# 2018 KC Masterpiece 400

The KC Masterpiece 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on May 12, 2018, at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) asphalt speedway, it was the 12th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

## Report
### Background

Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. It was built in 2001 and hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The Verizon IndyCar Series also raced at here until 2011. The speedway is owned and operated by the International Speedway Corporation.

#### Entry list

Matt Kenseth, who last raced in the 2017 Ford EcoBoost 400, made his first Cup series return, in the No. 6 for Roush Fenway Racing, doing so part-time. This was also the first Cup race since the 2014 Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 where Trevor Bayne did not participate.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 00 | Landon Cassill | 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 | Matt Kenseth | 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 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 55 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 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 |
| Official entry list ||||

## Final Practice

Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 29.009 seconds and a speed of 186.149 mph (299.578 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.009 | 186.149 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 29.035 | 185.982 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.163 | 185.166 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Kevin Harvick scored the pole for the race with a time of 28.600 and a speed of 188.811 mph (303.862 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.569 | 28.556 | 28.600 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 28.565 | 28.722 | 28.750 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.760 | 28.760 | 28.792 |
| 4 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.666 | 28.790 | 28.811 |
| 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 28.841 | 28.909 | 28.916 |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.974 | 29.013 | 28.963 |
| 7 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 29.011 | 28.882 | 29.001 |
| 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.746 | 28.850 | 29.002 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 28.812 | 28.816 | 29.048 |
| 10 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 28.904 | 29.007 | 29.080 |
| 11 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 28.749 | 28.961 | 29.115 |
| 12 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.841 | 28.862 | 29.169 |
| 13 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.991 | 29.051 | — |
| 14 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.962 | 29.090 | — |
| 15 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.995 | 29.094 | — |
| 16 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.879 | 29.101 | — |
| 17 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.980 | 29.173 | — |
| 18 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 29.027 | 29.281 | — |
| 19 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.833 | 29.311 | — |
| 20 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.132 | 29.321 | — |
| 21 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.128 | 29.367 | — |
| 22 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.618 | 0.000 | — |
| 23 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.087 | 0.000 | — |
| 24 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 29.131 | 0.000 | — |
| 25 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.214 | — | — |
| 26 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 29.558 | — | — |
| 27 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.943 | — | — |
| 28 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.031 | — | — |
| 29 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 30.035 | — | — |
| 30 | 55 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.181 | — | — |
| 31 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 30.216 | — | — |
| 32 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 30.623 | — | — |
| 33 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 0.000 | — | — |
| 34 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| 35 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 0.000 | — | — |
| 36 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 0.000 | — | — |
| 37 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 0.000 | — | — |
| 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 0.000 | — | — |
| Official qualifying results ||||||||

## Race
### Stage Results

Stage 1 Laps: 80
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage 2 Laps: 80
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage 3 Laps: 107
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 58 |
| 2 | 7 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 267 | 36 |
| 3 | 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 47 |
| 4 | 22 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 49 |
| 5 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 36 |
| 6 | 11 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 267 | 31 |
| 7 | 12 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 32 |
| 8 | 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 35 |
| 9 | 4 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 38 |
| 10 | 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 37 |
| 11 | 16 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 26 |
| 12 | 17 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 25 |
| 13 | 20 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 267 | 24 |
| 14 | 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 31 |
| 15 | 33 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 267 | 26 |
| 16 | 18 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 21 |
| 17 | 25 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 20 |
| 18 | 19 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 19 |
| 19 | 23 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 265 | 18 |
| 20 | 36 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 265 | 17 |
| 21 | 34 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 264 | 16 |
| 22 | 37 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 263 | 15 |
| 23 | 21 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 262 | 14 |
| 24 | 27 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 262 | 13 |
| 25 | 31 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 260 | 12 |
| 26 | 28 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 259 | 0 |
| 27 | 30 | 55 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 259 | 10 |
| 28 | 14 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 258 | 9 |
| 29 | 29 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 257 | 8 |
| 30 | 15 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 253 | 7 |
| 31 | 24 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 253 | 6 |
| 32 | 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 253 | 0 |
| 33 | 13 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 252 | 4 |
| 34 | 10 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 252 | 3 |
| 35 | 32 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 251 | 0 |
| 36 | 35 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 250 | 1 |
| 37 | 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 247 | 19 |
| 38 | 26 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 247 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 7 among different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 6 for 31
* Red flags: 1 for 13 minutes and 13 seconds
* Time of race: 2 hours, 53 minutes and 38 seconds
* Average speed: 128.395 miles per hour (206.632 km/h)

## Media
### Television

Fox Sports covered their eighth race at the Kansas Speedway. Mike Joy, three-time Kansas winner Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip called in the booth for the race. Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum handled the action on pit road for the television side.
FS1 :
| 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 was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace called the race in the booth when the field raced through the tri-oval. Dave Moody covered the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 2 when the field is racing through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform outside turn 4. Pete Pistone, Kim Coon, and Steve Post worked pit road for the radio side.
MRN Radio :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley | Pete Pistone Kim Coon Steve Post |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Kyle Busch | 503 |
| | 2 | Joey Logano | 491 (–12) |
| | 3 | Kevin Harvick | 484 (–19) |
| 1 | 4 | Brad Keselowski | 396 (–107) |
| 1 | 5 | Kurt Busch | 393 (–110) |
| 2 | 6 | Clint Bowyer | 386 (–117) |
| 1 | 7 | Denny Hamlin | 380 (–123) |
| 1 | 8 | Martin Truex Jr. | 376 (–127) |
| 2 | 9 | Ryan Blaney | 365 (–138) |
| | 10 | Kyle Larson | 356 (–147) |
| | 11 | Aric Almirola | 342 (–161) |
| | 12 | Jimmie Johnson | 286 (–217) |
| | 13 | Erik Jones | 285 (–218) |
| | 14 | Alex Bowman | 271 (–232) |
| | 15 | Chase Elliott | 266 (–237) |
| | 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 265 (–238) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| | Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| | 1 | Ford | 439 |
| | 2 | Toyota | 427 (–12) |
| | 3 | Chevrolet | 392 (–47) |
| Official manufacturers' standings ||||