The 2018 Gander Outdoors 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 7, 2018 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. Contested over 404 laps—extended from 400 laps due to an overtime finish, on the one-mile (1.6 km) concrete speedway, it was the 30th race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Gander Outdoors 400. 2y Jayski.com Staff. Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2018 races (27 total) among active drivers at Pocono Raceway. 7, 2018 Event: Gander Outdoors 400 (Round 30 of 36) Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile concrete oval) Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (120 laps/120 laps/160 laps) Start/Finish: 1st/8th (Running, completed 404 of 404 laps).

1. 2018 Gander Outdoors 400
2. 2018 Gander Outdoors 400 Pocono
3. Gander Outdoor 400 2018
4. 2018 Gander Outdoors 400 Dover

Date: Oct. 7, 2018
Event: Gander Outdoors 400 (Round 30 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile concrete oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (120 laps/120 laps/160 laps)
Start/Finish: 1st/8th (Running, completed 404 of 404 laps)
Point Standing: 2nd (3,096 points, 63 ahead of cutoff)

Note: Race extended four laps past its scheduled 400-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

2018 Gander Outdoors 400

Stage 1 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 2 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-120):

● Kyle Busch started first, finished third.

● Busch started first by virtue of his position as the points leader with qualifying rained out on Friday afternoon.

● The Interstate Batteries driver held the top spot for the first 15 laps before Kevin Harvick made his way around Busch on lap 16.

2018 Gander Outdoors 400 Pocono

● Busch settled into the third position for much of the first green-flag run of the race. He radioed to crew chief Adam Stevens that he needed more turn from the center through the exit of the corner.

● On lap 70, Busch radioed again that he needed to pit immediately because he felt an issue with a tire. He came down pit road on lap 71 to take on four new tires and a wedge adjustment. Fortunately, the stop didn’t hurt Busch’s track position, as many of the frontrunners also pitted within five laps of him.

● The Interstate Batteries driver settled back into third and finished the first stage there to collect eight bonus points.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 121-240):

● Started third, finished seventh.

● During the stage break, Busch reported that his trackbar switch wasn’t working, leaving him without an important tool in the racecar to deal with changing track conditions throughout the race.

● On lap 123, Busch pitted during the stage break for four tires and an air pressure adjustment.

● Busch restarted the second stage in third but slowly fell through the field as he was unable to adjust the trackbar to keep up with the racetrack conditions, falling to seventh by lap 155 and ninth by lap 164.

● Busch fell through the field to as low as ninth, but he moved his way back up to seventh by the end of the second stage.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 241-400):

● Started 13th, finished eighth.

● The 2015 NASCAR Cup Series champion was called to pit road following the second stage. Since he was seventh and there were only 13 cars on the lead lap, Stevens elected to work on the trackbar adjuster. The team suspected the system had come unhooked behind the monitor.

● The Interstate Batteries driver restarted 13th on lap 246, but the No. 18 fell through the field again, although Busch reported the car was as aero-tight handling as it could be.

● Busch pitted on lap 322 to take on a wedge adjustment and air pressure changes, but he was too fast entering the pits and had to serve a drive-through penalty.

● The penalty put Busch a lap down to the leaders until the caution waved on lap 343 with Interstate Batteries driver sitting in 15th place.

● Busch was able to take the wave-around prior to the next restart, positioned 13th on lap 392. A huge accident in front of him helped Busch move up to restart 10th for overtime laps following a red flag. He moved the Interstate Batteries Camry up two more spots on the final two laps to salvage a top-10 finish during a very tough day for Busch and the No. 18 team.

Notes:

● Busch’s eighth-place finish was his 24th top-10 of 2018 and his 17th top-10 at Dover in 28 starts at the mile oval.

