Tag: Texas Motor Speedway

Weekend schedule for Texas Motor Speedway

All three national series will compete at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. First up is the Xfinity Series race Saturday afternoon followed by the Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series race at 8 p.m.

The NASCAR Cup Series will close out the weekend’s events with the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 on Sunday at 3 p.m. With the completion of this race, the series will have reached the halfway point of the 2020 season. Jimmie Johnson has the most Cup Series wins of active drivers at Texas with seven, followed by Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch with three victories each.

All times are Eastern.

Saturday, July 18

3 p.m.: My Bariatric Solutions 300 Xfinity Series race (200 laps/300 miles) (Stages 45/90/200 Laps) NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
2019 Race Winner: Kyle Busch

8 p.m.: Vankor 350 Truck Series race (167 laps/250.5 miles) (Stages 40/80/167 Laps) FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
2019 Race Winner: Kyle Busch

Sunday, July 19

3 p.m.: O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Cup Series race (334 laps/501 miles) (Stages 105/210/334 Laps) NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
2019 Race Winner: Denny Hamlin

July 17, 2020
Bowman to make 100th start with Hendrick Motorsports at Texas

When the green flag waves in the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 19, Alex Bowman will reach a significant milestone in his racing career. By starting this Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at the Lone Star state, Bowman will make his 100th Cup start in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.

When the 2015 season concluded, Bowman had competed in his first two full-time seasons in the Cup Series between BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing. His best finishes between the two seasons was 13th at Daytona in July 2014 and 16th at Talladega in May 2015. Prior to the 2016 season, however, Bowman was left without a full-time ride after Tommy Baldwin Racing decided to replace Bowman with Regan Smith for the upcoming Cup season. All the Arizona native had in his racing schedule for 2016 was a nine-race stint in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports.

Through July and following his first five races with JRM, Bowman finished in the top 10 in all of his starts, which included a third-place result at Dover in May. Then, an opportunity made way for him when Dale Earnhardt Jr., two-time Daytona 500 champion and one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers, experienced concussion-like symptoms and did not participate in the upcoming Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July 2016. During the race, Bowman had a strong run in his first Cup race in Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Nationwide/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS led by crew chief Greg Ives. Despite running in the top 10 the majority of the run, he cut a tire on Lap 272 of 301 and finished 26th, but he still left New Hampshire satisfied with his run while receiving the opportunity to compete alongside NASCAR’s elite. Bowman and four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon would, ultimately, fill in the No. 88 Chevrolet for the remainder of the 2016 season when the concussion symptoms sidelined Earnhardt Jr. Competing in nine of the remaining 13 Cup races, Bowman recorded three top-10 results, including a career-best sixth place at Phoenix in November on a weekend where he recorded his first Cup career pole. He also competed in four more Xfinity races with JR Motorsports and earned two more top-10 results.

Based on winning the pole position at Phoenix, Bowman piloted the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet in the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona in February 2017, where he finished third after battling Kyle Busch on the final lap. While Earnhardt Jr. returned to racing full time for the 2017 season, Bowman, again, was left without a full-time ride within NASCAR’s three major division series, making only one start in the NASCAR Truck Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway with GMS Racing in February, where he finished sixth. In April, Earnhardt Jr. announced his retirement from racing full time in the Cup Series and was a leading advocate for Bowman to replace him. On July 20, Bowman was officially named the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide/AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports for the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season. For the remainder of the 2017 season, Bowman competed in two Xfinity Series races in the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro for Chip Ganassi Racing. In October at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he notched his first Xfinity career victory after leading the final 32 laps. He finished eighth in his other start at Phoenix in November.

In his first run in the No. 88 Chevrolet in 2018, Bowman won the pole position for the 60th running of the Daytona 500 with a pole-winning speed at 195.644 mph in 46.002 seconds. Leading 13 laps, he finished 17th in the 500 after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. Finishing no higher than 13th in the first five races of the 2018 season, Bowman recorded his first top-10 result, seventh, the following race at Martinsville Speedway. Two races later, he recorded his first career top-five result, fifth, at Bristol Motor Speedway. For the remaining 18 races of the regular season, Bowman recorded seven more top-10 results, including a career-best third place at Pocono Raceway in July, to make his Playoffs. With finishes of 19th, 12th and fourth in the three races of the Round of 16 in the Playoffs, he advanced to the Round of 12. The following round, he recorded finishes of 28th, 33rd and ninth, and was eliminated from title contention. Ultimately, he concluded the season in 16th in the final standings. During his first full-time season racing for Hendrick Motorsports, Bowman recorded three top-five results, 11 top-10 results and an average result of 17.0. In May, he competed in the Monster Energy Open at Charlotte Motor Speedway and won the first segment to advance to his first All-Star Race, where he finished last of the 21-car field following an accident in the third stage.

Bowman started the 2019 Cup season by qualifying on the front row for the Daytona 500, starting alongside teammate and pole-sitter William Byron, and finishing fifth in the rain-shortened Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona. For the first nine races of the season, he finished no higher than 11th. By then, he surpassed 50 starts with HMS. In April at Talladega Superspeedway, Bowman notched a career-best second place behind teammate Chase Elliott. He went on to finish in the runner-up spot the following two races at Dover and at Kansas. The following week, he finished third in the Monster Energy Open, but he advanced to the All-Star Race after winning the Fan Vote, where he finished eighth. For the next four races, he finished no higher than seventh. In June at Chicagoland Speedway, Bowman prevailed in a late battle with Kyle Larson to score his first NASCAR Cup Series career win. With the victory coming in his 134th series career start, Bowman became the 18th competitor to win driving for Hendrick Motorsports and the 192nd competitor to win a Cup race. He also recorded the first victory for the No. 88 HMS Chevrolet team led by crew chief Greg Ives since November 2015 at Phoenix, an accomplishment last made by Earnhardt Jr. The win at Chicagoland guaranteed the Arizona native a spot for the 2019 Cup Playoffs. In the three races featured in the Round of 16 in the Playoffs, Bowman recorded finishes of sixth, 23rd and second to advance to the Round of 12. For the second round, however, he recorded finishes of third, 37th and 11th, and was eliminated from championship contention. He went on to finish 12th in the final standings while recording seven top-five results, 12 top-10 results and an average result of 14.4.

