Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick is on the pole for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Is the two-time Texas winner — both victories coming since the 2017 repave — worthy of a spot on your roster? How should you navigate the playoff game format? We’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration.

PLAY NOW: Set your lineup | How the game works | Tips to set your lineup

RJ Kraft’s Fantasy Live lineup for race day at Texas
Playoff driver 1: Kevin Harvick
Playoff driver 2: Denny Hamlin
Non-playoff driver 1: Kurt Busch
Non-playoff driver 2: Erik Jones
Garage: Kyle Larson

RELATED: Odds for Texas | Lap averages | Weekend preview

Analysis: For the playoff plays, Harvick and Hamlin — the two most recent winners at Texas — will anchor my lineup. I already have five points in the bank with Harvick as my pole pick. Both Harvick and Hamlin had strong cars on the lap average board and the recent history for Harvick is extremely favorable — two wins in his last four here. Larson is my garage play because the long-run averages are right there with Harvick and a tick above Hamlin. The Texas history has been hot and cold for Larson, so I like the safety net of having him in the garage and seeing what happens.

On the non-playoff side, Kurt Busch is at the top of my list. The recently-extended Chip Ganassi Racing driver has the third-most points on the repaved 1.5-mile track and has been fast all weekend. For the other spot, I am taking a bit of a gamble with Jones. The gamble isn’t in his Texas numbers of late — three straight fourth-place finishes. It’s in his recent 2019 results with five races of three points or less in the past eight. That said, I think the upside and track history are extremely favorable. Alex Bowman was a consideration for me if I wanted to play it a little safer.

For the bonus picks: I’ll take Harvick for everything — the Stage 1 win, the Stage 2 win and the race win with Ford as the manufacturer.

Each week in this space, we’ll also highlight two Props Challenge items for players.

MORE: Play the Props Challenge today

1. A playoff driver below the cutline wins on Sunday: Yes or No. Simply put, I think Harvick has THE car to beat and will win on Sunday. He is currently below the cutline to advance, so I am a YES on this one.

2. O/U 4.5 Fords finish in the top 10. The over has been hit in three of the past four Texas races. We have five Fords starting in the top 10 and does not include playoff drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, who, based on their history at the repave, are two drivers I’d expect to see in the top 10 when the checkered flag falls. I think two other Blue Ovals join them with Harvick so I’ll take the OVER here.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

FORT WORTH, Texas — The thesis has always been that, if rim-rider Kyle Larson ever advances to Homestead-Miami Speedway as one of the Championship 4, he’d have to be considered a favorite for the title, given his unmatched prowess at running the wall at the 1.5-mile speedway.

The problem has been getting there, and approaching Sunday’s AAA Texas 500, Larson is 24 points behind fourth-place Joey Logano in the race for a playoff berth in the season finale. Accordingly, Larson has no margin for error—and he knows it.

RELATED: Full Playoffs standings

“Obviously, we have to have a really good day,” Larson said. “Twenty-four points out, if I can’t win, I need to do a really good job in each stage and probably finish in the top three. Hopefully, I can go win, and that would make next week (at Phoenix) easy. I know I have to have a really good day.”

Fortunately for Larson, his average finish of 20.4 at Texas belies the speed he typically has in his No. 42 Chevrolets.

“We’re always really fast here at Texas, especially since the repave (after the November 2016 race),” Larson said. “I’ve just had a crash and two blown right-front tires. I’ve always ran really well here. If you just look at a piece of paper, you would think that I don’t run well here. But we’re always really fast. We just have to keep the right-front holding air.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

FORT WORTH, Texas – Kevin Harvick took the first step toward getting back on the right side of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff cutline, winning the pole for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Harvick, who trails fourth-place Joey Logano by 14 points entering the second race of the Round of 8, toured the 1.5-mile track in 28.465 seconds (189.707 mph) to win his second Busch Pole Award at Texas, his series-best sixth of the season and the 31st of his career.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Photos: All 40 cars

Erik Jones, already eliminated from the playoffs, was second fastest at 188.890 mph, .123 seconds behind Harvick. Denny Hamlin, second in the playoff standings, qualified third at 188.12 mph, followed by Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman and Aric Almirola.

“The best part is our car drove really well in race trim yesterday and still had a lot of speed when we put it in qualifying trim today,” said Harvick, winner of the last two playoff races at Texas. “So, hopefully, we can keep our track position.

“As you saw the last race (at Texas), you want to be up front and you want to be on the right cycle of rotation of pit strategy. Having that first pit stall is definitely an advantage here. It will be a track position game, and hopefully we can play it right and keep ourselves up front.”

Logano will start 11th in his attempt to protect his position in the standings. Other playoff drivers earned the following positions on the grid: Kyle Busch 12th, Kyle Larson 13th, Chase Elliott 14th, Ryan Blaney 15th and Martin Truex Jr. 17th.

Truex has already qualified for the Nov. 17 Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway by virtue of last Sunday’s victory at Martinsville.

After a broken axle and a 36th-place finish at Martinsville, Elliott trails Logano by 44 points and likely must win one of the next two races to advance to the Championship 4.

In a substitute role for Front Row Motorsports driver Matt Tifft, who suffered a seizure last Saturday at Martinsville, John Hunter Nemechek qualified 29th.

“That was the first qualifying run I have ever done in a Cup car,” Nemechek said. “It was pretty interesting. We went faster today than we did yesterday. That is a positive. We’re getting faster every time on the race track. It’s a whole new deal for myself, being over here in the Cup garage. Different scenarios, a whole new team. Different communications. A lot of variables that play into this weekend.

“I’m really thankful for the opportunity from (owner) Bob (Jenkins) and everyone at Front Row Motorsports. I hate that the circumstances are like this. I really wish Matt Tifft a speedy recovery and hope he is back at the race track very soon.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

FORT WORTH, Texas – Kurt Busch will be driving for Chip Ganassi Racing for at least two more years, with Monster Energy as his primary sponsor.

Busch and team owner Chip Ganassi announced the multiyear extension of Busch’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series contract on Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway, but not before Busch teased reporters with an impending retirement gag, amplified by the gift of a rocking chair from TMS president Eddie Gossage.

RELATED: Key players in Silly Season

The specific terms of the driver and sponsor contracts weren’t revealed, other than that both were multiyear commitments.

“It’s been a good career, it’s been fun, and it’s been tough at the same time to see how things have changed and how things have gone,” deadpanned Busch, the 2004 series champion who advanced to the Playoffs this year on the strength of his win at Kentucky Speedway. “Wait! Eddie, really? A rocking chair? It’s not time for a rocking chair. This old guy’s got some kick left.”

With that, Busch and accompanying Monster girls popped a spray of confetti out of champagne bottles to announce the new contract.

Ganassi had high praise for the 41-year-old driver, crediting him with elevating the performance of not only the No. 1 Chevrolet but also with helping teammate Kyle Larson’s effort in the No. 42 Chevy.

“With his driving this year, he’s sparked the No. 1 car, taken it to a place it’s never been before,” Ganassi said. “That was the first time a Chevrolet won at Kentucky, so we were pretty pleased with that. And, obviously, having Monster as a great partner has been a real shot in the arm for our team …

“As Kurt will tell you, he and Kyle Larson have had a great time becoming teammates, and I think it’s made Larson a better driver. … So this guy brings a lot more than just what’s on the track. He brought a lot of guys on that 1 team their first Cup win, and I think you saw that in the exuberance at Kentucky. So I’m proud to keep him as part of this team for the foreseeable future.”

A multiyear deal for Busch is an anomaly. His recent contracts — and Monster’s accompanying commitments — have been for one year each.

“To have a multiyear deal, it’s comforting that I won’t have to answer the questions weekly about being a 41-year-old veteran in a sport where there’s a young push,” Busch said. “To have that done, that’ll be refreshing, because the focus should be on track.

“It should be the on-track product, what happens out there racing, what happens during the week with different promotional things and continuing to build this sport that’s given me so much — those are some of the big reasons why I signed on again to keep going, smile out there and go for the trophy.”

Chip Ganassi Racing is the sixth stop for Busch in his Monster Energy Series career. He spent the previous five seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing, where Busch landed six of his 31 big-league wins.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Terrin Waack

FORT WORTH, Texas — The word Chase Elliott kept coming back to was unfortunate.

It was unfortunate his engine choked eight laps in at Dover International Speedway four weeks ago, forcing Elliott to exit early and finish in dead-last 38th. It was unfortunate once again his engine failed in the first practice at Martinsville Speedway last weekend, requiring Elliott to start competition from the rear after a complete change. And it was unfortunate in that following race his axle broke on Lap 180 of 400, leaving him 36th and 55 laps down when the checkered flag waved.

