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FORT WORTH, Texas – Kevin Harvick wants to reclaim his throne.

Since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, the veteran driver has owned intermediate tracks, with 15 wins and an average finish of 9.0 on surfaces between 1-2 miles in length. This mastery propelled him to the 2014 championship and three Championship 4 appearances.

RELATED: Full schedule at Texas | Fantasy favorites, sleepers

But it’s reigning champion Martin Truex Jr. that has commonly been known as the man to beat on 1.5-mile tracks the past few years. Over the same period, Truex has 11 wins and an average finish of 9.8.

“We’re better than Truex,” Harvick said Friday at Texas Motor Speedway during the unveiling of the Busch Restart Zone at the Fort Worth facility.

Harvick, the most recent winner at Texas and a three-time winner already in 2018, is looking to make a statement and put an end to the Truex talk in Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: See all of Harvick’s wins | Recap every Texas winner

He’s off to a great start, joining teammate Kurt Busch atop the leaderboard in the weekend’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at a blistering 195.943 mph. Truex pulled into the garage P10 at 194.384 mph.

“As you look at the mile-and-a-half program in general, it’s been really good for us. I think the thing that (the media forgets) is up until last year we dominated the mile-and-a-half race tracks and have continued to do that at the end of last year and the first part of this year,” the 40-time winner said. “We did switch manufacturers last year and it did take some time to get everything situated and back to where it needed to be. Once the playoffs started last year, you really saw where the car were and the increase in performance, especially on the mile-and-a-half race tracks.”

And he’s right, of course. The difference was immediately noticeable once the NASCAR Playoffs kicked off last September.

Those eighth (Charlotte-1) and ninth-place-finishes (Atlanta, Kentucky) we saw out of the No. 4 car in the first half of 2017 at the mile-and-a-halves started trending towards classic Harvick top fives and higher (Chicago, Charlotte-2, Texas, Miami).

With a full season of transition behind them, Harvick and Co. came out firing on all cylinders –  the stats don’t lie there; he won three of the first four races of 2018, two of which were on intermediate tracks – so it stands to reason that the No. 4 crew is the cream of the crop in the series at the moment, at least on these type of tracks. Truex is certainly the driver Harvick is vying for the top spot with right now, but might be the 1B to Harvick’s 1A.

It’s still (ridiculously) early, but given the intermediate-heavy makeup of the 10-race postseason, you can almost pencil the duo in for Miami seven months from now, where they’ll battle it out for what would be the second title for each driver. On a 1.5-mile track, no less.

MORE: See all the 2018 race winners | Full 2018 schedule 

The scary part? Harvick doesn’t even think his organization has reached its apex yet.

“It took us some time, but I think when you see what Stewart-Haas Racing has done with Ford, we still haven’t reached the potential of where we can be, in my opinion,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest reason that we made the switch. The potential of the resources and the things that come with our partnership with Ford, we have, in my opinion, the most stable team in the garage from a financial standpoint to a manufacturer standpoint.

“In the end, it’s all about good people and we feel like we have a very committed manufacturer and ownership group and we’re just the drivers lucky enough to be in the position that Stewart-Haas Racing is in right now. We have a very solid foundation and I believe that in this day and age is something to hang your hat on.”

And perhaps, this weekend, a cowboy hat.

Posted on by Staff Report

Trackside Live is bringing fans at Texas Motor Speedway a Lone Star-sized event on Saturday, April 7 (5:30 p.m. ET) and Sunday, April 8 (10:30 a.m. ET).

WATCH: Trackside Live | MORE: Full schedule for Texas | Buy your tickets

Don’t miss your chance to meet your favorite drivers and have some fun along the way. Watch the video above and get excited for a Wild, Wild West showdown at the 1.5-mile speedway.

Enjoy!

Posted on by Kathy Sheldon

Give ’em your best War Eagle, Erik Jones.

The 21-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver paid a visit to what folks around town call “The Loveliest Village in the Plains” — or more commonly known as Auburn, Alabama.

Jones met up with Auburn’s head football coach Gus Malzahn to do a helmet swap. Thankfully, Malzahn didn’t drop the custom gift.

On Friday, Talladega Superspeedway announced that Malzahn will be the Grand Marshal for April 29th’s GEICO 500 race. He was the honorary pace car driver in 2014.

The Michigan fan even had a special tour guide: former Auburn football captain and SEC Network’s Cole Cubelic. Jones may know a thing or two about going fast.

He also made took a tour of the ‘334’ and made a pit stop to try the most famous lemonade in the SEC at Toomer’s Lemonade.

Not a bad way to get back into the swing of things after an off weekend.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Numbers mean plenty when it comes to building out your Fantasy Live teams each week. Starting this week, NASCAR.com will examine the stats outlook for each track to help give you an edge as you set your lineups ahead of the race weekend.

