<
>

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2018 Chicago Race Info

THE RACE: Overton's 400
TRACK: Chicagoland Speedway
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race #17 of 36

Date: Sunday, July 1, 2018 in Joliet, IL
Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 2:32 pm/et

Sections on this page:
Television | Radio/Streaming | Schedule | Track/Race Info | Race Rundown
Qualifying / Practice / Entry Info | Weather Links | Tire Notes | Odds


TELEVISION COVERAGE

NASCAR America: 12:00pm/et on NBCSN
NASCAR Countdown to Green: 2:00pm/et on NBCSN
Television Race Coverage: NBCSN, 2:30pm/et

Practices:
Saturday, June 30, 11:30am-12:20pm/et, TV-NBCSN;
Saturday, June 30, 2:00-2:50pm/et, TV-NBCSN

Qualifying for positions 1-40, Saturday, June 30 at 7:05 pm/et, TV-NBCSN;
re-air scheduled: Sunday, July 1 at 1:00 am/et, TV-NBCSN

In the Booth: Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Pre/Post-Race and Hosts: Krista Voda, Kyle Petty, Dale Jarrett
Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns
Features Reporter: Rutledge Wood
Breaking News: Nate Ryan

Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
None

TV Listings, Links and Info:
see the TV Listings and Links page


RADIO COVERAGE

Motor Racing Network (MRN)
SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90

ONLINE STREAMING

NBC Sports - Live
Radio: MRN Live Streaming
SiriusXM Internet Radio (available via internet connected device, with subscription)

Scanner-Frequencies


EVENT SCHEDULE
Event Schedule times are local to the track

Friday, June 29
2:00 PM-4:00 PM MENCS HAULERS ENTER (EQUIPMENT UNLOAD)

Saturday, June 30
7:30 AM-9:30 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
9:30 AM MENCS ROOKIE MEETING, SPOTTER MEETING, & RANDOM DRAWING
10:30 AM-11:20 AM MENCS 1ST PRACTICE
1:00 PM-1:50 PM MENCS FINAL PRACTICE
6:05 PM MENCS QUALIFYING IMPOUND (MULTI-VEHICLE / THREE ROUNDS)

Sunday, July 1
9:30 AM MENCS GARAGE OPENS
11:30 AM MENCS DRIVER / CREW CHIEF MEETING
12:50 PM MENCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
1:30 PM (2:30 PM/ET) MENCS RACE (267 LAPS, 400.5 MILES)

MENCS = Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE


TRACK NEWS & LINKS

Chicagoland Speedway Track News, Stats & Links page

September 2017: see the Chicago Race Info page

Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: Overton's Nicolas Goreau and Pat Baker
Command to start engines: Nicolas Goreau and Pat Baker
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: Al Lynch, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Honorary Pace Car Driver: Charles "Peanut" Tillman
Color Guard: Native American Veterans Group Honor Guard
Invocation: U.S. Veteran and Raceway Ministries, Michael White
National Anthem: Jim Cornelison, The Voice of the Chicago Blackhawks
Flyover: C-130H Hercules, 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown, Ohio Air Reserve Station

Sunday Chicagoland Notebook: Clint Bowyer disappointed despite remarkable rally at Chicagoland; Loose wheel spoil Aric Almirola's outstanding run; Erik Jones scores second straight top-10 finish.[More](7-1-2018)

Saturday Chicagoland Notebook: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champ is fond of bumpy Chicagoland; Daniel Suárez is confident he can qualify for the Playoffs; NASCAR Whelen Euro and Pinty's Series to stage unprecedented driver swap.[More](6-30-2018)

Friday Chicagoland Notebook: Kyle Larson says the performance gap to the top teams is small-but it's there; Kevin Harvick says Sonoma fake-out didn't determine outcome; Jesse Iwuji's heroism goes viral after good Samaritan effort.[More](6-29-2018)

What to Watch for: Chicagoland Speedway: Harvick Back at His Bread and Butter; Truex Eyes a Repeat, Joins Harvick and Busch; 10 to Go Until the Playoffs; Who's Hot and Who's Not - Chicago.[More](6-29-2018)

Chicagoland Speedway Weekend Preview: Truex Jr. has won the last two MENCS races at Chicagoland; Allgaier returns to defend his win; Sauter hopes to increase his win tally [More](6-28-2018)

A look at many news, notes and story lines for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway, see the stats on the NASCAR National Series News & Notes -- Chicagoland Speedway

A look at some of the top statistical performers and top-10 driver ratings at Chicagoland Speedway, see the stats on the Statistical Advance - Analyzing Chicagoland Speedway page


RACE RUNDOWN....News & Links

Kyle Busch wins Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series slugfest at Chicagoland: Like two boxers in the final round of a closely-contested slugfest, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson traded hard shots on the last lap of Sunday's Overton's 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Moments later, it was Kyle Busch who was still standing-with his car parked on the finish line and his fifth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season in his pocket.[More](7-1-2018)

Kyle Busch won the Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. The win is his 5th win of 2018, 2nd win at Chicago and 48th career win.
#42-Larson finished 2nd followed by #4-Harvick, #78-Truex, Jr., #14-Bowyer, #20-Jones, #11-Hamlin, #22-Logano, #2-Keselowski, and #88-Bowman.
Busch took the lead during the final pit stops of the day and held off Harvick for 35 laps before Larson moved to second. On the final lap, Larson got into the rear of Busch off turn 2, sending Busch into the wall. Busch returned the favor in turn 3, hitting Larson in the rear. Larson got loose and Busch got into the wall, but got to the finish line first.
Pole winner, #15-Menard, finished 13th.
Stage 1 was won by #10-Almirola. He finished 25th after dealing with a couple loose wheels.
Stage 2 was won by #4-Harvick. He finished 3rd.
There were 24 lead changes among 8 drivers and 5 cautions for 23 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 140.636mph.
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).

