The 2018 FireKeepers Casino 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on June 10, 2018 at Michigan International Speedway in Cambridge Township, Michigan. The 15th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, it was scheduled for 200 laps of the D-shaped oval, but was shortened to 133 laps due to rain.
Clint Bowyer took his second victory of the season and his tenth win overall.
Report
Background
The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Cambridge Township, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by NASCAR. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).
Entry list 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 7 D. J. Kennington Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 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 Bubba Wallace (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 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 99 Garrett Smithley (i) StarCom Racing ChevroletOfficial entry list
First practice Ryan Blaney was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 35.535 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 35.535 202.617 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 35.655 201.935 3 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 35.667 201.867Official first practice results
Qualifying
Kurt Busch scored the pole for the race with a time of 35.405 and a speed of .
Qualifying results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 141 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas RacingFord 35.958 35.686 35.405 22 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 35.739 35.692 35.439 318 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 36.135 35.635 35.447 44 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas RacingFord 35.503 35.452 35.476 522 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 35.786 35.701 35.614 610 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas RacingFord 35.888 35.896 35.713 717 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 35.969 35.877 35.774 820 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 36.058 35.877 35.796 912 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 35.662 35.647 35.858 1011 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 36.009 35.801 35.928 1131 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 35.914 35.848 35.989 1214 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas RacingFord 36.041 35.826 36.039 139 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 35.987 35.904 — 1424 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 36.114 35.912 — 1521 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 35.802 35.941 — 163 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 35.994 35.942 — 1778 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 36.097 35.959 — 1837 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 36.082 35.985 — 196 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 36.049 36.035 — 2048 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 36.044 36.039 — 2188 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 35.877 36.054 — 2219 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 36.154 36.064 — 2334 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 36.129 36.116 — 241 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 36.127 36.126 — 2547 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 36.172 — — 2642 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 36.181 — — 2738 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 36.228 — — 2843 Bubba Wallace (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 36.262 — — 2995 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 36.372 — — 3032 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 36.418 — — 3113 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 36.564 — — 3272 Corey LaJoie TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 37.030 — — 3315 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 37.081 — — 3423 Gray Gaulding BK Racing Toyota 37.374 — — 3551 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 37.484 — — 3600 Landon Cassill StarCom Racing Chevrolet 37.765 — — 377 D. J. Kennington Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 38.319 — — 3866 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 38.617 — — 3999 Garrett Smithley (i) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 38.618 — —Official qualifying results
Practice (post-qualifying)
Second practice Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 35.871 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 35.871 200.719 2 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 35.985 200.083 3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 36.036 199.800Official second practice results
Final practice Final practice session for Saturday was cancelled due to rain.
Race
Stage results
Stage 1 Laps: 60
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 102 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 93 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 84 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 75 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 66 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 57 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 48 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 210 10 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 1Official stage one results
Stage 2 Laps: 60
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 102 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 93 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 84 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 75 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 66 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 57 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 48 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 39 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 210 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1Official stage two results
Final stage results
Stage 3 Laps: 80
Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points1 12 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 133 572 4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 133 523 1 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 133 464 3 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 133 405 15 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 133 386 2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 133 407 5 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 133 388 9 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 133 449 13 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 133 2810 24 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 133 3011 6 10 Aric Almirola Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 133 2712 10 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 133 3113 14 24 William Byron (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 133 2814 16 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 133 2315 8 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 133 2416 21 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 133 2117 25 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 133 2018 17 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Toyota 133 1919 28 43 Bubba Wallace (R) Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 133 1820 20 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 133 1721 31 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 133 1622 11 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 133 1523 29 95 Kasey Kahne Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 133 1424 18 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 133 1325 23 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 133 1226 33 15 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 133 027 32 72 Corey LaJoie TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 133 1028 26 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 133 1829 7 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 133 830 22 19 Daniel Suárez Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 132 731 34 23 Gray Gaulding BK Racing Toyota 132 632 36 00 Landon Cassill StarCom Racing Chevrolet 132 533 19 6 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 132 434 37 7 D. J. Kennington Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 132 335 38 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 132 036 30 32 Matt DiBenedetto Go Fas Racing Ford 131 137 35 51 B. J. McLeod (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 131 038 27 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 35 139 39 99 Garrett Smithley (i) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 1 0Official race results
Race statistics Lead changes: 9 among 7 different drivers Cautions/Laps: 8 for 30 laps Red flags: 1 Time of race: 2 hours, 15 seconds Average speed:
Media
Television Fox NASCAR televised the race in the United States on FOX for the seventh time at Michigan. Mike Joy was the lap-by-lap announcer, while three-time Michigan winner Jeff Gordon and two-time Michigan winner Darrell Waltrip were the color commentators. Jamie Little, Regan Smith and Matt Yocum reported from pit lane during the race.
FOX TelevisionBooth announcersPit reporters Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color commentator: Jeff Gordon Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip Jamie LittleRegan SmithMatt Yocum
Radio Radio coverage of the race was broadcast by Motor Racing Network (MRN) and simulcasted on SiriusXM's NASCAR Radio channel. Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and five-time Michigan winner Rusty Wallace announced the race in the booth while the field was racing on the frontstretch. Dave Moody called the race from a billboard outside of turn 2 when the field was racing through turns 1 and 2, and Mike Bagley called the race from a platform outside of turn 3 when the field was racing through turns 3 and 4. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley and Steve Post reported from pit lane during the race.
MRNBooth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters Lead announcer: Joe MooreAnnouncer: Jeff StriegleAnnouncer: Rusty Wallace Turns 1 & 2: Dave MoodyTurns 3 & 4: Buddy Long Alex HaydenWinston KelleySteve Post
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Kyle Busch 664 2 Kevin Harvick 589 (–75) 3 Joey Logano 566 (–98) 1 4 Brad Keselowski 514 (–150) 1 5 Clint Bowyer 510 (–154) 2 6 Martin Truex Jr. 506 (–158) 7 Kurt Busch 493 (–171) 8 Denny Hamlin 468 (–196) 1 9 Ryan Blaney 457 (–207) 1 10 Kyle Larson 443 (–221) 11 Aric Almirola 433 (–231) 12 Jimmie Johnson 377 (–287) 13 Chase Elliott 362 (–302) 14 Erik Jones 346 (–318) 1 15 Alex Bowman 331 (–333) 1 16 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 327 (–337)Official driver's standings
Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 1 Ford 545 1 2 Toyota 540 (–5) 3 Chevrolet 479 (–66)Official manufacturers' standings
Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings. . – Driver has clinched a position in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
References