This season, Bowman recorded his second Cup career victory at Auto Club Speedway in March after leading a race-high 110 of the event’s 200-scheduled laps. He has also recorded two top-five results, five top-10 results and an average result of 16.9 through the first 17 Cup races of the 2020 season. He is coming off an eighth-place result in the All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, which occurred on July 15, and is ninth in the regular-season standings, trailing points leader Kevin Harvick by 177 points. He is, nonetheless, guaranteed a spot in the 2020 Playoffs by virtue of his victory at Auto Club. He is also scheduled to remain as driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Hendrick Motorsports after signing a one-year contract extension with the 12-time championship-winning team in May.

Catch Bowman’s milestone start with Hendrick Motorsports in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas on July 19, which will air at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

July 17, 2020
Harvick to reach milestone start at Texas

When the green flag waves for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 19, Kevin Harvick will achieve a milestone start in his Cup career. By competing in Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at the Lone Star state, Harvick will become the 17th competitor to reach 700 starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

Entering the 2001 season, Harvick was initially slated to compete in select Cup races for Richard Childress Racing while competing for the team on a full-time basis in the Xfinity Series. Everything, however, changed in February when an accident on the final lap and final corner of the Daytona 500 claimed the life of seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt. The following week, Harvick was promoted to a full-time racing schedule in the Cup level and in the No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet, renumbered from 3. He made his series debut at Rockingham’s North Carolina Speedway, where he finished 14th. Two races later, Harvick edged Jeff Gordon by 0.006 seconds to score his first Cup career win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in his third series start. By then, Harvick became the fastest first-time Cup winner in the modern era. The win was well received from the crowd and in the NASCAR community as Harvick paid tribute to Earnhardt by performing a victory lap the opposite direction of the track while saluting three fingers to the crowd.

Harvick went on to clinch his second Cup career victory in the inaugural race at Chicagoland Speedway in July. When the 2001 season concluded, he recorded six top-five results and 16 top-10 results in 35 of the 36-race schedule, and he settled in ninth in the final standings. In addition, Harvick was named the recipient of the 2001 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year award. Ironically, Harvick would also win his first Xfinity Series championship.

In 2002, his sophomore Cup season, Harvick recorded two top-10 results in the first seven races of the season. The following week in April, Harvick was suspended for the Cup race at Martinsville Speedway for rough driving in the Truck Series at Martinsville a day earlier, where he intentionally spun Coy Gibbs during the race. Kenny Wallace drove Harvick’s No. 29 car, where he finished 32nd. Though Harvick returned the following week, his next nine finishes were outside the top 10, with a best result coming at Daytona in July, where he won his first Cup career pole and finished 11th. By then, his crew chief, Kevin Hamlin, was replaced by Gil Martin. The following race at Chicagoland, Harvick rallied from a spin to beat Jeff Gordon and claim his first victory of the 2002 season. Despite scoring his third Cup career win, Harvick achieved five top-five results and eight top-10 results throughout the 2002 season as he concluded the season in 21st in the final standings.

Harvick and the No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet team rebounded in 2003 by winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from the pole in August. He also achieved 11 top-five results and 18 top-10 results while leading a career-high 569 laps and settling in fifth in the final standings. He started the season working with Gil Martin, but concluded the season with Todd Berrier. By then, Harvick had surpassed 100 Cup career starts.

After going winless in 2004 and winning once in 2005, finishing 14th in the final standings in both seasons, Harvick’s first breakout year came in 2006, where he won five races at four different tracks, including Phoenix, Watkins Glen, Richmond and New Hampshire. Making his first Chase appearance, he concluded the season in fourth in the final standings while achieving a pole, 15 top-five results and 20 top-10 results along with 895 laps led. To go along with his successful 2006 campaign in the Cup Series, where he surpassed 200 series starts, Harvick also won his second Xfinity Series championship.

In 2007, sporting the Shell/Pennzoil colors on his No. 29 Chevrolet, Harvick kickstarted a new season of racing by edging Mark Martin by 0.020 seconds to win the 49th running of the Daytona 500. He went on to win his first All-Star Race at Charlotte’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May while cashing in one million dollars. Harvick went on to record four top-five results and 15 top-10 results throughout the 2007 Cup season, which he concluded in 10th in the final standings.

Harvick went winless the following season, but achieved seven top-five results and 19 top-10 results to conclude the season in fourth in the final standings. In 2009, Harvick won the non-point Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway in February and finished second in the rain-shortened Daytona 500 to Matt Kenseth a week later. The season, however, was mired with inconsistent runs for Harvick and the No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet team as Harvick only achieved five top-five results and nine top-10 results before concluding the season in 19th in the final standings. Early in the season, Todd Berrier was replaced by Gil Martin as Harvick’s crew chief. By then, Harvick had surpassed 300 Cup career starts.

Harvick rallied the following season by winning three races at three different tracks, including Talladega, Daytona and at Michigan. With 16 top-five results, 26 top-10 results and serving as the points leader for the majority of the regular season, Harvick remained in title contention through the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he concluded the season in third in the final standings and 41 points shy of the title to Jimmie Johnson.

In 2011, Harvick welcomed Budweiser and Jimmy John’s as his new Cup primary sponsors when Shell/Pennzoil left Richard Childress Racing for Penske Racing. Harvick achieved four wins in 2011 at four different tracks, including Auto Club Speedway, Martinsville, Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 and at Richmond. He achieved nine top-five results and 19 top-10 results throughout the season before concluding the year in third in the final standings. In 2012, Harvick surpassed 400 starts in the Cup level. During the season, he achieved his lone victory at Phoenix, the penultimate race of the year, to go along with five top-five results and 14 top-10 results. He finished the season in eighth in the final standings.

In 2013, Harvick’s final year racing for Richard Childress Racing, he achieved four victories, nine top-five results and 21 top-10 results while also recording his first pole award since 2006. He remained in contention through the finale before he concluded the season in third in the final standings, 34 points shy of the title to Johnson.

