WÜRTH 400 Presented By LIQUI MOLY NASCAR Cup Series Race Fast Facts

Jimmie Johnson Leads Drivers with Track Wins at Seven; Kyle Busch has The Most Wins of the Active Drivers with Four.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott won the April 14, 2024
TMS race to snap a 37-race skid without a Victory.

• WHAT: WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY,11th race of the NASCAR Cup Series season.
• WHERE: Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile tri-oval in Fort Worth, Texas.
• WHEN: Sunday (May 4) @ 2:30 p.m. CT.
• TV AND RADIO:
• • Practice – Saturday @ 10:05 a.m. | TV: Amazon Prime.
• • Qualifying – Saturday @ 11:10 a.m. | TV: Amazon Prime.
• • Race – Sunday @ 2:30 p.m. | TV: FS1 | Radio: PRN, SiriusXM (Ch. 90), Lone Star 92.5 FM locally.
• RACE LENGTH: 267 laps | 400.5 miles.
• RACE STAGE LENGTHS: 
• 1-80 
• 81-165
• 166-267.
• PREVIOUS RACE: Talladega Superspeedway, won by Austin Cindric, on Sunday, April 27.
• NEXT RACE: Sunday, May 11, Kansas Speedway.
• ENTRY LIST: Click here for the WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY entry list.
• 2024 RACE WINNER: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports.
• 2024 POLE WINNER: Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports.
• 2024 TOP-FIVE FINISHERS: 
• 1. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports; 
• 2. Brad Keselowski, RFKRacing; 
• 3. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports; 
• 4.Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing; 
• 5. Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing.

TMS CAREER WIN LEADERS

1. Jimmie Johnson 7
2. Carl Edwards 4
3. Kyle Busch 4
4. Denny Hamlin 3
5. Kevin Harvick 3
6. Greg Biffle 2
7. Jeff Burton 2
8. Tony Stewart 2
9. Matt Kenseth 2
10. Martin Truex Jr. 2
11. Ryan Newman 2

Bold denotes the current full-time Cup Series driver.

 

Be in the know ahead of Sunday. 👇

Two @SpireMotorsport cars in the top five. @TyGibbs with his third consecutive top-10 start of the season. @joshberry delivers @woodbrothers21 its best Texas starting spot since 2017. pic.twitter.com/3Kv2ryXTc6

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 3, 2025

NCS SEASON NOTES:

Hendrick Motorsports, led by William Byron, owns three of the top four positions in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings. Kyle Larson is second, trailing Byron by 31 points, and Chase Elliott is fourth, 72 back. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin (-52) is third while his teammate Christopher Bell (-82) rounds out the top five. … Bell leads the series with three wins (Atlanta, Circuit of The Americas, Phoenix) while Larson (Homestead-Miami, Bristol) and Hamlin (Martinsville, Darlington) also are multiple winners. … Larson is the series leader in top-five finishes (6) and co-leader with Byron for top 10s (7). … Larson also is the series leader in laps led with 506 and followed by Byron (364) and Hamlin (315). … Byron has finished sixth of better in his last three races, paced by a runner-up finish at Darlington. … Larson has finished fifth or better in four of his last five, including wins at Homestead-Miami and Bristol. … Hamlin has top-five finishes in four of his last five races. … Elliott and Bell have finished eighth or better in three of their last four starts. … Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain has finished seventh or better in three of his last four races. … Team Penske driver Austin Cindric’s win at Talladega this past Sunday was the third of his career and first since winning at World Wide Technology Raceway in June of last season. It was just his second top-10 finish in the last nine races on the season. … Noah Gragson of Front Row Motorsports is coming off a season-best, fourth-place finish at Talladega. It was his first top-five effort since finishing a career-best third in that same event last season for Stewart-Haas Racing.

 

NCS RACE NOTES:

