2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400
The 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on July 7, 2018 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 168 laps -- extended from 160 laps due to an overtime finish with two attempts for the first time since 2011, on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) superspeedway, it was the 18th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Erik Jones scored his first career win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and for the first time in a decade, Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing had won a July race at Daytona.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 18 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
| Date | July 7, 2018 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) | ||
| Distance | 168 laps, 420 mi (672 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (640 km) | ||
| Average speed | 130.435 miles per hour (209.915 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 46.381 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| Laps | 51 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers |
Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (booth) Mike Tirico and Steve Letarte (NBC Peacock Pitbox) | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 2.7/2.72 (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 Kurt Becker (3 & 4) | ||
Report
Background
The race was held at Daytona International Speedway, a race track located in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, the track is the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, USCC, SCCA, and Motocross. It features multiple layouts including the primary 2.5 miles (4.0 km) high speed tri-oval, a 3.56 miles (5.73 km) sports car course, a 2.95 miles (4.75 km) motorcycle course, and a .25 miles (0.40 km) karting and motorcycle flat-track. The track's 180-acre (73 ha) infield includes the 29-acre (12 ha) Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The track was built in 1959 by NASCAR founder William "Bill" France, Sr. to host racing held at the former Daytona Beach Road Course. His banked design permitted higher speeds and gave fans a better view of the cars. Lights were installed around the track in 1998 and today, it is the third-largest single lit outdoor sports facility. The speedway has been renovated three times, with the infield renovated in 2004 and the track repaved twice — in 1978 and in 2010.
On January 22, 2013, the track unveiled artist depictions of a renovated speedway. On July 5 of that year, ground was broken for a project that would remove the backstretch seating and completely redevelop the frontstretch seating. The renovation to the speedway is being worked on by Rossetti Architects. The project, named "Daytona Rising", was completed in January 2016, and it cost US $400 million, placing emphasis on improving fan experience with five expanded and redesigned fan entrances (called "injectors") as well as wider and more comfortable seating with more restrooms and concession stands. After the renovations, the track's grandstands include 101,000 permanent seats with the ability to increase permanent seating to 125,000.[10][11] The project was completed before the start of Speedweeks 2016.
Entry list
Practice
First practice
Clint Bowyer was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 44.821 seconds and a speed of 200.799 mph (323.155 km/h).[12]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 44.821 | 200.799 |
| 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 44.845 | 200.691 |
| 3 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 44.876 | 200.553 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
Final practice session for Thursday was cancelled due to rain.
Qualifying
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Chase Elliott scored the pole for the race with a time of 46.381 and a speed of 194.045 mph (312.285 km/h).[13]
Qualifying results
Race
Stage Results
Stage 1 Laps: 40
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 40
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage 3 Laps: 80
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 168 | 40 |
| 2 | 13 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 168 | 35 |
| 3 | 24 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 168 | 34 |
| 4 | 28 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 168 | 40 |
| 5 | 25 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 168 | 32 |
| 6 | 19 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 168 | 37 |
| 7 | 31 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 168 | 30 |
| 8 | 7 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 168 | 34 |
| 9 | 10 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 168 | 33 |
| 10 | 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 168 | 36 |
| 11 | 34 | 7 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 168 | 26 |
| 12 | 16 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 168 | 25 |
| 13 | 35 | 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 168 | 24 |
| 14 | 22 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 167 | 23 |
| 15 | 21 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 167 | 22 |
| 16 | 39 | 51 | Ray Black Jr. (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 167 | 0 |
| 17 | 6 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 167 | 40 |
| 18 | 40 | 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 166 | 0 |
| 19 | 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 162 | 18 |
| 20 | 20 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 162 | 19 |
| 21 | 33 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 162 | 0 |
| 22 | 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 162 | 15 |
| 23 | 4 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 162 | 19 |
| 24 | 37 | 99 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 162 | 13 |
| 25 | 36 | 00 | Joey Gase (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 161 | 0 |
| 26 | 8 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 155 | 20 |
| 27 | 26 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 155 | 10 |
| 28 | 30 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 152 | 9 |
| 29 | 14 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 123 | 20 |
| 30 | 27 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 68 | 7 |
| 31 | 38 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 6 |
| 32 | 18 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 64 | 12 |
| 33 | 15 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 64 | 13 |
| 34 | 1 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54 | 9 |
| 35 | 32 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 54 | 2 |
| 36 | 3 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 53 | 4 |
| 37 | 23 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 53 | 6 |
| 38 | 17 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53 | 1 |
| 39 | 11 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 53 | 1 |
| 40 | 12 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 53 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 16 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 10 for 46
- Red flags: 1 for 5 minutes and 1 second
- Time of race: 3 hours, 13 minutes and 12 seconds
- Average speed: 130.435 miles per hour (209.915 km/h)
Media
Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 2000 Coke Zero 400 winner Jeff Burton and two-time Coke Zero 400 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called in the booth for the race. Mike Tirico and Steve Letarte 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.
| NBC | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. NBC Peacock Pitbox: Mike Tirico NBC Peacock Pitbox: Steve Letarte | Dave Burns Parker Kligerman Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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: Kurt Becker | 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 June 3, 2018.
- "Daytona International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- "Coke Zero Sugar 400 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 9, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 29, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 9, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 29, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- "Daytona final TV ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- Reed, Steve (January 22, 2013). "Daytona International unveils plans for upgrade". sports.yahoo.com. Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- "Daytona Rising". Daytona International Speedway. December 5, 2013. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- Utter, Jim (July 5, 2018). "Clint Bowyer leads Ford armada in first Cup practice at Daytona". Motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: Motorsport Network. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- "Elliott gives Hendrick, Chevy needed boost with Daytona pole". Associated Press. Daytona Beach, Florida: AP Sports. Associated Press. July 6, 2018. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
External links
Media related to 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Wikimedia Commons
| Previous race: 2018 Overton's 400 |
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2018 season |
Next race: 2018 Quaker State 400 |