The 2014 season came with a fresh start for Harvick, who moved to Stewart-Haas Racing to drive the No. 4 Chevrolet SS while paired with crew chief Rodney Childers, but having familiar sponsors like Budweiser and Jimmy John’s supporting him. After finishing 13th in the Daytona 500 while being involved in a wreck on the final lap, Harvick led a race-high 224 laps and recorded his first victory with SHR at Phoenix the following week in March. He would record his second victory of the season at Darlington Raceway, the Southern 500, in April. The two victories throughout the regular season were enough for him to qualify for the Playoffs. In October, Harvick scored a win at Charlotte Motor Speedway to advance to the Round of 8. A week after making his 500th Cup start at Texas Motor Speedway in November, Harvick recorded a clutch win at Phoenix to advance to the Championship Round with an opportunity to win his first Cup title. During the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Harvick benefited late on fresh tires to beat Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, and claim his first NASCAR Cup championship by winning the finale. With the title, Harvick became the 30th Cup competitor to win a championship in NASCAR’s premier series as he also recorded the second title for Stewart-Haas Racing and the first for crew chief Rodney Childers.

Between 2015 and 2016, Harvick recorded seven victories, three poles, 40 top-five results, 55 top-10 results and led a combined 3678 laps with a best points result of second in 2015 to Kyle Busch. In 2017, Harvick remained with Stewart-Haas Racing, but was racing in Fords when SHR decided to field Fords in NASCAR following a longtime partnership with Chevrolet. Throughout the season, Harvick recorded two victories at two different tracks, Sonoma and Texas. To go along with four poles, 14 top-five results and 23 top-10 results, Harvick raced his way to the Championship Round, but concluded the season in third in the final standings. By then, Harvick had surpassed 600 Cup starts.

The 2018 season was a career year for Harvick and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford team, where the driver won a career-high eight races while also achieving four poles, 23 top-five results and 29 top-10 results, stats that allowed Harvick to make the Championship Round at Homestead. Harvick, however, concluded the season in third in the final standings for the second consecutive year.

Last season, Harvick won four races at four different tracks, including New Hampshire, Michigan, Indianapolis and Texas. To go along with six poles, 15 top-five results and 26 top-10 results, Harvick made the Championship Round for the fifth time in the last six years. For the third consecutive year, Harvick concluded the season in third in the final standings.

This season, in his 20th full-time season in the Cup Series, Harvick has achieved four Cup victories, the wins coming at Darlington, Atlanta, Pocono and at Indianapolis, to tally his win total in the Cup Series to 53. He has also recorded 10 top-five results and 14 top-10 results as he leads the regular-season standings by 88 points over Brad Keselowski.

Prior to the 2020 Cup season, only 15 competitors had achieved 700 starts in NASCAR’s premier series. Harvick is set to become the second competitor to reach the 700-mark start in the Cup level. On July 5, Kurt Busch, a former teammate to Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing, made his 700th career start in his 20th full-time season of racing.

Catch Harvick’s milestone start in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas on July 19 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

July 16, 2020
Logano to reach 600 starts across NASCAR at Texas

When Joey Logano takes the green flag for the upcoming O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 19, he will reach a significant milestone of his racing career. By starting this weekend’s race at the Lone Star state, Logano will reach 600 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series, (NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series).

A native of Middletown, Connecticut, Logano’s racing career started at age six when he was racing quarter midgets. After racing in Late Models and various stock cars series throughout his early youth, he competed in the Camping World East Series, (known today as ARCA Menards Series East), in 2007. He ended up winning the series championship in a season where he won five races, including the Toyota All-Star Showdown at California’s Irwindale Speedway in October.

The 2008 season would serve as Logano’s breakthrough year, which started when he won his first ARCA Series race in his series debut at Rockingham Speedway in May. More than three weeks later, he made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Dover International Speedway. Driving the No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, he finished sixth in his series debut. The following race at Nashville Superspeedway in June, Logano recorded his first career pole. During the race at Nashville, Logano led 64 laps before he was involved in a wreck shy of the halfway mark and he settled in 31st. The following race at Kentucky Speedway, Logano started on pole for a second consecutive race and this time, he led 76 laps and scored his first Xfinity career win in his third series start. With his victory, Logano became the youngest winner in the Xfinity Series at age 18 years and 21 days, (surpassing Casey Atwood’s record of 18 years, 10 months and nine days old accomplished in 1999). He competed in 16 more Xfinity races in 2008, where he recorded 12 top-10 results, a pair of runner-up results at Milwaukee and Gateway in June and two more poles at Richmond in September and at Homestead in November. By finishing 10th in the finale at Homestead, Logano also delivered Joe Gibbs Racing’s first owners’ title in the Xfinity Series. He also competed in one NASCAR Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway in October, where he finished 26th while driving for HT Motorsports.

In August 2008, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Logano will be moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series to drive the iconic No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in 2009, replacing Tony Stewart, who was set to form and drive for Stewart-Haas Racing. Prior to his rookie Cup season, he made his series debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September 2008, driving the No. 96 Home Depot/DLP HDTV Toyota Camry for Hall of Fame Racing in a technical partnership with JGR. Finishing 32nd in his Cup debut, he qualified for two more Cup races at Kansas Speedway in September with Hall of Fame Racing and at Texas Motor Speedway in November with JGR. His finishes were 39th and 40th.

Entering the 2009 season as a Cup Rookie-of-the-Year candidate, Logano made his first Cup start in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway in February, where he finished last of the 28-car field after being involved in an early multi-car wreck. He rebounded by finishing fourth in the first Gatorade Duel at Daytona, but finished last of the 43-car field in the rain-shortened Daytona 500 after being involved in a single-car wreck near the midway point of the race. After finishing no higher than 13th in the first eight Cup races of 2009, Logano recorded his first top-10 result at Talladega Superspeedway in April. The following month at Darlington Raceway, he had a stellar performance, where he led 19 laps and finished ninth. He would record another ninth-place result in the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The previous week, he won the Fan Vote and made his All-Star Race debut, where he finished eighth. In June at New Hampshire, Logano’s home track and the same racetrack where he made his Cup debut the previous season, he rallied from a midway spin to stretch his fuel cell to the fullest and emerge with the lead over Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch when the caution fell due to rain. Shortly after, the race was declared official due to weather and Logano was awarded his first Cup win in his 20th series start. With the victory, he became the youngest Cup winner at age 19 years, one month and four days old. For the remainder of his rookie Cup season, he recorded three more top-10 results, including a fifth-place result at Charlotte in October and a third-place result at Talladega in November, and he claimed the Rookie-of-the-Year title over Scott Speed despite finishing 20th in the final standings.

