2018 First Data 500
# 2018 First Data 500

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**

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Joey Gase (i) | 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 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Hermie Sadler | 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 | J. J. Yeley (i) | 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 | Jeb Burton (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 95 | Regan Smith | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet |
| 96 | D. J. Kennington (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| 99 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| Official 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).

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 19.784 | 95.714 |
| 2 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 19.798 | 95.646 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.809 | 95.593 |
| Official first practice results |||||||

### 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).

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 19.785 | 95.709 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.951 | 94.913 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.978 | 94.784 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## 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).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.795 | 19.711 | 19.673 |
| 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 19.694 | 19.716 | 19.700 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.738 | 19.715 | 19.702 |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 19.660 | 19.761 | 19.706 |
| 5 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 19.717 | 19.722 | 19.713 |
| 6 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 19.858 | 19.751 | 19.739 |
| 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 19.719 | 19.692 | 19.692 |
| 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 19.831 | 19.780 | 19.770 |
| 9 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.792 | 19.731 | 19.786 |
| 10 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 19.763 | 19.741 | 19.806 |
| 11 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 19.730 | 19.802 | 19.825 |
| 12 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.836 | 19.762 | 19.877 |
| 13 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 19.836 | 19.822 | — |
| 14 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 19.796 | 19.796 | — |
| 15 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 19.795 | 19.795 | — |
| 16 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.863 | 19.842 | — |
| 17 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 19.756 | 19.756 | — |
| 18 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 19.763 | 19.763 | — |
| 19 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 19.740 | 19.740 | — |
| 20 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 19.832 | 19.832 | — |
| 21 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.891 | 19.891 | — |
| 22 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 19.879 | 19.879 | — |
| 23 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.881 | 19.881 | — |
| 24 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.802 | 19.802 | — |
| 25 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.898 | — | — |
| 26 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 19.905 | — | — |
| 27 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 19.913 | — | — |
| 28 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 19.916 | — | — |
| 29 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 19.918 | — | — |
| 30 | 95 | Regan Smith | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 19.941 | — | — |
| 31 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.057 | — | — |
| 32 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.062 | — | — |
| 33 | 96 | D. J. Kennington (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 20.162 | — | — |
| 34 | 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 20.205 | — | — |
| 35 | 00 | Joey Gase (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 20.342 | — | — |
| 36 | 51 | Jeb Burton (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 20.388 | — | — |
| 37 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 20.432 | — | — |
| 38 | 7 | Hermie Sadler | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.472 | — | — |
| 39 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 21.040 | — | — |
| 40 | 99 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| Official qualifying results ||||||||

## Race

### Stage Results

Stage 1 Laps: 130

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 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 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||

Stage 2 Laps: 130

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage 3 Laps: 240

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 11 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 59 |
| 2 | 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 54 |
| 3 | 6 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 500 | 45 |
| 4 | 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 49 |
| 5 | 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 33 |
| 6 | 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 43 |
| 7 | 21 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 34 |
| 8 | 18 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 39 |
| 9 | 9 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 28 |
| 10 | 13 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 29 |
| 11 | 5 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 27 |
| 12 | 23 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 25 |
| 13 | 15 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 24 |
| 14 | 17 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 25 |
| 15 | 26 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 22 |
| 16 | 19 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 21 |
| 17 | 16 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 20 |
| 18 | 14 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 500 | 19 |
| 19 | 20 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 500 | 18 |
| 20 | 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 20 |
| 21 | 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 499 | 26 |
| 22 | 39 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 499 | 15 |
| 23 | 27 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 499 | 14 |
| 24 | 31 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 498 | 13 |
| 25 | 22 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 497 | 12 |
| 26 | 24 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 494 | 11 |
| 27 | 33 | 96 | D. J. Kennington (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 493 | 0 |
| 28 | 30 | 95 | Regan Smith | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 492 | 9 |
| 29 | 25 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 492 | 0 |
| 30 | 28 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 491 | 7 |
| 31 | 34 | 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 491 | 0 |
| 32 | 40 | 99 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 490 | 0 |
| 33 | 36 | 51 | Jeb Burton (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 489 | 0 |
| 34 | 32 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 488 | 3 |
| 35 | 35 | 00 | Joey Gase (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 467 | 0 |
| 36 | 29 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 451 | 1 |
| 37 | 10 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 1 |
| 38 | 37 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 368 | 0 |
| 39 | 12 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 364 | 1 |
| 40 | 38 | 7 | Hermie Sadler | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 230 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### 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.

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 Parker Kligerman Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |

### Radio

MRN covered 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 | Backstretch: Dave Moody | Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post Kim Coon |

## 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 ||||
| | Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| | 1 | Ford | 1,195 |
| | 2 | Toyota | 1,178 (–17) |
| | 3 | Chevrolet | 1,091 (–104) |
| Official manufacturers' standings ||||
