2018 1000Bulbs.com 500
The 2018 1000Bulbs.com 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on October 14, 2018, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 193 laps – extended from 188 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.66 mile (4.2 km) superspeedway, it was the 31st race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the fifth race of the Playoffs, and second race of the Round of 12. This was a notable race for Stewart-Haas Racing, who dominated in qualifying and both stages, and ended up winning the race with driver Aric Almirola
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 31 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 The 2018 1000Bulbs.com 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | October 14, 2018 | ||
| Location | Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 193 laps, 513.38 mi (826.04 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.64 km) | ||
| Average speed | 153.707 miles per hour (247.367 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Stewart-Haas Racing | ||
| Time | 48.906 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| Laps | 108 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (booth), Steve Letarte and Dale Jarrett (NBC Peacock Pitbox) | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 2.2 (Overnight)[9] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Dan Hubbard (3 & 4) | ||
Report
Background
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.
Entry list
Final Practice
Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 46.889 seconds and a speed of 204.227 mph (328.671 km/h).[10]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 46.889 | 204.227 |
| 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 46.951 | 203.957 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 47.294 | 202.478 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Kurt Busch scored the pole for the race with a time of 48.906 and a speed of 195.804 mph (315.116 km/h).[11]
Qualifying results
- Corey LaJoie started from the rear after failing post-qualifying inspection.
Race
Stage Results
Stage 1 Laps: 55
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 55
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage 3 Laps: 78
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 193 | 54 |
| 2 | 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 193 | 53 |
| 3 | 12 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 193 | 34 |
| 4 | 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 193 | 42 |
| 5 | 20 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 193 | 40 |
| 6 | 23 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 31 |
| 7 | 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 30 |
| 8 | 15 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 193 | 29 |
| 9 | 30 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 193 | 28 |
| 10 | 25 | 95 | Regan Smith | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 27 |
| 11 | 34 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 16 |
| 12 | 28 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 0 |
| 13 | 24 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 193 | 24 |
| 14 | 1 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 193 | 41 |
| 15 | 29 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 23 |
| 16 | 13 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 193 | 21 |
| 17 | 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 23 |
| 18 | 37 | 00 | Joey Gase (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 0 |
| 19 | 17 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 18 |
| 20 | 8 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 17 |
| 21 | 26 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 16 |
| 22 | 38 | 99 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 0 |
| 23 | 11 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 193 | 14 |
| 24 | 36 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 0 |
| 25 | 22 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 193 | 12 |
| 26 | 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 193 | 15 |
| 27 | 18 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 193 | 11 |
| 28 | 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 193 | 27 |
| 29 | 19 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 193 | 18 |
| 30 | 27 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 192 | 7 |
| 31 | 5 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 192 | 10 |
| 32 | 39 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 191 | 5 |
| 33 | 7 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 191 | 6 |
| 34 | 33 | 7 | D. J. Kennington (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 190 | 0 |
| 35 | 31 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 186 | 2 |
| 36 | 32 | 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Ford | 185 | 0 |
| 37 | 35 | 96 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 185 | 1 |
| 38 | 40 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 185 | 1 |
| 39 | 16 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 173 | 1 |
| 40 | 14 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 155 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 11 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 8 for 32
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 20 minutes and 24 seconds
- Average speed: 153.707 miles per hour (247.367 km/h)
Media
Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and six-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call in the booth for the race. Steve Letarte and Dale Jarrett called from the NBC Peacock Pit Box on pit road. 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: Dale Earnhardt Jr. NBC Peacock Pitbox: Steve Letarte NBC Peacock Pitbox: Dale Jarrett | 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 | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Dan Hubbard | Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Kim Coon Steve Post |
Standings after the race
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References
- "2018 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
- "Talladega Superspeedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
- "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. October 13, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. October 13, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- "1000Bulbs.com 500 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
- "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 15, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 15, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- "Talladega final TV ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- Utter, Jim (October 13, 2018). "Kevin Harvick leads Talladega practice with 204mph lap". Motorsport.com. Lincoln, Alabama: Motorsport Network. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- Fryer, Jenna (October 13, 2018). "Kurt Busch leads Stewart-Haas Racing sweep at Talladega". Associated Press. Lincoln, Alabama: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.