Throughout the 2009 season, Logano also competed in 22 of 35 NASCAR Xfinity Series races. He won five races in five different tracks that included Nashville, Kentucky, Chicagoland, Kansas and at Auto Club Speedway. He also recorded four poles, 13 top-five results and 16 top-10 results, all while driving Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry.

In 2010, Logano went winless, but he recorded his first Cup career pole at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. He recorded seven top-five results and 16 top-10 results while concluding the year in 16th in the standings, four spots better than his rookie season. He also competed in 25 of the 35-race schedule in the Xfinity Series, where he won two races and eight poles while recording 15 top-five results and 24 top-10 results. By then, Logano had surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

The year 2011 was one of Logano’s disappointing years, though he reached 200 division starts in NASCAR. In the Cup Series, he went winless again, but he recorded two poles, four top-five results and six top-10 results while concluding the season in 24th in the final standings with no opportunity in making the Chase and competing for the title. In the Xfinity Series, Logano recorded a single victory at Daytona International Speedway in July. He also recorded a pole, eight top-five results and 15 top-10 results in 22 starts.

The following season, Logano was paired with veteran crew chief Jason Ratcliff when longtime crew chief Greg Zipadelli left JGR for Stewart-Haas Racing. In his first 13 Cup races with Ratcliff, Logano’s only top-10 results came in the season-opening Daytona 500 in February and at Dover in June. Shortly after, Logano dominated and prevailed over a late battle with his childhood hero, Mark Martin, to notch his second NASCAR Cup career win at Pocono Raceway, first since winning the rain-shortened event at New Hampshire in 2009. With the breakthrough win, Logano became the first Cup competitor to win a race from the pole in 30 races as he also claimed his first Cup victory in a race spanning through its scheduled distance. The victory was also the first in the Cup Series for crew chief Ratcliff. Throughout the 2012 Cup season, however, he recorded two poles, two top-five results and 12 top-10 results while concluding the season in 17th in the final standings, missing the Chase in his fourth season in the series.

The 2012 Xfinity Series season was Logano’s breakout year, where he won a season-high nine races in eight different tracks, among which included Auto Club, Talladega, Darlington, Dover, Michigan, Bristol, Charlotte and Phoenix. Throughout the 33-race Xfinity schedule, he competed in 22 races and along with his nine victories, he recorded six poles, 12 top-five results and 17 top-10 results, all while serving as one of many competitors who contributed to delivering the fourth Xfinity owners’ title to Joe Gibbs Racing.

The 2013 season came with a fresh start for Logano when he was released from Joe Gibbs Racing and the Connecticut native joined forces with team owner Roger Penske to drive the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion led by crew chief Todd Gordon while paired with the reigning Cup champion Brad Keselowski. In his first Cup season with the Penske organization, Logano won at Michigan in August 2013, recorded two poles, a career-high 11 top-five results, a career-high 19 top-10 results and a career-high 323 laps led, all while making his first Chase appearance and finishing eighth in the final standings. He also competed in 15 Xfinity Series races in the No. 22 Hertz/Discount Tire Ford Mustang for the Penske organization, where he won three races and was one of four competitors who contributed to delivering the first Xfinity owners’ championship for Roger Penske by a single point. In addition, he made three NASCAR Truck Series starts in the No. 19 Reese Towpower/Draw-Tite Ford F-150 for Brad Keselowski Racing. His best result was a runner-up finish at Rockingham Speedway in April behind rookie Kyle Larson. By then, he had surpassed 300 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

The following season, Logano recorded five wins in the NASCAR Cup Series in five different tracks that included Texas, Richmond and Bristol in the regular season, and New Hampshire and Kansas in the Chase. To go along with a pole, 16 top-five results, 22 top-10 results and 993 laps led throughout the season, Logano was one of four competitors vying for the 2014 Cup title in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the finale, a late pit road error, where the jack dropped and the driver lost numerous spots on pit road, cost Logano and the No. 22 Penske team a shot for the title as he settled in fourth in the final standings. Throughout the 2014 season, Logano competed in 10 Xfinity races, where he went winless despite recording three poles and nine top-10 results, and serving as one of five competitors who contributed to achieving the second consecutive owners’ title for Team Penske in the Xfinity Series. He also made two Truck starts for Brad Keselowski Racing, finishing third and 18th in his two races.

In 2015, Logano won a season-high six races, including the Daytona 500, Watkins Glen International following a last-lap pass on Kevin Harvick, a victory in the Bristol Night Race for the second consecutive year and three consecutive races in the Round of 12 in the Playoffs at Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega. Logano’s championship hopes, however, came to an end during the Round of 8, starting at Martinsville Speedway in November when he was deliberately wrecked out by Matt Kenseth as a result of retaliation when Logano spun Kenseth for the win at Kansas a couple weeks earlier. The following week at Texas, Logano’s blew a tire and spun while damaging his car, where he ended up in 40th. Despite finishing third the next week at Phoenix, Logano was eliminated from title contention as he concluded the season in sixth in the final standings and in a year where he recorded six poles, 22 top-five results and 28 top-10 results. He also made 11 starts in the Xfinity Series, where he won four races, and one start in the Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway in March, where he won for the first time in the series. To July 2020, Logano is one of 33 competitors to win across NASCAR’s three major division series. At the time the 2015 season concluded, Logano had also surpassed 400 starts across the three division series.

In 2016, Logano won three races, including the All-Star Race at Charlotte and the penultimate race of the season at Phoenix that enabled him to secure a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead. At Homestead, he rallied from a late restart incident, where he made contact with title contender Carl Edwards, to finish fourth in the finale, but runner up in the title battle behind Jimmie Johnson. He also made 13 starts in the Xfinity Series and won twice.

