Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full lineup | See every car in Sunday’s race | Playoffs standings

FORT WORTH, Tex. – A driver without a signed contract for 2018 won the pole position for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN) with a record lap — giving a timely birthday present to his crew chief.

In the final round of Friday’s knockout qualifying session, Kurt Busch covered the 1.5-mile distance in 26.877 seconds (200.915 mph) to top the previous record lap of 200.111 mph posted by Tony Stewart in 2014.

In a third round that saw five drivers exceed Stewart’s record, Busch set the fastest qualifying lap ever recorded on a 1.5-mile intermediate speedway. The Coors Light Pole Award was Busch’s first of the season, second at Texas and the 22nd of his career.

RELATED: Chase Elliott misses qualifying

Busch edged Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs driver Denny Hamlin (200.617 mph) by .040 seconds. Playoff driver Kevin Harvick (200.378 mph) will start third, followed by Erik Jones (200.326 mph) and Playoff driver Kyle Busch (200.252 mph).

“It’s something when you set a new qualifying record, and it’s above 200 mph on the scoring pylon,” Busch said. “I told a couple buddies that we were going to go above 200 mph today — and that’s average speed.

“When you have a car that goes that fast, it comes with a lot of hard work from (crew chief) Tony Gibson and the guys on this No. 41 car. It’s neat to have that feeling — you drive down into the corner and just mat the gas and have it stick.”

Busch had been fighting tight handling conditions in the final rounds of time trials this season. For the final round Busch asked Gibson, who turned 53 on Friday, to do everything he could to free up the chassis. 

“We’ve struggled a little bit in the third round this year and this time around I said, ‘Throw everything at it.'”

Hamlin, who comes to Texas fresh from controversy at Martinsville, where he wrecked then-leader Chase Elliott with four laps left in last Sunday’s race, held the top starting spot until Busch made his run late in the final round.

“I thought it would definitely have a chance,” Hamlin said of his lap. “We improved with our time each round, and we were top five each round, as well. So I definitely thought once I ran it, it was going to be very close.

“Some of the guys that were up front, we dodged those bullets early in the third round, but the 41 (Busch) was the last one that I knew could give us trouble, and they got us right there off of Turn 4.”

Series leader Martin Truex Jr. qualified seventh, followed by fellow Playoff drivers Ryan Blaney, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski.

Busch doesn’t have a contract for next season, though Stewart-Haas Racing has expressed a desire to re-sign him. 

“No updates from me,” Busch said in response to a question about his 2018 status. “We’re in negotiations. Days like today help.”

Elliott, eighth in the series standings, will start deep in the field on Sunday, along with six other drivers whose cars failed to clear inspection in time to make a run in the first round of qualifying. Elliott is the only Playoff driver who failed to advance to the second round of knockout time trials.

The other seven Playoff drivers also advanced to the final round, ensuring Elliott will start the race in a Texas-sized hole as he tries to claw his way into the top four by the end of next Sunday’s race in Phoenix.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Elliott still ‘pretty frustrated’ | Starting lineup | Full Texas schedule

FORT WORTH, Texas – Chase Elliott did not make it through qualifying inspection at Texas Motor Speedway Friday evening and will start his No. 24 Hooters Chevrolet from near the rear of the field in 34th for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as a result.

Elliott was one of seven cars — also including Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth — that didn’t turn a qualifying lap because they didn’t pass inspection in time.

While obviously disappointed in having to start from the rear on Sunday, Elliott was still hopeful, even confident, that he will be able to make his way forward. Perhaps challenge for the win.

“As you all know, qualifying well is important for stage points so I think for us now it puts the emphasis on having to compete for a win,’’ Elliott said. “It keeps it simple. [April winner] Jimmie [Johnson] did it in the spring and I think if we have our car driving good tomorrow afternoon, it’s definitely doable.’’

In fact, it’s the second consecutive time Elliott’s car did not pass qualifying here at Texas. He was among nine drivers forced to start the race from the rear.

“I don’t know why teams fail qualifying tech here more than other places,’’ Elliott said. “I think if you get your car driving good tomorrow, you can pass. Jimmie proved that here in the spring. I think it’s doable. We’ll see.