This will be the 45th NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Last season’s race was held Sunday, April 14, and served as the ninth race of the NCS season. Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports won in double overtime to snap a 42-race winless streak and earn his first victory since Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 2, 2022. It was his first Cup Series victory in 14 starts at Texas Motor Speedway. … Texas Motor Speedway has produced 22 or more lead changes in the last three races and seven of the last eight. The high during that stretch was a track-record 36 in 2022 when Tyler Reddick won. … Chevrolet is riding a four-race winning streak in large part to Hendrick Motorsports. The organization won in 2021 with Kyle Larson, ’23 with William Byron and Elliott last season. The other Chevy win came from Reddick in 2022 while with Richard Childress Racing. … Byron has finished among the top three in three of his last four visits, with a runner-up finish in 2021, a victory in ’23 and third last season. He also is riding a four-race, top-10 streak at TMS. … Brad Keselowski of RFK Racing arrives with a streak of six consecutive top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish last season that matched his best performance in 29 starts at TMS. He ranks 10th all time at TMS for laps led (685) but can move up to sixth if he can lead seven more in Sunday’s race. He would move past Martin Truex Jr. (689) and the trio of Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards, who are tied at 691. … Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing has been all or nothing in his six career starts. He has finished among the top five in three races and 17th or worse in the other three. His best finish of third came on two occasions (2020, ’21). … Reddick has posted top-five finishes in half of his six visits, including fourth last season. The 23XI Racing driver also owns a win in 2022 and runner-up effort in ‘20. He has finished among the top 10 in three of his last four starts. … Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing has a run of three consecutive top-10 finishes at TMS. He finished fifth in 2022, 10th in ’23 and sixth last season, all coming with now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing. … Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing has top-10 finishes in three of his last four, including fifth last season. His best finish is third, which came in both Texas races during the 2019 season. … Spire Motorsports driver Michael McDowell is chasing his first top-10 finish at TMS after 26 career starts. His best finish was 11th in 2022 for Front Row Motorsports. … RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher, a native of nearby Prosper, Texas, is looking to secure his first top-10 finish at his home track after 15 career starts. His best finish of 14th came in 2023. Last season, he was 15th. … Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing leads all active drivers (three or more starts) with an average starting position of 7.3 at Texas. Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney is second at 9.8 and teammate Joey Logano is third at 12.2. … Briscoe leads all active drivers (four or more starts) with a 9.0 finishing average. Reddick is second at 9.3, Byron third at 11.2, Elliott and Kyle Busch of Richard Childress Racing are tied for fourth at 12.2, and followed by Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones (12.3). . … Busch and Hamlin are the only active drivers with multiple wins at Texas. Busch owns four while Hamlin has three. … Busch leads active drivers in laps led with 1,069. … Fulltime NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing will be performing double duty as the 20-year-old is scheduled to compete in the No. 62 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports in the WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY. It also will mark the first appearance for Beard Motorsports at TMS since the organization’s NCS debut in 2017. 

 

source: Texas Motor Speedway Media

Snowy NASCAR

Winter Blankets #NASCAR Tracks (2024-25 offseason)

Enjoy the snowy backdrops from some of NASCAR's tracks from this winter before the 2025 season begins.

 

The Cup Series is scheduled to return to competition on Sunday February 2nd 2025 at Winston-Salem, North Carolina’s Bowman Gray for the 200 lap ‘Cook Out Clash.’

 

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Dover Motor Speedway

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Pocono Raceway

Richmond Raceway

Talladega Superspeedway

Texas Motor Speedway

 

Did someone say Snow Day? ❄️☃️ pic.twitter.com/l4W31ff8xB

— Texas Motor Speedway (@TXMotorSpeedway) January 9, 2025

 

source: NASCAR Media

Bubba Wallace Earns Pole for 'Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400'

#NASCAR Cup Series Round Of 12 Playoff Opener

 

Championship contender Bubba Wallace opened the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 in promising fashion by earning the pole position in Saturday’s qualifying for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

Wallace, driver of the No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota for 23XI Racing, posted a lap speed of 188.337 miles per hour (28.672 seconds) in the final round of qualifying to earn his first pole position of the season and second of his career. His other pole came last August at Michigan International Speedway.

 

Wallace, the final seed in the field of 12 playoff drivers, will lead the 36-car field to the green flag for Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 beginning at 2:30 p.m. (TV: USA, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM).

 

“We have the best track position right now, but we know with strategy, everything is going to change and evolve (tomorrow),” Wallace said. “We are going to get behind at some point, so it is just a matter of making the most of every situation that we are in. Right now, we start on the pole, if we lead all the laps – some people may pit and cut it. You are going to get behind at some point, so we’ve got to figure out how to get back up there, but you can’t get complacent on the small victories. It takes a lot of them to get to a big victory, but it’s a good start.”

 

Wallace easily topped his previously best starting position at Texas Motor Speedway of 10th, which came in the spring race of 2019, in eight career starts.

 

“Was I expecting it? I don’t know,” he said. “In qualifying, I tend to try too hard and overthink things. I need to stop that and just go out and do. So that was a good surprise.”

 

Wallace, the last driver to qualify in the 10-driver final round of qualifying, edged out Prosper, Texas native Chris Buescher of RFK Racing. Buescher, driver of the No. 17 Fastenal Ford, ran a lap of 188.081 mph (28.711), which was .039 of a second shy of Wallace’s pole-winning time. The qualifying run was his best of the season, topping his fourth at Michigan.

 

 

Ba da ba ba ba — We’re lovin it!