Following a dismal 2017 season, where he won a single race at Richmond that was encumbered due to a violation discovered during post-race inspection that prevented him from making the Playoffs, Logano had surpassed 500 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series. In 2018, he won three races and claimed his first Cup championship with a victory in the finale at Homestead. With the championship, Logano became the 34th competitor to win a Cup title as he also recorded the second Cup championship for Team Penske and the first for crew chief Todd Gordon.

Following a productive 2019 season, where he won two races and finished fifth in the final standings, Logano started the 2020 Cup season by making his 400th series start in the Daytona 500, his first race paired with veteran crew chief Paul Wolfe. After finishing 26th due to being involved in a late accident, Logano rebounded by winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway following a late restart. Two weeks later, Logano won for the second time of this season at Phoenix.

Through the first 17 Cup races of this season, Logano has recorded three top-five results and seven top-10 results. He is ranked fifth in the regular-season standings, trailing points leader Kevin Harvick by 111 points, but is guaranteed a spot in the 2020 Playoffs by virtue of his two recorded wins this season.

In his previous 599 division starts in NASCAR, Logano has won 25 Cup races, 30 Xfinity races and one Truck race.

Catch Logano’s milestone start in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on July 19 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

July 16, 2020
Almirola draws second pole of 2020 for Texas

For the fifth time in 10 NASCAR Cup Series races of 2020, Aric Almirola’s name has been drawn to start on the front row for a Cup race. On this occasion, Almirola will start on pole position for the second time this season. That will be case when the driver of the No. 10 Smithfield/Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday, July 19, at Texas Motor Speedway for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, the 18th race of the 2020 Cup season as the series will also reach its halfway point of this year’s racing season.

Almirola is already coming off an eventful week of racing, where he finished eighth at Kentucky Speedway after leading a race-high 128 laps on July 12 and won the first stage of the All-Star Open at Bristol Motor Speedway on July 15, a victory that allowed him to transfer to the All-Star Race, where he finished ninth out of a 20-car field. He is currently ranked eighth in the regular-season standings, trailing points leader/teammate Kevin Harvick by 171 points. Nonetheless, Almirola is 133 points above the top-16 cutline in his quest to qualify for this year’s 2020 Playoffs and is coming off six consecutive races of finishing in the top 10.

Joining Almirola on the front row will be Ryan Blaney, who led a race-high 72 laps in the All-Star Race and was in position to win the event before he settled in sixth. Brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch will start on the second row in front of Kevin Harvick, who is set to make his 700th NASCAR Cup Series career start. Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin will start sixth and seventh followed by Chase Elliott, winner of this year’s All-Star Race. Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. will round out the top-10 starting positions followed by Matt DiBenedetto and Alex Bowman.

Starting in positions 13-26 are Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Bubba Wallace, Ryan Newman, Chris Buescher, Clint Bowyer, William Byron, rookie Cole Custer, Jimmie Johnson, Austin Dillon, Matt Kenseth, Erik Jones, rookie Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece and rookie Quin Houff.

Starting in positions 27-40 are Garrett Smithley, rookie John Hunter Nemechek, Gray Gaulding, Ty Dillon, J.J. Yeley, rookie Brennan Poole, rookie Christopher Bell, Michael McDowell, Joey Gase, Corey LaJoie, Daniel Suarez, Timmy Hill, B.J. McLeod and Reed Sorenson.

Catch the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on July 19 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

July 16, 2020
NTT IndyCar Series Preview-Texas
After a three month delay due to COVID-19, the NTT IndyCar Series finally gets their turn to get back on track for their 2020 season opener this Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway in what is expected to be a wild race.

In last year’s race, defending champion Josef Newgarden led the last 46 laps en route to victory at the 1.5-mile speedway. It was Newgarden’s first victory at Texas in just eight starts. The 2019 race featured three cautions for 22 laps with 13 lead changes.

While Newgarden was most certainly strong in the late parts of the event, there were other challengers such as Alexander Rossi, Graham Rahal and Scott Dixon, among a few others, who were front runners and traded the lead multiple times with Newgarden.

As last year’s race was the ninth race on the schedule, this year’s race will certainly be different since it will now be the first race on the schedule. Considering this, there will likely be some anxious and in some cases, cautious, drivers when they dive into Turn 1 for the first time in 2020. However, unlike NASCAR where there is no practice or qualifying, IndyCar drivers will be granted at least one practice and qualifying session which should make things somewhat more manageable for the competition Saturday night. Despite that, we won’t know who will have the fastest car until the first practice session on Saturday. However, I’ll try to give you five drivers to keep an eye on during Saturday night’s Genesys 300.
1. Simon Pagenaud – Pagenaud has been very close to victory lane at Texas over the last couple of races, ever since he began driving for Team Penske in 2016. Pagenaud has scored two podiums that occurred in two consecutive races in 2017 and 2018. He got his best finish of second in 2018 after leading 26 laps. In the 2019 race, the Penske driver started fifth and finished sixth. Overall, Pagenaud’s average finishing position is 6.1 and he has led a total of 85 laps. After his teammate Newgarden won last year’s race and Pagenaud being close multiple times in the last two years, don’t be surprised to see the No. 22 DXC Technology Chevrolet challenging for the win once again.
2. Graham Rahal – Rahal’s statistics have definitely improved over the last few races ever since winning his first elusive victory in 2016, nearly four years ago. Since that victory, he has finished fourth, sixth, and placed on the podium in the ’19 race after finishing third. In 12 starts dating back to his first in 2008, Rahal has one win, 36 laps led, three podiums and he has averaged an 11.3 finishing position. He also was able to lead five laps in the ’19 race as well. Only twice has Rahal failed to finish a race. The last time was in 2011 when he had an issue with the fuel pump. Rahal and the No. 15 RLL team are expected to be strong once again Saturday night.
3. Alexander Rossi – Fan favorite Alexander Rossi and the No. 27 NAPA team missed out on a victory in last year’s race by falling short to Newgarden and finishing second. His first few races weren’t all that great with an 11th place finishing position in 2016 and a 22nd place result after a crash took him out in the 2017 event. But since 2018, Rossi and the Andretti team have stepped up their game by getting back to back podiums. In total, he has a 9.5 average finishing position and a best starting position of third back in ’17. It has been well over a year since Rossi visited victory lane (which occurred at Elkhart Lake) and he’ll be hungry for a win.
4. Will Power – Continuing on the Team Penske train, Newgarden’s teammate, Will Power has also had his fair share of success at Texas. Since 2008, the Aussie has made 12 starts at the superspeedway and has earned four podiums along with two wins (2011, 2017) and has led 432 laps. Besides having a decent track record, Power also qualified on the pole three consecutive times from 2013-2015. When he scored the ’17 victory, the Penske driver led all but 20 laps to score his second victory at Texas. It’s been a couple of years since Power has had a good race but it’s hard to count him out at a track where Penske has had so much success.
5. James Hinchcliffe – This weekend will most likely be one of the most important weekends of James Hinchcliffe’s career when he takes the track Saturday night. After losing his ride at Arrow McLaren, Hinchcliffe is back with his old team Andretti Autosport where he will pilot the No. 29 machine. It’ll almost be a “home sweet home” feel for Hinchcliffe who made two starts with Andretti in 2012 and 2013. In those two races, Hinchcliffe finished fourth and ninth, respectively. His only podium of the race was in 2016 after Hinchcliffe came .008 seconds short of a thrilling finish with competitor Graham Rahal.
Aside from these five drivers who might have a chance at the victory Saturday night, in total, there will be 24 drivers aiming to get the victory. In the field, there will be three rookies who have never raced at Texas Motor Speedway. Those rookies are Oliver Askew, Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay. Askew and Palou are teammates at Arrow McLaren SP, while VeeKay competes with Ed Carpenter Racing.