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

“It worked in our favor a bit today with some other cars getting torn up, which is unfortunate for them. Our day was not very good with our Interstate Batteries Camry. Speeding on pit road took us out of the running for a top-10 and a solid finish, but we ended up getting some good luck on stuff happening to some other guys and we were able to salvage our day. We’ll take it and move on to Talladega and try to get better here the next time around.”

Team Interstate Results:

● Denny Hamlin finished second.

● Erik Jones finished fourth.

● Kyle Busch finished eighth.

● Daniel Suarez finished 10th.

Next Up: The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the 1000Bulbs.com 500 on Sunday, Oct. 14 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC.

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Pocono
Denny Hamlin........................... 104.0
Kurt Busch............................... 103.3
Jimmie Johnson........................ 101.3
Chase Elliott............................... 99.7
Kevin Harvick............................. 97.0
Kyle Larson................................ 96.3
Brad Keselowski......................... 95.1
Erik Jones.................................. 95.0
Kyle Busch................................. 91.4
Ryan Blaney............................... 91.1
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2018 races (27 total) among active drivers at Pocono Raceway.

History

· Opened in 1968 as a three-quarter-mile track, Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile track in 1971.
· The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was in 1974 - won by Richard Petty, Dodge, 115.593 mph, on August 4, 1974.
· The 2.5-mile track was repaved during the fall of 2011.
· 2012 marked the first season the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono were scheduled for 400 miles.
· Prior to 2012, all Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races were 500 miles at Pocono Raceway.
· There have been 81 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway, one race from 1974 through 1981, and two per year since.

Starts

· 341 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway; 244 in more than one.
· Ricky Rudd leads the series in starts at Pocono with 55.
· Matt Kenseth leads all active drivers in the series with 37 starts; followed by Kevin Harvick with 35.
· David Pearson (six starts) leads the series in average starting position at Pocono with a 4.667.
· Denny Hamlin (25 starts) leads all active series drivers in average starting position at Pocono with a 7.320.
· A total of 33 drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series have made their series debut at Pocono Raceway, the most recent and only active driver to make his debut at Pocono is Bubba Wallace (June 11, 2017).

Poles

· A total of 43 different drivers have won the Busch Pole Award at Pocono, led by Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader with five each.
· Kyle Busch leads all active drivers at Pocono with four Busch poles (Spring 2010, Fall 2015, 2017 sweep).
· Buddy Baker won the inaugural Buch Pole Award at Pocono in 1974 with a speed of 144.122 mph.
· Of the 43 Pocono pole winners, only six have won consecutive Busch poles: Bill Elliott (1984-85), Mark Martin (1990-91), Ken Schrader (1993 sweep), Denny Hamlin (2006 sweep), Joey Logano (fall 2011 and spring 2012) and Kyle Busch (2017 sweep).
· Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive poles at Pocono with three; fall 1984 and both races in 1985.
· Youngest Pocono pole winner: Joey Logano (08/07/2011 - 21 years, 2 months, 14 days).
· Oldest Pocono pole winner: David Pearson (06/10/1984 - 49 years, 5 months, 19 days).
· Three drivers have posted their first-career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch pole at Pocono Raceway: Harry Gant (1979), Casey Mears (2004) and Kyle Larson (2014).
· Eight different manufacturers have won a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole at Pocono; led by Chevrolet with 33, followed by Ford (17), Dodge (8), Toyota (8), Pontiac (6), Buick (2), American Motors Company and Oldsmobile (each have one).

