The 2018 Gander Outdoors 400 is a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on July 29, 2018, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Contested over 164 laps—extended from 160 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) superspeedway, it was the 21st race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 21 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 2018 Gander Outdoors 400 program cover | |||
| Date | July 29, 2018 | ||
| Location | Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) | ||
| Distance | 164 laps, 410 mi (656 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (640 km) | ||
| Average speed | 132.460 miles per hour (213.174 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 50.851 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 52 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 1.7/1.8 (Overnight)[10] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1), Mike Bagley (2) and Kyle Rickey (3) | ||
Report
editBackground
edit
Pocono Raceway is a superspeedway that is located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania in Long Pond. It is the site of two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races held in early June and late July/early August, one NASCAR Xfinity Series event in early June, one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event in late July/early August, and two ARCA Racing Series races in early June and late July/early August.
From 1971 to 1989, and again since 2013, the track has also hosted an Indy Car race, currently sanctioned by the IndyCar Series and run in August.
Pocono is one of a very few NASCAR tracks that is not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation, the dominant track owners in NASCAR. It is run by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon and Nicholas, both of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc., started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli. Mattco also owns South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Virginia.
In addition to NASCAR races, Pocono is used throughout the year by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools.
The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Several of the infield sections can also be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together, running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.
Entry list
editPractice
editFirst practice
editKevin Harvick was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 51.439 seconds and a speed of 174.965 mph (281.579 km/h).[11]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 51.439 | 174.965 |
| 2 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.449 | 174.931 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 51.605 | 174.402 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
edit
Joey Logano was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 51.029 seconds and a speed of 176.370 mph (283.840 km/h).[12]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 51.029 | 176.370 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 51.039 | 176.336 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 51.310 | 175.404 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
edit
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Daniel Suárez scored the pole for the race with a time of 50.851 and a speed of 176.988 mph (284.835 km/h) after Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch were both disqualified after failing post-qualifying inspection.[13]
Qualifying results
edit| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 | R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 51.087 | 50.986 | 50.633 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.688 | 51.316 | 50.723 |
| 3 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.477 | 51.219 | 50.851 |
| 4 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 51.498 | 51.207 | 50.853 |
| 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 51.507 | 51.234 | 50.969 |
| 6 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.538 | 50.971 | 50.993 |
| 7 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.624 | 51.312 | 51.012 |
| 8 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.267 | 50.942 | 51.023 |
| 9 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 51.307 | 51.217 | 51.050 |
| 10 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 51.579 | 51.224 | 51.103 |
| 11 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.528 | 51.271 | 51.112 |
| 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 51.777 | 51.263 | 51.184 |
| 13 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 51.193 | 51.322 | — |
| 14 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 51.381 | 51.356 | — |
| 15 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.648 | 51.398 | — |
| 16 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 51.446 | 51.498 | — |
| 17 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 51.511 | 51.504 | — |
| 18 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 51.946 | 51.530 | — |
| 19 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 51.641 | 51.534 | — |
| 20 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.787 | 51.540 | — |
| 21 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 51.544 | 51.553 | — |
| 22 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.922 | 51.595 | — |
| 23 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 51.983 | 51.654 | — |
| 24 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 51.834 | 52.168 | — |
| 25 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 51.990 | — | — |
| 26 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 52.023 | — | — |
| 27 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 52.118 | — | — |
| 28 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 52.174 | — | — |
| 29 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 52.241 | — | — |
| 30 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 52.319 | — | — |
| 31 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 52.517 | — | — |
| 32 | 96 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 53.313 | — | — |
| 33 | 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 53.323 | — | — |
| 34 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.346 | — | — |
| 35 | 15 | Gray Gaulding | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.557 | — | — |
| 36 | 99 | Kyle Weatherman | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 53.767 | — | — |
| 37 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 53.976 | — | — |
| 38 | 7 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.276 | — | — |
| 39 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 54.286 | — | — |
| 40 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 54.652 | — | — |
| Official qualifying results | |||||||
- Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch will start from the rear after both cars failed post-qualifying inspection, leaving Daniel Suárez as the polesitter.[14] Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, William Byron, Austin Dillon, Jimmie Johnson, Paul Menard, Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Kasey Kahne also failed post-qualifying inspection. All 13 cars that failed the post-qualifying inspection will start at the rear and they lined up based on owner points.