While there will be three rookies who have never made a start at Texas, there have been at least eight winners of the previous Texas races, who have gone on to win the series championship. Those notable names include Sam Hornish, Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, and Josef Newgarden.

Texas has hosted 31 IndyCar races with an impressive list of drivers who have visited victory lane. Those winners are Arie Luyendyk (the first to win in ’97), Billy Boat, John Paul. Jr., Scott Goodyear, Mark Dismore, Scott Sharp, Sam Hornish Jr., Jeff Ward, Al Unser. Jr., Gil de Ferran, Tony Kanaan, Helio Castroneves, Thomas Scheckter, Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe, Dario Franchitti, Will Power, Justin Wilson, Ed Carpenter, Graham Rahal, and Josef Newgarden.

Dixon and Kanaan have made 20 starts. There has never been a driver who has consecutively made every start at Texas.

Out of those winners, at least six have started from the pole including Hornish, de Ferran, Castroneves, Scheckter, Dixon, and Briscoe who all won from the first starting spot. The lowest a winner has ever started from to win was 17th, set by Wilson back in 2012.

O the active drivers, 14 have all led laps in previous races. Dixon leads the way with 517 followed by Power (432), Kanaan, Hinchcliffe, Carpenter, Pagenaud, Andretti, Newgarden, Sato, Hunter-Reay, Rahal, Kimball, Rossi, and Marcus Ericsson.

This weekend will also mark a new era for the NTT IndyCar Series. Once the green flag drops Saturday night, race fans will see the all-new Aeroscreen, which is supposed to increase safety to the driver’s cockpit. The screen is made up of a titanium framework and a windscreen, which is a canopy-like version. It is mandatory for all drivers and teams to use this piece in all IndyCar races moving forward.

Saturday’s event will be a one day show to limit exposure for the teams.

The first and only practice will take place from Noon-2:30 p.m. local time and will be shown live on NBC Sports Gold. Single-car Qualifying is slated for 4 p.m. local time and can be seen on NBC Sports Gold and NBCSN.

The Genesys 300 is scheduled to take the green-flag at 7:05 p.m. local time, 8:05 p.m. ET live on NBC with 200 laps scheduled to take place.
June 5, 2020

Entry list for iRacing Pro Invitational Series at Texas Motor Speedway

Staff Report | NASCAR.com

Virtual Texas Motor Speedway will host the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (FOX/FS1, FOX Sports App) in the second race of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series.

Below is the current entry list for the 35-car field, containing drivers locked into the field. Below that is the entry list of drivers who will attempt to race their way into the big show on Sunday.

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS 125 ENTRY LIST

* Subject to change

No.	Driver
1	Kurt Busch
3	Austin Dillon
6	Ross Chastain
8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.
9	Chase Elliott
11	Denny Hamlin
12	Ryan Blaney
13	Ty Dillon
14	Clint Bowyer
16	Greg Biffle
17	Chris Buescher
18	Kyle Busch
19	Bobby Labonte
20	Erik Jones
21	Matt DiBenedetto
24	William Byron
31	Tyler Reddick
34	Michael McDowell
37	Ryan Preece
38	John Hunter Nemechek
42	Kyle Larson
43	Bubba Wallace
47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
48	Jimmie Johnson
51	Garrett Smithley
66	Timmy Hill
77	Parker Kligerman
88	Alex Bowman
89	Landon Cassill
95	Christopher Bell
96	Daniel Suarez

ATTEMPTING TO QUALIFY

* Subject to change

No.	Driver
7	Justin Allgaier
15	Brennan Poole
16	Justin Haley
22	Austin Cindric
23	Sam Mayer
26	Tyler Ankrum
29	Kaz Grala
33	Anthony Alfredo
35	Todd Gilliland
36	Jesse Iwuji
40	Ryan Truex
45	Ty Majeski
46	Chandler Smith
50	Jeffrey Earnhardt
52	Stewart Friesen
53	Joey Gase
54	Kyle Weatherman
63	Scott Stenzel
68	Brandon Brown
74	Sheldon Creed
78	Ryan Ellis
80	Joe Graf Jr.
81	Christian Eckes
90	Alex Labbe
93	Myatt Snider
98	Chase Briscoe
99	Harrison Burton
02	Spencer Boyd
08	Jeb Burton
TBD	Ruben Garcia
TBD	Derek Kraus
TBD	Drew Dollar
TBD	JJ Yeley

March 27, 2020

My First Race: 2001 Harrah’s 500 at Texas Motor Speedway

We’re one month removed from the end of the 2019 NASCAR season, which means we’re enmeshed in the holiday routine race fans across the world are taking part in. This includes but is not limited to excessive eating, family visits, excessive viewings of Days of Thunder, Talladega Nights, Redline 7000, Driven, Rush, Grand Prix, et cetera, excessive podcast listening of everything from the Dale Jr. Download to Off-Track with Hinch and Rossi. So on and so forth.

