# 2018 TicketGuardian 500

The 2018 TicketGuardian 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on March 11, 2018, at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 312 laps on the one-mile (1.6 km) oval, it was the fourth race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. It would also be the last Phoenix race to be using the 2011 reconfiguration as the start/finish line will be moved to the back-straightaway just past turn two for the November race.

## Report
### Background

ISM Raceway, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.

#### Entry list

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 00 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Timmy Hill (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet |
| 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| Official entry list ||||

## First practice

Kyle Larson was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 26.034 seconds and a speed of 138.281 mph (222.542 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.034 | 138.281 |
| 2 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.132 | 137.762 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.151 | 137.662 |
| Official first practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Martin Truex Jr. scored the pole for the race with a time of 26.288 and a speed of 136.945 mph (220.392 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 26.704 | 26.497 | 26.288 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.706 | 26.400 | 26.346 |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.655 | 26.406 | 26.446 |
| 4 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.770 | 26.439 | 26.455 |
| 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.682 | 26.445 | 26.490 |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.685 | 26.484 | 26.496 |
| 7 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.766 | 26.551 | 26.497 |
| 8 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.653 | 26.523 | 26.504 |
| 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.771 | 26.596 | 26.564 |
| 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 26.717 | 26.566 | 26.622 |
| 11 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.829 | 26.614 | 26.708 |
| 12 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 26.840 | 26.614 | 26.711 |
| 13 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.780 | 26.615 | — |
| 14 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 26.800 | 26.631 | — |
| 15 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.932 | 26.652 | — |
| 16 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 26.938 | 26.664 | — |
| 17 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.544 | 26.665 | — |
| 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.914 | 26.667 | — |
| 19 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.772 | 26.726 | — |
| 20 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 26.930 | 26.809 | — |
| 21 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 26.953 | 26.818 | — |
| 22 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.939 | 26.850 | — |
| 23 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.940 | 26.913 | — |
| 24 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 26.941 | 26.953 | — |
| 25 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 27.012 | — | — |
| 26 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 27.024 | — | — |
| 27 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.057 | — | — |
| 28 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 27.065 | — | — |
| 29 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 27.084 | — | — |
| 30 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 27.150 | — | — |
| 31 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 27.305 | — | — |
| 32 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 27.542 | — | — |
| 33 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.612 | — | — |
| 34 | 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 27.757 | — | — |
| 35 | 51 | Timmy Hill (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 27.931 | — | — |
| 36 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.004 | — | — |
| 37 | 00 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| Official qualifying results ||||||||

## Practice (post-qualifying)
### Second practice

Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 26.705 seconds and a speed of 134.806 mph (216.949 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.705 | 134.806 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.705 | 134.806 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.735 | 134.655 |
| Official second practice results |||||||

### Final practice

Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 26.757 seconds and a speed of 134.544 mph (216.528 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.757 | 134.544 |
| 2 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.765 | 134.504 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 26.775 | 134.454 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## Race
### First stage
#### Start

Martin Truex Jr. led the field to the green flag at 3:44 p.m. The afternoon's first caution flew when the engine in Corey LaJoie’s car blew on lap 25. NASCAR had planned to have a competition caution on lap 35 but blended it into the lap-25 yellow.
The race restarted on lap 34. Kyle Larson took the lead on the same lap and led 24 laps, but then Kyle Busch took the lead and scored his first stage win of the season, leading at lap 75. Following in the top 10 were Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Joey Logano and Erik Jones. The second caution flew for conclusion of the first stage.

### Second stage

The race restarted on lap 84 and it remained green for 39 laps, until Kyle Larson lost control of his car on lap 121, slid through turn four and brought out the race’s third caution. Larson’s rear tires had been shaking before the incident.
The race restarted on lap 12. Kyle Busch took the lead on lap 129 and led 19 laps. A blown right front tire sent Chris Buescher’s car into the fourth-turn wall on lap 147, causing the fourth caution.
The race restarted on lap 150. The second stage ended with a one-lap dash because of a restart. Kurt Busch held off Brad Keselowski to win. Also in the top 10 were Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell, Ty Dillon, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer. The fifth caution flew for conclusion of the second stage.

