2018 Ford EcoBoost 400

2018 Ford EcoBoost 400

Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Race 36 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Date	November 18, 2018 (2018-11-18)
Location	Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance	267 laps, 400.5 mi (640.8 km)
Average speed	133.056 miles per hour (214.133 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing
Time	31.059
Most laps led
Driver	Joey Logano	Team Penske
Laps	80
Winner
No. 22	Joey Logano	Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network	NBC
Announcers	Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Nielsen Ratings	2.5 (Overnight)[11]
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)

The 2018 Ford EcoBoost 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on November 18, 2018, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) oval, it was the 36th and final race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Joey Logano won the race, claiming his first Cup Series championship. This was the final race for the Ford Fusion, as it was replaced in the 2019 season by the Mustang GT. This race was also the final start for Furniture Row Racing and BK Racing.

Homestead-Miami Speedway is a motor racing track located in Homestead, Florida. The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, including NASCAR, the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and the Championship Cup Series.

From 2002 to 2019, Homestead–Miami Speedway hosted the final race of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Ford Motor Company sponsored all three of the season-ending races, under the names Ford EcoBoost 400, Ford EcoBoost 300, and Ford EcoBoost 200, respectively. The weekend itself was marketed as Ford Championship Weekend. The Xfinity Series held its season-ending races at Homestead from 1995 until 2020, when it was moved to Phoenix Raceway, along with NASCAR's other two series.

Joey Logano was the first of the four drivers to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, winning the first race of the Round of 8 at Martinsville.

Kyle Busch clinched the second spot in the Championship 4 based on points at the Phoenix race when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. crashed out of the race and finished 33rd. Busch had to finish at least 33rd to be locked in on points. He later clinched a playoff berth anyway by winning the race.

Martin Truex Jr. clinched the third spot in the Championship 4 based on points.

Kevin Harvick clinched the final spot based on points after his Texas win was encumbered after a spoiler violation.

Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 31.035 seconds and a speed of 173.997 mph (280.021 km/h).^[12]

Denny Hamlin scored the pole for the race with a time of 31.059 and a speed of 173.863 mph (279.805 km/h).^[13]

Joey Logano was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 31.838 seconds and a speed of 169.609 mph (272.959 km/h).^[14]

Joey Logano was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 31.450 seconds and a speed of 171.701 mph (276.326 km/h).^[15]

Note: Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Busch were not eligible for stage points in this race because of their participation as the Championship 4 drivers.

Stage 1 Laps: 80

Stage 2 Laps: 80

Stage 3 Laps: 107

• Lead changes: 7 among different drivers
• Cautions/Laps: 5 for 26
• Red flags: 0
• Time of race: 3 hours, 0 minutes and 36 seconds
• Average speed: 133.056 miles per hour (214.133 km/h)

NBC covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race. While the race itself aired on NBC, NBCSN aired NBCSN NASCAR Hot Pass, a simultaneous live feed dedicated to each of the Championship drivers, with commentary by Leigh Diffey and Dale Jarrett. Also, three different angles from in-car cameras and a track map tracked the driver's position and changes throughout the field.

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Pos Driver Points 1 Joey Logano 5,040 1 2 Martin Truex Jr. 5,035 (–5) 1 3 Kevin Harvick 5,034 (–6) 2 4 Kyle Busch 5,033 (–7) 2 5 Aric Almirola 2,354 (–2,686) 1 6 Chase Elliott 2,350 (–2,690) 1 7 Kurt Busch 2,350 (–2,690) 8 Brad Keselowski 2,343 (–2,697) 1 9 Kyle Larson 2,299 (–2,741) 1 10 Ryan Blaney 2,298 (–2,742) 11 Denny Hamlin 2,285 (–2,755) 12 Clint Bowyer 2,272 (–2,768) 13 Austin Dillon 2,245 (–2,795) 14 Jimmie Johnson 2,242 (–2,798) 15 Erik Jones 2,220 (–2,820) 16 Alex Bowman 2,204 (–2,836) Official driver's standings

Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Ford 1,310 2 Toyota 1,286 (–24) 3 Chevrolet 1,187 (–123) Official manufacturers' standings Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.