2018 Ford EcoBoost 400
# 2018 Ford EcoBoost 400

The 2018 Ford EcoBoost 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on November 18, 2018, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) oval, it was the 36th and final race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and was also the last race for the Ford Fusion, as it will be replaced for the 2019 season by the Mustang GT. This race was the final start for Furniture Row Racing and BK Racing.

## Report

### Background

Homestead-Miami Speedway is a motor racing track located in Homestead, Florida. The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, including NASCAR, the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and the Championship Cup Series.

Since 2002, Homestead-Miami Speedway has hosted the final race of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series. Ford Motor Company sponsors all three of the season-ending races; the races have the names Ford EcoBoost 400, Ford EcoBoost 300 and Ford EcoBoost 200, respectively, and the weekend is marketed as Ford Championship Weekend. The Xfinity Series (then known as the Busch Series) has held its season-ending races at Homestead since 1995.

**Championship drivers**

Joey Logano was the first of the four drivers to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, winning the first race of the Round of 8 at Martinsville.

Kyle Busch clinched the second spot in the Championship 4 based on points at the Phoenix race when Ricky 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 Harvick clinched the final spot based on points after his Texas win was encumbered after a spoiler violation.

**Entry list**

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Landon Cassill (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 (CC) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 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 (CC) | 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 (CC) | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Ford |
| 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 | Ford |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. (CC) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 95 | Regan Smith | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet |
| 97 | Tanner Berryhill | Obaika Racing | Toyota |
| 99 | Kyle Weatherman | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## First practice

Martin 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).

| 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

Denny Hamlin scored the pole for the race with a time of 31.059 and a speed of 173.863 mph (279.805 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| 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)

### Second practice

Joey Logano was 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).

| 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

Joey Logano was 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).

| 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

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

Stage 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

Stage 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

* 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

### Television

NBC covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and 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. While the race itself aired on NBC, NBCSN aired NBCSN NASCAR Hot Pass, a simultaneous live feed dedicated to each of the Championship drivers, with commentary by Leigh Diffey and Dale 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

MRN 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 | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley | Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post Kim Coon |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Joey Logano | 5,040 |
| 1 | 2 | Martin Truex Jr. | 5,035 (–5) |
| 1 | 3 | Kevin Harvick | 5,034 (–6) |
| 2 | 4 | Kyle Busch | 5,033 (–7) |
| 2 | 5 | Aric Almirola | 2,354 (–2,686) |
| 1 | 6 | Chase Elliott | 2,350 (–2,690) |
| 1 | 7 | Kurt Busch | 2,350 (–2,690) |
| | 8 | Brad Keselowski | 2,343 (–2,697) |
| 1 | 9 | Kyle Larson | 2,299 (–2,741) |
| 1 | 10 | Ryan Blaney | 2,298 (–2,742) |
| | 11 | Denny Hamlin | 2,285 (–2,755) |
| | 12 | Clint Bowyer | 2,272 (–2,768) |
| | 13 | Austin Dillon | 2,245 (–2,795) |
| | 14 | Jimmie Johnson | 2,242 (–2,798) |
| | 15 | Erik Jones | 2,220 (–2,820) |
| | 16 | Alex Bowman | 2,204 (–2,836) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| | Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| | 1 | Ford | 1,310 |
| | 2 | Toyota | 1,286 (–24) |
| | 3 | Chevrolet | 1,187 (–123) |
| Official manufacturers' standings ||||