“Everybody’s pushing it. You don’t want to get in position you’re not qualifying. Everybody’s doing everything they can to go fast.’’

Elliott is currently eighth in the playoff rankings — 26 points behind fourth place Kevin Harvick with two races remaining to set the four-driver championship grid for the Homestead-Miami Speedway finale.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Junior’s retirement gift from TMS | Playoffs standings

FORT WORTH, Texas — As each week passes in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final full-time NASCAR season, he is asked about not only his legacy but also about the new generation of drivers who will crowd the Monster Energy Cup Series grid for the foreseeable future.

Judging by Earnhardt’s remarks and smiles Friday morning at Texas Motor Speedway, he feels like the future is in great hands — both on track and away from the track. Specifically, he had high praise for second-year Monster Energy Series driver Ryan Blaney, one of two young drivers (Chase Elliott is the other) still challenging for this year’s championship.

“I’m excited about all these guys, Alex (Bowman) and William (Byron) and (Ryan) Blaney — he’s just so much fun outside of the car just to observe and watch,” Earnhardt said, speaking at length about his high expectations of the 23-year-old Blaney. “We all kind of enjoy seeing what he’s up to. He’s doing something every week.”

This year’s Pocono winner, Blaney may be NASCAR’s version of the “Most Interesting Man in the World.” The son of sprint car legend Dave Blaney, Ryan has established himself as a big fan favorite and is always a candid interview — win or lose.

His “Glass Case of Emotion” podcast on NASCAR.com is so popular, it just topped 1 million listens this season.

RELATED: Blaney says young drivers must ‘stand up for ourselves’

“He’s the guy I think that’s taking the lead and a lot of guys could follow as far as how he self-promotes and engages with the fans,” Earnhardt said of Blaney. “He does such a good job with it and he’s up for anything. I think that’s a great example if those guys want to look for somebody to follow.”

And best of all for Blaney, his performance on the race track has only legitimized and stoked his popularity away from it. He finished runner-up in the Daytona 500 and won the pole position at Kansas earlier this year before claiming his first Monster Energy Series win at Pocono three weeks later. | Blaney’s career stats

He moves to Team Penske next year, teaming with former champion Brad Keselowski and perennial title favorite Joey Logano.

He is ranked fifth among the eight drivers still playoff-eligible – only six points below the cut-off line with two races remaining to set the Championship 4 for the season finale Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: XFINITY Series Playoff standings | Full schedule for Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas – Heading into Saturday night’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Texas Motor Speedway, the race for the final provisional transfer spot into the Championship 4 is razor tight.

Brennan Poole (driver of the No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet) sits fourth in the standings, holder of the last transfer spot for Homestead but has just a three-point edge over Matt Tifft (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota). Cole Custer (No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford) sits in eighth in the Round of 8, but is just eight points behind Poole with two races left in the Round of 8.

With a battle that close, every little edge is needed to try and fight through to advance for a shot at the NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 18. For the drivers closely bunched together, stage points could be the deciding factor.

“I think everyone has seen how important stage points are in these playoffs,” Custer said during a media availability at Texas Motor Speedway. “You can’t make mistakes. If you want to solidify your spot in the Championship 4 here, you have to try to make sure you don’t take yourself out of it. You can’t win it (the championship) here but you can take yourself out of it for sure.”

Tifft noted that given the tight positions in the standings, it is important to execute over all three stages.

“We just haven’t executed in the beginning and middle part of these races,” Tifft said. “We’ve rallied in all these races but now I think it’s time, to have a solid day from start to finish. …We’ll have to be a little bit aggressive to get ahead of some of these guys.”

For the Texas native Poole — who hails from The Woodlands, a suburb of Houston — this race has special meaning to him especially in light of Hurricane Harvey and his work to help with relief efforts.

“I’m proud to be back in my home state and have an opportunity to win the race tomorrow night,” Poole said. “Certainly, kind of holding that close to my heart with everything the city’s been through. It would be awesome to go back and repay them just like the Astros did a couple nights ago (in the World Series).”

