2018 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

2018 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Race 24 of 36 in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
The 2018 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race program cover.
Date	August 18, 2018 (2018-08-18)
Location	Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee
Course	Permanent racing facility .533 mi (.858 km)
Distance	500 laps, 266.5 mi (429 km)
Average speed	89.538 miles per hour (144.097 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Kyle Larson	Chip Ganassi Racing
Time	15.015
Most laps led
Driver	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske
Laps	121
Winner
No. 41	Kurt Busch	Stewart-Haas Racing
Television in the United States
Network	NBCSN
Announcers	Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Nielsen Ratings	1.4 (Overnight)[10]
Radio in the United States
Radio	PRN
Booth Announcers	Doug Rice, Mark Garrow and Wendy Venturini
Turn Announcers	Rob Albright (Backstretch)

The 2018 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race is a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on August 18, 2018 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 500 laps on the .533-mile (0.858 km) short track, it was the 24th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.

Chase Elliott was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 15.151 seconds and a speed of 126.645 mph (203.815 km/h).^[11]

Kyle Busch was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 15.141 seconds and a speed of 126.729 mph (203.951 km/h).^[12]

Kyle Larson scored the pole for the race with a time of 15.015 and a speed of 127.792 mph (205.661 km/h).^[13]

Stage 1 Laps: 125

Stage 2 Laps: 125

Stage 3 Laps: 250

• Lead changes: 9 among different drivers
• Cautions/Laps: 9 for 70
• Red flags: 0
• Time of race: 2 hours, 58 minutes and 35 seconds
• Average speed: 89.538 miles per hour (144.097 km/h)

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 2008 Bristol winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and 2004 Bristol winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.

The Performance Racing Network had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Kyle Busch 1,003 2 Kevin Harvick 960 (–43) 3 Martin Truex Jr. 849 (–154) 4 Kurt Busch 796 (–207) 5 Clint Bowyer 776 (–227) 6 Joey Logano 768 (–235) 1 7 Ryan Blaney 733 (–270) 1 8 Brad Keselowski 730 (–273) 1 9 Kyle Larson 729 (–274) 1 10 Denny Hamlin 707 (–296) 11 Chase Elliott 697 (–306) 12 Aric Almirola 658 (–345) 13 Erik Jones 635 (–368) 14 Jimmie Johnson 604 (–399) 15 Alex Bowman 572 (–431) 16 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 493 (–510) Official driver's standings

Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Toyota 876 2 Ford 855 (–21) 3 Chevrolet 783 (–93) 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.