Food City 500
Bristol Motor Speedway, April 15, 2018
Kyle Busch
Winner
500
Laps
39
Entries
8
Leaders
Kyle Busch won the 2018 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 15, 2018, leading 117 of 500 laps. Kyle Larson finished second; Jimmie Johnson rounded out the podium. The race featured 8 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Track
Season
2018
Winner
Leaders
8 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | — | Kyle Busch |
| 2 | 6 | +4 | Kyle Larson |
| 3 | 17 | +14 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 4 | 4 | — | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 5 | 8 | +3 | Alex Bowman |
| 6 | 19 | +13 | Aric Almirola |
| 7 | 39 | +32 | Kevin Harvick |
| 8 | 14 | +6 | Clint Bowyer |
| 9 | 10 | +1 | Joey Logano |
| 10 | 30 | +20 | Ryan Newman |
| 11 | 12 | +1 | Daniel Suarez |
| 12 | 23 | +11 | David Ragan |
| 13 | 7 | -6 | Paul Menard |
| 14 | 25 | +11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 15 | 21 | +6 | Austin Dillon |
| 16 | 20 | +4 | Bubba Wallace |
| 17 | 18 | +1 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 18 | 11 | -7 | William Byron |
| 19 | 31 | +12 | Jamie McMurray |
| 20 | 29 | +9 | Landon Cassill |
| 21 | 24 | +3 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 22 | 2 | -20 | Kurt Busch |
| 23 | 3 | -20 | Brad Keselowski |
| 24 | 33 | +9 | Trevor Bayne |
| 25 | 34 | +9 | Corey LaJoie |
| 26 | 13 | -13 | Erik Jones |
| 27 | 35 | +8 | D.J. Kennington |
| 28 | 32 | +4 | Ty Dillon |
| 29 | 16 | -13 | Chase Elliott |
| 30 | 26 | -4 | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 31 | 28 | -3 | Gray Gaulding |
| 32 | 36 | +4 | Reed Sorenson |
| 33 | 38 | +5 | Chad Finchum |
| 34 | 15 | -19 | Kasey Kahne |
| 35 | 5 | -30 | Ryan Blaney |
| 36 | 22 | -14 | Chris Buescher |
| 37 | 37 | — | Harrison Rhodes |
| 38 | 9 | -29 | Michael McDowell |
| 39 | 27 | -12 | Ross Chastain |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 22 matched drivers, the model averaged 11.1 positions off — worse than the season average of 8.5. Below Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Kyle Larson | 10.3 | 2 | +8.3 |
| 3 | Jimmie Johnson | 18.0 | 3 | +15.0 |
| 4 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 20.4 | 4 | +16.4 |
| 5 | Alex Bowman | 15.6 | 5 | +10.6 |
| 9 | Joey Logano | 10.3 | 9 | +1.3 |
| 11 | Daniel Suarez | 14.0 | 11 | +3.0 |
| 14 | Denny Hamlin | 6.8 | 14 | -7.2 |
| 15 | Austin Dillon | 17.7 | 15 | +2.7 |
| 16 | Bubba Wallace | 12.6 | 16 | -3.4 |
| 17 | A.J. Allmendinger | 20.1 | 17 | +3.1 |
| 18 | William Byron | 10.8 | 18 | -7.2 |
| 23 | Brad Keselowski | 13.8 | 23 | -9.2 |
| 25 | Corey LaJoie | 24.9 | 25 | -0.1 |
| 26 | Erik Jones | 17.7 | 26 | -8.3 |
| 28 | Ty Dillon | 23.1 | 28 | -4.9 |
| 29 | Chase Elliott | 9.9 | 29 | -19.1 |
| 30 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 14.0 | 30 | -16.0 |
| 33 | Chad Finchum | 24.9 | 33 | -8.1 |
| 35 | Ryan Blaney | 6.8 | 35 | -28.2 |
| 36 | Chris Buescher | 12.0 | 36 | -24.0 |
(showing top 20 finishers)
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
- Kyle Busch: has 76 career starts at Bristol Motor Speedway with a 12.3 avg finish (20 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
- Denny Hamlin: was the model’s top pick based on 49 career starts at Bristol Motor Speedway with a 14.5 avg finish (4 wins), finishing P14 on the day.
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: was the biggest surprise, finishing P4 vs predicted P20. Track history: 30 starts, 17.6 avg finish.
Explore More
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2018 Food City 500?
Kyle Busch won the 2018 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Where was the 2018 Food City 500 held?
The 2018 Food City 500 was held at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 15, 2018.