MENCS at Chicago
- Kyle Busch: 48th career win; ties Herb Thomas for 14th all-time; next win will tie Tony Stewart for 13th; 50 wins would tie Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for 11th
- Busch: 5 wins this season ties 2nd-most he's had in a season (won 8 in 2008); won 5 races in 2015 championship season (in 25 races) and 5 all of last season (in 36 races)
- Busch: won 3 of 6 races on 1.5-mile tracks this season (Kevin Harvick has won other 3)
- Busch: joins Kevin Harvick as drivers with 5 wins this season; 5th time in Cup Series history that 2 drivers have had 5 wins this early in the season.
- Kyle Larson: finished 2nd; 4th runner-up finish this season (0 wins); 5 career wins, 18 2nd-place finishes
- Larson: 13 more 2nd-place finishes than wins in Cup career is 6th-biggest difference all-time
- Kevin Harvick: finished 3rd; 13th top-5 finish this season (1 off last season's total)
(ESPN Stats & Info)

Race Fast Facts - Chicago
Kyle Busch won the 18th Annual Overton's 400, his 48th victory in 479 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
This is his fifth victory and 14th top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his second victory and eighth top-10 finish in 14 races at Chicagoland Speedway.
Kyle Larson (second) posted his fourth top-10 finish in five races at Chicagoland Speedway. It is his 10th top-10 finish in 2018.
Kevin Harvick (third) posted his 11th top-10 finish in 18 races at Chicagoland Speedway.
William Byron (20th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kyle Busch leads the point standings by 62 points over Kevin Harvick.
With Kyle Busch winning his fifth victory this season, 2018 is just the fourth season in series history to have two drivers with five or more wins in the first 17 races - 2018 Harvick, Busch; 2010 Hamlin, Johnson; 1977 and 1974 Petty, Yarborough.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(7-1-2018)

2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Driver Chase Standings:
[after Chicago, race 17 of 36]
#18-Kyle Busch [5 wins], 736
#4-Kevin Harvick [5 wins - 4 can be used for playoffs], 674
#78-Martin Truex Jr. [3 wins], 594
#14-Clint Bowyer [2 wins], 579
#22-Joey Logano [1 win], 617
#3-Austin Dillon [1 win], 314
#2-Brad Keselowski, 592, -144
#41-Kurt Busch, 560, -176
#11-Denny Hamlin, 537, -199
#42-Kyle Larson, 524, -212
#12-Ryan Blaney, 495, -241
#10-Aric Almirola, 493, -243
#48-Jimmie Johnson, 442, -294
#9-Chase Elliott, 435, -301
#20-Erik Jones, 408, -328
#88-Alex Bowman, 390, -346
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 160) of the Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway (lap 160/267):
#4-Harvick, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#41-Busch, 9pts
#42-Larson, 8pts
#78-Truex, Jr., 7pts
#12-Blaney, 6pts
#2-Keselowski, 5pts
#9-Elliott, 4pts
#14-Bowyer, 3pts
#11-Hamlin, 2pts
#22-Logano, 1pt

Top-Ten Stage 1 Results (lap 80) of the Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway (lap 80/267):
#10-Almirola, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#42-Larson, 9pts
#78-Truex, Jr., 8pts
#41-Busch, 7pts
#4-Harvick 6pts
#2-Keselowski, 5pts
#12-Blaney, 4pts
#22-Logano, 3pts
#9-Elliott, 2pts
#20-Jones, 1pt

Lucky Dogs, drivers that got a lap back during the cautions (and their finish):
Caution 1: #48-Johnson, 13th
Caution 2: #14-Bowyer, 5th
Caution 3: #10-Almirola, 25th
Caution 4: #47-Allmendinger, 24th
Caution 5: #12-Blaney, 18th

See the starting lineup for the Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway on the Starting Lineup Page (pdf).

