

Pos Driver Points 1 Kyle Busch 4,104 1 2 Martin Truex Jr. 4,083 (–21) 1 3 Kevin Harvick 4,083 (–21) 2 4 Joey Logano 4,074 (–30) 2 5 Kurt Busch 4,058 (–46) 2 6 Chase Elliott 4,052 (–52) 2 7 Clint Bowyer 4,041 (–63) 8 Aric Almirola 4,033 (–71) 9 Ryan Blaney 2,232 (–1,872) 10 Brad Keselowski 2,227 (–1,877) 1 11 Denny Hamlin 2,213 (–1,891) 1 12 Kyle Larson 2,179 (–1,925) 2 13 Jimmie Johnson 2,173 (–1,931) 2 14 Alex Bowman 2,164 (–1,940) 1 15 Erik Jones 2,159 (–1,949) 3 16 Austin Dillon 2,157 (–1,947) Official driver's standings

Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Ford 1,195 2 Toyota 1,178 (–17) 3 Chevrolet 1,091 (–104) Official manufacturers' standings Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.