2018 Overton's 400
# 2018 Overton's 400

The 2018 Overton's 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on July 1, 2018 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) intermediate speedway, it was the 17th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The race would become best known for its intense finish, and for producing arguably one of the best finishes in NASCAR history, as Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson dueled in the closing laps of the race for the win.

## Report

### Background

Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IndyCar Series, recording numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and located adjacent to Route 66 Raceway.

**Entry list**

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet |
| 99 | Kyle Weatherman | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice

### First practice

Ryan Blaney was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 30.169 seconds and a speed of 178.992 mph (288.060 km/h).

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 30.169 | 178.992 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.191 | 178.861 |
| 3 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.210 | 178.749 |
| Official first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 29.863 seconds and a speed of 180.826 mph (291.011 km/h).

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 29.863 | 180.826 |
| 2 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 29.891 | 180.656 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 29.952 | 180.288 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Paul Menard scored the pole for the race with a time of 29.998 and a speed of 180.012 mph (289.701 km/h).

### Starting Lineup

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.998 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 30.020 |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.042 |
| 4 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 30.076 |
| 5 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 30.085 |
| 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 30.124 |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 30.152 |
| 8 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.158 |
| 9 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.197 |
| 10 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.627 |
| 11 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 30.208 |
| 12 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 30.213 |
| 13 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 30.254 |
| 14 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.329 |
| 15 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.379 |
| 16 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.391 |
| 17 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.459 |
| 18 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 30.470 |
| 19 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 30.498 |
| 20 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 30.617 |
| 21 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 30.585 |
| 22 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.616 |
| 23 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 30.701 |
| 24 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 30.712 |
| 25 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 30.775 |
| 26 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 30.980 |
| 27 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.019 |
| 28 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 31.031 |
| 29 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 31.052 |
| 30 | 99 | Kyle Weatherman | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 31.627 |
| 31 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 31.688 |
| 32 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.916 |
| 33 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 31.934 |
| 34 | 7 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.053 |
| 35 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 32.226 |
| 36 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr.† | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 0.000 |
| 37 | 11 | Denny Hamlin† | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0.000 |
| 38 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson† | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0.000 |
| 39 | 37 | Chris Buescher† | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 0.000 |
| Official starting lineup ||||||

† The cars of Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Chris Buescher all started in the rear of the field after failing post-qualifying inspection.

## Race

### Stage Results

Stage 1 Laps: 80

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||

Stage 2 Laps: 80

| 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 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

## Final Lap

With 4 laps to go, Kyle Busch built a full second lead over Kyle Larson but Larson was closing the gap fast. With 3 to go, Busch and Larson had to navigate through lapped traffic with a total of 4 lapped cars bunched together all around them making it difficult for them to pass the cars. On the final lap, Larson had closed the gap to 0.35 seconds and attempted to pass Busch on the inside in turn one trying to use the slide job but failed to get in front of Busch. The two made contact with Larson putting Busch in the wall in turn 2. Down the backstretch, Larson took the lead from Busch heading into turn 3. Busch sent the car hard into turn 3 hitting Larson in the rear hard causing Larson to go sideways trying to save his car and Busch hit the wall again by driving his car deep into the corner. Busch ended up taking the win over Larson in one of the most memorable and craziest finishes in NASCAR history.

### Final Stage Results

Stage 3 Laps: 107

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 16 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 40 |
| 2 | 18 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 52 |
| 3 | 11 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 50 |
| 4 | 36 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 267 | 48 |
| 5 | 5 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 35 |
| 6 | 9 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 32 |
| 7 | 37 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 32 |
| 8 | 12 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 33 |
| 9 | 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 38 |
| 10 | 15 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 27 |
| 11 | 10 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 26 |
| 12 | 13 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 25 |
| 13 | 1 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 267 | 24 |
| 14 | 38 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 23 |
| 15 | 17 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 22 |
| 16 | 20 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 266 | 21 |
| 17 | 4 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 266 | 36 |
| 18 | 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 266 | 29 |
| 19 | 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 24 |
| 20 | 8 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 17 |
| 21 | 26 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 266 | 16 |
| 22 | 39 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 15 |
| 23 | 22 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 14 |
| 24 | 19 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 13 |
| 25 | 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 266 | 22 |
| 26 | 21 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 265 | 11 |
| 27 | 24 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 264 | 10 |
| 28 | 25 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 264 | 9 |
| 29 | 28 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 262 | 8 |
| 30 | 27 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 261 | 0 |
| 31 | 29 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 260 | 6 |
| 32 | 34 | 7 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 259 | 5 |
| 33 | 30 | 99 | Kyle Weatherman | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 255 | 4 |
| 34 | 32 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 233 | 3 |
| 35 | 33 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 227 | 0 |
| 36 | 31 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 224 | 1 |
| 37 | 14 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 189 | 1 |
| 38 | 23 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 189 | 1 |
| 39 | 35 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 185 | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 10 among different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 5 for 23
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 2 hours, 50 minutes and 52 seconds
* Average speed: 140.636 miles per hour (226.332 km/h)

## Media

### Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, and 2005 race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., in his debut as a color commentator for NASCAR on NBC, 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

The Motor 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: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Dave Moody Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey | Alex Hayden Pete Pistone Steve Post Kim Coon |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Kyle Busch | 736 |
| | 2 | Kevin Harvick | 674 (–62) |
| | 3 | Joey Logano | 617 (–119) |
| 1 | 4 | Martin Truex Jr. | 594 (–142) |
| 1 | 5 | Brad Keselowski | 592 (–144) |
| | 6 | Clint Bowyer | 579 (–157) |
| | 7 | Kurt Busch | 560 (–176) |
| | 8 | Denny Hamlin | 537 (–199) |
| | 9 | Kyle Larson | 524 (–212) |
| 1 | 10 | Ryan Blaney | 495 (–241) |
| 1 | 11 | Aric Almirola | 493 (–243) |
| | 12 | Jimmie Johnson | 442 (–294) |
| | 13 | Chase Elliott | 435 (–301) |
| | 14 | Erik Jones | 408 (–328) |
| | 15 | Alex Bowman | 390 (–346) |
| | 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 367 (–369) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| | Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Toyota | 620 |
| 1 | 2 | Ford | 614 (–6) |
| | 3 | Chevrolet | 547 (–73) |
| Official manufacturers' standings ||||
