2018 Cup Series Results

Complete race results with winners, margins, and laps led — 36 races. Data current through the 2025 season; 2026 results added as races complete.

NASCAR Cup Series results from 1949 through 2026 — 78 seasons of racing history, plus 44 seasons of O'Reilly Auto Parts Series results and 31 seasons of Craftsman Truck Series results. Every race on this page includes finishing order, stage points, laps led, and margin of victory.

Cup history splits into distinct eras: the strictly-stock and Grand National era (1949-1971) raced on dirt bullrings and new paved superspeedways with schedules as dense as 62 events; the Winston Cup modern era (1972-2003) standardized the schedule at 28-36 races per season; the Chase era (2004-2013) introduced a 10-race points-reset postseason; the elimination playoffs era (2014-2025) used four rounds of cuts to crown a Homestead-Phoenix winner-take-all champion; and the 2026+ Chase format brings back a cumulative-points Chase decided at Homestead-Miami. Modern races (2017+) have full stage breakdowns; historic races carry finishing order and laps led, since stages were not introduced until 2017.

Need the season opener? The Daytona 500 kicks off every modern Cup schedule. For postseason context, see The Chase.

# Date Race Winner
1 Feb 18 Daytona 500 Austin Dillon
2 Feb 25 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Kevin Harvick
3 Mar 4 Pennzoil 400 Kevin Harvick
4 Mar 11 TicketGuardian 500 Kevin Harvick
5 Mar 18 Auto Club 400 Martin Truex, Jr.
6 Mar 26 STP 500 Clint Bowyer
7 Apr 8 O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Kyle Busch
8 Apr 15 Food City 500 Kyle Busch
9 Apr 21 Toyota Owners 400 Kyle Busch
10 Apr 29 GEICO 500 Joey Logano
11 May 6 AAA 400 Drive for Autism Kevin Harvick
12 May 12 KC Masterpiece 400 Kevin Harvick
13 May 27 Coca-Cola 600 Kyle Busch
14 Jun 3 Pocono 400 Martin Truex, Jr.
15 Jun 10 FireKeepers Casino 400 Clint Bowyer
16 Jun 24 Toyota/Save Mart 350 Martin Truex, Jr.
17 Jul 1 Overton's 400 Kyle Busch
18 Jul 7 Coke Zero Sugar 400 Erik Jones
19 Jul 14 Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart Martin Truex, Jr.
20 Jul 22 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 Kevin Harvick
21 Jul 29 Gander Outdoors 400 Kyle Busch
22 Aug 5 Go Bowling at The Glen Chase Elliott
23 Aug 12 Consumers Energy 400 Kevin Harvick
24 Aug 18 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Kurt Busch
25 Sep 2 Bojangles' Southern 500 Brad Keselowski
26 Sep 10 Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Brad Keselowski
27 Sep 16 South Point 400 Brad Keselowski
28 Sep 22 Federated Auto Parts 400 Kyle Busch
29 Sep 30 Bank of America Roval 400 Ryan Blaney
30 Oct 7 Gander Outdoors 400 Chase Elliott
31 Oct 14 1000Bulbs.com 500 Aric Almirola
32 Oct 21 Hollywood Casino 400 Chase Elliott
33 Oct 28 First Data 500 Joey Logano
34 Nov 4 AAA Texas 500 Kevin Harvick
35 Nov 11 Can-Am 500 Kyle Busch
36 Nov 18 Ford EcoBoost 400 Joey Logano

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the first NASCAR Cup Series race?
The first NASCAR Cup Series race — then called the Strictly Stock Division — was held on June 19, 1949 at the three-quarter mile Charlotte Speedway dirt oval in North Carolina. Jim Roper was declared the winner after Glenn Dunnaway was disqualified for illegal rear springs, making it the first of 200 sanctioned points races in Cup history's inaugural season of eight events.
How many NASCAR Cup races are there per season?
The modern NASCAR Cup Series runs 36 points-paying races per year plus 2 non-championship exhibition events (the Cook Out Clash and the All-Star Race). The regular season covers 26 races, followed by a 10-race Chase in 2026. Historic Cup schedules varied wildly — 1964 had 62 races, while 1949 had just 8.
What is a NASCAR stage?
Stages were introduced in 2017 to split each Cup race into three scoring segments. Drivers earn stage points (10 down to 1 for the top 10 at each stage break) plus a playoff point for winning a stage. Stage breaks also create competition cautions that reset strategy. Races before 2017 have no stage data — only finishing order, laps led, and margin of victory are available.
Who has the most NASCAR Cup Series wins?
Richard Petty holds the all-time Cup Series wins record with 200 victories across a career from 1958 to 1992. David Pearson is second with 105, followed by Jeff Gordon (93), Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84 each), and Cale Yarborough (83). No active driver has crossed 100 wins.
What was the first NASCAR race at Daytona?
The inaugural Daytona 500 was held on February 22, 1959 at the brand-new 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. Lee Petty was declared the winner three days after the race in a photo-finish review over Johnny Beauchamp. The race has opened every Cup Series season since and is the most prestigious event on the schedule.
Where can I find historical NASCAR race results?
NASCAR Reference has complete race results from 1949 to 2026 for the Cup Series, 1982-2026 for the O'Reilly (Xfinity) Series, and 1995-2026 for the Craftsman Truck Series. Each result includes finishing order, laps led, margins of victory, and driver stats.

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