THE RACE: Ticket Guardian 500(k)
TRACK: ISM Raceway
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race #4 of 36
Date: Sunday, March 11, 2018 in Avondale, AZ
Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 3:44 pm/et
Sections on this page:
Television | Radio/Streaming | Schedule | Track/Race Info | Race Rundown
Qualifying / Practice / Entry Info | Weather Links | Tire Notes | Odds
NASCAR RaceDay: 2:00pm/et on FS1
NASCAR Sunday Pre-Race Show: 3:00pm/et on Fox
Television Race Coverage: Fox, 3:30pm/et
Practices:
Friday, March 9, 12:35pm-1:25pm/et, TV-FS1;
Saturday, March 10, 12:05pm - 12:55pm/et, TV-FS1;
Saturday, March 10, 2:30pm - 3:20pm/et, TV-FS1
Qualifying for positions 1-40, Friday, March 9 at 5:15 pm/et, TV-FS1;
re-air scheduled: None
In the Booth: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon
Pit Reporters: Jamie Little, Regan Smith, Vince Welch, Matt Yocum
In-Race Analyst: Larry McReynolds
Race / Hollywood Hotel Host: Chris Myers
Analysts / Hollywood Hotel: Jeff Gordon, Darrell and Michael Waltrip
Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
None
TV Listings, Links and Info:
see the TV Listings and Links page
Motor Racing Network (MRN)
SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90
ONLINE STREAMING
FOX Sports GO (available with participating TV provider login)
Radio: MRN Live Streaming
SiriusXM Internet Radio (available via internet connected device, with subscription)
EVENT SCHEDULE
Event Schedule times are local to the track
Friday, March 9
7:00 AM-3:00 PM NASCAR CREDENTIALS OPEN
7:30 AM-5:00 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
9:30 AM MENCS ROOKIE MEETING, SPOTTER MEETING, & RANDOM DRAWING
10:35 AM-11:25 AM MENCS 1ST PRACTICE
3:15 PM (5:15 PM/ET) MENCS QUALIFYING (MULTI-VEHICLE / THREE ROUNDS)
Saturday, March 10
7:30 AM-3:00 PM NASCAR CREDENTIALS OPEN
8:30 AM-4:00 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
10:05 AM-10:55 AM MENCS 2ND PRACTICE
12:30 PM-1:20 PM MENCS FINAL PRACTICE
Sunday, March 11
7:00 AM-1:00 PM NASCAR CREDENTIALS OPEN
7:00 AM MENCS GARAGE OPENS
-10:30 AM MENCS DRIVER / CREW CHIEF MEETING (TENT)
-11:50 AM MENCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
12:30 PM (3:30 PM/ET) MENCS RACE (312 LAPS, 312 MILES)
MENCS = Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ISM Raceway Track News, Stats & Links page
March 2017: see the Phoenix Race Info page
November 2017: see the Phoenix Race Info page
Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: Bryan Derbyshire, CEO of TicketGuardian
Command to start engines: Bryan Derbyshire
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: TBA
Honorary Pace Car Driver: TBA
Color Guard: Luke Air Force Base Color Guard
Invocation: Pastor Tim Griffin, Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students
National Anthem: Finalist from Season 13 of NBC's "The Voice," country soul singer, Keisha Renee
Flyover: 2 F-35s from the 61st Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base
Sunday ISM Raceway Notebook: Chase Elliott finishes off a strong Sunday in third place; Aric Almirola continues solid, consistent run; Denny Hamlin frustrates the race winner before losing the lead.[More](3-11-2018)
Saturday ISM Raceway Notebook: Brexton Busch has high-speed driving in his DNA; Michael McDowell helps ramp up performance at front row; Short Strokes.[More](3-10-2018)
Friday Phoenix Notebook: Hendrick Motorsports is back; Bubba Wallace searches for speed after disappointing run; Justin Allgaier notes seamless transition to flange-fit body; Short Strokes.[More](3-9-2018)
ISM Raceway Weekend Preview: #NASCARGoesWest: ISM Raceway; On The Move.[More](3-8-2018)
What to Watch For: Phoenix: Kevin Harvick Owns 2018; Kevin Harvick Also Owns Phoenix; Ending Droughts in the Desert; Who's Hot and Who's Not - Phoenix[More](3-8-2018)
A look at many news, notes and story lines for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway, see the stats on the NASCAR National Series News & Notes -- ISM Raceway
A look at some of the top statistical performers and top driver ratings at ISM Raceway, see the stats on the Statistical Advance - Analyzing ISM Raceway page
Kevin Harvick triumphs at ISM Raceway for gratifying third straight win: As the old aphorism goes, there's nothing certain except death and taxes. After Sunday's TicketGuardian 500 at ISM Raceway, you can add Kevin Harvick at Phoenix to that list.[More](3-11-2018)
Kevin Harvick won the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway. The win is his 3rd consecutive of 2018, 9th win at Phoenix and 40th career win. It is the first time in his career that he has won three races in a row.