Today’s pole marks 23XI’s third team pole and @BubbaWallace’s second🎉 #ForwardTogether pic.twitter.com/XtrsLK5BHw

— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) September 23, 2023

 

source: Texas Motor Speedway

Jelly Roll Named Grand Marshal

Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400

 

Five-time CMA nominee, eight-time People’s Choice Country Award nominee and three-time CMT award winning artist Jelly Roll, the breakthrough singer/songwriter who burst upon the country music scene with his massive hit “Save Me” as well as back-to-back #1 singles “Son of a Sinner” and “Need A Favor,” will serve as the Grand Marshal for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race on Sunday, Sept. 24, at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

My debut country album, "Whitsitt Chapel" is out NOW! >>>https://t.co/jnMWYgMqBL pic.twitter.com/g2hpSDcWZ7

— Jelly Roll (@JellyRoll615) June 2, 2023

Originally from Antioch, Tenn., Jelly Roll (Jason DeFord) earned numerous milestones this year including a 44-date sold-out Backroad Baptism Tour, multi-week, multi-platinum, multi-genre #1 singles, and the biggest Country album debut in Billboard Consumption chart history with the release of his album “Whitsitt Chapel” in June, which debuted Top 3 on the Billboard 200 chart.

 

In his honorary role, Jelly Roll will deliver the “Start your engines” command to the 36-driver field competing in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 (TV: USA, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM and 95.9 The Ranch-locally).

 

 

 

source: Texas Motor Speedway Media

Don Graves, 98-year-old Marine to perform God Bless America

Iwo Jima survivor to Sing Prior to #NASCAR Cup Playoffs’ ‘Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400’

Don Graves, Corporal, USMC 1942–1946

 

Don Graves, a 98-year-old U.S. Marine and one of a very special group of living American heroes who made the successful assault on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during World War II, will perform ‘God Bless America’ prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 NASCAR Cup Series playoff race Sept. 24 at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

The Fort Worth resident has sung God Bless America and The Star-Spangled Banner prior to numerous events but this will be his first time at a NASCAR Cup Series event with a national television audience.

 

“The opportunity to sing God Bless America to a national TV audience is a rare treat and I am so thrilled to be able to do it,” said Graves. “It is a great honor.”

 

Graves, the son of a U.S. Marine, joined the Marines the day after his 17th birthday in 1942 after being turned down, for being too young, immediately following the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941. He was trained as a flame thrower and his first combat assignment was the initial attack on Iwo Jima beginning Feb. 19, 1945. The Detroit native was one of only 18 of the 335 men of his Second Battalion, Fifth Marine Division to survive the successful 36-day assault forever memorialized by the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph by Joe Rosenthal of the Stars and Stripes being raised atop Mount Suribachi. He was honorably discharged from the military in 1946 with the rank of corporal.

 

Graves became a minister in the mid-1970s and retired from preaching in 2007 after 32 years of service to the community and his parishioners. 

 

"Know where I got converted? I lay on the beach at Iwo. Nowhere to go, I saw what was happening. I was scared. I put my face in the sand and said, God I don’t know much about you, but if you can do for me what people tell me you can, I will serve you the rest of my life."  Don Graves

 

Texas Motor Speedway Executive Vice President & General Manager Mark Faber made the invitation to Mr. Graves in person on June 22 at Graves’ home in Fort Worth.

 

“All of us at Texas Motor Speedway are honored to welcome a true American hero like Don Graves to sing God Bless America prior to the start of the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400,” said Faber. “We will celebrate Mr. Graves for his valiant service to his country as a U.S. Marine in World War II as well as his 32 years of service to his church and parishioners. He is a hero to us all.”

 

Don Graves won't only be visiting. He'll be performing "God Bless America" prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. His is a fully American tale of the Greatest Generation.https://t.co/Vqy8xlZW6k

— Fort Worth Inc. (@FWincmag) September 5, 2023

 

source: Texas Motor Speedway Media

 

 

NASCAR and ARCA Race Weekend Recap (Richmond, Texas and Irwindale)

Winners: Kyle Larson (Cup); Chandler Smith (Xfinity); Carson Hocevar (Trucks) with Sean Hingorani (ARCA West)

NASCAR Cup

Kyle Larson Prevails Late at Richmond for First 2023 Win

 

With the benefit of a fast final pit stop, Kyle Larson put his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet out front at Richmond Raceway and then held off the field in the last 25 laps of Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 to earn his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2023 season.

 

The 30-year-old Californian had to out-duel his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Josh Berry on a pair of restarts in the closing laps to secure the win at the first short-track event of the season (the 0.75-mile Richmond oval). Berry, driving the No. 9 Hendrick Chevy for injured Chase Elliott, finished runner-up, capturing his best NASCAR Cup Series finish — 1.535 seconds behind Larson to the checkered flag.