But the holiday season is also a time to reminisce, and what better things for race fans to reminisce about than the first major race event they ever attended? Very few of us can remember the first race we saw on TV that got us hooked (For me it was the 1999 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 at Richmond…otherwise known as Tony Stewart’s first Cup win). But we all remember that first time waiting in line to get tickets and entering the tunnel on the way to find a seat and take in our first green flag. In my case, it was the 2001 Harrah’s 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Those of us who remember the 2001 season remember the tagline networks used in reference to it: 2001: A Race Odyssey. In many ways, by the seventh race of the Winston Cup season we were facing a season’s worth of surprises: The loss of Dale Earnhardt. Three first-time winners in the first six races including Michael Waltrip and Earnhardt’s rookie replacement Kevin Harvick. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s slump following his Daytona 500 runner-up finish.

With that said, many believed that things would turn around for Junior at Texas, given it was the site of his first Cup win the year before. He was due for a good run, as his Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammates Waltrip and Steve Park had won the first two races of the season. In qualifying, he added fuel to the fire by putting his red No. 8 Chevy on the pole for Sunday’s race.

Meanwhile, Winston Cup points leader Dale Jarrett had turned a DNF at Daytona into two poles, three top-fives, and four top-10s including a win at Darlington coming into the race weekend. He put his No. 88 Robert Yates Racing Ford into the third-place qualifying slot for Sunday’s event. Meanwhile Park was also coming into the weekend fourth in points, with a win, two top-fives, and four top-10s. He’d put his No. 1 Pennzoil Chevy fifth on the grid for Sunday’s race.

Starting grid for the 2001 Harrah’s 500. Photo by Joseph Shelton

When the green flag dropped, Junior immediately took charge of the event as expected, before the race was slowed for a multi-car accident on lap five that involved rookie Kurt Busch, Waltrip, rookie Ron Hornaday, Jimmy Spencer, and Buckshot Jones. From my vantage point in the infield, all I saw coming back around the track were the heavily damaged cars of Waltrip, Spencer, and Jones, while the others weren’t as heavily damaged. It wasn’t enough for them to fall out of the race, as every driver who went to the garage returned to the track.

When the race restarted Junior continued to lead before Jarrett took the point, and over the first 100 laps of the race the lead was exchanged between those two as well as Johnny Benson before outside pole-sitter Bobby Labonte took the lead for two laps. They would be the only two laps he would lead before we saw his green No. 18 Pontiac slowly putter by on the apron on lap 150 when his engine expired.

By this point Park had taken the lead on lap 142 and had a stronghold on it. In his first venture with the front he would lead the next 48 laps before Junior would retake the lead on lap 190 and would hold onto it until lap 208. Around this time a caution would come out for a backstretch tangle involving Ward Burton, rookie Casey Atwood, and Joe Nemechek. Sterling Marlin would lead a few laps under caution before the restart, when Jarrett retook the lead.

This late in the race, it was looking like it’d come down to a battle between Jarrett, Park, Junior, and Benson, as all four happened to have the strongest cars in the race. Jarrett had had some strong runs at Texas at this point, holding two runner-up finishes at the speedway (1997, ’99) heading into the weekend. Meanwhile Park was in the midst of hitting his stride in Cup racing, in only his fourth full season in the No. 1 Chevy. Junior had the provenance of TMS being this site of his first Busch Series and Cup series wins, and Benson’s No. 10 Pontiac just so happened to have Hendrick Motorsports power under the hood, which seemed to be working just fine for his MB2 Motorsports team.

When Junior wrestled the lead from Jarrett on lap 275 and held onto it on a lap 285 restart following a caution where we saw Marlin’s No. 40 Dodge back into the turn three wall, we knew at that point a win for the DEI camp was certain, and Junior’s slump would be over. But when Elliott Sadler’s No. 21 bounced off the turn one wall and brought out a caution, on the lap 314 restart Benson stole the lead and held on tight.

But just like the ending of the 2000 Daytona 500, we saw as Benson was chased relentlessly by Jarrett. Park was close behind, while Junior’s No. 8 was shuffled back into the field. With six laps to go, the inevitable happened when Jarrett and Park finally stole past Benson, and when the checkered flag dropped Jarrett became the first repeat winner of the season. Park finished second, while Benson finished third and Busch finished fourth. Jeff Gordon rounded out the top-five.

Dave Blaney had an admirable day, meanwhile, turning a last-place starting spot to a sixth-place finish for his Bill Davis Racing Dodge. Harvick would finish seventh, and Junior would finish eighth after leading 107 laps on the day. Mark Martin would finish ninth, while Benson’s MB2 teammate would round out the top-10.

The race saw 18 lead changes among seven drivers, while the race was slowed 10 times for 44 laps. Jarrett would go on to finish fifth in points after winning two more times, while Park would be sidelined in the fall following a violent crash at Darlington. Benson would finish the season 11th in points, scoring six top-fives and 14 top-10s before scoring his only Cup win the next fall at Rockingham. Gordon would go on to win the championship later that year, while Busch would score his first Cup championship three years later.

As for Junior, 2001 would prove to be the season where he became a legend in his own right. He would win three times, starting with an emotional win at Daytona in July, and would follow it up with huge wins at Dover and Talladega before finishing eighth in the final standings, a huge improvement over his rookie season the year before.

As of this writing, only two drivers from that race are still racing full-time (Harvick, Busch).

2001 Harrah’s 500 Post-race. Photo by Joseph Shelton

Meanwhile, this race became the turning point for me as a fan. It probably helped that I was only 12, because while some of the more experienced fans/pundits would call this an average race for Texas, for me it became a watershed moment. It was everything I needed as a fan: Eventful, loud, fast. I saw drivers in person I’d never expected to encounter. I saw things in a perspective I never knew existed.

In the years since, I’ve been fortunate enough to cover multiple events at Texas thanks to the folks here at SpeedwayMedia.com, and I’ve been fortunate enough to meet several drivers and dignitaries across the world of motorsport from NASCAR to Formula One. How different would things have been had I not attended that race in April of 2001?