Wins

· A total of 37 different Monster Energy Series drivers have won at Pocono Raceway, 23 drivers have multiple wins, led by Jeff Gordon with six victories (1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2011 and 2012).
· Denny Hamlin leads all active series drivers in wins at Pocono with four (2006 sweep, 2009 and 2010).
· Five active drivers have multiple wins at Pocono: Denny Hamlin (four), Jimmie Johnson (three), Kurt Busch (three), Kasey Kahne (two) and Martin Truex Jr. (two).
· Seven drivers have posted consecutive wins at Pocono Raceway, including three consecutive by Bobby Allison (1982 sweep and Spring 1983) and Tim Richmond (1986 sweep and spring 1987).
· Two of the seven drivers to win consecutive races at Pocono are active: Jimmie Johnson (2004 sweep) and Denny Hamlin (2006 sweep and 2009 fall and 2010 spring races).
· Youngest Pocono winner: Joey Logano (06/10/2012 - 22 years, 0 months, 17 days).
· Oldest Pocono winner: Harry Gant (06/17/1990 - 50 years, 5 months, 7 days).
· Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Pocono with 17: Jeff Gordon (six), Tim Richmond (three), Jimmie Johnson (three), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Kasey Kahne (one), Geoff Bodine (one) and Terry Labonte (one).
· Eight different manufacturers have won in the Monster Energy Series at Pocono; led by Chevrolet with 32 victories; followed by Ford with 23, Dodge (seven), Pontiac (six), Toyota (six), Buick (four), Mercury (two) and Oldsmobile (one).
· 14 of the 81 (17.5%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono have been won from the Busch pole; the most recent was Kyle Busch last fall (2017).
· Two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono have been won from the first starting position due to qualifying being cancelled; Tony Stewart (2009) and the most recent was Jimmie Johnson (2013).
· The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (16) than any other starting position at Pocono Raceway - a 20% winning percentage.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Pocono is 29th, by Carl Edwards in the spring of 2005.
· A total of four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted their first career win at Pocono Raceway: Ryan Blaney (06/11/2017), Chris Buescher (08/01/16), Denny Hamlin (06/11/06) and Jeremy Mayfield (06/21/98).
· Denny Hamlin (2006) and Carl Edwards (2005) are the only two active drivers to win at Pocono in their first appearances.
· Kevin Harvick leads the series among active drivers with the most Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono without visiting Victory Lane at 35; followed by Jamie McMurray with 31.
· Seven drivers in series history have swept Pocono in a single season - Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott (1985), Tim Richmond (1986), Bobby Labonte (1999), Jimmie Johnson (2004), Denny Hamlin (2006) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2014).

Additional Finishing Position Stats

Gander Outdoor 400 2018

· A total of 35 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished runner-up at Pocono, led by Mark Martin with seven second-place finishes;
· Kurt Busch leads all active drivers in runner-up finishes at Pocono with five; followed by Kevin Harvick with four.
· A total of 72 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished in the top-five at Pocono, led by Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon with 20 each.
· Kurt Busch leads all active Monster Energy Series drivers with 14 top fives; followed by Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick with 11 each.
· A total of 119 different Monster Energy Series drivers have finished in the top-10 at Pocono, led by Mark Martin with 34 top-10 finishes;
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active Monster Energy Series drivers with 20 top-10 finishes at Pocono.
· Davey Allison (13 starts) leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Pocono with a 9.769.
· Brad Keselowski (17 starts) leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Pocono with a 10.176.

Track Specific Stats

· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway is the race on July 23, 2000, that was won by Rusty Wallace over Jeff Burton with a MOV of 0.126 second.
· There have been three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races resulting with NASCAR Overtime at Pocono Raceway.
· Seven of the 81 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions.

Track Specific Stats

2018 Gander Outdoors 400 Dover

· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway six times.
· A total of 126 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at Pocono; Jeff Gordon leads the series in laps led with 1,040 laps led in 46 starts.

Female Competitor Stats

· Two female drivers have competed at Pocono Raceway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.

NASCAR in Pennsylvania

· There have been 147 NASCAR national series races among 10 tracks in the state of Pennsylvania.
· The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Pennsylvania was the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event held on September 11, 1949 at Langhorne Speedway and won by Curtis Turner (Oldsmobile).

Pennsylvania Drivers In NASCAR

· 146 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Pennsylvania.

· Three of the 146 Pennsylvania drivers have won in NASCAR's premiere series.

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