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) |
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. It was the first race in NASCAR Cup Series history to have two female pit members. [10]
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. [11] [12] The project was completed before the start of Speedweeks 2016.
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). [13]
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 session for Thursday was cancelled due to rain.
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). [14]
Pole sitter Chase Elliott led the first lap of the race. On lap 11, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took the lead from Elliott. Elliott took it back on lap 12 but Stenhouse got it back on lap 13. Stenhouse would lead all the way up to the end of stage 1 on lap 40 which he would win. Brad Keselowski won the race off of pit road and he led the field to the restart on lap 47. On lap 49, the second caution would fly and would be the first for incident when Paul Menard got turned by Jimmie Johnson on the backstretch and Menard got hit in the left rear by David Ragan which would make Menard's rear of the car jump in the air and blowing off the hood in the process. The race would restart on lap 53 and rookie William Byron took the lead from Keselowski.
Keselowski tried to get his lead back with help from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. but was not able to do it. On lap 54, Stenhouse bumped Keselowski at the wrong angle and turned Keselowski around right infront of the pack in turn 3 and triggered the big one that took out a massive number of cars and contenders in the process. The wreck collected a total of 26 cars. The cars involved were Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Aric Almirola, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Ty Dillon, Clint Bowyer, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Daniel Suárez, Paul Menard, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Jimmie Johnson, Alex Bowman, Kasey Kahne, Corey LaJoie, Martin Truex Jr., Jamie McMurray, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ross Chastain, Matt DiBenedetto, and Michael McDowell. The race would restart on lap 63 of the race with William Byron still leading. Byron was looking for his first Cup Series victory in his 18th start. Unfourtunetly for Byron, that would never happen. On lap 65, Kyle Busch tried to pass Byron on the outside with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. behind Byron. But Stenhouse went up the track in turns 3 and 4 and ended up clipping Kyle Busch in the left rear causing a chain reaction where Busch spun down into Byron's right rear and both went up the track triggering the second big one out of turn 4 that collected 7 cars including Jamie McMurray, Trevor Bayne, Erik Jones, and Corey LaJoie. Stenhouse was the new race leader after he caused the last two incidents and the race would restart on lap 70. On the restart, Ryan Newman battled Stenhouse for the lead and led that lap before Stenhouse got infront of him the next lap. Eventually, Stenhouse would end up winning stage 2. During pitstops, Ricky Stenhouse Jr's crew decided to work on the right front fender after he caused the crash involving Kyle Busch and William Byron and they would lose the lead and fall back to 14th on the restart.
The race would restart on lap 87 with Ty Dillon as the race leader. On the restart, Clint Bowyer took the lead from Dillon. On lap 89, Michael McDowell made his way from 3rd up to the lead. On lap 108, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took the lead from McDowell. On lap 109. Jimmie Johnson took the lead from Stenhouse. With 48 laps to go, McDowell took the lead. With 47 to go, Johnson took the lead. With 41 laps to go, green flag pitstops began. On that same lap, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took the lead when Johnson went in to pit. With 38 to go, Stenhouse went in to pit and gave the lead to Kevin Harvick. After everything cycled through with 37 to go, Jimmie Johnson was the new leader. Unfourtunetly for Johnson, he got a penalty for pitting outside the box which gave the lead to the car behind him Martin Truex Jr. On the same lap, the 6th caution flew when Kyle Larson blew a right rear tire in turn 3 and collected Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who just pitted. The race restarted with 32 laps to go with Truex as the leader. With 28 laps to go, the 7th caution flew when D. J. Kennington spun out of turn 2. The race would restart with 23 laps to go. Kasey Kahne would take the lead from Martin Truex Jr. on the restart. Kahne was looking for his first win since the 2017 Brickyard 400 34 races ago and the first win for owner Bob Leavine in the Cup Series. But, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had a left rear tire rub for the last few laps after contact with Aric Almirola and with 11 to go, the tire blew and Stenhouse spun bringing out the 8th caution of the race. The race would restart with 6 laps to go. Kevin Harvick would take the lead from Kahne on the restart. But with 5 laps to go, the 9th caution would fly for a four car crash after Joey Gase got loose and came up and collected Michael McDowell and Aric Almirola into the outside wall while Jimmie Johnson spun to avoid the wreck. The caution would set up overtime. On the restart, Martin Truex Jr. took the lead from Harvick with help from Erik Jones. Truex was looking for his first ever restrictor plate win in his Cup Series career. Truex was about to take the white flag when Clint Bowyer got hooked by Bubba Wallace triggering the third big one collecting 10 cars and bringing out the 10th and final caution just before they reached the white flag. The cars involved were Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Bubba Wallace, Jimmie Johnson, Ross Chastain, Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brendan Gaughan, and Alex Bowman. The wreck would produce a short red flag and would also set up another attempt of overtime. On the restart, Martin Truex Jr. took the lead from Jones. But Kasey Kahne would challenge Truex for the lead down the backstretch. Jones pulled to the outside of Kahne and Truex and made it three wide for the lead. Kahne would fall behind Truex which left Truex and Jones to battle for the lead. On the last lap, Jones got a push by Chris Buescher down the backstretch and it would get Jones to the lead. Jones would hold off Truex to take home his first ever Cup Series victory in his 57th start. Martin Truex Jr., A. J. Allmendinger, Kasey Kahne (who scored his last top ten and top five in his career), and Chris Buescher rounded out the top 5 while Ty Dillon, Matt DiBenedetto, Ryan Newman, Austin Dillon, and Alex Bowman rounded out the top 10. [15]
Stage 1Laps: 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 2Laps: 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 |
Stage 3Laps: 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 |
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 |
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 |
|
|
The Big One is a phrase describing any crash usually involving five or more cars in NASCAR, ARCA, and IndyCar racing. It is most commonly used at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, although occasionally seen at other tracks as well, such as Dover Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International.
