NASCAR Cup Series: Chase Elliott wins 2018 Gander Outdoors 400

Chase Elliott earned his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory in the Gander Outdoors 400 at Dover International Speedway.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott earned his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season in the 30th race of the 36-race 2018 season, the Gander Outdoors 400, at Dover International Speedway after starting in ninth place.

Elliott’s victory is just the third victory of the season by a Chevrolet driver. Elliott also won the race at Watkins Glen International in his #9 Chevrolet and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon won the season opener, the Daytona 500, at Daytona International Speedway in his #3 Chevrolet

Elliott won the 404-lap race, which was scheduled to be a 400-lap race but went into overtime as a result of a late caution flag period, around the four-turn, 1.0-mile (1.609-kilometer) Dover International Speedway oval in Dover, Delaware by 0.265 seconds over Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who finished in second in his #11 Toyota.

Team Penske’s Joey Logano was the highest finishing Ford driver of what was a race dominated by Ford drivers. He finished in third place in his #22 Ford. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Erik Jones and Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top six by finishing in fourth, fifth and sixth in their #20 Toyota, #41 Ford and #4 Ford, respectively.

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Dillon finished in seventh place in his #3 Chevrolet. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch, who started the race from the pole position, finished in eighth in his #18 Toyota. Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Daniel Suarez rounded out the top 10 by finishing in ninth and 10th in their #17 Ford and #19 Toyota, respectively.

The race featured a total of 15 lead changes among eight drivers. Aside of Elliott, who led 11 laps, seven drivers led at least one lap of the race. Those drivers were Logano, Harvick, Kyle Busch, Stenhouse Jr., Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer. Harvick led more laps than anybody else in the field with 286 laps led. He won both stages one and two.

The race also featured a total of five caution flag periods for 31 laps. Of these five caution flag periods, three took place as a result of on-track incidents, as the other two took place as a result of the regular endings of stages one and two. Of the 39 drivers who started the race, just five failed to finish it. Of the 34 drivers who finished it, 15 finished it on the lead lap.

Almirola appeared to have the race won after Harvick had an issue with one of his wheels on of his last pit stops. As a result of this issue, a loose wheel, he had to come back into the pits, which promoted Almirola to the race lead.

However, Bowyer then had an issue and had to come into the pits. He then went back out onto the track and crashed, beginning the penultimate caution flag period of the race. Almirola and several other drivers came into the pits, but Elliott stayed out.

On the ensuing restart, a multi-car wreck involving playoff drivers Almirola, Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman and Ryan Blaney took place, sending the race into overtime. Elliott, who was penalized earlier in the race for an uncontrolled tire violation, restarted on the outside of the front row alongside Hamlin with two laps to go, and he held on to secure the win.

Here are the full race results of the 2018 Gander Outdoors 400 at Dover International Speedway.

Race Results
1st – Chase Elliott
2nd – Denny Hamlin
3rd – Joey Logano
4th – Erik Jones
5th – Kurt Busch
6th – Kevin Harvick
7th – Austin Dillon
8th – Kyle Busch
9th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
10th – Daniel Suarez
11th – Ryan Blaney
12th – Kyle Larson
13th – Aric Almirola
14th – Brad Keselowski
15th – Martin Truex Jr.
16th – Paul Menard
17th – Ryan Newman
18th – Jamie McMurray
19th – William Byron
20th – Matt Kenseth
21st – Regan Smith
22nd – A.J. Allmendinger
23rd – Darrell Wallace Jr.
24th – David Ragan
25th – Chris Buescher
26th – Michael McDowell
27th – Matt DiBenedetto
28th – Alex Bowman
29th – Ty Dillon
30th – Corey Lajoie
31st – Jeffrey Earnhardt
32nd – J.J. Yeley
33rd – Landon Cassill
34th – B.J. McLeod
35th – Clint Bowyer
36th – Jimmie Johnson
37th – Ross Chastain
38th – Harrison Rhodes
39th – Timmy Hill

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The next NASCAR Cup Series race is the 1000Bulbs.com 500, which is scheduled to take place next Sunday, October 14 at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. This race is set to be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET.

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