#18-Busch finished 2nd followed by #9-Elliott, #11-Hamlin, pole sitter #78-Truex, Jr., #14-Bowyer, #10-Almirola, #19-Suarez, #20-Jones, and #41-Busch
Stage 1 was won by #18-Busch, finished 2nd.
Stage 2 was won by #41-Busch, finished 10th.
There were 15 lead changes among 9 drivers and 6 cautions for 36 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 108.073mph.
See unofficial race results, awards, laps led, cautions and more at:
Unofficial Race Results (pdf)
Cumulative Report (pdf)
Penalty Report (pdf)
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Race & Points Report (pdf).
Race Fast Facts - ISM Raceway
Kevin Harvick won the 14th Annual TicketGuardian 500, his 40th victory in 614 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
This is his third victory and third top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his ninth victory and 20th top-10 finish in 31 races at ISM Raceway.
Kyle Busch (second) posted his 18th top-10 finish in 26 races at ISM Raceway. It is his third top-10 finish in 2018.
Chase Elliott (third) posted his fourth top-10 finish in five races at ISM Raceway.
William Byron (12th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kevin Harvick leads the point standings by 12 points over Kyle Busch.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(3-11-2018)
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Driver Chase Standings:
[after ISM Raceway, race 4 of 36]
#4-Kevin Harvick [3 wins - 2 can be used for playoffs], 168
#3-Austin Dillon [1 win], 114, -54
#18-Kyle Busch, 156, -12
#78-Martin Truex Jr., 156, -12
#22-Joey Logano, 152, -16
#12-Ryan Blaney, 152, -16
#11-Denny Hamlin, 137, -31
#2-Brad Keselowski, 134, -34
#42-Kyle Larson, 131, -37
#14-Clint Bowyer, 125, -43
#10-Aric Almirola, 123, -45
#41-Kurt Busch, 117, -51
#31-Ryan Newman, 101, -67
#21-Paul Menard, 97, -71
#20-Erik Jones, 93, -75
#9-Chase Elliott, 91, -77
See the Unofficial Drivers Points Standings page (pdf) and Unofficial Owners Points Standings page (pdf)
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Race & Points Report (pdf).
Top-Ten Stage 2 Results (lap 150) of the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway (lap 150/312):
#41-Busch, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#2-Keselowski, 9pts
#17-Stenhouse, Jr., 8pts
#18-Busch, 7pts
#34-McDowell, 6pts
#13-Dillon, 5pts
#4-Harvick, 4pts
#78-Truex, Jr., 3pts
#95-Kahne, 2pts
#14-Bowyer, 1pt
Top-Ten Stage 1 Results (lap 75) of the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway (lap 75/312):
#18-Busch, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#4-Harvick, 9pts
#42-Larson, 8pts
#11-Hamlin, 7pts
#78-Truex, Jr., 6pts
#9-Elliott, 5pts
#2-Keselowski, 4pts
#41-Busch, 3pts
#22-Logano, 2pts
#20-Jones, 1pt
Lucky Dogs, drivers that got a lap during the cautions (and their finish):
Caution 1: #51-Hill, 33rd
Caution 2: #15-Chastain, 27th
Caution 3: #95-Kahne, 24th
Caution 4: None, #37-Buescher brought out the caution.
Caution 5: #43-Wallace, 28th
Caution 6: #96-Kennington, 31st
Sunday pre-race schedule at Phoenix (Eastern time):
3:00pm: Driver Introductions
3:30pm: Presentation of Colors: Luke Air Force Base Color Guard
3:30pm: Invocation: Pastor Tim Griffin, Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Grand Canyon University.
