2018_Bojangles'_Southern_500
2018 Bojangles' Southern 500
Motor car race
The 2018 Bojangles' Southern 500, the 62nd running of the event was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 2, 2018, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 367 laps on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped oval, it was the 25th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. This race marked the final career start for Kasey Kahne.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 25 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
|
The 2018 Bojangles' Southern 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | September 2, 2018 (2018-09-02) | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.666 km) | ||
| Average speed | 131.408 miles per hour (211.481 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 28.332 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| Laps | 284 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers |
Steve Letarte, Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (booth) Rick Allen, Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty (NBC Peacock Pitbox) | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 1.5 (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 Mike Bagley (3 & 4) | ||
Background
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.
Entry list
First practice
Denny Hamlin was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 28.543 seconds and a speed of 172.287 mph (277.269 km/h).[13]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.543 | 172.287 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.585 | 172.034 |
| 3 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 28.591 | 171.998 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
Ryan Newman was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 28.641 seconds and a speed of 171.698 mph (276.321 km/h).[14]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.641 | 171.698 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.672 | 171.512 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.754 | 171.023 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Denny Hamlin scored the pole for the race with a time of 28.332 and a speed of 173.571 mph (279.335 km/h).[15]
Qualifying results
Stage Results
Stage 1 Laps: 100
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 100
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage 3 Laps: 167
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 367 | 55 |
| 2 | 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 367 | 50 |
| 3 | 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 54 |
| 4 | 22 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 39 |
| 5 | 11 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 | 40 |
| 6 | 9 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 39 |
| 7 | 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 | 35 |
| 8 | 7 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 | 44 |
| 9 | 31 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 30 |
| 10 | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 | 31 |
| 11 | 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 367 | 34 |
| 12 | 25 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 367 | 25 |
| 13 | 19 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 24 |
| 14 | 12 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 23 |
| 15 | 21 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 367 | 22 |
| 16 | 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 21 |
| 17 | 14 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 366 | 20 |
| 18 | 23 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 366 | 19 |
| 19 | 6 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 366 | 22 |
| 20 | 26 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 365 | 17 |
| 21 | 28 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 365 | 16 |
| 22 | 24 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 365 | 15 |
| 23 | 4 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 365 | 14 |
| 24 | 29 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 364 | 13 |
| 25 | 15 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 364 | 12 |
| 26 | 27 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 363 | 11 |
| 27 | 34 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 360 | 10 |
| 28 | 33 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 360 | 0 |
| 29 | 16 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 358 | 8 |
| 30 | 35 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 357 | 0 |
| 31 | 32 | 52 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 350 | 0 |
| 32 | 37 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 347 | 0 |
| 33 | 38 | 99 | Derrike Cope | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 346 | 4 |
| 34 | 40 | 96 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 344 | 3 |
| 35 | 10 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 329 | 2 |
| 36 | 17 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 309 | 1 |
| 37 | 36 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 268 | 0 |
| 38 | 30 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 254 | 1 |
| 39 | 20 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 227 | 1 |
| 40 | 39 | 23 | Joey Gase (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 120 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 5 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 6 for 35
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 48 minutes and 54 seconds
- Average speed: 131.408 miles per hour (211.481 km/h)
Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Steve Letarte, two–time Darlington winner Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call in the booth for the race. Rick Allen, three-time Darlington winner Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty called from the NBC Peacock Pit Box on pit road. Jarrett and Petty also join Earnhardt in the booth for a portion of the race. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.
| NBCSN | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. NBC Peacock Pitbox: Rick Allen NBC Peacock Pitbox: Dale Jarrett NBC Peacock Pitbox: Kyle Petty | Dave Burns Parker Kligerman Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
Radio
The Motor Racing Network had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Dave Moody called the race from a Billboard outside of turn when the field raced through turns 1 and 2, and Mike Bagley had the call of the race atop of the Darlington Raceway Club outside of turn 3 when the field raced through turns 3 and 4
| 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: Mike Bagley | Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post |
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- "2018 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
- "Darlington Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
- "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
- "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 1, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- "Bojangles' Southern 500 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 2, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. September 3, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 29, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
- "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. September 3, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 29, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
- "Darlington final TV ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- McFadin, Daniel (September 2, 2018). "Retro Rundown 2018: Southern 500 paint schemes". NASCARTalk.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- McFadin, Daniel (August 21, 2018). "Oscar Mayer to sponsor Matt Kenseth in Southern 500". NASCARTalk.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- Utter, Jim (August 31, 2018). "Defending winner Denny Hamlin fastest in first Darlington practice". Motorsport.com. Darlington, South Carolina: Motorsport Network. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- Utter, Jim (August 31, 2018). "Ryan Newman tops Chase Elliott in final Darlington practice". Motorsport.com. Darlington, South Carolina: Motorsport Network. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- Iacobelli, Pete (September 1, 2018). "Bojangles' Southern 500". Associated Press. Darlington, South Carolina: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2018 season |
Next race: 2018 Brickyard 400 |