STP 500
Martinsville Speedway — March 26, 2018
Clint Bowyer
Winner
500
Laps
38
Entries
6
Leaders
Clint Bowyer won the 2018 STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 26, 2018, leading 215 of 500 laps. Kyle Busch finished second; Ryan Blaney rounded out the podium. The race featured 6 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Monday, March 26, 2018
Track
Season
2018
Winner
Leaders
6 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | +8 | Clint Bowyer |
| 2 | 5 | +3 | Kyle Busch |
| 3 | 1 | -2 | Ryan Blaney |
| 4 | 4 | — | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 5 | 2 | -3 | Kevin Harvick |
| 6 | 7 | +1 | Joey Logano |
| 7 | 14 | +7 | Alex Bowman |
| 8 | 24 | +16 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 9 | 11 | +2 | Chase Elliott |
| 10 | 17 | +7 | Brad Keselowski |
| 11 | 6 | -5 | Kurt Busch |
| 12 | 10 | -2 | Denny Hamlin |
| 13 | 20 | +7 | Paul Menard |
| 14 | 34 | +20 | Aric Almirola |
| 15 | 15 | — | Jimmie Johnson |
| 16 | 13 | -3 | Kyle Larson |
| 17 | 25 | +8 | Erik Jones |
| 18 | 18 | — | Daniel Suarez |
| 19 | 8 | -11 | Ryan Newman |
| 20 | 16 | -4 | William Byron |
| 21 | — | — | Kasey Kahne |
| 22 | — | — | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 23 | — | — | Bubba Wallace |
| 24 | — | — | Corey LaJoie |
| 25 | — | — | Landon Cassill |
| 26 | — | — | Ross Chastain |
| 27 | — | — | Reed Sorenson |
| 28 | — | — | Daniel Suarez |
| 29 | — | — | Gray Gaulding |
| 30 | — | — | Ryan Newman |
| 31 | — | — | Jamie McMurray |
| 32 | — | — | Timmy Hill |
| 33 | — | — | William Byron |
| 34 | — | — | Chris Buescher |
| 35 | — | — | B.J. McLeod |
| 36 | — | — | Matt Kenseth |
| 37 | — | — | Ryan Blaney |
| 38 | — | — | Ty Dillon |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Harvick | 2 | 1 | — | 19 |
| Kyle Busch | 3 | 2 | — | 17 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 1 | 4 | — | 17 |
| Clint Bowyer | 4 | 3 | — | 15 |
| Chase Elliott | 6 | 5 | — | 11 |
| Kyle Larson | 8 | 6 | — | 8 |
| Ryan Blaney | 7 | 8 | — | 7 |
| Denny Hamlin | 5 | — | — | 6 |
| Brad Keselowski | 10 | 7 | — | 5 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 9 | 9 | — | 4 |
| Alex Bowman | — | 10 | — | 1 |
| Joey Logano | — | — | — | — |
| A.J. Allmendinger | — | — | — | — |
| Kurt Busch | — | — | — | — |
| Paul Menard | — | — | — | — |
| Aric Almirola | — | — | — | — |
| Erik Jones | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Suarez | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Newman | — | — | — | — |
| William Byron | — | — | — | — |
| Kasey Kahne | — | — | — | — |
| Matt DiBenedetto | — | — | — | — |
| Bubba Wallace | — | — | — | — |
| Corey LaJoie | — | — | — | — |
| Landon Cassill | — | — | — | — |
| Ross Chastain | — | — | — | — |
| Reed Sorenson | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Suarez | — | — | — | — |
| Gray Gaulding | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Newman | — | — | — | — |
| Jamie McMurray | — | — | — | — |
| Timmy Hill | — | — | — | — |
| William Byron | — | — | — | — |
| Chris Buescher | — | — | — | — |
| B.J. McLeod | — | — | — | — |
| Matt Kenseth | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Blaney | — | — | — | — |
| Ty Dillon | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 21 matched drivers, the model averaged 7.5 positions off — better than the season average of 8.5. Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 15.6 | 2 | +13.6 |
| 3 | Ryan Blaney | 6.8 | 3 | +3.8 |
| 4 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 13.8 | 4 | +9.8 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | 12.1 | 6 | +6.1 |
| 7 | Alex Bowman | 14.0 | 7 | +7.0 |
| 8 | A.J. Allmendinger | 18.3 | 8 | +10.3 |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | 8.3 | 9 | -0.7 |
| 10 | Brad Keselowski | 12.0 | 10 | +2.0 |
| 12 | Denny Hamlin | 6.8 | 12 | -5.2 |
| 15 | Jimmie Johnson | 17.7 | 15 | +2.7 |
| 16 | Kyle Larson | 8.6 | 16 | -7.4 |
| 17 | Erik Jones | 17.7 | 17 | +0.7 |
| 18 | Daniel Suarez | 15.6 | 18 | -2.4 |
| 20 | William Byron | 10.3 | 20 | -9.7 |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 14.0 | 23 | -9.0 |
| 24 | Corey LaJoie | 24.9 | 24 | +0.9 |
| 26 | Ross Chastain | 13.8 | 26 | -12.2 |
| 32 | Timmy Hill | 24.3 | 32 | -7.7 |
| 34 | Chris Buescher | 10.3 | 34 | -23.7 |
| 35 | B.J. McLeod | 25.6 | 35 | -9.4 |
(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
- Clint Bowyer: has 33 career starts at Martinsville Speedway with a 13.5 avg finish (1 win) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
- Ryan Blaney: was the model’s top pick based on 30 career starts at Martinsville Speedway with a 11.7 avg finish (2 wins), finishing P3 on the day.
- Kyle Busch: was the biggest surprise, finishing P2 vs predicted P16. Track history: 52 starts, 12.1 avg finish.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2018 STP 500?
Clint Bowyer won the 2018 STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway driving for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Where was the 2018 STP 500 held?
The 2018 STP 500 was held at Martinsville Speedway on March 26, 2018.