3:31pm: National Anthem: Finalist from Season 13 of NBC's "The Voice," country soul singer, Keisha Renee
3:32pm: Flyover: (2) F-35s from the 61st Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base
3:37pm: "Drivers, Start Your Engines:" Bryan Derbyshire, CEO of TicketGuardian, along with wife Kristen and son Hudson
3:44pm: Green Flag: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series TicketGuardian 500, FOX / MRN / SiriusXM
See the starting lineup for the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway on the Starting Lineup Page (pdf).
To the rear: #17-Stenhouse, Jr. (backup car), #00-Earnhardt (backup car), #96-Kennington (tire change)
NASCAR Overtime Race Procedure: Rule and notes on the NASCAR Overtime rules/news/stats page.
Wave Around: how the wave around rule works: All vehicles between the leader and the caution vehicle at the start/finish line when the "one to go" signal is given by the starter are considered "Wave Around" eligible. "Wave Around" vehicles will not be permitted to enter pit road at any time during this yellow flag/caution period. "Wave Around" vehicles must receive the green flag on the race track before being permitted to enter pit road without a penalty. Vehicles under a penalty and the "Free Pass" vehicle will not be eligible to receive a "Wave Around".
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway have been made.
Pole winner #78-Truex, Jr. chose pit stall 2, which is the first stall available [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole winner #42-Larson. took pit stall 16, with an opening in front of it.
#9-Elliott, who starts 3rd, took the 43rd and final pit stall.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on Jayski.com's Pit Stall Selection chart.(3-10-2018)
Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's: (will be added as available)
Official Race & Points Report
Race Results
Drivers Points
Owners Points
Cumlative Race Report
Penalty Report
Happy Hour Practice Speeds
Practice 2 Speeds
Pitstalls
Starting Lineup
Qualifying Results
Qualifying Order
Practice 1 Speeds
Latest / Final Entry List
Preliminary Entry List
See the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race results page
QUALIFYING INFO, PRACTICE SPEED and ENTRIES
Happy Hour (final) practice for the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#4-Harvick 134.544
#1-McMurray 134.504
#78-Truex, Jr. 134.454
#10-Almirola 134.213
#88-Bowman 134.193
most laps run: #22-Logano, 67 laps.
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 33 drivers): #4-Harvick 133.612
slowest: #23-Gaulding 129.814 & #51-Hill 125.571. No speed: #00-Earnhardt.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Happy Hour Practice speeds page (pdf) (3-10-2018)
First Saturday practice for the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#4-Harvick 134.806
#9-Elliott 134.806
#18-Busch 134.655
#2-Keselowski 134.559
#11-Hamlin 134.424
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 31 drivers): #11-Hamlin 133.846
slowest: #72-LaJoie 130.016, #51-Hill 128.308. No speed: #00-Earnhardt.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Second Practice speeds page (pdf) (3-10-2018)
Strong final round puts Martin Truex Jr. on ISM Raceway pole: Defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. finally found the extra speed he needed at ISM Raceway. Saving his best lap for the final round of knockout qualifying on Friday at the one-mile track in the Sonoran Desert, Truex sped around the circuit in 26.288 seconds (136.945 mph) to win the pole position for Sunday's TicketGuardian 500.[More](3-9-2018)
#78-Martin Truex, Jr. won the pole for the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway with speed of 136.945mph for his 1st pole of 2018, 2nd at Phoenix and 16th of his career. Truex has won 1 time from the 15 previous poles.
#42-Larson will start 2nd followed by #9-Elliott, #88-Bowman, #22- Logano, #11-Hamlin, #18-Busch, #1-McMurray, #20-Jones, #4-Harvick, #24-Byron, and #12-Blaney.
#42-Larson was fastest in the second round with a speed of 136.364mph, will start 2nd.
#48-Johnson was quickest in the first round with a speed of 135.624mph, will start 17th.
Driver(s) who will miss the race: none as 37 were entered for 40 possible spots.
See round-by-round qualifying results on the Qualifying results page (pdf) and the complete starting lineup on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(3-9-2018)
Second Round of Qualifying for the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway is over, after 10 scheduled minutes.