“Like I said, it is unfortunate,” Elliott said Wednesday at Texas Motor Speedway. “And I think if you’re going to fail something, now is not the time to fail it.”

Both incidents were during round openers in the NASCAR Playoffs. Dover kicked off the Round of 12. Martinsville started the Round of 8, which continues Sunday with the AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Texas schedule | Texas 101 | Texas gallery

A scant three points and a runner-up performance at Kansas Speedway squeaked Elliott into the latest three-race set. Now, though, the driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet sits eighth in the standings and 44 points below the cutline with two races to go until the Championship 4 is set.

“We can’t break parts,” No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson said at Martinsville. “You can’t win these races if you don’t finish them. Certainly can’t gain any points if you don’t finish them.

“Yeah, we gotta finish races. We can’t continue to do this. This is not acceptable and we’re not going to get very far if we don’t finish, so that’s a lot to clean up in my opinion.”

Elliott survived but did not thrive in Wednesday’s pair of practices at Texas, coming in 26th at 185.293 mph for the first and 15th at 187.039 mph for the final. He, along with the rest of the field, will qualify Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET (CNBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

When it comes to the 1.5-mile Texas track, Elliott’s best run in seven starts through 3.5 seasons is fourth in fall 2016. His worst is 13th earlier this season, in which he did lead a career-high 35 laps, though. Elliott has tallied two top-five and five top-10 finishes, ultimately good for an 8.0 average finish in Forth Worth.

“All you can do, in my opinion, is do the best you can do, right?” Gustafson said. “Optimism, stats, history – all that (expletive) does not matter. It doesn’t pay any points. You’ve got to go, and you’ve got to perform.”

And, like Gustafson already noted, actually complete races.

There have been 10 instances this season where Elliott has not completed every lap. He has turned 8,754 of the 9,342 laps run through 36 events. That cranks out to be 93.7%.

OK, but of the 588 he missed, 448 (55 at Martinsville, 392 at Dover and one at Richmond Raceway) have been during the NASCAR Playoffs alone. Now that’s 76% within seven postseason races.

“I think that it’s unfortunate,” Elliott said. “But it’s not like somebody is back there putting stuff together and thinking, ‘Look, this is going in the 9 car. I want to mess that up.’ That’s not the mentality, and that’s not how this stuff works. It is unfortunate, but it is what it is.”

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

Martin Truex Jr.’s triumph in last Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway served as his 26th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, continuing Truex Jr.’s surge up the all-time wins list late in his NASCAR career.

As it turns out, when it comes to winning, it’s actually Truex and Dale Jarrett who have much in common at NASCAR’s highest tier. Truex is just six wins away from tying the Hall of Fame driver on the all-time wins list, but it’s a particular span where their success on the race track link up.

RELATED: 10 stats: Truex still searching for Texas win

Let’s first focus on the initial nine seasons of their respective Cup Series careers. While his first career win came at Michigan International Speedway in 1991 driving the iconic Wood Brothers Racing No. 21, Jarrett scored four race wins in that time span, earning two victories driving the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing entry in 1993-94, including the ’93 Daytona 500. He followed that up with another win in his inaugural season driving the No. 28 for Robert Yates Racing in 1995.

For Truex, his first nine years brought along a pair of checkered flags. His maiden Cup Series victory came at Dover International Speedway in 2007 in the No. 1 Dale Earnhardt Inc. machine. In 2013, his first season with Michael Waltrip Racing, Truex scored another win at Sonoma Raceway.

But it’s their next 177 starts where the similarities between their accomplishments really begin to take shape. Truex’s span of 177 starts stretches from the 2015 Daytona 500 through last Sunday’s race at Martinsville, while Jarrett’s begins with the 1996 Daytona 500 and ends with the 2001 spring race at Dover.

Dale Jarrett Martin Truex Jr.
Starts 177 177
Wins 23 24
Championships 1 (1999) 1 (2017)

Among the 24 victories for Truex include a trio of crown-jewel events, including the Coca-Cola 600 (2016, ’19) and 2016 Southern 500. Jarrett was able to earn five trips to Victory Lane in crown-jewel races during that stretch — the Coca-Cola 600 (1996), Brickyard 400 (1996, ’99) and Daytona 500 (1996, ’00).

The only major difference overall lies in Daytona 500 victories where Jarrett owns three triumphs, while Truex’s quest for his first Harley J. Earl trophy continues into the 2020 season.

