# 2018 Go Bowling at The Glen

The 2018 Go Bowling at The Glen was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on August 5, 2018 at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. Contested over 90 laps on the 2.45-mile (3.94 km) road course, it was the 22nd race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Chase Elliott scored his first career win in this race after holding off a hard-charging Martin Truex Jr. who was the defending winner from last year. This was the final race for Brian France as the CEO of NASCAR, as he was arrested for DUI hours after the race occurred. Jim France was the CEO starting at Michigan.

## Report
### Background

Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen") is an automobile race track located in Watkins Glen, New York at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980), but the site has been home to road racing of nearly every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series.
Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956 a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968 the race was extended to six hours, becoming the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The circuit's current layout has more or less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill Esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 after J.D. McDuffie's fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event.
The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers. The facility is currently owned by International Speedway Corporation.

#### Entry list

| 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 | Spencer Gallagher (i) | 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 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 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 |
| 96 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice
### First practice

Erik Jones was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 1:10.467 and a speed of 125.165 mph (201.434 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:10.467 | 125.165 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:10.983 | 124.255 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 1:11.328 | 123.654 |
| Official first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

Chase Elliott was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 1:10.832 and a speed of 124.520 mph (200.396 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:10.832 | 124.520 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:10.920 | 124.365 |
| 3 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1:11.141 | 123.979 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Denny Hamlin scored the pole for the race with a time of 1:10.260 and a speed of 125.534 mph (202.027 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:10.919 | 1:10.260 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:10.736 | 1:10.320 |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:10.489 | 1:10.323 |
| 4 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 1:10.779 | 1:10.418 |
| 5 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 1:10.961 | 1:10.687 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 1:10.857 | 1:10.721 |
| 7 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1:11.030 | 1:10.820 |
| 8 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 1:10.981 | 1:10.891 |
| 9 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:10.754 | 1:10.897 |
| 10 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 1:11.077 | 1:10.897 |
| 11 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 1:11.035 | 1:10.951 |
| 12 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 1:11.051 | 1:10.969 |
| 13 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:11.085 | — |
| 14 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 1:11.161 | — |
| 15 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1:11.167 | — |
| 16 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:11.194 | — |
| 17 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 1:11.196 | — |
| 18 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1:11.211 | — |
| 19 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:11.233 | — |
| 20 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 1:11.235 | — |
| 21 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:11.298 | — |
| 22 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:11.387 | — |
| 23 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1:11.406 | — |
| 24 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:11.589 | — |
| 25 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 1:11.617 | — |
| 26 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1:11.871 | — |
| 27 | 96 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 1:12.038 | — |
| 28 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 1:12.201 | — |
| 29 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:12.224 | — |
| 30 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 1:12.328 | — |
| 31 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:12.791 | — |
| 32 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:13.436 | — |
| 33 | 51 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 1:13.750 | — |
| 34 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 1:13.809 | — |
| 35 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 1:14.934 | — |
| 36 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | DSQ | - |
| 37 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | DSQ | - |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race
### Stage Results

Stage 1 Laps: 20
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage 2 Laps: 20
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage 3 Laps: 50
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 50 |
| 2 | 4 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 90 | 51 |
| 3 | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 90 | 43 |
| 4 | 21 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 90 | 34 |
| 5 | 9 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 90 | 39 |
| 6 | 5 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 34 |
| 7 | 14 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 35 |
| 8 | 16 | 24 | William Byron (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 37 |
| 9 | 36 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 90 | 28 |
| 10 | 15 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 90 | 31 |
| 11 | 18 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 90 | 26 |
| 12 | 11 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 90 | 27 |
| 13 | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 90 | 32 |
| 14 | 22 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 27 |
| 15 | 8 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 22 |
| 16 | 23 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 90 | 21 |
| 17 | 17 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 90 | 26 |
| 18 | 12 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 90 | 26 |
| 19 | 19 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 23 |
| 20 | 20 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 20 |
| 21 | 10 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 16 |
| 22 | 7 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 90 | 15 |
| 23 | 30 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 14 |
| 24 | 27 | 96 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 90 | 0 |
| 25 | 29 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 89 | 12 |
| 26 | 25 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 89 | 11 |
| 27 | 24 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 89 | 10 |
| 28 | 37 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 89 | 11 |
| 29 | 26 | 6 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 89 | 9 |
| 30 | 13 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 89 | 16 |
| 31 | 35 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 88 | 6 |
| 32 | 32 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 77 | 0 |
| 33 | 28 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 75 | 4 |
| 34 | 31 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 73 | 3 |
| 35 | 34 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 73 | 0 |
| 36 | 33 | 51 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 69 | 0 |
| 37 | 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 1 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 5 among different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 4 for 11
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 2 hours, 13 minutes and 44 seconds
* Average speed: 98.928 miles per hour (159.209 km/h)

## Media
### Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen and Steve Letarte called in the regular booth for the race; Motor Racing Network broadcaster Mike Bagley called from the Esses, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call from Turn 5, and Jeff Burton called from Turns 6–7. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.
NBC :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Steve Letarte | Esses Announcer: Mike Bagley Turn 5 Announcer Dale Earnhardt Jr. Turns 6–7 Announcer Jeff Burton | Dave Burns Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |

### Radio

Motor Racing Network had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
MRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Esses: Dave Moody Inner loop & Turn 5: Kurt Becker Turn 10 & 11: Kyle Rickey | Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Kyle Busch | 934 |
| | 2 | Kevin Harvick | 864 (–70) |
| | 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 813 (–121) |
| 2 | 4 | Kurt Busch | 705 (–229) |
| | 5 | Clint Bowyer | 703 (–231) |
| 2 | 6 | Joey Logano | 691 (–243) |
| | 7 | Brad Keselowski | 670 (–264) |
| | 8 | Kyle Larson | 660 (–274) |
| | 9 | Denny Hamlin | 650 (–284) |
| | 10 | Ryan Blaney | 639 (–295) |
| 1 | 11 | Chase Elliott | 619 (–315) |
| 1 | 12 | Aric Almirola | 602 (–332) |
| 1 | 13 | Erik Jones | 572 (–362) |
| 1 | 14 | Jimmie Johnson | 563 (–371) |
| | 15 | Alex Bowman | 523 (–411) |
| | 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 461 (–473) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| | Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| | 1 | Toyota | 810 |
| | 2 | Ford | 775 (–35) |
| | 3 | Chevrolet | 715 (–95) |
| Official manufacturers' standings ||||