# 2018 Auto Club 400

The 2018 Auto Club 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on March 18, 2018, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 200 laps on the two-mile (3.2 km) D-shaped oval, it was the fifth race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

## Report
### Background

Auto Club Speedway (previously California Speedway) was a two-mile (3.2 km), low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which hosted NASCAR racing annually from 1997 to 2023. It was also used for open wheel racing events. The racetrack was located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and Riverside International Raceway. The track was owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and was the only track owned by ISC to have its naming rights sold. The speedway was served by the nearby Interstate 10 and Interstate 15 freeways as well as a Metrolink station located behind the backstretch.

#### 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 | Toyota |
| 55 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 72 | Cole Whitt | 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 ||||

## First practice

Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 38.082 seconds and a speed of 189.066 mph (304.272 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.082 | 189.066 |
| 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.255 | 188.211 |
| 3 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.311 | 187.936 |
| Official first practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Martin Truex Jr. scored the pole for the race with a time of 38.592 and a speed of 186.567 mph (300.250 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 38.390 | 38.686 | 38.592 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 38.847 | 38.411 | 38.619 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 38.193 | 38.491 | 38.683 |
| 4 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 38.555 | 38.683 | 38.700 |
| 5 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 38.690 | 38.749 | 38.770 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 38.622 | 38.614 | 38.798 |
| 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.706 | 38.533 | 38.880 |
| 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 38.602 | 38.582 | 38.903 |
| 9 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 38.616 | 38.820 | 38.951 |
| 10 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.147 | 38.355 | 39.038 |
| 11 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 38.583 | 38.892 | 39.054 |
| 12 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 38.895 | 38.677 | 39.058 |
| 13 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 39.034 | 38.973 | — |
| 14 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 38.429 | 39.004 | — |
| 15 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 39.093 | 39.106 | — |
| 16 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 39.514 | 39.169 | — |
| 17 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 39.091 | 39.198 | — |
| 18 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 39.088 | 39.259 | — |
| 19 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 38.965 | 39.377 | — |
| 20 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 40.549 | 41.105 | — |
| 21 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 39.158 | 0.000 | — |
| 22 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 39.215 | 0.000 | — |
| 23 | 00 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 40.899 | 0.000 | — |
| 24 | 55 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.838 | 0.000 | — |
| 25 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0.000 | — | — |
| 26 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 0.000 | — | — |
| 27 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 0.000 | — | — |
| 28 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| 29 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| 30 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0.000 | — | — |
| 31 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| 32 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| 33 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| 34 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| 35 | 51 | Timmy Hill (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Toyota | 0.000 | — | — |
| 36 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| 37 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | 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 38.694 seconds and a speed of 186.075 mph (299.459 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.694 | 186.075 |
| 2 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 39.039 | 184.431 |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.126 | 184.021 |
| Official second practice results |||||||

### Final practice

Kyle Busch was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 38.779 seconds and a speed of 185.668 mph (298.804 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 38.779 | 185.668 |
| 2 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 38.852 | 185.319 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.019 | 184.525 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## Race
### Stage 1

Martin Truex Jr. led the field to the green flag at 3:46 p.m. Winner of three consecutive Cup races, Kevin Harvick was shooting for a higher spot in history with a fourth Sunday, but that march ended early in the race when he collided with Kyle Larson on the backstretch, bringing out the first caution on lap 39. They were running side by side when Harvick appeared to move down the track and into the side of Larson’s car. The impact sent Harvick’s car into the outside wall, causing heavy damage.
The race restarted on lap 43.
Martin Truex Jr., master of stage wins last season, scored his first of the new year, leading Kyle Busch by 3.5 seconds. Also in the top 10 were Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson, Kurt Busch, Erik Jones, Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin. The second caution of the race flew on lap 62 for the conclusion of the first stage.

### Stage 2

The race restarted on lap 67.
Trevor Bayne slapped the outside wall after slight contact with Ryan Newman. The incident produced the race’s third caution of the race, which was on lap 109. Bayne called his meeting with the wall one of the hardest of his career.
The race restarted on lap 114.
Truex scored again at the end of stage two, leading Brad Keselowski by 1.8 seconds. Following were Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson, Clint Bowyer and William Byron. The fourth caution of the race flew on lap 122 for conclusion of stage 2.