Posted on by

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Click n’ Close™, a division of Mid America Mortgage, Inc., has entered into official partnership agreements with the sanctioning body, NASCAR, and one of the most iconic race teams in the sport, Richard Petty Motorsports. The collaborations designate Click n’ Close as the “Official Mortgage Provider of NASCAR®” in addition to becoming a partner of Richard Petty Motorsports.

Click n’ Close is Mid America Mortgage’s new digital mortgage approval and closing platform that provides home buyers with a fast, simple and secure experience by automating many of the steps of a traditional mortgage process. With Click n’ Close, home buyers are able to complete their application within eight minutes and receive an approval within one business day. On average, home buyers approved through Click n’ Close reach the closing table in less than half the time of a traditional mortgage process and are able to complete their closing and receive their keys within 15 minutes. To safeguard sensitive information, Click n’ Close employs bank-level security, including advanced data encryption, allowing home buyers to safely apply for a mortgage anywhere, anytime, using any device.

“Speed is a familiar concept to NASCAR’s powerful community of sponsors and fans, which is why we chose to launch Click n’ Close nationally by partnering with NASCAR and Richard Petty Motorsports,” said Jeff Bode, owner and CEO of Mid America Mortgage. “Click n’ Close is revolutionizing the way we service home buyers and homeowners, and we’re confident that the NASCAR community will appreciate how quickly and easily they can now secure a mortgage through Click n’ Close.”

As part of the agreement with Richard Petty Motorsports, the Click n’ Close brand will be featured as a primary sponsor of the No. 43 car driven by Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. for at least three races, making its debut at the 2018 Daytona 500. The No. 43 Click n’ Close car will also make appearances at Phoenix Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway.

“We have recently had a lot of positive discussions about our race program in 2018, and having a new partner such as Click n’ Close is proof of that,” said Richard Petty, co-owner, Richard Petty Motorsports. “Click n’ Close is a perfect tool for people who want a faster, more secure way to apply for a mortgage. We feel that Bubba and our team are a perfect fit to help spread their message to NASCAR fans across the country.”

Click n’ Close was introduced today at the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council meetings taking place in Texas, near Mid America’s headquarters. The new Official Partner engaged an exclusive group of nearly 55 Official NASCAR Partners who gather to buy and sell products and services from one another. The business-to-business environment offers unique opportunities for many FORTUNE 500 companies to bypass the time and layers of corporate coordination to construct customized deals that help address specific business needs.

“Click n’ Close’s multi-faceted sponsorship will be an effective way to introduce its platform to a national audience,” said Steve Phelps, executive vice president and chief global sales and marketing officer, NASCAR. “Our fans are the most brand loyal in sports and continue to differentiate NASCAR from other sports and entertainment properties.”

In addition to engaging with fellow sponsors, teams and drivers, Click n’ Close, will also host key customers and prospects at-track with strategic hospitality events at NASCAR races throughout the year.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will continue with the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Sunday, November 5 at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: Full schedule for Texas | Blaney, Harvick battle gets heated

FORT WORTH, Texas — In a Martinsville race weekend that saw a memorable post-race exchange between Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin, fellow rising star Ryan Blaney had an exchange of his own with 2014 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick.

And the 23-year-old said it was all a case of young drivers standing up for themselves.

“I think you go through a little bit of hazing like any sport or series when you come in,” Blaney said during a media availability at Texas Motor Speedway. “I do believe that we (young guns) have to stand up for ourselves and not get shoved around. There’s a respect you have to show. I respect every one of the drivers that we are racing against right now, but you can’t get pushed around because it’s not going to stop if you let it happen. You have to be respectful, but at the same time, you are not going to let somebody push you around. You have to stand up for yourself.”

MORE: Harvick talks incident with Blaney

Harvick pounded on Blaney’s bumper throughout the race at the .526-mile short track. The two slammed doors at one point, and Blaney also brake-checked Harvick. The two had a pointed discussion on pit road after the race.

