Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is retiring from full-time racing after spending the last two seasons in IndyCar, the Associated Press reported Monday.
Johnson, whose historic stock-car career came to a close in 2020, completed his first and last full-time season in IndyCar on Sept. 11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca after running a part-time schedule in 2021.
The legendary racer did, however, leave the door open for future one-offs, telling the AP he’d like to compete in no more than 10 bucket-list events as he eyes his future.
Though he did not specify what those races might look like, one potential could be a debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. NASCAR, in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, is fielding a Garage 56 entry in the 2023 edition of the famed French event and has yet to announce its driver lineup. Johnson spent the entirety of his Cup career driving Hendrick’s No. 48 Chevrolet, making his series debut in 2001.
There also remains an opportunity to jump back into NASCAR if he so chooses.
The NASCAR All-Star Race shifts to the recently revived North Wilkesboro Speedway in May 2023, with the track last hosting a Cup event in 1996. Johnson immediately perked up and noted his interest in the event.
So I told @JimmieJohnson that #nascar fans already were asking about him possibly racing at North Wilkesboro.
And Jimmie’s face lit up as he noted that as the 2013 All-Star Race winner, he still could be eligible under a 10-year exemption.
Johnson, 47, has not announced any plans at this time. He is scheduled to compete in the 25th running of IMSA’s Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday.
NASCAR officials announced Monday that Team Penske’s No. 12 Ford team has withdrawn its plans to appeal penalties stemming from a lost wheel during the Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Competition officials had penalized the team last week after the left-rear wheel dislodged from the No. 12 Ford after an early pit stop for driver Ryan Blaney in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol. That infraction resulted in four-race suspensions each for crew chief Jonathan Hassler, and pit-crew members Zachary Price (rear-tire changer) and Graham Stoddard (jack).
Because the organization planned to appeal, those suspensions for the No. 12 team were deferred for Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, which opened the Round of 12 in the Cup Series Playoffs. With the appeal withdrawn, those suspensions will take effect starting with this weekend’s YellaWood 500, scheduled Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM) at Talladega Superspeedway, ending after the Oct. 23 event at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Blaney is among 12 drivers who remain championship-eligible. He finished fourth in Sunday’s race at Texas.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Denny Hamlin’s “list” grew one name longer on Sunday evening at Texas Motor Speedway.
The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran has made mental notes of several drivers who have crossed him this season — most notably No. 1 driver Ross Chastain — but there might be a new public enemy No. 24 in his eyes: William Byron.
Perhaps a bit testy after a day that saw ambient temps near 100 degrees and an hour-long rain delay that pushed the afternoon race to a finish under the lights, the pair exchanged some paint on track during a caution in the Final Stage resulting in Hamlin losing his position while under yellow and his temper on the radio.
Shortly before a Martin Truex Jr. tire issue brought out the caution on Lap 268, Hamlin and Byron battled for position near the front of the field. Though no contact was made in the initial brush, Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet was moved up the track enough to scrape the wall exiting Turn 2 and affect the performance of his car.
During the ensuing caution laps, Byron showed his displeasure to the 48-time Cup Series winner, nudging the No. 11 from behind … and spinning him out into the infield. NASCAR re-lined up Hamlin in seventh after being a bit more toward the front of the field, while electing not to penalize Byron for the incident.
“When we were in the tower, we were paying more attention to the actual cause of the caution up there and dispatching our (safety) equipment,” NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller said after the race. “The William Byron, Denny Hamlin thing we had no eyes on. We saw Denny go through the grass and by the time we got to the replay that showed the incident well enough to do anything to it, we’d gone back to green. But I’m not sure that that issue is completely resolved as of yet. So we’ll be looking at that when we get back to work.”
Hamlin was ready to take things into his own hands, however, if he had the chance.
“I’ll give him the penalty if he comes back to me,” Hamlin said to his team over the radio.
The No. 11 driver never got close enough to catch Byron’s No. 24 — he finished 10th to Byron’s seventh — and institute any immediate payback, but this one will certainly stick with the Virginia native.
“I got spun out under caution down the infield,” Hamlin said point blank on pit road following the race. “We got tight off Turn 2 and never made contact (with the 24) but it slowed both of our momentum and that was it. I can’t argue the rules with (NASCAR) inside the car and the team did everything they could to try to make a case but ultimately we went spinning through the infield under caution.”