The biggest takeaway is Jarrett’s 2014 induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame makes it almost certain that Truex is destined to have a place among the sport’s legends. With a bid now secured in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway later this month, Truex has the opportunity to bolster that cause even more with a second title, which would surpass Jarrett on another all-time list.

Contributing: Stats from Racing Insights

Posted on by Reid Spencer

As part of a successful outreach to the Latino community, Mexican driver Daniel Suarez will have his own cheering section for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Yeah, it’s a special weekend for myself and the team,” Suarez said on Friday afternoon at Texas. “We have a lot of exciting things going on, starting with another weekend of Daniel’s Amigos. We are bringing a lot of people that are Latinos out to the race track. We have pretty incredible numbers.

“We have over 5,000 subscribers for this weekend alone which is pretty amazing since this is just the fourth race we have been doing this. I feel like we are moving the needle. Last time in Las Vegas we had almost 2,000 and that was pretty unbelievable. We have high expectations for the weekend. Hopefully we can have fun with Daniel’s Amigos and have some good results on Sunday.”

RELATED: Full schedule for Texas

Suarez expects more than 1,000 of his subscribing amigos to attend Sunday’s race.

“I am very happy to be a small part of this,” Suarez said. “It’s something that just started as an idea and is now a reality. I am very happy to be a part of this. Of course, without help from the race tracks and NASCAR and Coca-Cola and a lot of people, this wouldn’t be possible. I feel very fortunate to be able to bring new fans to the race track.”

Suarez is wearing a special helmet designed by Dallas-based artist Agustin Chavez, who is from Suarez’s home state of Nuevo Leon. The helmet, featuring the image of a “sugar skull,” was created in celebration of the “Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead), which is celebrated Nov. 1 and 2.

“This weekend is Dia de los Muertos in Mexico and is a very important holiday for every Mexican,” Suarez said. “We celebrate all those people, family members that have passed. It is a big holiday in Mexico.

“For years now I had an idea of doing a Dia de los Muertos helmet. It has skulls and flowers and is very colorful. A friend of mine did a really cool design and we decided to put it into reality onto the helmet and it turned out amazing. It’s pretty cool to see the outcome of the helmet and a lot of people like it so far.”

Posted on by Terrin Waack

FORT WORTH, Texas — Joey Logano plans to race Denny Hamlin however he wants, regardless of recent drama on and off the track.

The two NASCAR Playoffs drivers got into a heated argument last weekend at Martinsville Speedway that turned into all-out fight, involving members from both Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske crew and Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team. Logano first approached Hamlin to confront him about his racing style – Logano’s Ford and Hamlin’s Toyota made contact late in the First Data 500, and Logano sustained the brunt of the damage – but the moment Logano pushed Hamlin’s right shoulder, things escalated quickly. They were ready to fight but ended up physically separated.

“I probably shouldn’t have gone down there for something he probably wasn’t going to apologize for,” Logano said Friday in between the Monster Energy Series’ two practices at Texas Motor Speedway. “I let my emotions get the best of me, and that’s a mistake on my part. I probably didn’t handle that correctly. Doesn’t make what he did on the race track right, running like that. But at the same time, I think he’s going to play that card as much as he wants, he’s going to run his mouth as much as he wants. I’m going to run my race, and we’ll see who ends up on top.”

RELATED: Hamlin still irked | Full schedule for Texas

Sunday is the AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the second race in the NASCAR Playoffs’ Round of 8. Both Logano and Hamlin are still competing for a spot in the Championship 4 and the ultimate title at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hamlin is second in the standings, 24 points above the cutline with two races left before elimination. Logano is fourth, 14 points safe in the final transfer spot.

When asked whether he thinks Hamlin underestimates him, Logano grinned.

“He might say that,” Logano said. “I’m sure he doesn’t inside his mind.”

Logano and Hamlin have not spoken since the pit-road incident. Anything they’ve learned about one another has been through word of mouth. Hamlin was first to speak out, too.

Also on Friday, Hamlin made it clear he believes No. 22 crew chief Todd Gordon does not have full control of his team. Logano disagreed later in the afternoon when told that tidbit, saying Gordon is a great leader.

And then there was the minor detail Hamlin did admit was his mistake, going too high and bumping into Logano.

“I misjudged,” Hamlin said. “The on-track stuff was definitely my fault. There was no intention to run into him or run him into the wall or anything like that.”

