April 18, 2015 – Joey Logano rolled to a dominating victory in the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Logano led every lap in his No. 22 Discount Tire Ford, notching his second win of the season. Logano jumped into the top spot at the drop of the green flag and never looked back on his way to his 23rd career series win.
April 18, 2009 – Fifty-year-old Mark Martin ended a 97-race winless drought when he outran Tony Stewart to take the checkered flag in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix Raceway. After starting from the pole, Martin dominated the race but was still challenged near the end. A late-race caution gave Ryan Newman the lead when he stayed out while the leaders pitted for tires, but Martin was able to cruise by with six laps to go to become the oldest winner at Phoenix by scoring Hendrick Motorsports’ fifth straight win at the 1-mile track.
April 18, 2004 – Rusty Wallace ended a 105-race winless streak when he drove his Miller Lite Dodge to victory in the Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Wallace held off a charging Bobby Labonte down the stretch to score his first win since California Speedway in 2001. It was the Hall of Fame driver’s 55th and final NASCAR Cup Series win. The win was also first victory for Dodge at Martinsville since Dave Marcis won the 1975 Old Dominion 500. Jeff Gordon, who finished sixth after leading a race-high 180 laps, was leading the race on Lap 291 when a piece of concrete came up from the race track and damaged the nose of his DuPont Chevrolet. NASCAR was forced to red flag the race for more than an hour to repair the damage and Gordon lost the top spot in the pits making repairs to his damaged car.
April 18, 1999 – John Andretti captured his second NASCAR Cup Series win in the Goody’s Body Pain 500 at Martinsville Speedway driving the No. 43 for Richard Petty. Andretti passed Jeff Burton in Turn 4 with four laps to go and went on to take the checkered flag. He had to battle back from a lap down early in the race when he spun after contact from Ward Burton on Lap 48. The No. 43 team took two tires on the last pit stop to gain track position and Andretti took it from there and he passed Jeff Gordon and Burton, who combined to lead 293 laps.
April 18, 1993 – Rusty Wallace won the First Union 400 to setup for a season sweep of North Wilkesboro Speedway. Wallace led the final 102 laps and took the victory by 1.7 seconds over Kyle Petty.
April 18, 1982 – Darrell Waltrip dominated the Northwestern Bank 400, leading 345 laps from the pole for his second consecutive win at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The race ended under caution for an accident between Terry Labonte and Bobby Allison. Labonte was able to limp his damaged car home to a second-place finish.
Other winners on this date: 1971 – Richard Petty (North Wilkesboro Speedway); 1970 – Richard Petty (North Wilkesboro Speedway); 1968 – Bobby Isaac (Columbia Speedway); 1965 – Junior Johnson (North Wilkesboro Speedway); 1960 – Glen Wood (Bowman Gray Stadium); 1958 – Curtis Turner (Southern States Fairgrounds); Herb Thomas (Orange Speedway)
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