Still just 24 years old but now in his fifth full-time Cup season, Byron is out to show he isn’t going to be raced a certain way anymore and isn’t keen on being muscled around on track by the sport’s longtime mainstays. The message to Hamlin was clear … if not a little more impactful than he intended.
“I felt like he ran me out of race track off of (Turn 2) and had really hard contact into the wall, car was vibrating,” Byron said. “Felt like the toe link was probably or definitely bent, but luckily, not fully broken so we were able to continue, but a lot of times that kind of damage is gonna ruin your race, especially that hard. Totally understand like, running somebody close, making a little bit of contact. But that was pretty massive.
“I didn’t mean to spin him out,” he continued. “I just meant to bump him a little bit and show my displeasure. And unfortunately, it happened the way it did. And, obviously, when he’s spinning I was like ‘Ah, I didn’t mean to do this,’ but it’s definitely frustrating.”
The problem for both now? They’re both title contenders, and there are still six races remaining before a champion is decided with plenty that could happen. Both drivers are above the elimination line with good prospects to make the Round of 8 and potentially beyond, and the book on this confrontation likely hasn’t concluded yet.
Given Byron claims he did not intentionally mean to spin Hamlin, it might be prudent of him to smooth things over in an attempt to stymie any potential retribution from Hamlin.
“I’m sure we’ll talk,” said Byron. “I mean, I feel like we both did some things and definitely wasn’t … I’m not going to be run like that. So yeah, that’s the message that I want to be received is that I’m not going to take stuff like that. So yeah, I don’t know. That’s really all it is. Obviously, didn’t mean to do what I eventually did, but I definitely felt like we’re kind of on the same understanding at least.”
Hamlin, no stranger to confrontation — especially at Martinsville, a Round of 8 track — might not be ready to accept that point of view.
“I’m not really sure (where things go from here with Byron), we’ll just kind of have to race him hard,” he said.
” … I mentioned on the radio, let’s just get a teammate to knock him out under caution in the (Championship 4). Certainly, it’s a precedent.”
The Round of 12 continues Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. ET with the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
After the first race in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, here’s a brief look at the playoff picture. There are two races left in the Round of 12 — at Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.
WINNER
Tyler Reddick continued the trend of non-playoff drivers winning playoff races as he took the checkered flag at Texas Motor Speedway. Reddick was eliminated from a run at the Cup Series championship during the Round of 16 after finishes of 35th and 25th at Kansas and Bristol, respectively. The win is Reddick’s third of the season, which is second-most of Cup drivers this season (Chase Elliott has four wins).
William Byron. After a fruitless summer, Byron has found a sixth gear in the playoffs. He finished seventh at Texas, which is his fourth consecutive top-10 finish in as many playoff races. With two races left in the Round of 12, Byron will head to Talladega with a plus-17 advantage over the cutline.
Kyle Larson. Larson picked up his third consecutive top-10 run with a ninth-place finish at Texas and currently sits 16 points above the playoff cutline.
WHO’S NOT?
Chase Elliott. The first four races of the playoffs have been a mixed bag for the regular-season champion, and Texas didn’t help matters for the No. 9 team as Elliott crashed during Stage 2 on Lap 183, resulting in a 32nd-place finish. For Elliott to feel comfortable heading into the final race in the Round of 12, he’ll have to get out of Talladega with a good points day and avoid the calamity that comes with superspeedway racing. If he does that, he can clinch his spot a week later at the Charlotte Roval, where he’s won twice.
Christopher Bell. After having the most consistent first round of any of the Cup playoff drivers, Bell suffered multiple issues during the first half of Texas that resulted in his day ending on Lap 136. He entered the Round of 12 just four points above the cutline and will head to Talladega, where he only owns one top-five finish, 29 points beneath it.
BUBBLE WATCH
Rank
Driver
Cutoff
5.
Ryan Blaney
+15
6.
Denny Hamlin
+8
7.
Daniel Suárez
+4
8.
Chase Elliott
+4
——–
ELIMINATION LINE
———-
9.
Chase Briscoe
-4
10.
Austin Cindric
-11
11.