 

“It’s really cool, we’ve been close to winning a couple,” Larson said, adding, “Things just worked out and my pit crew had a great stop.”

 

Larson led four different times, totaling 93 laps, and survived contact on pit road with Daniel Suárez’s Chevrolet early in the race. It was Larson’s second Richmond win (also in 2017) and the fifth win for Chevy through the season’s opening seven races.

“What an awesome Hendrickcars.com Chevy,” Larson said. “Can’t say enough about it. I got into the 99 [Suárez] on pit road there sometime in the second stage, and we were awful after that. I was hoping the damage was the reason why, but they had to calm me down a little bit and get refocused and was able to get it done.

 

“Thanks to everyone on this team, Cliff Daniels, for everything he does to prepare the team to be as strong as we are without him on the box. So good to get a win, and hopefully many more.”

 

This win is special. 💙 pic.twitter.com/BP878UHv9Q

— Hendrick Automotive Group (@HendrickCars) April 3, 2023

Pole: Alex Bowman

Click Here for Race Results

 

Next Race: The Cup Series will return on Sunday, Apr. 9 - 6:00 PM for the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

 

NASCAR Xfinity

Chandler Smith Finds Late-Race Momentum, Wins Xfinity Series Race at Richmond

 

Rookie Chandler Smith earned his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory Saturday afternoon at Richmond Raceway, holding off John Hunter Nemechek on a final race restart with six laps remaining to hoist the ToyotaCare 250 trophy.

 

Smith‘s No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet led a race-best 83 of the 250 laps — the bulk of that early in the race. But the 20-year-old Georgia native was able to run among the top five for most of the day and ultimately drive his Chevy around Nemechek‘s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on that last restart, pulling away to a 0.298-second victory after intense side-by-side action for the lead in the closing laps.

 

“Feels great,‘‘ a smiling Smith said. “This goes to testimony as to Vegas, dominated that race but didn‘t win and said, ‘It was all in God‘s timing.’ … Here we are in Richmond, my favorite race track, and we‘re sitting in Victory Lane.‘‘

 

Im so proud of @CSmithDrive for what he accomplished on Saturday and Sunday. His future is so bright in this sport, he continues to show it every weekend.

But he couldnt do it without everyone at @KauligRacing setting him up for success, total team effort! #trophyhunting pic.twitter.com/QuRLv3qBTy

— Chris Rice (@C_Rice1) April 3, 2023

Pole: Justin Allgaier

Click Here for Race Results

 

Next Race: The Xfinity Series will return on Saturday, Apr. 15 - 6:30 PM for the Call 811.com Before You Dig. 250 at Martinsville Speedway.

 

NASCAR Trucks

Carson Hocevar finds Magic in NASCAR Overtime, Wins at Texas

 

Nick Sanchez led an absolutely dominant 168 of 172 laps in Saturday’s SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway, but the 21-year-old rookie and reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Zane Smith collided at the front of the field after taking the white flag and Carson Hocevar instead drove through to take his first career victory in double overtime.

 

The 20-year-old Hocevar led only that last overtime lap in the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet to claim his first win by 1.628 seconds over Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Chase Purdy – career-best finishes for both drivers.

 

After slight contact with Smith racing door-to-door for the win, Sanchez got loose and had to regain control of the truck heading to the white flag. Video replays showed that as he steadied his truck, he was hit from behind by Hocevar, whose truck was carrying the momentum as Sanchez was recovering from his slight miscue. The contact from behind was just enough to spin Sanchez back across the track and collect Smith’s truck while Hocevar drove forward to the finish line and waited for official word of the win.

 

“I didn’t mean to get into him, I just meant to give him a push, and he got sideways the second I hit him, I apologize to them, I’ll take the fall for it. I wrecked a Chevy, and I’ll go talk to him about it – he deserved to win for sure,” Hocevar said of the contact with Sanchez.

 

“But all the times we were the fastest car, and I don’t win, and this team deserves to win more than anything, I can stop getting the same question asked all the time now,” continued Hocevar, who has four career runner-up finishes. “We didn’t deserve to win today, but we were in the right spot at the right time.”

 

it was a dream i’ve dreamt before, but for the first time i woke up and my dream was reality. thank you @wwexracing. pic.twitter.com/yh4PdHtRn7

— Carson Hocevar (@CarsonHocevar) April 2, 2023

Pole: Nicholas Sanchez

Click Here for Race Results

 

 Next Race: The Truck Series will return on Saturday, Apr. 8 - 7:00 PM for the Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt.

 

ARCA

Sean Hingorani earns first ARCA West victory at Irwindale Speedway

 

It only took three starts with Venturini Motorsports for Sean Hingorani to break through in a big way.