- Gray Gaulding practiced and qualified the No. 15 for Ross Chastain who was in Iowa for the Xfinity Series race. Chastain will start at the rear due to Driver Change.
Race
edit
Stage Results
editStage 1 Laps: 50
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results[permanent dead link] | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 50
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results[permanent dead link] | |||||
Final Stage Results
editStage 3 Laps: 60
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 164 | 47 |
| 2 | 3 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 164 | 41 |
| 3 | 20 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 164 | 43 |
| 4 | 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 164 | 52 |
| 5 | 8 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 164 | 32 |
| 6 | 6 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 164 | 32 |
| 7 | 11 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 164 | 49 |
| 8 | 16 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 164 | 29 |
| 9 | 13 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 164 | 31 |
| 10 | 7 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 164 | 35 |
| 11 | 21 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 164 | 39 |
| 12 | 18 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 164 | 28 |
| 13 | 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 164 | 24 |
| 14 | 27 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 164 | 23 |
| 15 | 14 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 164 | 22 |
| 16 | 26 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 164 | 21 |
| 17 | 15 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 164 | 25 |
| 18 | 23 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 164 | 19 |
| 19 | 29 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 164 | 18 |
| 20 | 10 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 164 | 25 |
| 21 | 17 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 164 | 16 |
| 22 | 30 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 164 | 15 |
| 23 | 4 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 164 | 20 |
| 24 | 28 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 164 | 13 |
| 25 | 19 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 164 | 12 |
| 26 | 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 164 | 11 |
| 27 | 31 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 164 | 10 |
| 28 | 33 | 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 164 | 0 |
| 29 | 32 | 96 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 163 | 8 |
| 30 | 24 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 162 | 7 |
| 31 | 36 | 99 | Kyle Weatherman | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 161 | 6 |
| 32 | 38 | 7 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 161 | 5 |
| 33 | 22 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 153 | 4 |
| 34 | 37 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 3 |
| 35 | 35 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 146 | 0 |
| 36 | 40 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 142 | 0 |
| 37 | 25 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 123 | 1 |
| 38 | 9 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 121 | 9 |
| 39 | 34 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 95 | 1 |
| 40 | 39 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | 0 |
| Official race results[permanent dead link] | |||||||
Race statistics
edit- Lead changes: 10 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 7 for 29
- Red flags: 1 for 10 minutes and 10 seconds
- Time of race: 3 hours, 5 minutes and 43 seconds
- Average speed: 132.460 miles per hour (213.174 km/h)
Media
editTelevision
editNBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and two-time Pocono winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.
| 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
editMotor Racing Network had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace |
Turn 1: Dave Moody Turns 2: Mike Bagley Turn 3: Kyle Rickey |
Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post |
Standings after the race
edit
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References
edit- ^ "2018 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
- ^ "Pocono Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
- ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- ^ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- ^ "Gander Outdoors 400 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 29, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Pocono final TV ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ Utter, Jim (July 28, 2018). "Kevin Harvick tops Erik Jones in Saturday's first practice at Pocono". Motorsport.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Motorsport Network. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- ^ Utter, Jim (July 28, 2018). "Joey Logano tops Harvick in final practice at Pocono". Motorsport.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Motorsport Network. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- ^ Gelston, Dan (July 28, 2018). "Harvick goes for 1st career Pocono Raceway win from the pole". Associated Press. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- ^ "Daniel Suarez elevated to Pocono pole after Nos. 4 and 18 fail inspection". July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.