Pennzoil 400

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, March 4, 2018

Kevin Harvick
Winner
267
Laps
37
Entries
6
Leaders

Kevin Harvick won the 2018 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4, 2018, leading 214 of 267 laps. Kyle Busch finished second; Kyle Larson rounded out the podium. The race featured 6 different leaders.

Race Details
Date
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Season
2018
Winner
Leaders
6 drivers
Pos Start +/- Driver
1 2 +1 Kevin Harvick
2 13 +11 Kyle Busch
3 5 +2 Kyle Larson
4 4 Martin Truex, Jr.
5 1 -4 Ryan Blaney
6 8 +2 Brad Keselowski
7 10 +3 Joey Logano
8 9 +1 Erik Jones
9 12 +3 Paul Menard
10 29 +19 Aric Almirola
11 25 +14 Ryan Newman
12 14 +2 Jimmie Johnson
13 16 +3 Austin Dillon
14 7 -7 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
15 28 +13 Chris Buescher
16 20 +4 Alex Bowman
17 19 +2 Denny Hamlin
18 11 -7 Clint Bowyer
19 21 +2 Kasey Kahne
20 24 +4 Trevor Bayne
21 26 +5 Bubba Wallace
22 32 +10 Matt DiBenedetto
23 23 David Ragan
24 31 +7 Ty Dillon
25 30 +5 Cole Custer
26 18 -8 Daniel Suarez
27 17 -10 William Byron
28 34 +6 Cole Whitt
29 33 +4 Ross Chastain
30 27 -3 A.J. Allmendinger
31 36 +5 Jeffrey Earnhardt
32 37 +5 Joey Gase
33 35 +2 Gray Gaulding
34 6 -28 Chase Elliott
35 3 -32 Kurt Busch
36 22 -14 Jamie McMurray
37 15 -22 Michael McDowell
Model Performance

How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 22 matched drivers, the model averaged 9.3 positions off — worse than the season average of 8.5. Below Average

Pos Driver Predicted Actual Delta
3 Kyle Larson 13.1 3 +10.1
4 Martin Truex, Jr. 15.4 4 +11.4
5 Ryan Blaney 8.2 5 +3.2
6 Brad Keselowski 15.4 6 +9.4
7 Joey Logano 11.9 7 +4.9
8 Erik Jones 14.7 8 +6.7
12 Jimmie Johnson 19.9 12 +7.9
13 Austin Dillon 19.9 13 +6.9
14 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 19.9 14 +5.9
15 Chris Buescher 9.2 15 -5.8
16 Alex Bowman 16.2 16 +0.2
17 Denny Hamlin 6.2 17 -10.8
21 Bubba Wallace 12.7 21 -8.3
24 Ty Dillon 22.9 24 -1.1
25 Cole Custer 22.0 25 -3.0
26 Daniel Suarez 12.7 26 -13.3
27 William Byron 10.7 27 -16.3
29 Ross Chastain 14.5 29 -14.5
30 A.J. Allmendinger 17.1 30 -12.9
32 Joey Gase 22.9 32 -9.1

(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

  • Kevin Harvick: has 41 career starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a 12.3 avg finish (3 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
  • Denny Hamlin: was the model’s top pick based on 35 career starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a 12.1 avg finish (3 wins), finishing P17 on the day.
  • Martin Truex, Jr.: was the biggest surprise, finishing P4 vs predicted P15. Track history: 26 starts, 9.7 avg finish.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the 2018 Pennzoil 400?
Kevin Harvick won the 2018 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway driving for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Where was the 2018 Pennzoil 400 held?
The 2018 Pennzoil 400 was held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4, 2018.