“Obviously, we weren’t happy with each other,” Blaney said. “Both of us had our conversations and what we were upset about. I felt like we handled it fine. It was a stern talking-to, but I have a lot of respect for Kevin. He helped me a lot when I first got started a handful of years ago. Just Martinsville racing pretty much. We had a talk and I think we’re fine right now. I’m sure we’re over it and those we’re just to reassure we were good.”

Blaney enters Texas sixth in points and just six points out of the final transfer spot into the Championship 4 with two races to go in the Round of 8. The AAA Texas 500 (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) represents a big opportunity for the driver of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford.

The team has been strong for much of the year at intermediate tracks, and Blaney led 148 laps here in the spring. On Friday, the No. 21 Ford was fastest in opening practice.

“I don’t think it’s a must-win for us,” Blaney said. “I think we can come out here and have a solid run. And Phoenix, it hasn’t been our best track, but I feel like we can put together a decent race. I don’t mark it down as all or nothing like if we don’t win this race we aren’t getting to Homestead. I just don’t really look at it that way.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Practice 1 results | Full schedule for Texas tripleheader

Ryan Blaney pounced on the top spot in opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice Friday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway.

Blaney registered a lap of 199.933 mph in the Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford in the opening preparation for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM). It’s the second event in the playoffs’ Round of 8, the last three-race series that will whittle the postseason field from eight to the final four drivers competing for the season-ending championship.

Fellow playoff-eligible driver Denny Hamlin was second-fastest in the 85-minute session, clocking 199.196 mph in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota. Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top five.

Playoff contender Jimmie Johnson — a seven-time Texas winner who has prevailed in four of the last six events on the 1.5-mile track — did not post a speed until late in first practice. Fuel pressure issues sidelined the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet until just 12 minutes remained. He wound up with the 19th-fastest speed among the 39 drivers on the track.

Kyle Busch, a two-time Texas winner, was eighth-fastest in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota. Busch is the only driver locked into the Championship 4 field after securing an automatic berth for his win at Martinsville Speedway last Sunday.

The other playoff-eligible drivers and their positions on the leaderboard: Chase Elliott (sixth), Kevin Harvick (ninth) and Brad Keselowski (13th).

XFINITY Series regular Daniel Hemric participated in practice as a substitute for Paul Menard in the Richard Childress Racing No. 27 Chevrolet. Menard and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed their second child this week. Hemric — 28th-fastest in opening practice — will also qualify the car with Menard on leave.

Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the Monster Energy Series is scheduled Friday at 6:15 p.m. ET (NBC Sports App).

Posted on by DraftKings

Rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for that day. The ordering is not based on highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the value of each driver.

(FPPK = average fantasy points per $1,000 of salary.)

1. Martin Truex, Jr. ($11,000) – The No. 78 car is fast everywhere, but it’s on another level at intermediate tracks. After a severe penalty forced Truex to forfeit the lead at Kansas, he rebounded to win the race. No one does that. (6.4 FPPK)

2. Kyle Busch ($10,600) – By now, we should all know the theme for the No. 18 car this season. He’s a top-three car piling up fast laps, or he’s subject to unfortunate events. At Texas, Busch suffered damage on pit road and was a non-factor. (5.7 FPPK)

3. Kyle Larson ($9,700) – In the spring, he sliced through the field, earning 30 place differential points at Texas. That’s special at a one-groove track, but not when you have a fast car and a great driver. It’s expected, not special. A top-five is expected this weekend. (5.1 FPPK)

4. Kevin Harvick ($9,800) – Way back in April, Harvick was fast at Texas. His speed disappeared soon after or the Toyotas found their rhythm. It’s likely the latter, but Harvick is catching up. He has been fast at every playoff intermediate track race. (4.4 FPPK)

5. Chase Elliott ($9,100) – Last week was the week. The stars aligned at Martinsville, but Elliott couldn’t get the win. This underscores how hard it is to win a NASCAR race at the premier series level. Winning a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race is one of the hardest feats in sports. He’ll get another try this week, and his car is fast enough to make it happen. (4.2 FPPK)