Don’t forget to check back on NASCAR.com for additional insight from fantasy expert RJ Kraft, and watch Fantasy Fastlane with Jessica Ruffin and NBC Sports’ Steve Letarte.

RELATED: Play Fantasy Live now | How the new Fantasy Live works | Driver stats

Top five average running position (active drivers, data from 2005 to the present):

 Driver  Average Running Position
 Chase Elliott  9.733
 Jimmie Johnson  10.876
 Kyle Busch  11.371
 Martin Truex Jr.  11.739
 Kevin Harvick  12.899

Average starting position for last 10 winners: 8.1; Texas race winner has started inside the top five in five of the past 10 races but just once in the last five.

Top five stage points earned at Texas in 2017:

Driver Stage points Stage wins
Ryan Blaney 31 2
Kevin Harvick 30 1
Kyle Larson 29 1
Martin Truex Jr. 26 0
Jamie McMurray 16 0

Where stage winners started the race from in 2017: Second (twice), third (once) and 11th (once).

Top five points earned at Texas in 2017:

Driver Race points Race win
Kevin Harvick 103 1
Martin Truex Jr. 90 0
Ryan Blaney 87 0
Kurt Busch 70 0
Chase Elliott 69 0

Most laps led in 2017 races at Texas:

Driver Laps led
Martin Truex Jr. 156
Ryan Blaney 148
Kevin Harvick 115
Kyle Larson 74
Denny Hamlin 65

Last time pole-sitter won here: Kyle Busch, spring race of 2013
Winning manufacturers of last 10 races: Chevrolet 5, Toyota 3, Ford 2

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. told Dan Patrick on Wednesday that he would eagerly — but nervously — welcome the chance to announce the Washington Redskins’ pick — 13th overall — in the NFL Draft.

“Any fan that gets asked to do that, they’ve got to get up there and do it and I would definitely take the opportunity if I ever got that chance,” Earnhardt Jr. said on “The Dan Patrick Show,” airing on NBCSN.

There’s one problem, though; Earnhardt Jr. and wife Amy are expecting their first child on May 2, less than one week after the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft is held on April 26.

“Nope,” he said. “Maybe next year, we go to the draft. I mean, I’m nervous to do or go anywhere. Because this could happen at any moment.”

RELATED: Junior, Amy expecting first child together | Dale and Amy through the years

The preparations for the couple’s baby girl in full swing, Earnhardt told Patrick that he received a tour of the hospital recently.

“I just can’t wait til she gets here, I can’t wait to meet her,” he said. “… During the tour the other day, they took us into one of the rooms and they showed us where the delivery room is and they’ve got that little table there and damn, I about choked up just doing that. The baby ain’t even here and I’m looking at this little table and I’m getting choked up like she’s here.

“It’s going to be an incredible experience.”

Earnhardt was mum on the baby’s expected name that he and Amy have one picked out, saying he’ll “get in real big trouble if (he tells).” Plenty has changed for the former No. 88 wheelman in a year; this time last season, he was preparing for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ race at Texas Motor Speedway.

“You’re driving 200 mph last year and now you’re going to try to put a baby seat in a Suburban — what happened to you, Junior,” Patrick quipped at Earnhardt, who laughed.

“I’m becoming a father,” he said.

Patrick also pointed out another part of the delivery experience that Earnhardt is all too familiar with.

“You get to drive fast one more time,” he said. “Like, if her water breaks you’ve got to get there.”

“Yeah! I know, I’m excited,” Earnhardt said. “I think the drive there and the drive back are going to be two completely different drives.

Posted on by Kathy Sheldon

It’s not every day you pick up a hitchhiking Academy Award-winning actor and recording artist.

But, Tyler Reddick found himself in just the right spot at the right time.

MORE: Check out all the photos from Leto’s ride along | Xfinity entry list for Texas

To help promote the soon-to-be-released Thirty Seconds To Mars newest album, Jared Leto is hanging out at Texas Motor Speedway with the JR Motorsports driver.

Leto will take a ride around the 1.5-mile track with Reddick, but will he ride the high groove?  That’s the question of the day.

Even Reddick’s boss weighed in on his choice of fashion — and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a tough critic.

Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR’s national series schedule shifts back to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend with more on its mind than cowboy hats, jangling spurs and other Lone Star State tropes. For those on the competition side, the focus will likely zero in on the pavement.

Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM) for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be held one year after the 1.5-mile track debuted its reconfigured, repaved circuit. The project addressed the track’s drainage issues and transformed Turns 1 and 2, reducing the banking from 24 to 20 degrees and widening the racing surface from 60 to 80 feet.