### Final stage

The race restarted on lap 159 and remained green for 33 laps. The sixth caution flew when Paul Menard, who had reported brake issues, slid in turn two and backed hard into the outside wall, crushing the car’s rear end.
The race restarted on lap 199. Kevin Harvick held off Kyle Busch and Harvick scored his third career victory of 2018.

#### Post race

“This weekend felt like a playoff moment for us,” Harvick said. “When you have all the guys and everybody looking at the race car and the determination for every last detail. There's a lot going on in the world, but our team is very good at setting those things aside for 10 weeks during the playoffs. It felt more important to win a race this week than to win a race at Homestead for the championship.
“Actions speak a whole lot louder than words.”

### Stage Results

Stage 1 Laps: 75
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Hass Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage 2 Laps: 75
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage 3 Laps: 162
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 10 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 53 |
| 2 | 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 52 |
| 3 | 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 39 |
| 4 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 40 |
| 5 | 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 312 | 41 |
| 6 | 19 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 32 |
| 7 | 22 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 30 |
| 8 | 15 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 29 |
| 9 | 9 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 312 | 29 |
| 10 | 23 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 312 | 40 |
| 11 | 13 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 26 |
| 12 | 11 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 25 |
| 13 | 4 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 24 |
| 14 | 17 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 23 |
| 15 | 25 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 312 | 35 |
| 16 | 12 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 311 | 21 |
| 17 | 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 20 |
| 18 | 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 27 |
| 19 | 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 311 | 20 |
| 20 | 21 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 311 | 17 |
| 21 | 20 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 16 |
| 22 | 16 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 311 | 15 |
| 23 | 29 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 311 | 22 |
| 24 | 26 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 15 |
| 25 | 30 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 311 | 12 |
| 26 | 8 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 310 | 11 |
| 27 | 36 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 |
| 28 | 27 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 309 | 9 |
| 29 | 24 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 8 |
| 30 | 28 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 12 |
| 31 | 34 | 96 | D. J. Kennington | Gault Brothers Racing | Toyota | 309 | 6 |
| 32 | 31 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 308 | 11 |
| 33 | 35 | 51 | Timmy Hill (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 306 | 0 |
| 34 | 32 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 304 | 3 |
| 35 | 37 | 00 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 292 | 2 |
| 36 | 14 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 189 | 1 |
| 37 | 33 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 9 among different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 6 for 36
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 2 hours, 53 minutes and 13 seconds
* Average speed: 107.617 miles per hour (173.193 km/h)

## Media
### Television

Fox Sports covered their 14th race at the Phoenix International Raceway. Mike Joy, two-time Phoenix winner Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip had the call in the booth for the race. Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum handled the pit road duties for the television side.
Fox :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip | Jamie Little Vince Welch Matt Yocum |

### Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race which also was simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
MRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dan Hubbard Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey | Alex Hayden Glenn Jarrett Steve Post |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 2 | 1 | Kevin Harvick | 168 |
| 3 | 2 | Kyle Busch | 156 (–12) |
| 1 | 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 156 (–12) |
| 3 | 4 | Joey Logano | 152 (–16) |
| 3 | 5 | Ryan Blaney | 152 (–16) |
| 2 | 6 | Denny Hamlin | 137 (–31) |
| | 7 | Brad Keselowski | 134 (–34) |
| 2 | 8 | Kyle Larson | 131 (–37) |
| 2 | 9 | Clint Bowyer | 125 (–43) |
| 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | 123 (–45) |
| 2 | 11 | Kurt Busch | 117 (–51) |
| 2 | 12 | Austin Dillon | 114 (–54) |
| 1 | 13 | Ryan Newman | 101 (–67) |
| 5 | 14 | Paul Menard | 97 (–71) |
| 4 | 15 | Erik Jones | 93 (–75) |
| 5 | 16 | Chase Elliott | 91 (–77) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| | Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| | 1 | Ford | 145 |
| 1 | 2 | Toyota | 137 (–8) |
| 1 | 3 | Chevrolet | 136 (–9) |
| Official manufacturers' standings ||||