The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 65th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 42nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on February 16, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway, with the Sprint Unlimited, followed by the Daytona 500 on February 24. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 17.
The 2013 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on May 18, 2013, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 90 laps, the it was the second exhibition race of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports took his record fourth All-Star Race victory, while Joey Logano finished second. Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five.
The 2013 Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on July 6, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 161 laps, it was the eighteenth race of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race, his fourth win of the season and his first Coke Zero 400 win, rendering him the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1982 to sweep the Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 in the same year. Tony Stewart finished second while Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Michael Waltrip rounded out the top five.
The 2014 Daytona 500, the 56th running of the event, was held on February 23, 2014 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 200 laps and 500 miles (800 km) on the 2.5 miles (4.0 km) asphalt tri-oval, it was the first race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Dale Earnhardt Jr., driving for Hendrick Motorsports, won the race, making this his second Daytona 500 victory breaking a 55-race winless streak. Denny Hamlin finished 2nd, while Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the Top 5. This race had seven cautions and 42 lead changes among 18 different drivers. The top rookies of this race were polesitter Austin Dillon (9th), Alex Bowman (23rd), and Brian Scott (25th).
The 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 68th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 45th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Sprint Unlimited, the Can-Am Duel and the Daytona 500. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won his seventh drivers' championship, tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most all-time. Toyota won the manufacturer's championship, becoming the first manufacturer to win the manufacturer's championship other than Chevrolet since 2002.
The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was the 69th season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and the 46th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Advance Auto Parts Clash, the Can-Am Duel qualifying races and the 59th running of the Daytona 500. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Jimmie Johnson entered the season as the defending champion, having won his record-tying seventh Cup championship that he shares with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing won the championship, his first in the series. Toyota won the Manufacturers' Championship for the second year in a row.
The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was the 70th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States, and the 47th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Advance Auto Parts Clash, the Can-Am Duel qualifying races and the 60th running of the Daytona 500. The regular season ended with the Brickyard 400 on September 9, 2018. The playoffs ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2018. Martin Truex Jr. was the defending champion, having won his first in the series.
The 2017 Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on July 1, 2017 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 163 laps extended from 160 laps due to overtime, on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) superspeedway, it was the 17th race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
The 2017 Apache Warrior 400 presented by Lucas Oil was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on October 1, 2017, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. Contested over 400 laps on the one-mile (1.6 km) concrete speedway, it was the 29th race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, third race of the Playoffs and final race of the Round of 16.
The 2017 Alabama 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 15, 2017, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 188 laps on the 2.66 mile (4.2 km) superspeedway, it was the 31st race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the fifth race of the Playoffs, and second race of the Round of 12. Brad Keselowski won the first stage and the race, while Ryan Newman finished second and Trevor Bayne finished third. Ryan Blaney won the second stage.
The 2017 First Data 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 29, 2017, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 505 laps -- extended from 500 laps due to an overtime finish, on the .526 mile (.847 km) short track, it was the 33rd race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, seventh race of the Playoffs, and first race of the Round of 8.
The 2018 Daytona 500, the 60th running of the event, was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on February 18, 2018, contested over 207 laps—extended from 200 laps due to an overtime finish—on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway. It was the first race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and also marked the first race for the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as Chevrolet's car for this season, replacing the SS. Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing won the race after contact with Aric Almirola on the final lap resulted in a single-car accident for the latter. Bubba Wallace making his first Daytona 500 start finished second while Denny Hamlin came in third. This was the last Daytona 500 starts for Danica Patrick, Trevor Bayne, Kasey Kahne, David Gilliland, Mark Thompson, BK Racing, Furniture Row Racing and D. J. Kennington.
The 2018 Advance Auto Parts Clash was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on February 11, 2018, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 75 laps, it was the first exhibition race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
The 2018 South Point 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 16, 2018 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas. Contested over 272 laps—extended from 267 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 1.5 mi (2.4 km) asphalt intermediate speedway, it was the 27th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, first race of the Playoffs, and the first race of the Round of 16.
The 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was the 71st season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States, and the 48th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Advance Auto Parts Clash, the Gander RV Duel qualifying races and the 61st running of the Daytona 500. The regular season ended with the Brickyard 400 in September. The playoffs ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead–Miami Speedway on November 17, 2019. Joey Logano of Team Penske entered as the defending series champion.
The 2018 Bank of America Roval 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on September 30, 2018, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 109 laps on the 2.28-mile (3.67 km) road course, it was the 29th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, third race of the Playoffs, and final race of the Round of 16. This was the first race to use Charlotte's "Roval" road course layout.
The 2019 Daytona 500, the 61st running of the event, was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on February 17, 2019, Contested over 207 laps—extended from 200 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway. After three multiple cars crash in the last 20 laps, only 19 of the 40 cars were running at the end of the race and only 14 completed every lap. It was the first race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and also marked the debut of the Ford Mustang, which Ford brought in as a replacement for the Fusion. This race was the final career start for Casey Mears. 2016 winner Denny Hamlin held off teammate Kyle Busch over the final laps to win his second Daytona 500 in four years.
The 2019 1000Bulbs.com 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on October 13–14, 2019 at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 188 laps on the 2.66 mile (4.2 km) superspeedway, it was the 31st race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the fifth race of the Playoffs, and second race of the Round of 12. Ryan Blaney scored his first win of the season and third of his career edging out Ryan Newman by .007 seconds becoming the 6th closest finish in NASCAR history.
The 2023 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race and the 65th running of the event. It was held on Sunday, February 19, 2023, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was the first race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series. Jimmie Johnson returned to the Cup Series for Legacy Motor Club in this race. This was the longest Daytona 500 in history going 530 miles.