# 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race (XXXIV) was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stock car exhibition race held on May 19, 2018 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 93 laps—extended from 80 laps due to an overtime finish, it was the second exhibition race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

## Report
### Background

The All-Star Race was open to race winners from last season through the 2018 KC Masterpiece 400 at Kansas Speedway and all previous All-Star race winners and Monster Race NASCAR Cup champions who had attempted to qualify for every race in 2018 were eligible to compete in the All-Star Race.

#### Entry list
##### Monster Energy Open

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | 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 |
| 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | 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 |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

##### Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 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 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota |
| 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Monster Energy Open/All-Star practice

Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the Open/All-Star practice session with a time of 31.689 seconds and a speed of 170.406 mph (274.242 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 31.689 | 170.406 |
| 2 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 31.858 | 169.502 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 31.872 | 169.428 |
| Official Monster Energy Open/All-Star practice results |||||||

## Qualifying (Open)

Open qualifying for Friday was cancelled due to weather and Aric Almirola was awarded the pole as a result.

### Starting Lineup (Open)

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 2 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 3 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 6 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 8 | 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 11 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 13 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford |
| 14 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 15 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | Tri-Star Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 16 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 18 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 20 | 55 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 21 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| Official Open starting lineup |||||

## Qualifying (All-Star Race)

Matt Kenseth scored the pole for the race with a time of 127.644 and a speed of 126.915 mph (204.250 km/h).

### All-Star Race qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time |
| 1 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 127.644 |
| 2 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 128.137 |
| 3 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 128.334 |
| 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 128.741 |
| 5 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 128.944 |
| 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 129.072 |
| 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 129.159 |
| 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 129.639 |
| 9 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 129.872 |
| 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 130.501 |
| 11 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 131.043 |
| 12 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 131.595 |
| 13 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 133.850 |
| 14 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 135.866 |
| 15 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 135.996 |
| 16 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 137.776 |
| 17 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 145.643 |
| Official All-Star qualifying results ||||||

## Monster Energy Open
### Monster Energy Open results

| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 9 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 2 | 2 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 50 |
| 3 | 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 4 | 5 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 50 |
| 5 | 11 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 6 | 1 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 50 |
| 7 | 6 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 8 | 14 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 9 | 10 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 50 |
| 10 | 12 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 50 |
| 11 | 8 | 43 | Bubba Wallace (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 12 | 13 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 50 |
| 13 | 17 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 14 | 18 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 50 |
| 15 | 15 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 16 | 19 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 17 | 16 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 18 | 21 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 50 |
| 19 | 20 | 55 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 |
| 20 | 7 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 40 |
| 21 | 3 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20 |
| ^a Winner of the second segment. ^b Winner of the first segment. |||||||
| Monster Energy Open race results |||||||

## All-Star Race
### All-Star Race results

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 93 |
| 2 | 19 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 93 |
| 3 | 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 93 |
| 4 | 14 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 93 |
| 5 | 21 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 93 |
| 6 | 11 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 93 |
| 7 | 16 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 93 |
| 8 | 20 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 93 |
| 9 | 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 93 |
| 10 | 17 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 93 |
| 11 | 2 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 93 |
| 12 | 9 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 93 |
| 13 | 12 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 93 |
| 14 | 1 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 93 |
| 15 | 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 93 |
| 16 | 13 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 93 |
| 17 | 5 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 75 |
| 18 | 15 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 74 |
| 19 | 3 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 74 |
| 20 | 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 74 |
| 21 | 18 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 68 |
| Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race results |||||||

## Media
### Television

Fox Sports was the television broadcaster of the race in the United States. Lap-by-lap announcer, Mike Joy, was accompanied on the broadcast by retired NASCAR drivers, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip. Jamie Little, Vince Welch, and Matt Yocum reported from pit lane.
FS1 Television :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip | Jamie Little Vince Welch Matt Yocum |

### Radio

Motor Racing Network (MRN) continued their longstanding relationship with the track to broadcast the race on radio. The lead announcers for the race's broadcast were Mike Bagley, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace. The network also implemented two announcers on each side of the track: Dave Moody in turns 1 and 2 and Kyle Rickey in turns 3 and 4. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelly, Kim Coon, and Steve Post were the network's pit lane reporters. The network's broadcast was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
MRN Radio :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Mike Bagley Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Dillon Welch | Alex Hayden Winston Kelly Kim Coon Steve Post |