MORE: All-time Texas Motor Speedway winners 

The heightened grip level from the fresh asphalt also increased speeds at the already fast Fort Worth venue. Kurt Busch won the Busch Pole Award there last fall with a qualifying record of 200.915 mph.

“Hang on tight. That’s all I know,” said Darrell Wallace Jr., prepping for his first premier-series start at Texas. “We’ll be flying around there.”

One year barely registers a blip in the track-aging process, but a variety of competition principals are chipping in to hasten the effect. The goal: To achieve tire wear, multiple grooves and other slip-sliding characteristics of a well-worn track in an effort to promote side-by-side racing.

Goodyear is doing its part, announcing Tuesday that Monster Energy and Xfinity Series teams will compete on a new left-side tire, a development that stemmed from a tire test at the track in January. The tire, which features a new construction and a new compound, is expected to wear more rapidly and dissipate more heat. 

RELATED: Monster Energy Series entry list for Texas

“This being just the third NASCAR Cup race since the repave, the track surface has not really had the chance to weather in, so to speak,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “This new left-side tire matches up well with this still-smooth surface and will accomplish our goal of increased wear and laying rubber on the track. That should lead to an increased level of fall-off over the course of a fuel run and a widened racing groove.”

Track officials are also putting forth an effort, logging plenty of mileage this week with tire-dragging trucks — or “Tire Dragon,” in equipment-nickname parlance — to apply rubber to the different lanes.

And drivers have offered their own analysis on social media, watching the track’s videos of the Tire Dragon at work and offering pointers on which grooves to target. Speedway officials have shown they’re listening, accordingly adjusting their line to rubber in the higher lanes.

“I thought last year the track did a phenomenal job of kind of doing their homework, prep work on the track to where we could run the second groove in both the spring and fall races, which not a lot of tracks do, so I thought they deserved a lot of credit for that,” said Brad Keselowski, a two-time Xfinity Series winner at Texas. “And we actually had one of the better repave races we’ve ever had. That said, I don’t know what to expect in the second year.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR released the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule on Tuesday.

The Monster Energy Series will kick off the 2019 season with The Clash at Daytona International Speedway (Feb. 10) and the season-opening Daytona 500 (Feb. 17).

The All-Star Race in Charlotte will take place on May 18, with the Coca-Cola 600 set for May 26.

RELATED: Full 2019 Monster Energy Series schedule

The NASCAR Playoffs will start on Sept. 15 in Las Vegas, and the season will conclude on Nov. 17 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The NASCAR off-weekend will remain on Easter weekend (April 20-21).

The Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series schedules will be released at a later date.

2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule

DATE RACE
Sun., Feb. 10 Daytona 500 – Qualifying
Sun., Feb. 10 The Clash
Thurs., Feb. 14 Daytona 500 – Duels
Sun., Feb. 17 Daytona 500
Sun., Feb. 24 Atlanta
Sun., March 3 Las Vegas
Sun., March 10 ISM Raceway
Sun., March 17 Auto Club
Sun., March 24 Martinsville
Sun., March 31 Texas
Sun., April 7 Bristol
Sat., April 13 Richmond
Sun., April 21 OFF WEEK – EASTER
Sun., April 28 Talladega
Sun., May 5 Dover
Sat., May 11 Kansas
Sat., May 18 All-Star Open
Sat., May 18 All-Star Race
Sun., May 26 Charlotte
Sun., June 2 Pocono
Sun., June 9 Michigan
Sun., June 23 Sonoma
Sun., June 30 Chicago
Sat., July 6 Daytona
Sat., July 13 Kentucky
Sun., July 21 New Hampshire
Sun., July 28 Pocono
Sun., Aug. 4 Watkins Glen
Sun., Aug. 11 Michigan
Sat., Aug. 17 Bristol
Sun., Sept. 1 Darlington
Sun., Sept. 8 Indianapolis
Sun., Sept. 15 Las Vegas
Sat., Sept. 21 Richmond
Sun., Sept. 29 Charlotte
Sun., Oct. 6 Dover
Sun., Oct. 13 Talladega
Sun., Oct. 20 Kansas
Sun., Oct. 27 Martinsville
Sun., Nov. 3 Texas
Sun., Nov. 10 ISM Raceway
Sun., Nov. 17 Miami
Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The popular Dash 4 Cash returns to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2018 with full-time series drivers competing for a $100,000 top prize at each of the program’s four events.

 

In addition to the Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway and Dover International Speedway races, Dash 4 Cash will also be available and in play for the first time at the always-exciting Talladega Superspeedway.

 

The top four finishing full-time drivers in this Saturday’s “My Bariatrics Solutions 300” (April 7, 3 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Texas Motor Speedway will qualify for the first round of the Dash 4 Cash at Bristol next week. The highest finisher of the four at “The Last Great Colosseum” will earn the big $100,000 check.

