Daytona 500
Daytona International Speedway — February 18, 2018
Austin Dillon
Winner
215
Laps
37
Entries
14
Leaders
Austin Dillon won the 2018 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2018, leading 1 of 215 laps. Bubba Wallace finished second; Denny Hamlin rounded out the podium. The race featured 14 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Season
2018
Winner
Leaders
14 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | +13 | Austin Dillon |
| 2 | 7 | +5 | Bubba Wallace |
| 3 | 2 | -1 | Denny Hamlin |
| 4 | 5 | +1 | Joey Logano |
| 5 | 21 | +16 | Chris Buescher |
| 6 | 16 | +10 | Paul Menard |
| 7 | 3 | -4 | Ryan Blaney |
| 8 | 13 | +5 | Ryan Newman |
| 9 | 22 | +13 | Michael McDowell |
| 10 | 20 | +10 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 11 | 37 | +26 | Aric Almirola |
| 12 | 29 | +17 | Justin Marks |
| 13 | 18 | +5 | Trevor Bayne |
| 14 | 39 | +25 | David Gilliland |
| 15 | 10 | -5 | Clint Bowyer |
| 16 | 19 | +3 | Jamie McMurray |
| 17 | 1 | -16 | Alex Bowman |
| 18 | 24 | +6 | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 19 | 38 | +19 | Kyle Larson |
| 20 | 34 | +14 | Gray Gaulding |
| 21 | — | — | Landon Cassill |
| 22 | — | — | Harrison Rhodes |
| 23 | — | — | David Ragan |
| 24 | — | — | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 25 | — | — | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 26 | 11 | -15 | Kurt Busch |
| 27 | — | — | Ryan Newman |
| 28 | — | — | Alex Bowman |
| 29 | 9 | -20 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 30 | — | — | Paul Menard |
| 31 | — | — | Reed Sorenson |
| 32 | — | — | Aric Almirola |
| 33 | 4 | -29 | Chase Elliott |
| 34 | — | — | Denny Hamlin |
| 35 | — | — | Jimmie Johnson |
| 36 | 8 | -28 | Erik Jones |
| 37 | — | — | Martin Truex, Jr. |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Blaney | 3 | 1 | — | 18 |
| Paul Menard | 9 | 2 | — | 11 |
| Michael McDowell | 6 | 5 | — | 11 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 5 | 6 | — | 11 |
| Kurt Busch | 1 | — | — | 10 |
| Alex Bowman | 2 | — | — | 9 |
| Joey Logano | — | 3 | — | 8 |
| Aric Almirola | — | 4 | — | 7 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 4 | — | — | 7 |
| Bubba Wallace | — | 7 | — | 4 |
| Trevor Bayne | 10 | 8 | — | 4 |
| Chase Elliott | 8 | — | — | 3 |
| Austin Dillon | — | 9 | — | 2 |
| Denny Hamlin | — | 10 | — | 1 |
| Chris Buescher | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Newman | — | — | — | — |
| A.J. Allmendinger | — | — | — | — |
| Justin Marks | — | — | — | — |
| David Gilliland | — | — | — | — |
| Clint Bowyer | — | — | — | — |
| Jamie McMurray | — | — | — | — |
| Kyle Larson | — | — | — | — |
| Gray Gaulding | — | — | — | — |
| Landon Cassill | — | — | — | — |
| Harrison Rhodes | — | — | — | — |
| David Ragan | — | — | — | — |
| A.J. Allmendinger | — | — | — | — |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Newman | — | — | — | — |
| Alex Bowman | — | — | — | — |
| Paul Menard | — | — | — | — |
| Reed Sorenson | — | — | — | — |
| Aric Almirola | — | — | — | — |
| Denny Hamlin | — | — | — | — |
| Jimmie Johnson | — | — | — | — |
| Erik Jones | — | — | — | — |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 15 matched drivers, the model averaged 11.3 positions off — worse than the season average of 8.5. Below Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin Dillon | 23.4 | 1 | +22.4 |
| 2 | Bubba Wallace | 16.0 | 2 | +14.0 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 16.0 | 3 | +13.0 |
| 4 | Joey Logano | 20.5 | 4 | +16.5 |
| 5 | Chris Buescher | 13.6 | 5 | +8.6 |
| 7 | Ryan Blaney | 13.9 | 7 | +6.9 |
| 9 | Michael McDowell | 20.0 | 9 | +11.0 |
| 10 | A.J. Allmendinger | 20.1 | 10 | +10.1 |
| 17 | Alex Bowman | 15.1 | 17 | -1.9 |
| 18 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 20.1 | 18 | +2.1 |
| 19 | Kyle Larson | 18.5 | 19 | -0.5 |
| 25 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 18.5 | 25 | -6.5 |
| 33 | Chase Elliott | 10.4 | 33 | -22.6 |
| 35 | Jimmie Johnson | 18.9 | 35 | -16.1 |
| 36 | Erik Jones | 18.5 | 36 | -17.5 |
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
- Austin Dillon: has 36 career starts at Daytona International Speedway with a 14.7 avg finish (3 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
- Chase Elliott: was the model’s top pick based on 30 career starts at Daytona International Speedway with a 15.9 avg finish (2 wins), finishing P33 on the day.
Explore More
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2018 Daytona 500?
Austin Dillon won the 2018 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway driving for Richard Childress Racing.
Where was the 2018 Daytona 500 held?
The 2018 Daytona 500 was held at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2018.