2018 FireKeepers Casino 400

The 2018 FireKeepers Casino 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on June 10, 2018 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Contested over 133 of the scheduled 200 laps on the two-mile (3.2 km) D-shaped oval, it was the 15th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

2018 FireKeepers Casino 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Race 15 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Date June 10, 2018 (2018-06-10)
Location Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan
Course Permanent racing facility
2.0 mi (3.2 km)
Distance 133 laps, 266 mi (425.6 km)
Scheduled Distance 200 laps, 400 mi (640 km)
Average speed 132.723 miles per hour (213.597 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Stewart-Haas Racing
Time 35.405
Most laps led
Driver Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing
Laps 49
Winner
No. 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing
Television in the United States
Network FOX
Announcers Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip
Nielsen Ratings 2.2 (Overnight)[10]
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers Dave Moody (1–2) and Buddy Long (3–4)

This race was the 10th and final win for Clint Bowyer, who retired after the 2020 season.

Report

edit

Background

edit
 
Layout of Michigan International Speedway, the track where the race is held.

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

Entry list

edit
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 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford
7 D. J. Kennington 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 Garrett Smithley (i) StarCom Racing Chevrolet
Official entry list

First practice

edit

Ryan Blaney was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 35.535 seconds and a speed of 202.617 mph (326.080 km/h).[11]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 35.535 202.617
2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 35.655 201.935
3 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 35.667 201.867
Official first practice results

Qualifying

edit
 
Kurt Busch scored the pole position.

Kurt Busch scored the pole for the race with a time of 35.405 and a speed of 203.361 mph (327.278 km/h).[12]

Qualifying results

edit
Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2 R3
1 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 35.958 35.686 35.405
2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 35.739 35.692 35.439
3 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 36.135 35.635 35.447
4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 35.503 35.452 35.476
5 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 35.786 35.701 35.614
6 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 35.888 35.896 35.713
7 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 35.969 35.877 35.774
8 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 36.058 35.877 35.796
9 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 35.662 35.647 35.858
10 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 36.009 35.801 35.928
11 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 35.914 35.848 35.989
12 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 36.041 35.826 36.039
13 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 35.987 35.904
14 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 36.114 35.912
15 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 35.802 35.941
16 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 35.994 35.942
17 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 36.097 35.959
18 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 36.082 35.985
19 6 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 36.049 36.035
20 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 36.044 36.039
21 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 35.877 36.054
22 19 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 36.154 36.064
23 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 36.129 36.116
24 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 36.127 36.126
25 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 36.172
26 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 36.181
27 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 36.228
28 43 Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 36.262
29 95 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 36.372
30 32 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 36.418
31 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 36.564
32 72 Corey LaJoie TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 37.030
33 15 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 37.081
34 23 Gray Gaulding BK Racing Toyota 37.374
35 51 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 37.484
36 00 Landon Cassill StarCom Racing Chevrolet 37.765
37 7 D. J. Kennington Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 38.319
38 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 38.617
39 99 Garrett Smithley (i) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 38.618
Official qualifying results

Practice (post-qualifying)

edit

Second practice

edit

Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 35.871 seconds and a speed of 200.719 mph (323.026 km/h).[13]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 35.871 200.719
2 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 35.985 200.083
3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 36.036 199.800
Official second practice results

Final practice

edit

Final practice session for Saturday was cancelled due to rain.

Race

edit
 
Clint Bowyer was declared the winner after rain shortened the race to 133 laps.
 
The race’s official pace car

Stage Results

edit

Stage 1 Laps: 60

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 10
2 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 9
3 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 8
4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 7
5 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 6
6 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 5
7 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 4
8 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3
9 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 2
10 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1
Official stage one results

Stage 2 Laps: 60

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 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 7
5 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 6
6 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 5
7 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 4
8 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 3
9 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 2
10 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

edit

Stage 3 Laps: 80

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 12 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 133 57
2 4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 133 52
3 1 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 133 46
4 3 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 133 40
5 15 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 133 38
6 2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 133 40
7 5 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 133 38
8 9 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 133 44
9 13 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 133 28
10 24 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 133 30
11 6 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 133 27
12 10 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 133 31
13 14 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 133 28
14 16 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 133 23
15 8 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 133 24
16 21 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 133 21
17 25 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 133 20
18 17 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 133 19
19 28 43 Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 133 18
20 20 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 133 17
21 31 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 133 16
22 11 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 133 15
23 29 95 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 133 14
24 18 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 133 13
25 23 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 133 12
26 33 15 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 133 0
27 32 72 Corey LaJoie TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 133 10
28 26 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 133 18
29 7 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 133 8
30 22 19 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 132 7
31 34 23 Gray Gaulding BK Racing Toyota 132 6
32 36 00 Landon Cassill StarCom Racing Chevrolet 132 5
33 19 6 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 132 4
34 37 7 D. J. Kennington Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 132 3
35 38 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 132 0
36 30 32 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 131 1
37 35 51 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 131 0
38 27 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 35 1
39 39 99 Garrett Smithley (i) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 1 0
Official race results

Race statistics

edit
  • Lead changes: 7 among different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 8 for 30
  • Red flags: 1
  • Time of race: 2 hours, 00 minutes and 15 seconds
  • Average speed: 132.723 miles per hour (213.597 km/h)

Media

edit

Television

edit

Fox NASCAR televised the race in the United States on FOX for the seventh time at Michigan. Mike Joy was the lap-by-lap announcer, while three-time Michigan winner, Jeff Gordon and two-time winner Darrell Waltrip were the color commentators. Jamie Little, Regan Smith and Matt Yocum reported from pit lane during the race.

FOX Television
Booth announcers Pit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon
Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip
Jamie Little
Regan Smith
Matt Yocum

Radio

edit

Radio coverage of the race was broadcast by Motor Racing Network (MRN) and simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and five-time Michigan winner Rusty Wallace announced the race in the booth while the field is racing on the front stretch. Dave Moody called the race from a billboard outside of turn 2 when the field was racing through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform outside of turn 3 when the field was racing through turns 3 and 4. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley and Steve Post reported from pit lane during the race.

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: Buddy Long
Alex Hayden
Winston Kelley
Steve Post

Standings after the race

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "2018 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  2. ^ "Michigan International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  3. ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 4, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  4. ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  5. ^ "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  6. ^ "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 9, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  7. ^ "FireKeepers Casino 400 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 10, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  8. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 4, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  9. ^ "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 4, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  10. ^ "Michigan TV ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  11. ^ Utter, Jim (June 8, 2018). "Ryan Blaney tops first Michigan Cup practice at 202.617mph". Motorsport.com. Brooklyn, Michigan: Motorsport Network. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  12. ^ Trister, Noah (June 8, 2018). "Kurt Busch wins pole at Michigan, second of season". Associated Press. Brooklyn, Michigan: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  13. ^ Utter, Jim (June 9, 2018). "Kevin Harvick fastest in rain-shortened practice at Michigan". Motorsport.com. Brooklyn, Michigan: Motorsport Network. Retrieved June 9, 2018.


Previous race:
2018 Pocono 400
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
2018 season
Next race:
2018 Toyota/Save Mart 350