 

The 16-year-old notched his first ARCA Menards Series West victory Saturday night at Irwindale Speedway during the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame 150, fending off a charge from Landen Lewis late in the race.

 

The victory marked the first ARCA Menards Series West triumph for Venturini Motorsports.

 

Hingorani, who celebrated by climbing Irwindale’s frontstretch catch fence alongside his crew, expressed his gratitude to everyone at Venturini Motorsports for all their hard work to ensure he would be prepared to contend for wins right out of the gate.

 

“Our Toyota Camry was so fast [on Saturday],” Hingorani said. “We were fast all weekend, but my crew chief Kevin Reed Jr. has been [to Irwindale] a couple times and finally got himself a win. It’s so awesome to win here.”

 

You never forget your first!@seanhingorani wins the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame 150 at Irwindale Speedway! pic.twitter.com/KD374iIGZX

— ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) April 2, 2023

Pole: Trevor Huddleston

Click Here for Race Results

 

Next Race: The ARCA Series West will return on April 22, 2023 for the NAPA Nightvision 150 at Kern County Raceway Park.

 

source: NASCAR Media

Crafton, Smith Highlight ‘Fast Five’ Storylines for NCTS Speedycash.Com 250

 

The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series continues its “Texas Two Step” as the two-race swing through the Lone Star State culminates with Saturday’s SPEEDYCASH.COM 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

The series competitors will shift from last week’s twisting, 3.41-mile Circuit of The Americas permanent road course in Austin to the ultra-fast, high-banked 1.5-mile oval in Fort Worth for the fourth race of the season. 

 

The one-day show opens Saturday with a 30-minute practice beginning at 9:35 a.m. CT followed by qualifying at 10:05 a.m. Once the field is set, the SPEEDYCASH.COM 250 will get underway at 3:30 p.m. (TV: FS1, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM). 

 

The SPEEDYCASH.COM 250 is the companion event for Sunday’s PPG 375 (11:15 a.m., TV: NBC & Peacock. Radio: SiriusXM, INDYCAR Radio Network, 95.9 The Ranch-local). 

 

Here’s a look at the “Fast Five” storylines for the SPEEDYCASH.COM 250 NCTS race: 

1. ThorSport Racing’s Matt Crafton will extend his record for most career starts of any series that has competed at Texas Motor Speedway in Saturday’s SPEEDYCASH.COM 250. The 47-year-old Crafton, in his 23rd full NCTS season, will be making his 43rd TMS start, which dwarfs the career leaders in NASCAR’s other two national series and INDYCAR. 

 

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick owns the NASCAR Cup Series mark with 38 while Jeremy Clements of Jeremy Clements Racing holds the top spot in the Xfinity Series at 28. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, the INDYCAR career leader, will be making his 25th start in Sunday’s PPG 375. 

 

Crafton is a two-time winner at Texas and has the track records for career top-five finishes (17) and top 10s (30). He also ranks second for career laps led at 444. 2. 

 

2. Defending series champion Zane Smith of Front Row Motorsports is producing a carbon copy of his run to last year’s title and is hopeful the script finishes out the same way. 

 

A year ago, he won the season-opening race at Daytona and followed with his second victory of the season at Circuit of The Americas. He has done so again, winning last week at COTA by 5.451 seconds over runner-up Kyle Busch after a season-opening win at Daytona. 

 

Smith, however, does find himself in a much better position in the NCTS points standings at this stage. Smith, who was 31 points behind leader Chandler Smith last season, exited COTA with the top spot, three ahead of ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski. 

 

He is hopeful that he doesn’t mirror his 2022 result at Texas Motor Speedway, where he finished six laps down and in 32nd place. 

 

3. ThorSport Racing’s driving trio of Ben Rhodes, Majeski and Crafton have combined for one win through the first four races of the season, but there is no need to fret for the organization. 

 

ThorSport Racing currently holds three of the top six positions in the NCTS points standings heading into the SPEEDYCASH.COM 250. Majeski is two points behind Smith in second, Rhodes is 18 back in third and Crafton is 38 out in sixth. 

 

Consistency has been the key as the group has combined for eight top-10 finishes, including four among the top five. Majeski and Rhodes have registered top 10s in three of the four races, including both having a pair of top-five performances, while Crafton has two top-10 finishes. 4. 

 

4. The NCTS may want to issue directions to Victory Lane leading into the SPEEDYCASH.COM 250. 

 

Of the expected 36 drivers in the field, only two current fulltime NCTS drivers have recorded victories in the series’ 26-year history at Texas Motor Speedway. Crafton is one as expected, with the ThorSport Racing veteran winning at Texas in 2014 and again the next season. 

 

Joining Crafton is Stewart Friesen of Halmar Friesen Racing. Friesen earned his victory last season in overtime, marking his first win in 53 races dating to November of 2019. 5. 