#42-Larson 136.364
#9-Elliott 136.333
#88-Bowman 136.162
#11-Hamlin 136.132
#18-Busch 135.931
the rest of the top 12: 78 20 1 22 4 12 24
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 3: 31 21 19 38 48 3 14 47 6 10 41 37
(3-9-2018)
First Round of Qualifying for the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway is over, after 15 scheduled minutes.
#48-Johnson 135.624
#20-Jones 135.069
#9-Elliott 135.059
#11-Hamlin 134.922
#18-Busch 134.907
the rest of the top 24: 78 42 22 1 88 4 14 31 21 24 12 3 47 19 38 10 41 37 6
out of the top 24 and not advancing to round 2: 2 95 43 13 17 32 34 23 72 96 51 15 00
Drivers who will miss the race: none, 37 entered
(3-9-2018)
Coverage of Qualifying for the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway is scheduled for Friday, March 9, 2018 at 5:15pm/et.
Television (TV): FS1, 5:00pm/et
Radio: Live online at Motor Racing Network (MRN)
Group qualifying under the three-round qualifying format:
• Round 1 -- All entries will have 15 minutes to post a qualifying time, after which the 24 registering the fastest laps will advance to the second round. Those failing to advance will be sorted based on first-round times in descending order (from fastest to slowest).
• Round 2 -- The 24 fastest from the first round will have 10 minutes to post a second-round qualifying time, with the 12 fastest advancing to a third round. Those not advancing will earn starting positions 13 through 24 based on time, again in descending order.
• Round 3 -- The final round will be five minutes in length. The fastest times from this session will determine the first (Coors Light Pole Award) through 12th starting positions.
There will be a seven-minute break between each round; teams may make adjustments to their entries only during the individual breaks. They will not be allowed to jack the vehicle or raise the hood, and once the car or truck enters the garage, it will no longer be permitted to return to the track for additional qualifying attempts.
Qualifying Order for the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway is posted.
The first driver to be lined up on pit road will be #37-Buescher.
The final driver lined up on pit road will be #14-Bowyer.
The order is set by a random draw, how cars park on pit road before they qualify, held about an hour before the first practice.
After the first round, the cars lined up by speed.
For the qualifying order, see the Qualifying Order page (pdf).(3-9-2018)
Friday practice for the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top-five, slowest and notes:
#42-Larson 138.281
#1-McMurray 137.762
#18-Busch 137.662
#24-Byron 137.620
#9-Elliott 137.615
most laps run: #43-Wallace, 18 laps.
#42-Wallace was the only driver to run 10 consecutive laps. His average speed was 130.471.
slowest: #00-Earnhardt 129.065 & #51-Hill 127.995.
notes: #17-Stenhouse, Jr. hit the outside wall and will have to go to a backup car. He will start Sunday's race from the rear of the field.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Friday Practice speeds (pdf) (3-9-2018)
Entry List for the Ticket Guardian 500(k) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway is posted, 37 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
Some of the drivers entered include: #15-Chastain, #51-Marks, #72-LaJoie, #96-Kennington
Since only 37 cars are entered, all drivers will make the race.
UPDATE: Timmy Hill will be in the #51 instead of Marks.
See the full entry list on the Entry List (pdf)
For qualifying rules and formats, see the Qualifying Rules page
How to Calculate Track Speeds: use the formula Speed = Distance divided by Time. Distance is Track Length, and Lap Time into Hours. Once hour is 3600 seconds, so the calculation for a 48 second lap at Daytona(2.5 miles) would be: Speed = 2.5 x (3600/48), = 2.5 x 75 = 187.500mph. For a 19 second lap at Martinsville(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph
Weather Channel
Accuweather
National Weather Service
Race Weather
Weather Bug
ISM Raceway Goodyear Tire Notes See complete tire information for the Cup and XFINITY races this weekend on the [Goodyear Tire Notes - ISM Raceway page.(3-6-2018)
RACE & CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS
Vegas Insider
Race and Championship odds
NASCAR Top-Five Finish Prediction
ISM Raceway Race Preview by Micah Roberts
Bovada Sportsbook:
Race and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship