was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 26.034 seconds and a speed of.
Qualifying
scored the pole for the race with a time of 26.288 and a speed of.
Qualifying results
Practice (post-qualifying)
Second practice
was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 26.705 seconds and a speed of.
Final practice
was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 26.757 seconds and a speed of.
Race
First stage
Start
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, but then 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, until 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 12. 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.”