 

5. The most productive drivers in the last 10 races at Texas Motor Speedway include some of the usual suspects. 

 

Crafton leads the way with nine top-10 finishes, including four among the top five. Grant Enfinger of GMS Racing has seven top-10 finishes, including five top-five efforts. Friesen has four top-five finishes and five top 10s overall. Rhodes has four top-10 finishes, including two among the top 10. 

 

Interestingly, Friesen is the only one among the group with a win during the timeframe.

Leading the pack to green!@Nicksanchez080 wins the #CometicGasket Pole at @TXMotorSpeedway. https://t.co/CDRaibmhk8

— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) April 1, 2023

 

source: Texas Motor Speedway Media

SPEEDYCASH.Com 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race Fact Sheet

Matt Crafton is the only driver in the field with multiple wins.

 

COMPANION EVENT: PPG 375 NTT INDYCAR SERIES race, Sunday, April 2.

 

BROADCAST INFORMATION (All times Central)

 

• NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series qualifying, Saturday, April 1, 10 a.m.; TV – FS1.
• NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series SPEEDYCASH.COM 250 race, Saturday, April 1, 3:30 p.m.; TV – FS1. Radio – MRN, SiriusXM.

 

RACE LENGTH

• 167 laps | 250 miles

 

 

2022 RACE RECAP

 

Stewart Friesen needed overtime in the SPEEDYCASH.COM 220 to secure his first victory since November of 2019 and a berth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs. Friesen lined up alongside Christian Eckes for a final overtime restart and after a close side-by-side battle through the opening two turns, Friesen cleared Eckes exiting onto the backstretch. He was able to hold off Eckes by 0.122 of a second in the two-lap shootout for his first win in the last 53 races. Ryan Preece finished third, Carson Hocevar was fourth and Ty Majeski fifth. Polesitter John Hunter Nemechek finished sixth after being forced to start at the rear of the field due to a penalty for an unapproved adjustment. The SPEEDYCASH.COM 220 was held May 20, 2022, as part of the NASCAR All-Star Race weekend.

 

MULTIPLE NCTS RACE WINNERS AT TMS

• Todd Bodine 6
• Johnny Sauter 5
• Kyle Busch 5
• Brendan Gaughan 4
• Ron Hornaday Jr. 3
• Matt Crafton 2
• Greg Biffle 2
• Dennis Setzer 2
• Jack Sprague 2

Note-Bold indicates active driver in SPEEDYCASH.COM 250 field.

 

NCTS WEEKEND SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE (all times Central)

 

Saturday, April 1

• 5:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. TMS Credential Office open
• 7:00 a.m. NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series garage opens
• 9:30-10:00 a.m. NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series practice
• 10:00-11:00 a.m. NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series qualifying
• 3:00 p.m. Driver introductions
• 3:30 p.m. NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series SPEEDYCASH.COM 250 race (77 | 122 | 167 = 250 miles)

Click HERE for a full race weekend schedule.

 

NOTEWORTHY

The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series is reunited with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for a race weekend after a three-year hiatus. The two series were a staple doubleheader weekend from 1997-2019. … The SPEEDYCASH.COM 250 is the fifth race of the 23-race NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES season. … The first stage of the SPEEDYCASH.COM 250 will conclude at 77 laps, the second stage at 122 and the final one at 167. … Matt Craftonand Stewart Friesen are the only current fulltime drivers who have previously won a NCTS race at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

Crafton won in 2014 and ’15 while Friesen won last year. … Crafton owns the track records for career top-five finishes (17) and top 10s (30). He also ranks second for career laps led at 444. He will be making his 43rd start at Texas, another track record. … Crafton has nine top-10 finishes in his last 10 starts at TMS. … Toyota has won five of the last six races at TMS.

 

The lone Chevrolet win came in 2020 by Sheldon Creed and GMS Racing. … Defending series champion Zane Smith of Front Row Motorsports became the first multiple winner of the season when he won last week at Circuit of The Americas. Smith, who also won the season opener at Daytona, arrives to Texas Motor Speedway atop the NCTS points standings. He holds a two-point advantage over second-place Ty Majeski and 18 over third-place Ben Rhodes, both of ThorSport Racing. … Grant Enfinger of GMS Racing has five top-five finishes among his seven top-10 performances in his last 10 starts at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

The last time we raced at @TXMotorSpeedway. pic.twitter.com/NDbz941LVx

— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) March 30, 2023

 

source: Texas Motor Speedway Media

Ryan Blaney Scores All-Star Race Win

 

Ryan Blaney won big after an overtime restart this weekend at the 38th running of the All-Star Race, netting a $1 million dollar payout. This was Ryan Blaney’s first win of the season after 3 poles and the 4th All-Star race win for Team Penske.