Logano ended up spinning and had to rally back from 19th place to finish eighth. Hamlin cruised on to fourth come the checkered flag.

What happened afterward is why the drivers aren’t on speaking terms, and the rest is now well-documented history.

“He didn’t own up to it when we talked about it at the time,” Logano said. “I know for me, as a man, the first thing I do is own up to my mistakes. I probably would have walked down to him if I did the same thing and said I’m sorry I screwed up.

“But, you know, that’s what set me off the edge, which I’m regretful of the way I handled it. I let someone affect my character, and that’s something I’m not proud of. But we get stronger from these moments. You live, and you learn, and you move on.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Aric Almirola surged atop the speed chart in Friday’s final Monster Energy Series practice at Texas Motor Speedway.

Almirola’s Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 Ford snared the top spot with a best lap of 188.561 mph at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth oval. The effort bookended another chart-topping performance the Stewart-Haas organization, which led the way with Clint Bowyer in the opening session.

RELATED: Final practice results | Sortable lap averages

Denny Hamlin claimed the second-fastest lap at 188.350 mph in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota. He’ll be vying for a season sweep of Texas’ two races in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM)

Bowyer followed his earlier showing up with a third-fastest lap in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Ford in final practice. Fellow SHR driver Kevin Harvick, a two-time Texas winner, was fourth-fastest with Kurt Busch completing the top five.

Sunday’s race is the eighth of 10 races in the Monster Energy Series Playoffs. It’s the second event in the Round of 8, the final three-race series that will determine the four-driver championship field for the Nov. 17 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Rookie John Hunter Nemechek was 32nd-fastest in the Front Row Motorsports No. 36 Ford ahead of what’s set to be his Monster Energy Series debut. The Xfinity Series regular was announced Tuesday as the team’s fill-in driver for the final three races, taking the place of Matt Tifft, who is recovering from a seizure suffered last weekend at Martinsville.

Coors Light Pole Qualifying to set the starting lineup is scheduled for Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET.=

Bowyer best in first Texas practice

Clint Bowyer stepped up to the top of the Monster Energy Series leaderboard Friday in opening practice at Texas Motor Speedway.

Bowyer sealed a best speed of 188.679 mph in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Ford to pace the 50-minute session, the first on-track activity ahead of Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Practice 1 results | Sortable lap averages | Full schedule for Texas

Kurt Busch was the second-fastest driver on the speed chart with a lap of 188.574 mph in the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1 Chevrolet. Denny Hamlin, a winner at the Fort Worth venue’s most recent race in March, was third-fastest in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. landed the fourth-best lap with Erik Jones completing the top five.

Kevin Harvick, winner of the last two November races at the 1.5-mile track, was 10th-fastest in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford.

Two teams were penalized with 15-minute practice deductions for being late out of the garage for qualifying last Saturday at Martinsville: The No. 12 Team Penske Ford for driver Ryan Blaney and the No. 53 Rick Ware Racing Ford for JJ Yeley.

Posted on by Press Release

Statesville, NC (Nov. 1, 2019) – Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation and Autotrader announced the return of the Tribute 2 Veterans presented by Autotrader program which will honor America’s heroes during a 2020 race weekend.

Starting today, friends and family of former service members can submit a veteran’s name to be featured on the No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang that Keselowski will pilot during the March 2020 race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“Carrying the names of veterans to Victory Lane on my Autotrader Ford Mustang last year was one of the highlights of my 2019 season,” said Keselowski. “I’m incredibly thankful to have sponsors like Autotrader that provide my family and the Checkered Flag Foundation the opportunity to honor veterans in unique ways. We are always looking for creative opportunities to honor the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedom. Featuring veterans’ names on my car again next season at Atlanta Motor Speedway is just one small way for us to honor these heroes, while also raising funds that will allow the foundation to continue its mission.”

RELATED: Brad’s blog on tribute

The tax deductible donation cost is $100 per submission to be part of the campaign, with proceeds benefiting the Checkered Flag Foundation in its mission to honor and assist those who have sacrificed for our country and our communities. Each veteran submission will receive a personalized certificate and a commemorative poster of the No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang displaying the names of the veterans along with a letter of thanks from Keselowski.

Those wishing to submit a veteran’s name can do so via www.CheckeredFlagFoundation.org. Submissions will be accepted through Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019.

Participating individuals in the program can use #Tribute2Veterans on social media to show their involvement and support of the program.