2018 TicketGuardian 500

The 2018 TicketGuardian 500 is a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on March 11, 2018, at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 312 laps on the 1 mile (1.6 km) oval, it will be 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====
Car number 	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	Official entry list 	Official entry list 	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 134.544 mph (216.528 km/h.
Pos 	Car number 	Driver 	Team 	Manufacturer 	Time 	MPH
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	Official first practice results	Official first practice results	Official first practice results	Official first practice results	Official first practice results	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 	Car number 	Driver 	Team 	Manufacturer 	R1 time 	R2 time 	R3 time
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	Official qualifying results	Official qualifying results	Official qualifying results	Official qualifying results	Official qualifying results	Official qualifying results	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 	
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	Official second practice results	Official second practice results	Official second practice results	Official second practice results	Official second practice results	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 	Car number 	Driver 	Team 	Manufacturer 	Time 	MPH
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	Official final practice results	Official final practice results	Official final practice results	Official final practice results	Official final practice results	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, 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, 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 127, 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 One
Laps: 75
Pos 	Car number 	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 	Hendricks 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	Official stage one results	Official stage one results	Official stage one results	Official stage one results	Official stage one results
Stage Two
Laps: 75
Pos 	Car number 	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	Official stage two results	Official stage two results	Official stage two results	Official stage two results	Official stage two results
===Final Stage Results===
Stage Three
Laps: 162
Pos 	Grid 	Car number 	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	Official race results	Official race results	Official race results 	Official race results 	Official race results	Official race results	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 	Fox
Booth announcers 	Pit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Mike JoyColor-commentator: Jeff GordonColor commentator: Darrell Waltrip	Jamie LittleVince WelchMatt Yocum
===Radio===
MRN had the radio call for the race which also was simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
MRN 	MRN 	MRN
Booth announcers 	Turn announcers 	Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Joe MooreAnnouncer: Jeff StriegleAnnouncer: Rusty Wallace	Turns 1 & 2: Dan HubbardTurns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey	Alex HaydenGlenn JarrettSteve Post
==Standings after the race==
===Drivers' Championship standings===
 	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	Official driver's standings	Official driver's standings	Official driver's standings	Official driver's standings	Official driver's standings	Official driver's standings	Official driver's standings	Official driver's standings
===Manufacturers' Championship standings===
 	Pos 	Manufacturer 	Points 	 	 	 	 	
 	1 	Ford 	145 	 	 	 	 	
1 	2 	Toyota 	137 (–8) 	 	 	 	 	
1 	3 	Chevrolet 	136 (–9) 	 	 	 	 	
Official manufacturers' standings	Official manufacturers' standings	Official manufacturers' standings	Official manufacturers' standings	Official manufacturers' standings	Official manufacturers' standings	Official manufacturers' standings	Official manufacturers' standings	Official manufacturers' standings
*Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.
==References==