6. Jimmie Johnson ($9,600) – In the spring, Johnson earned his seventh Texas win. It was another victory after starting from the back, but like many of those wins, he was aided by the NASCAR Gods. There were four debris cautions, two stage cautions and a competition caution. There was only one real caution. (3.8 FPPK)

7. Ryan Blaney ($8,500) – In the spring, Blaney was fast at Kansas. He was fast in the fall Kansas race, too. In the spring, Blaney was the fastest driver at Texas, but he coughed up a possible win by sliding his car through his pit stall late in the race. He should be fast this weekend. (3.1 FPPK)

8. Joey Logano ($9,400) – The Penske Fords have been competitive at the short, flat tracks. They might as well be XFINITY cars at the 1.5-mile tracks. Logano is a top-10 driver at best unless he messes with pit road strategy. (3.3 FPPK)

9. Erik Jones ($8,000) – After a nice run this summer highlighted by his near win at Bristol, Jones has cooled off. He’s finished outside of the top-25 in his last three races. (3.8 FPPK)

10. Brad Keselowski ($10,000) – Team Penske doesn’t have the speed to win this race straight up, but backward pitting at Texas might work. With a freshly repaved surface, track position means everything. Keselowski turned track position into 104 laps led at a single-groove track in Michigan in August. (4.5 FPPK)

11. Matt Kenseth ($8,900) – He’s been much better at the short tracks this season. Kenseth can earn a top-10 finish by turning circles with the others, but it’s unlikely that he leads laps or runs fast laps. (3.5 FPPK)

12. Denny Hamlin ($8,800) – NASCAR might be the most emotional daily fantasy sport. After last week’s unfortunate events, some DFS players might refuse to play Hamlin. He hasn’t been great at the intermediate tracks, but it’s a JGR Toyota. He could be worth a flier. (4.1 FPPK)

13. Jamie McMurray ($8,100) – When Jamie Mac qualifies around 10th, you’ll say to yourself, “no way.” This could be a lap-turner. Place differential points might be rare. Finishing position points could be at a premium. McMurray staying in 10th all day could be the key to a GPP win. (3.2 FPPK)

14. Clint Bowyer ($8,700) – The SHR Fords are getting faster every week. Bowyer hasn’t really done much this season, but he has a good a car. As long as he’s in a top-notch ride, he’s a threat to put up top-10 daily fantasy NASCAR points each week. (3.3 FPPK)

15. AJ Allmendinger ($6,500) – Martinsville is Allmendinger’s best race track, but Texas is not that far behind. He has 13 top-25 finishes in his last 14 Texas races (average finish of 17th). He clearly likes this track. (3.6 FPPK)

16. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ($7,900) – Sentimentality shouldn’t influence Junior’s fantasy popularity. He’s been serviceable at intermediate tracks this season. He’s earned top-20s in 11 of 13 intermediate track races. His best finish was fifth at Texas in the spring. (3.0 FPPK)

17. Kasey Kahne ($8,200) – The clock is ticking for one more win. It’s unlikely that Kahne will be a contender in the No. 95 car next year. He has a chance for one more win this weekend. Kahne has three eighth-place finishes in his last five Texas races. He was running inside the top-15 until suffering a broken axle late in the spring race. (3.2 FPPK)

18. Aric Almirola ($6,200) – In his return to Kansas, the track where Almirola broke his back months earlier, Almirola earned a top-10 finish. This is his audition for a 2018 ride. He’s focused, and his car has been a consistent top-20 ride all season. (4.5 FPPK)

19. Austin Dillon ($7,700) – The man wears a cowboy hat, he better run well at Texas. His median average running position at the intermediate tracks is 15th this season. In a possible lap-tuner, 15th will do. Don’t worry about the first Texas race, a mechanical issue ruined his day early. (3.6 FPPK)

20. Kurt Busch ($8,400) – Kansas looks better than it was. He finished second, but his average running position was 15th. Take away the late wrecks and Busch scores 26 fewer fantasy points. Texas doesn’t look like a wreck fest. (3.0 FPPK)

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Hamlin says his apology was necessary | Full Texas schedule

FORT WORTH, Texas – Chase Elliott slid into his seat at Texas Motor Speedway’s media center and judging by the look on his face, he was all ready and in anticipation of the questions to come about last week’s post-race confrontation with Denny Hamlin at Martinsville Speedway.

