A look at the top performers in a number of categories from the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
Race Wins
Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch tied for the series lead in race wins in 2018 with eight each. Both also scored three consecutive race wins during the season with Harvick winning at Atlanta, Las Vegas (spring) and Phoenix (spring). Kyle Busch completed the hat trick at Texas (spring), Bristol (spring) and Richmond (spring). Brad Keselowski also won three straight (Darlington, Indianapolis and Las Vegas) to mark the first time in series history that three drivers won three consecutive races in one season. When it came to teams, Stewart-Haas Racing showed the way with 12 wins with its drivers Harvick, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch.
Laps Led
Kevin Harvick led 19.6 percent of the laps in 2018 for a total of 1,990. He led the most laps in eight races this season, including a combined 487 at Dover International Speedway. Kyle Busch was second in laps led with 1,469 and led all drivers with 8,777 laps completed while running in the top 15. Kyle Larson led 782 laps, the third most all-time in a season by a winless driver.
Stage Points
Kevin Harvick recorded the most stage points (375) in 2018. Points were not scored at Homestead-Miami Speedway since he was a Championship 4 driver. Harvick, who led the series with 19 stage wins, finished in the top 10 in 52 of the 73 stages, including both stages at Homestead-Miami. Harvick also earned an additional nine points (not reflected in overall total) in his Can-Am Duel. View Stage Points
Average Finish
Kyle Busch led the series with a career-best average finish (8.3) in the 36-races this season. Busch finished in the top five 22 times and also led the series with a stellar 5.1 average finish in the 11 races at 1.5-mile tracks that included three wins.
Poles
Kurt Busch collected the 2018 Busch Pole Award after taking the No. 1 starting spot in five races this season. Overall. 13 different drivers won at least one pole. Kyle Busch, who won four poles, posted the best average start (7.4) among all drivers.
Driver Rating
Kevin Harvick posted the best driver rating (115.5) in 2018. The driver rating is part of NASCAR’s loop data statistics and its calculated from a number of factors that includes wins, finishes, average running position and more. A perfect score is 150.0 and Harvick accomplished that feat once this year at Las Vegas in the spring. View Driver Ratings
Playoffs
Joey Logano scored the most points and tied for the best average finish (8.6) in the 10 races in the playoffs en route to winning the championship. Logano ranked first in top 10s (8) in the postseason and second in laps led (595) behind Kevin Harvick (770). Aric Almirola, who finished fifth in the final standings, also posted an average finish of 8.6 in the playoffs. Final Standings