 

 

“Congratulations to Ford Performance, Roger, Jonathan, Ryan, and everyone at Team Penske for the race win and performance at Texas,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Ryan and Jonathan did a great job with strategy and execution throughout the race to secure the win.” 

 

“This Mustang was a rocketship. I am really glad we ended up winning that after that last caution. I am so proud of everybody. Tonight will be fun” commented Blaney.

 

 

8 Ford drivers were locked in to the All-Star race and Chris Buescher transferred in to the big race by winning Stage 2 of the All-Star Open. Team Penske was represented by Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney while Stewart-Haas Racing had Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, and Chase Briscoe. Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski was in the field along with teammate Chris Buescher, and Michael McDowell from Front Row Motorsports for the second year in a row. 

 

So Proud of this Team pic.twitter.com/2dtlEOFnTJ

— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) May 23, 2022

 

A total of twenty-four drivers competed for the All-Star win this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, which consisted of three 25-lap stages, followed by a final 50 lap stage. With 8 laps to go in Stage 2, a large accident took out three front runners in the race and Austin Cindric took the lead, going on to win Stage 2. 

 

At the end of Stage 2 while under caution, Joey Logano and his team won the pit crew challenge, netting him a no-rush pit stop at the end of Stage 3. 

 

Ryan Blaney took the lead and won Stage 3 to give Team Penske a 1, 2, 3 start in the final segment. Blaney quickly pulled away from the field, leading a total of 84 laps of the 140 lap race. As Blaney came to the checkered flag, a final lap caution required an overtime finish. The end of the race came down to a battle between Blaney, Cindric, and Hamlin, but Blaney was able to pull away from the field once again and win the All-Star race.

 

 

Ford Performance teammates Austin Cindric and Joey Logano with Team Penske finished in P3 and P4, while Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing finished in P8 and P9.

 

 

Riley Herbst with Stewart-Haas Racing finished P8 in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series SRS Distribution 250 at Texas. NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series return next weekend to Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

 

The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday starts the second half of the 26-race regular season before the 10-race playoffs begin.

 

 

source: News from Roush Yates Engines

Kyle Busch Defeats Ryan Blaney For Pole

In Head-To-Head Match Up to Earn Pole for NASCAR All-Star Race

 

Kyle Busch and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will start from the pole position for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race after defeating Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Team Penske Ford in a head-to-head matchup for the $1 million-to-win non-points race at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

Each driver had to win two rounds of competition to make the final-round pairing for the opportunity to then lead the 24-car field for Sunday evening’s 125-lap race.

 

Sunday’s on-track schedule begins with The NASCAR Open for non-all-star qualifiers at 4:30 p.m., with three drivers transferring to the All-Star Race due to their on-track performance and one more earning a spot from the fan vote. Following the Blake Shelton concert that begins at 5:30 p.m., the NASCAR All-Star Race will begin at 7 p.m. (TV: FS1, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Radio, 95.9 The Ranch).

 

The first-of-its-kind format began with a traditional single-car, one-lap opening round. From there, the fastest eight qualifiers transferred to a three-round, head-to-head eliminations bracket featuring two cars staged in adjacent pit stalls near the end of pit road. At the sound of an alert, each pit crew performed a four-tire stop and, at the drop of the jack, drivers exited their pit stalls (with no speed limit) onto the track. The first car back to the start/finish line advanced to the next round with the final pairing competing for the pole.

 

William Byron was quickest in the first round of NASCAR All-Star Race qualifying, with a best single-lap run of 28.528 seconds at 189.288 mph in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. The balance of the top eight qualifiers moving on to the single-elimination bracket were Blaney, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, and Aric Almirola.

 

In the Round of 8, Byron defeated Almirola, Blaney got around Chastain, Larson ended Kurt Busch’s competition, and Kyle Busch got past JGR teammate Truex.

 

In the Round of 4, the final pairing was set when Blaney got by Byron and Larson stalled at the starting lights to give Busch an uncontested run to the start/finish.

 

We Dem Boyz ⭐️💎@JoeGibbsRacing | #TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/5uZ1Nt4VtK

— Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch) May 22, 2022

 

source: Texas Motorspeedway

2022 NASCAR Open and NASCAR All-Star Race Formats

The NASCAR All-Star Race has become one of the sport’s most innovative exhibition events, where formats and technical elements can be tested on a grand scale and this weekend’s spectacular will be no different.

 

 

NASCAR and Texas Motor Speedway announced the format and eligibility for the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday, May 22 that features four stages and 125 laps of on-track competition for a $1 million payday, stage winner incentives, amplified roles for the pit crews, and a distinctive head-to-head elimination qualifying format.

