| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 24 of 36 in the2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 The 2018 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race program cover. | |||
| Date | August 18, 2018 (2018-08-18) | ||
| Location | Bristol Motor Speedway inBristol, Tennessee | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | .533 miles (.858 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (429 km) | ||
| Average speed | 89.538 miles per hour (144.097 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Chip Ganassi Racing | ||
| Time | 15.015 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | |
| Laps | 121 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen,Jeff Burton,Steve Letarte andDale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Nielsen ratings | 1.4 (Overnight)[10] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | PRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Doug Rice, Mark Garrow andWendy Venturini | ||
| Turn announcers | Rob Albright (Backstretch) | ||
The2018 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race is aMonster Energy NASCAR Cup Seriesrace held on August 18, 2018 atBristol Motor Speedway inBristol, Tennessee. Contested over 500 laps on the .533-mile (0.858 km) short track, it was the 24th race of the2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The race was won byKurt Busch who scored his first win at the track since2006. This was Busch's sixth and final career win at Bristol as his last win in the night race at Bristol had come in2003. This was also Busch's 30th career Cup victory and his sixth and final win forStewart-Haas Racing.
TheBristol Motor Speedway, formerly known asBristol International Raceway andBristol Raceway, is aNASCARshort track venue located inBristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, twopit roads, andstadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.
Chase Elliott was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 15.151 seconds and a speed of 126.645 mph (203.815 km/h).[11]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.151 | 126.645 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 15.191 | 126.312 |
| 3 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.193 | 126.295 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Kyle Busch was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 15.141 seconds and a speed of 126.729 mph (203.951 km/h).[12]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.141 | 126.729 |
| 2 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 15.191 | 126.312 |
| 3 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 15.194 | 126.287 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
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Kyle Larson scored the pole for the race with a time of 15.015 and a speed of 127.792 mph (205.661 km/h).[13]
Stage 1Laps: 125
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2Laps: 125
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Stage 3Laps: 250
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 46 |
| 2 | 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 48 |
| 3 | 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 50 |
| 4 | 19 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 45 |
| 5 | 14 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 39 |
| 6 | 16 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 44 |
| 7 | 10 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 46 |
| 8 | 22 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 30 |
| 9 | 13 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 32 |
| 10 | 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 36 |
| 11 | 23 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 500 | 26 |
| 12 | 24 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 25 |
| 13 | 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 24 |
| 14 | 7 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 23 |
| 15 | 26 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 22 |
| 16 | 11 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 499 | 21 |
| 17 | 15 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 499 | 20 |
| 18 | 21 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 499 | 19 |
| 19 | 28 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 499 | 18 |
| 20 | 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 497 | 17 |
| 21 | 32 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 496 | 16 |
| 22 | 29 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 496 | 15 |
| 23 | 5 | 24 | William Byron(R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 496 | 14 |
| 24 | 12 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 495 | 13 |
| 25 | 39 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 493 | 12 |
| 26 | 35 | 15 | Ross Chastain(i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 492 | 0 |
| 27 | 40 | 23 | Blake Jones | BK Racing | Toyota | 485 | 10 |
| 28 | 37 | 66 | Timmy Hill(i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 481 | 0 |
| 29 | 20 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 435 | 8 |
| 30 | 17 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 431 | 7 |
| 31 | 8 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 428 | 19 |
| 32 | 34 | 7 | J. J. Yeley(i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 423 | 0 |
| 33 | 36 | 51 | Reed Sorenson | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 338 | 4 |
| 34 | 30 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 234 | 3 |
| 35 | 33 | 96 | Jesse Little(i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 59 | 0 |
| 36 | 4 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 28 | 1 |
| 37 | 31 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 10 | 1 |
| 38 | 27 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr.(R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 | 1 |
| 39 | 25 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 1 | 1 |
| 40 | 38 | 99 | Gray Gaulding | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 1 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side.Rick Allen, 2008 Bristol winnerJeff Burton,Steve Letarte and 2004 Bristol winnerDale Earnhardt Jr. had the call in the booth for the race.Dave Burns,Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider andKelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.
| NBCSN | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap:Rick Allen Color-commentator:Jeff Burton Color-commentator:Steve Letarte Color-commentator:Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dave Burns Parker Kligerman Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
ThePerformance Racing Network had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| PRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Mark Garrow Announcer:Wendy Venturini | Backstretch: Rob Albright | Brad Gillie Brett McMillan Jim Noble Steve Richards |
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| Previous race: 2018 Consumers Energy 400 | Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2018 season | Next race: 2018 Bojangles' Southern 500 |
