The 2018 Toyota Owners 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on April 21, 2018, at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Contested over 402 laps – extended from 400 laps due to an overtime finish – on the asphalt short track, it was the ninth race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch took his third successive victory, having started from 32nd on the grid, taking the race lead at the final round of pit stops.
Report
Background
Richmond Raceway is a , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. Known as "America's premier short track", it has hosted all three NASCAR national series, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.
Entry list 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 8 Daniel Hemric (i) Richard Childress Racing 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 Bubba Wallace (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Harrison Rhodes Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 55 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 72 Cole Whitt TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing ChevroletOfficial entry list
Practice
First practice Chase Elliott was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 22.254 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.254 121.327 2 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 22.300 121.076 3 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 22.359 120.757Official first practice results
Final practice Kyle Larson was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 22.441 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 22.441 120.315 2 43 Bubba Wallace (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 22.509 119.952 3 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 22.518 119.904Official final practice results
Qualifying
Martin Truex Jr. scored the pole for the race with a time of 21.799 and a speed of .
Qualifying results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 178 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 21.752 21.785 21.799 29 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.911 21.698 21.841 322 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 21.853 21.717 21.848 411 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.827 21.691 21.855 542 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 21.870 21.839 21.912 641 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas RacingFord 21.882 21.807 21.969 720 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.854 21.910 21.974 81 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 21.863 21.799 21.982 924 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.793 21.823 21.985 104 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas RacingFord 21.878 21.832 21.986 1188 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.955 21.820 21.999 1217 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 21.936 21.815 22.059 1312 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 21.934 21.940 — 1431 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 21.879 21.978 — 1538 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 21.875 21.978 — 1614 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas RacingFord 21.837 21.979 — 1748 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.807 21.990 — 1843 Bubba Wallace (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 21.940 21.991 — 1937 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 21.895 22.034 — 2021 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 21.922 22.039 — 216 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 21.854 22.052 — 228 Daniel Hemric (i) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 21.951 22.061 — 233 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 21.903 22.067 — 2434 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 21.899 22.091 — 2510 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas RacingFord 21.957 — — 2619 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.963 — — 2732 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 21.992 — — 282 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 22.001 — — 2915 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 22.015 — — 3095 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 22.055 — — 3113 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 22.063 — — 3218 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 22.069 — — 3347 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 22.083 — — 3423 Gray Gaulding BK Racing Toyota 22.194 — — 3572 Cole Whitt TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 22.236 — — 3600 Landon Cassill StarCom Racing Chevrolet 22.314 — — 3755 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 22.548 — — 3851 Harrison Rhodes Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 22.555 — —Official qualifying results
Race results
Stage results
Stage 1 Laps: 100
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 102 10 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 93 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 84 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 75 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 66 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 57 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 48 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 210 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 1Official stage one results
Stage 2 Laps: 100
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 102 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 93 10 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 84 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 75 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 66 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 57 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 48 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 39 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 210 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 1Official stage two results
Final stage results Stage 3 Laps: 202
Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points1 32 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 402 502 2 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 402 393 4 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 402 344 3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 402 535 10 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 402 346 17 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 402 317 5 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 402 308 28 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 402 329 16 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 402 4310 26 19 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 402 2711 6 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 402 4112 9 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 402 3813 7 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 402 2414 1 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 402 2715 23 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 402 2516 27 32 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 402 2117 25 10 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 402 3718 11 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 402 1919 8 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 402 1820 31 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 402 1721 21 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 402 1622 13 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 402 1523 12 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 402 1424 20 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 401 1325 18 43 Bubba Wallace (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 401 1226 19 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 401 1127 33 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 401 1028 30 15 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 401 029 29 95 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 400 830 35 72 Cole Whitt TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 400 731 24 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 400 632 22 8 Daniel Hemric (i) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 399 033 15 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 399 434 36 00 Landon Cassill StarCom Racing Chevrolet 397 335 34 23 Gray Gaulding BK Racing Toyota 393 236 38 51 Harrison Rhodes Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 386 137 14 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 368 538 37 55 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 188 1Official race results
Race statistics Lead changes: 16 among 7 different drivers Cautions/Laps: 6 for 46 laps Red flags: 0 Time of race: 3 hours, 8 minutes and 1 second Average speed:
Media
Television Fox Sports covered their 18th race at Richmond Raceway. Mike Joy, two-time Richmond winner Jeff Gordon and six-time Richmond winner Darrell Waltrip called the race from the broadcast booth, while Regan Smith, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum handled pit road duties.
Fox TelevisionBooth announcersPit reporters Lap-by-lap: Mike JoyColor commentator: Jeff GordonColor commentator: Darrell Waltrip Regan SmithVince WelchMatt Yocum
Radio MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcast on SiriusXM's NASCAR Radio channel. Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and six-time Richmond winner Rusty Wallace called the race in the booth when the field raced down the frontstretch. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform inside the backstretch when the field raced down the backstretch, while Winston Kelley, Alex Hayden and Glenn Jarrett worked pit road.
MRN RadioBooth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters Lead announcer: Joe MooreAnnouncer: Jeff StriegleAnnouncer: Rusty Wallace Backstretch: Mike Bagley Winston KelleyAlex HaydenGlenn Jarrett
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Kyle Busch 415 2 Joey Logano 359 (–56) 1 3 Clint Bowyer 329 (–86) 1 4 Kevin Harvick 324 (–91) 5 Brad Keselowski 303 (–112) 2 6 Denny Hamlin 286 (–129) 7 Martin Truex Jr. 284 (–131) 2 8 Ryan Blaney 282 (–133) 1 9 Kurt Busch 282 (–133) 1 10 Kyle Larson 279 (–136) 11 Aric Almirola 248 (–167) 12 Erik Jones 233 (–182) 13 Alex Bowman 209 (–206) 14 Austin Dillon 208 (–207) 2 15 Jimmie Johnson 200 (–215) 3 16 William Byron 192 (–223)Official driver's standings
Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Toyota 332 2 Ford 319 (–13) 3 Chevrolet 297 (–35)Official manufacturers' standings
Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings. . – Driver has clinched a position in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
References