 

The NASCAR All-Star Race returns to Texas Motor Speedway for the second consecutive season and this 38th edition brings some unique twists for the eligible Cup drivers pursuing the winner-take-all $1 million payday. The most prominent twist will come in the form of a four-round qualifying format with head-to-head elimination rounds and the pivotal role of the pit crews.

 

The NASCAR All-Star Qualifying format is as follows:

• • Opening round is the traditional single-car, one-lap format in reverse order of the current 2022 owner points.
• • Fastest eight qualifiers transfer to a three-round, head-to-head elimination bracket.
• • Elimination bracket will feature two cars staged in adjacent pit stalls near the end of pit road.
• • At the sound of an alert, each pit crew will perform a four-tire stop and, at the drop of the jack, drivers will exit their pit stalls (with no speed limit) onto the track.
• • First car back to the start/finish line advances to the next round.
• • Final pairing competes for the pole.

 

The NASCAR All-Star Race format is as follows:

 

The race will consist of four stages, with the first three 25 laps in length and the fourth and final being a 50-lap shootout for the $1 million prize. The new format has provided a major incentive to win any of the opening three stages or the pit stop competition during the break between Stages 2 and 3.

 

• • Stage 1 (25 laps): Stage 1 winner will start on the pole in the final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stages 2 and 3.
• • Stage 2 (25 laps): Stage 2 winner starts second in final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stage 3.
• • Special Stage Break (Pit Stop Competition): Each team must pit and perform a four-tire stop. The team with the shortest time on pit road (pit in/pit out) wins the pit crew award and the driver will start fourth in the final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stage 3.
• • Stage 3 (25 laps): Stage 3 winner starts third in final stage.
• • Stage 4 (50 laps): Stage 1 winner starts first, Stage 2 winner second, Stage 3 winner third and pit stop competition winner fourth. If a “natural” caution occurs between laps 15-25 of the final stage, standard race procedures will be in effect. If no “natural” caution occurs during that time, NASCAR will call an “All Star” competition caution.
• • Winner of Stage 4 earns $1 million.

 

NASCAR All-Star Open format is as follows:

• • The NASCAR All-Star Open will run immediately prior to the NASCAR All-Star Race and will include three stages (20 laps / 20 laps / 10 laps).
• • The winner of each stage will earn a spot in the NASCAR All-Star Race.
• • The winner of the Fan Vote will also earn a spot in the NASCAR All-Star Race. Fans may vote for their favorite driver by visiting NASCAR.com.

 

Who’s already locked into the Main Event – the 2022 NASCAR All-Stars Heading into this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, 20 different drivers have earned their spot in the NASCAR All-Star Race on May 22 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Drivers eligible for the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race consist of:

• • Cup Series drivers who have earned a points-paying race victory in either 2021 or 2022.
• • Previous NASCAR All-Star Race winners who are competing full-time this season.
• • Previous NASCAR Cup Series champions who are competing full-time this season.

 

Entry	Car	Driver	Organization
1	1	Ross Chastain	TrackHouse Racing
2	2	Austin Cindric	Team Penske
3	4	Kevin Harvick	Stewart Haas Racing
4	5	Kyle Larson	Hendrick Motorsports
5	6	Brad Keselowski	RFK Racing
6	9	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports
7	10	Aric Almirola	Stewart Haas Racing
8	11	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing
9	12	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske
10	14	Chase Briscoe	Stewart Haas Racing
11	16	Allmendinger  (i)	Kaulig Racing
12	18	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing
13	19	Martin Truex Jr	Joe Gibbs Racing
14	20	Christopher Bell	Joe Gibbs Racing
15	22	Joey Logano	Team Penske
16	23	Bubba Wallace	23XI Racing
17	24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports
18	34	Michael McDowell	Front Row Motorsports
19	45	Kurt Busch	23XI Racing
20	48	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports

 

Of the 20 drivers already entered in the NASCAR All-Star race, seven have previously scored wins in the annual exhibition event, led by Kevin Harvick (2007, 2018) and Kyle Larson (2019, 2021) with two All-Star victories each. 2021 series champion, Kyle Larson is the most recent NASCAR All-Star race winner, bringing home the victory from Texas Motor Speedway last season.

 

In total, 24 drivers will make a start in this season’s NASCAR All-Star race and four additional positions will be added to the NASCAR All-Star Race field following the NASCAR All-Star Open – the NASCAR Open Stage 1 Winner, the NASCAR Open Stage 2 Winner, the NASCAR All-Star Open Winner, and the Fan Vote Winner.

 

It’s not just any weekend in NASCAR… it’s All-Star weekend! Tune in to watch the best of the best battle it out at @TXMotorSpeedway. pic.twitter.com/MX3jlvIdzi

— Goodyear (@goodyear) May 20, 2022

 

source: NASCAR Media