RELATED: Learn more about the Dash 4 Cash program

The Dash 4 Cash winner at Bristol and the top three full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers at the end of the Bristol race, for a total of four contenders, will go on to race for the money at Richmond Raceway the following week. This format will continue for the duration of the four-race program.

 

Last year, Justin Allgaier won two of the $100,000 bonuses while Daniel Hemric and William Byron each collected $100,000 checks in the incentive program.

 

And for the first time, Comcast will donate bonus money in honor of each Dash 4 Cash weekly winner to support the local community at the four race venues participating in the program. In addition to the $100,000 prize money for the Dash 4 Cash winner, Comcast will donate a total of $40,000 to local organizations on behalf of the company’s Internet Essentials program. The program is the largest in the United States in connecting low-income households online – more than 4 million households have benefitted since 2011.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

The four-race NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash is back for the 2018 season with an updated format. The program is only eligible to drivers competing for Xfinity Series driver points. Based on the revised participation guidelines for 2018, Monster Energy Series drivers will not be part of the field for the four Dash 4 Cash races. Talladega Superspeedway is new to the Dash 4 Cash schedule this year.

RELATED: Dash 4 Cash returns | Four races set for 2018 | Complete series schedule

The top four Xfinity Series finishing regulars at Texas Motor Speedway on April 7 will be eligible for the Dash 4 Cash prize of $100,000 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The highest finishing driver of those four at Bristol wins the prize and will move on to have a shot at the prize at Richmond Raceway in addition to the top three finishing series regulars. This format continues for the races at Richmond, Talladega Superspeedway and Dover International Speedway (more details below on that).

Additionally, Comcast will donate $10,000 in goods in honor of Dash 4 Cash winners at each Dash 4 Cash market on behalf of their Internet Essentials program. For more information on that program, click here.

This page will be updated with a summary of each race as it happens and a breakdown of who is Dash 4 Cash eligible for each race. The four races in the 2018 Dash 4 Cash program are:

Bristol Motor Speedway (April 14, 1 p.m. ET FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Richmond Raceway (April 20, 7 p.m. ET, FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Talladega Superspeedway (April 28, 3 p.m. ET, FOX/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Dover International Speedway (May 5, 12:30 p.m. ET, FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

 

Race Laps Stage Breakdown
Bristol 300 85-85-130
Richmond 250 75-75-100
Talladega 113 25-25-63
Dover 200 45-45-110

Dash 4 Cash Format Explained
At Texas: The top four finishing Xfinity Series regulars at Texas are eligible for the $100,000 prize at Bristol. No prize is given out at Texas, but it does set the Dash 4 Cash participants for Bristol. Qualifiers for Bristol: Christopher Bell, Daniel Hemric, Cole Custer and Ryan Preece.

RELATED: Texas race recap | Preece on racing for $100K prize | Bristol qualifiers

At Bristol: The top Dash 4 Cash-eligible finishing driver wins the $100,000 prize at Bristol and will advance to a have a shot at the prize at Richmond along with the three-highest finishing series regulars. Prize winner: Ryan Preece | Qualifiers for Richmond: Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric, Elliott Sadler and Spencer Gallagher. Note: The prize winner typically is automatically eligible for the next Dash 4 Cash event but Preece is not entered at Richmond and therefore is not eligible for the prize there.

RELATED: Bristol race recap | Preece nabs Bristol prize | Richmond qualifiers

At Richmond: The top Dash 4 Cash-eligible finishing driver wins the $100,000 prize at Richmond and will advance to a have a shot at the prize at Talladega along with the three-highest finishing series regulars. Prize winner: Elliott Sadler | Qualifiers for Talladega: Christopher Bell, Elliott Sadler, Matt Tifft and Austin Cindric.

RELATED: Richmond race recap | Sadler snags Richmond prize | Talladega qualifiers

At Talladega: The top Dash 4 Cash-eligible finishing driver wins the $100,000 prize at Talladega and will advance to a have a shot at the prize at Dover along with the three-highest finishing series regulars. Prize winner: Elliott Sadler | Qualifiers for Dover: Brandon Jones, Justin Allgaier, Elliott Sadler and Ryan Sieg. (Sieg replaced race-winner Spencer Gallagher, who was later suspended indefinitely for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy.)

RELATED: Talladega race recap | Sadler lands early birthday gift | Dover qualifiers

At Dover: The top Dash 4 Cash-eligible finishing driver wins the $100,000 prize at Dover — the last race in the 2018 Dash 4 Cash program. Prize winner: Justin Allgaier 

RELATED: Dover race recap | Teammates battle for $100K