GEICO 500
Talladega Superspeedway — April 29, 2018
Joey Logano
Winner
189
Laps
39
Entries
16
Leaders
Joey Logano won the 2018 GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 29, 2018, leading 70 of 189 laps. Kurt Busch finished second; Chase Elliott rounded out the podium. The race featured 16 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Track
Season
2018
Winner
Leaders
16 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | +10 | Joey Logano |
| 2 | 23 | +21 | Kurt Busch |
| 3 | 1 | -2 | Chase Elliott |
| 4 | 5 | +1 | Kevin Harvick |
| 5 | 6 | +1 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 6 | 21 | +15 | David Ragan |
| 7 | 26 | +19 | Aric Almirola |
| 8 | 2 | -6 | Alex Bowman |
| 9 | 7 | -2 | Ryan Newman |
| 10 | 32 | +22 | Daniel Suarez |
| 11 | 25 | +14 | Chris Buescher |
| 12 | 4 | -8 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 13 | 15 | +2 | Kyle Busch |
| 14 | 17 | +3 | Denny Hamlin |
| 15 | 19 | +4 | Ty Dillon |
| 16 | 22 | +6 | Bubba Wallace |
| 17 | 28 | +11 | Kasey Kahne |
| 18 | 12 | -6 | Ryan Blaney |
| 19 | 31 | +12 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 20 | 35 | +15 | D.J. Kennington |
| 21 | — | — | Michael McDowell |
| 22 | 16 | -6 | Brendan Gaughan |
| 23 | — | — | Bubba Wallace |
| 24 | — | — | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 25 | — | — | Aric Almirola |
| 26 | — | — | Trevor Bayne |
| 27 | — | — | Kasey Kahne |
| 28 | — | — | Ty Dillon |
| 29 | 18 | -11 | William Byron |
| 30 | 30 | — | Paul Menard |
| 31 | — | — | Gray Gaulding |
| 32 | — | — | Reed Sorenson |
| 33 | 3 | -30 | Brad Keselowski |
| 34 | 24 | -10 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 35 | — | — | B.J. McLeod |
| 36 | — | — | Landon Cassill |
| 37 | — | — | Austin Dillon |
| 38 | — | — | David Ragan |
| 39 | — | — | Timmy Hill |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 1 | 1 | — | 20 |
| Alex Bowman | 10 | 3 | — | 9 |
| Kyle Busch | 2 | — | — | 9 |
| Kasey Kahne | — | 4 | — | 7 |
| William Byron | 4 | — | — | 7 |
| Chase Elliott | 5 | — | — | 6 |
| Ty Dillon | — | 5 | — | 6 |
| Kurt Busch | 6 | — | — | 5 |
| Ryan Newman | 7 | 10 | — | 5 |
| Jimmie Johnson | — | 6 | — | 5 |
| Brad Keselowski | 8 | — | — | 3 |
| Joey Logano | — | — | — | — |
| Kevin Harvick | — | — | — | — |
| David Ragan | — | — | — | — |
| Aric Almirola | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Suarez | — | — | — | — |
| Chris Buescher | — | — | — | — |
| Denny Hamlin | — | — | — | — |
| Bubba Wallace | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Blaney | — | — | — | — |
| Matt DiBenedetto | — | — | — | — |
| D.J. Kennington | — | — | — | — |
| Michael McDowell | — | — | — | — |
| Brendan Gaughan | — | — | — | — |
| Bubba Wallace | — | — | — | — |
| A.J. Allmendinger | — | — | — | — |
| Aric Almirola | — | — | — | — |
| Trevor Bayne | — | — | — | — |
| Kasey Kahne | — | — | — | — |
| Ty Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Paul Menard | — | — | — | — |
| Gray Gaulding | — | — | — | — |
| Reed Sorenson | — | — | — | — |
| A.J. Allmendinger | — | — | — | — |
| B.J. McLeod | — | — | — | — |
| Landon Cassill | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| David Ragan | — | — | — | — |
| Timmy Hill | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 19 matched drivers, the model averaged 8.0 positions off — close to the season average of 8.5. Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joey Logano | 20.5 | 1 | +19.5 |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | 10.4 | 3 | +7.4 |
| 5 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 18.5 | 5 | +13.5 |
| 8 | Alex Bowman | 15.1 | 8 | +7.1 |
| 10 | Daniel Suarez | 15.1 | 10 | +5.1 |
| 11 | Chris Buescher | 13.6 | 11 | +2.6 |
| 12 | Jimmie Johnson | 18.9 | 12 | +6.9 |
| 13 | Kyle Busch | 15.1 | 13 | +2.1 |
| 14 | Denny Hamlin | 16.0 | 14 | +2.0 |
| 15 | Ty Dillon | 21.1 | 15 | +6.1 |
| 16 | Bubba Wallace | 16.0 | 16 | 0.0 |
| 18 | Ryan Blaney | 13.9 | 18 | -4.1 |
| 21 | Michael McDowell | 20.0 | 21 | -1.0 |
| 24 | A.J. Allmendinger | 20.1 | 24 | -3.9 |
| 29 | William Byron | 13.9 | 29 | -15.1 |
| 33 | Brad Keselowski | 16.0 | 33 | -17.0 |
| 35 | B.J. McLeod | 25.5 | 35 | -9.5 |
| 37 | Austin Dillon | 23.4 | 37 | -13.6 |
| 39 | Timmy Hill | 22.8 | 39 | -16.2 |
Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.
Historical Context
- Joey Logano: has 42 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway with a 18.0 avg finish (5 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
- Chase Elliott: was the model’s top pick based on 22 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway with a 14.3 avg finish (2 wins), finishing P3 on the day.
Explore More
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2018 GEICO 500?
Joey Logano won the 2018 GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway driving for Team Penske.
Where was the 2018 GEICO 500 held?
The 2018 GEICO 500 was held at Talladega Superspeedway on April 29, 2018.