No.

He said he hasn’t spoken with Hamlin yet, despite Hamlin sending him a text message.

And no.

He wasn’t going to comment about any potential racing payback.

“I’m not going to be answering any questions on whether I’m going to get him back or not,” the 21-year old driver said. “Just don’t go there.”

Last week at Martinsville, the veteran Hamlin “moved” the second-year Elliott out of the racing groove to make a pass for the race lead with three laps remaining. The contact spun Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet off toward the wall, and Hamlin went on to finish seventh, while Elliott – who led four times for 123 laps – finished 27th.

WATCH: See the incident here

After the incident, the normally mild-mannered Elliott and the veteran Hamlin had words on pit road.

Hamlin later apologized publicly on social media for his aggressive move on track. And he said Thursday that he tried to communicate with Elliott during the week, but has still not heard back from the young driver. Elliott said his view of the situation remains unchanged.

“As far as last week goes, I don’t know my thoughts are a whole different now than they were then,” Elliott said. “I’m still pretty frustrated about it and really as the week has gone along it’s given me a lot of time to think about how close we were to going to Homestead (for the championship race).

“If anything else, that will drive you up a wall if you think about it. Definitely not happy about it and not a whole lot has changed about it.

Instead of winning a race, or at least taking a top-five finish for his good work last week, Elliott now arrives at Texas ranked last among the eight playoff drivers, 26 points behind fourth-place Kevin Harvick with two races remaining to set the four-driver Homestead-Miami Speedway championship grid.

Hamlin is seventh in the playoff standings, seven points behind the fourth-place cut-off position.

RELATED: Hamlin issues apology

During a Toyota event Thursday in the Dallas area, Hamlin again addressed the situation with Elliott.

“I think anytime I’ve seen things like that in the past and someone has an arrogance or a sense of no compassion to the guy that you just took out, it bugged me a little bit,” Hamlin said. “So I felt there was a need for me to kind of issue an apology there because it was needed. Obviously, the other side doesn’t want to hear it. It doesn’t make their day any better, but I felt like it was important for me to get what my thought process and feelings were out there.”

Elliott’s face was everywhere as he arrived at Texas Motor Speedway – home of his first career XFINITY Series victory in 2014. The track made posters featuring a large photo of Elliott, proclaiming, “Come see the People’s Champion at the Great American Speedway.’’ A smaller photo of Hamlin and Elliott having words on pit road is at the bottom of the poster.

“I wasn’t expecting to have that or hear that or see it throughout the week,’’ Elliott said of the support he’s received. “It’s been … I don’t know if refreshing is the right word but it’s been definitely pretty encouraging seeing that kind of support despite the circumstance. To seeing people encouraging you and wanting you to go win this weekend … to me the message from the fans this weekend has been the best thing you can do is go and win one of these next two weekends and give yourself a shot at Homestead. I think a lot of the people that watch our sport know that and I am looking forward to giving it my best shot.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Dale Jr. gift gallery | Full schedule for Texas

Texas Motor Speedway provided a Lone Star State-sized gift to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s season-long send-off, giving him part of the track’s scoreboard from his first win.

Track president Eddie Gossage supervised the festivities on horseback before opening practice for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (2 p.m. ET, Sunday, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM).

Earnhardt is set to make his likely final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile track, where he scored the first win of his premier series career as a rookie in 2000. Gossage unveiled a large scoreboard segment, with his former No. 8 illuminated in the first position as a parting gift.

“That’s it. That’s the one,” Earnhardt said. “Isn’t that something?”

The track also made the gift of naming a horse from a nearby therapeutic horse ranch in his honor as part of the Jr. Nation Apprecia88ion Tour. Gossage also provided a baby gift for Earnhardt and his wife, Amy — a kids’ hot-rodded push car stroller.

 

Earnhardt announced in April that this would be his final full season of competition.