Would my love for NASCAR had gone the way most things do in regards to young pre-teens? I was the only NASCAR fan in my family at the time, and there’s no telling if my fandom would have intensified or not. But what I do know is that when it comes to professional sporting events, from NASCAR to Major League Baseball (Go Braves!), there’s no better way to intensify a young fan’s love for the sport. It can only grow from there.

So kudos to NASCAR and to the staff at the Texas Motor Speedway, because on April 1, 2001, they undoubtedly played a vital part in my love for motorsport. So on that note, I have to ask you a question:

What was your first race like?

December 26, 2019
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Texas

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex, with his ticket already punched to the championship round, finished sixth in the AAA Texas 500.

“I’m feeling no pressure,” Truex said. “My spot in the finale is guaranteed. Heck, not only am I sitting pretty, I’m laying pretty. And in a quick plug for a former sponsor, I’m laying pretty on a Denver Mattress.”

2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started on the pole and won the AAA Texas 500 to earn a spot in the championship finale at Homestead.

“I overcame a penalty in the pits for having equipment over the wall too soon,” Harvick said. “I warned my crew to keep their ‘equipment’ properly holstered. Otherwise, this race could have become the ‘XXX Texas 500.’”

3. Joey Logano: Logano finished fourth at Texas and sits fourth in the playoff points standings.

“Tensions will be high at Phoenix,” Logano said. “If Denny Hamlin and I are racing for a spot in the finale and we crash, you can best believe there will be a confrontation. And it’s gonna take more than just one of my crewmen to pull Hamlin off of me.”

4. Kyle Busch: Busch finished seventh at Texas.

“I’m going to Phoenix with the intention of winning,” Busch said. “I’m not going to guarantee a win, because I don’t want to end up putting my foot in my mouth. I’d rather put my foot on a pedal on my floorboard because I’m gonna be ‘clutch.’”

5. Denny Hamlin: An early spin ruined Hamlin’s day at Texas, resulting in a 28th-place finish. Hamlin is fifth in the points standings and will likely need a win at Indianapolis to advance.

“The pressure will be immense at Phoenix,” Hamlin said. “Stomachs will be in knots. So, the desert will bring the dry heat, and the dry heaves.”

6. Kyle Larson: Larson finished 12th at Texas and is currently seventh in the playoff points standings.

“Bubba Wallace may have spun himself intentionally,” Larson said. “And that really screwed me. I don’t understand why Bubba is intentionally spinning when it happens enough accidentally.”

7. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished fifth at Texas, posting his seventh top-five of the season.

“The Formula 1 Grand Prix Of The United States was going down in Austin,” Byron said. “So, for a day, Texas was the racing capital of the world. As for traffic and parking issues, there was a ‘mess in Texas.’”

8. Ryan Blaney: Blaney took eighth in the AAA Texas 500.

“I’ll likely need to win at Indianapolis to make it to Homestead,” Blaney said. “I’m somewhat confident I can do it. I just need a little extra motivation. So I’m reading ‘The Little Engine That Could,’ because I think I can, I think I can.”

9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski crashed in Stage 1 at Texas and finished a disappointing 39th in the AAA Texas 500.

“I got a little greedy,” Keselowski said, “and as a result, I collected Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. This is all new for both of us because I’m not used to being out of the championship hunt and Ricky’s not used to being in a crash in which he wasn’t to blame.”

10. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished 32nd at Texas after an accident ruined his chances of a solid finish.

“I brushed the wall 9 laps into the race,” Elliott said. “Now, I’m really behind the 8-ball, which means I have to win. Well, I guess that’s my ‘cue.’”

November 4, 2019
Burton sees seventh-place run at Texas as more momentum leading into 2020 XFINITY Series campaign

Although Harrison Burton wasn’t able to turn a front-row start in Saturday’s O’Reilly 300 into a top-five or even a win, he still views it as a momentum builder heading into his rookie XFINITY Series campaign in 2020, where he is set to take over the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 as Christopher Bell moves into the Cup Series.

“It helps a lot,” said Burton of his run. “It’s not exactly the run I think we wanted. I wanted to run better. I wanted to get a top-five, top-three, contend for the win, which was my goal. We didn’t quite get there tonight due to some adversity.”

“We control our own destiny so we got to get a little bit less sloppy and could do a better job. I mean I’m part of that for sure so it’s not only on pit road but on the race track as well. I made a couple of mistakes that cost us some positions. When you lose spots here [at Texas], it’s just so big. But it was a challenge tonight and I learned a lot, so that’s what it’s all about.”

The seventh-place was Burton’s fourth top-10 this season, which includes a season-best fourth-place finish at Iowa in his second start of 2019. But despite only scoring top-10s in half of his starts driving a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, his finishes in the other four races haven’t been indicative of his runs this season.

Despite running near the front at Loudon, Burton’s No. 18 Toyota tangled with Paul Menard’s Ford, which sent Burton into the wall and out of the race with suspension issues. A 13th-place at the Charlotte Roval was actually a respectable result considering the Roval’s nature, especially since Burton started the race in 22nd. His first-lap crash at Dover negated the fact that he started the race in fifth.

Yet although Burton will be taking over No. 20 that Bell has driven to eight victories this season, he won’t be with Bell’s Crew Chief Jason Ratcliff, who’ll be following Bell into the Cup Series. Burton’s 2020 Crew Chief hasn’t been announced yet, however, considering he’s posted some good runs in the No. 18 with Ben Beshore, there’s reason to believe Beshore could take up that mantle.

Burton and Beshore have put together a solid limited campaign in 2019. Considering the entire reason for the campaign is to prepare Burton for the 2020 season and to help him better learn how the cars handle, he’s performed as expected given his experience and the equipment he’s been put in.

Burton should expect to put together some strong runs in the 2020 campaign and could very well be the front-runner in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year race. Given that the JGR Toyotas are virtually untouchable in the XFINITY Series, expect Burton to visit Victory Lane at least a couple of times on his way to a Playoff appearance.

November 4, 2019

Tag: Texas Motor Speedway

Saturday, July 18

Sunday, July 19