### Final stage

The race restarted on lap 127.
The fifth caution of the race flew on lap 130 when David Ragan spun out in turn 2, so Ty Dillon won the free pass under caution.
The race restarted on lap 132.
The closing portion of the race featured a battle for the lead matching Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson. With 18 laps to go, Truex had a five-second lead over Busch and Larson, who were fighting for second.
Martin Truex Jr., last year’s Cup champion, returned to victory lane — a place he visited eight times in 2017 — and, at the same time, dropped Kevin Harvick’s name from NASCAR’s marquee. At least temporarily.

#### Post race

“This is a reassurance that what we’re doing is working,” Truex said. “It just feels good to win. I don't really worry about who's winning or who else is fast. Obviously, the 4 (Harvick) has been quick and they have a great team. But, as we’ve seen today, we can put together a run like that, as well.
“It feels good to be able to find that speed.”

### Stage Results

Stage 1 Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 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 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage 2 Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage 3 Laps: 80
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 200 | 60 |
| 2 | 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 43 |
| 3 | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 51 |
| 4 | 11 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 49 |
| 5 | 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 45 |
| 6 | 25 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 39 |
| 7 | 4 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 39 |
| 8 | 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 29 |
| 9 | 33 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 38 |
| 10 | 5 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 27 |
| 11 | 26 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 199 | 30 |
| 12 | 27 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 199 | 25 |
| 13 | 28 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 24 |
| 14 | 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 199 | 27 |
| 15 | 29 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 23 |
| 16 | 31 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 21 |
| 17 | 15 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 20 |
| 18 | 16 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 199 | 19 |
| 19 | 14 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 199 | 18 |
| 20 | 19 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 17 |
| 21 | 9 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 16 |
| 22 | 32 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 15 |
| 23 | 30 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 199 | 14 |
| 24 | 34 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 13 |
| 25 | 21 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 199 | 12 |
| 26 | 22 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 199 | 11 |
| 27 | 17 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 10 |
| 28 | 37 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 9 |
| 29 | 36 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 |
| 30 | 12 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 7 |
| 31 | 18 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 196 | 6 |
| 32 | 20 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 194 | 5 |
| 33 | 35 | 51 | Timmy Hill (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Toyota | 193 | 0 |
| 34 | 24 | 55 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 3 |
| 35 | 10 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 191 | 2 |
| 36 | 23 | 00 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 189 | 1 |
| 37 | 13 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 108 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 7 among different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 5 for 21
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 2 hours, 42 minutes and 41 seconds
* Average speed: 147.526 miles per hour (237.420 km/h)

## Media
### Television

The race was the 18th race Fox Sports covered at the Auto Club Speedway. Mike Joy, three-time Auto Club winner Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip had 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 was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and 2001 race winner Rusty Wallace called the race from the booth when the field was racing down the front stretch. Dan Hubbard called race from a billboard outside turn 2 when the field was racing through turns 1 and 2. Kurt Becker called the race from a billboard outside turn 3 when the field was racing through turns 3 and 4. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley and Steve Post worked pit road for MRN.
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: Kurt Becker | Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 2 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 216 |
| | 2 | Kyle Busch | 207 (–9) |
| 1 | 3 | Joey Logano | 197 (–19) |
| 3 | 4 | Brad Keselowski | 183 (–33) |
| | 5 | Ryan Blaney | 181 (–35) |
| | 6 | Denny Hamlin | 176 (–40) |
| 1 | 7 | Kyle Larson | 174 (–42) |
| 7 | 8 | Kevin Harvick | 170 (–46) |
| | 9 | Clint Bowyer | 155 (–61) |
| | 10 | Aric Almirola | 148 (–68) |
| | 11 | Kurt Busch | 144 (–72) |
| | 12 | Austin Dillon | 141 (–75) |
| 2 | 13 | Erik Jones | 132 (–84) |
| 1 | 14 | Ryan Newman | 117 (–99) |
| 1 | 15 | Paul Menard | 115 (–101) |
| 1 | 16 | Alex Bowman | 115 (–101) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| | Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| | 1 | Ford | 178 |
| | 2 | Toyota | 177 (–1) |
| | 3 | Chevrolet | 163 (–15) |
| Official manufacturers' standings ||||