To the rear: #7-Sorenson (unapproved adjustments), #17-Stenhouse, Jr. (unapproved adjustments), #19-Suarez (unapproved adjustments), #66=Hill (unapproved adjustments)

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 Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway have been made.
With 39 teams running, pit stalls 1, 13, 23, 43, & 44 are not in use.
Pole winner #21-Menard chose pit stall 2, the first stall available [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole winner #12-Blaney took pit stall 8, with an opening in front of it.
#9-Elliott, who starts 3rd, took the 42nd 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.(6-30-2018)

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
Pitstalls
Starting Lineup
Qualifying Order
Happy Hour Practice Speeds
Practice 1 Speeds
Crew Rosters
Latest / Final Entry List
Preliminary Entry List

See the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race results page


QUALIFYING INFO, PRACTICE SPEED and ENTRIES

Paul Menard wins pole at Chicagoland, his first in a decade: Paul Menard had the hottest shoe on the hottest day of the NASCAR season. Torching Chicagoland Speedway with a lap at 180.102 mph (29.998 seconds) in the final round of Saturday's knockout qualifying session at the 1.5-mile track, Menard won the pole for Sunday's Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.[More](6-30-2018)

Paul Menard won the Busch pole for the Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway with speed of 180.012mph for his 1st pole of 2018, 1st at Chicago and 2nd of his career. #12-Blaney will start second, followed by #9-Elliott, #11-Hamlin, #41-Busch, #14-Bowyer, #10-Almirola, #2-Keselowski, #24-Byron, #20-Jones, #19-Suarez, and #78-Truex, Jr.
#37-Buescher and #48-Johnson did not pass post-qualifying inspection on their first try and will have to start from the rear on Sunday.
#19-Suarez was fastest in the second round with a speed of 180.668mph, will start 11th.
#21-Menard was quickest in the first round with a speed of 180.120mph, will start on the pole.
No drivers will miss the race, as 39 were entered for 40 spots
See the complete starting lineup on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(6-30-2018)

Chicagoland Speedway - Qualifying Fast Facts:
Paul Menard won the Busch Pole Award Pole Award for the 18th Annual Overton's 400 with a lap of 29.998 seconds, 180.012 mph.
This is his second pole in 416 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and second top-10 start in 2018.
This is his first pole in 12 races at Chicagoland Speedway.
Ryan Blaney (second) posted his 11th top-10 start of 2018 and his first in three races at Chicagoland Speedway.
Chase Elliott (third) posted his second top-10 start at Chicagoland Speedway. It is his eighth in 17 races this season.
William Byron (ninth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Statistics)(6-30-2018)

Second Round of Qualifying for the Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway is over, after 10 scheduled minutes.
#19-Suarez 180.668
#14-Bowyer 179.868
#41-Busch 179.641
#9-Elliott 179.539
#10-Almirola 179.474
the rest of the top 12: 12 21 24 11 2 78 20
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 3: 4 22 1 3 88 18 31 42 47 48 37 17
(6-30-2018)

First Round of Qualifying for the Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway is over, after 15 scheduled minutes.
#21-Menard 180.120
#4-Harvick 179.164
#9-Elliott 179.063
#22-Logano 178.790
#41-Busch 178.772
the rest of the top 24: 14 78 42 19 11 10 24 3 12 1 20 2 47 18 48 17 31 37 88
out of the top 24 and not advancing to round 2: 6 43 38 95 13 34 15 32 23 99 00 72 51 7 66
Drivers who will miss the race: none, 39 entered
(6-30-2018)

Coverage of Qualifying for the Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, June 30, 2018 at 7:05pm/et.
Television (TV): NBCSN, 7:00pm/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 Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway is posted.
The first driver to be lined up on pit road will be #9-Elliott.
The final driver lined up on pit road will be #12-Blaney.
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).(6-30-2018)

Happy Hour (final) practice for the Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#2-Keselowski 180.826
#78-Truex, Jr. 180.656
#22-Logano 180.288
#41-Busch 179.671
#10-Almirola 178.832
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 26 drivers): #4-Harvick 172.351
slowest: #51-McLeod 165.802 & #66-Hill 164.780
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Happy Hour Practice speeds page (pdf) (6-30-2018)

First practice for the Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway is over, after 50 scheduled minutes, the top-five, slowest and notes:
#12-Blaney 178.992
#48-Johnson 178.861
#88-Bowman 178.749
#9-Elliott 178.749
#19-Suarez 177.725
most laps run: #48-Johnson, 31 laps.
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 9 drivers): #78-Truex, Jr., 172.771
slowest: #66-Hill 166.770 & #99-Weatherman 164.364
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Friday Practice speeds (pdf) (6-30-2018)

Entry List for the Overton's 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway is posted, 39 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
Some of the drivers entered include: #00-Cassill, #6-Bayne, #7-Sorenson, #15-Chastain, #51-McLeod, #66-Hill, #72-LaJoie, #99-Kyle Weatherman.
Since only 39 cars are entered, all drivers will make the race.
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 Chicago(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph


WEATHER

Weather Channel
Accuweather
National Weather Service
Race Weather
Race Day Forecast
WeatherBug
Weather Underground
Brian Neudorff @NASCAR_WXMAN
Aaron Studwell @RaceWeather


TIRE NOTES & FACTS

Chicago Goodyear Tire Notes See complete tire information for the race weekend across all series on the [Goodyear Tire Notes - Chicagoland Speedway page.(6-26-2018)


RACE & CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

Vegas Insider
Race and Championship odds
NASCAR Top-Five Finish Prediction
Chicago Race Preview by Micah Roberts

Bovada Sportsbook:
Race and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship

Don Best:
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship / Race