Christopher Bell
-29
12.
Alex Bowman
-30
NEXT RACE
The Round of 12 continues Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. ET with the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
WHO IT FAVORS
Ross Chastain. No driver will have more confidence heading to Talladega than the track’s most recent winner as Chastain took the checkered flag in the spring. Compared to a handful of playoff drivers, Chastain escaped Texas with an 18-point cushion above the cutline, which should allow him more freedom in how he can race at the superspeedway.
WHO IT HURTS
Joey Logano. There’s no doubt the No. 22 Team Penske Ford always has speed on superspeedways, but as one of the more aggressive drivers at tracks like Talladega and Daytona, Logano has been on the wrong side of the leaderboard in the last five races at the 2.66-mile superspeedway with three DNFs and just one top-five finish. While Logano does have three wins at Talladega, his last one came in the spring of 2018.
FORT WORTH, Texas — They say everything is “bigger” in Texas and certainly NASCAR’s Round of 12 Playoff opener at Texas Motor Speedway lived up to the billing. From playoff consequences to a red-flag delay to bumper-banging aggression, tire fall-off and record statistical marks, there was no shortage of competitive drama in Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500.
Ultimately Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick prevailed as race winner — taking the checkered flag by 1.190 seconds over Team Penske’s Joey Logano in a final 24-lap green-flag run to the finish. It was the 26-year-old Californian’s third career victory and first win on an oval after claiming trophies on two road courses earlier this season.
“We had a lot of issues today, I’m not going to lie,” Reddick said with a smile, listing a number of setbacks from pit-road mishaps, vibrations in his No. 8 RCR Chevrolet to holding off a hard-charging Logano, who has now taken the NASCAR Cup Series championship lead by 12 points over Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain.
“Every time we’ve had a strong car we’ve been bit by something,’’ said Reddick, who announced earlier this season he is leaving the RCR team to go to 23XI Racing in 2024.
“This is a tough race, 500 miles here is not an easy feat and I know it wasn’t easy on you,’’ Reddick said motioning toward the grandstands. “So great to win here in a Cup car, been close here a couple times.’’
James Gilbert | Getty Images
The outcome made it four straight wins for drivers without championship eligibility to open the postseason, denying the 12 remaining playoff drivers an automatic berth into the next round. Reddick had qualified for the 16-driver playoff field but was eliminated after last weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. There was still plenty of drama among the playoff 12.
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron, who finished seventh, and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, who finished 10th had a literal “run-in” late in the race. Byron said he felt Hamlin ran him up on track causing his No. 24 Hendrick Chevrolet to hit the Turn 2 wall and sustain damage. And in retaliation, he bumped Hamlin’s No. 11 JGR Toyota during a caution, and that contact ended up sending Hamlin spinning into the infield.
“It was really hard contact,’’ the 24-year-old Byron said of the incident that put his car in the wall, adding, “I didn’t mean to spin him out over there, but obviously I’m pissed off and not going to get run like that. We’ve always raced together so well so I don’t know what it was all about.
“I went to go show my displeasure. Didn’t mean to hit him and spin him out. … I’m just not going to get run like that. There’s really no reason. We were running second and third at the time, I think.’’
Hamlin, 41, took exception to the hit, and tapped his Toyota into Byron’s Chevy multiple times after his infield spin. He still appeared miffed after the race.
“I don’t think we touched but obviously he sent us through the infield under caution,’’ Hamlin said. “I keep hearing these guys and I’ll just add it to the list, guys that when I get a chance, they’re going to get it. It just works itself out. We’ll be racing each other at some point. He’ll lose a lot of spots because he’s racing me.
“This is hard racing obviously. I’m fine with hard racing. But wrecking me under caution is not what we bargained for. I’m thankful to my FedEx Toyota team for bouncing back.’’
It was an action-packed racing afternoon on all levels. There were a record 36 lead changes and a record 16 caution periods — including a 56-minute red flag for rain just after Ryan Blaney claimed the Stage 2 victory.
When the race resumed, the resulting drop in temperatures — factoring in a light rain shower and nightfall — seemed to reinvigorate the racing on track, with side-by-side racing and passes throughout the field and multiple tire issues at the front of the field.
Martin Truex Jr., along with Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott all had tire issues while leading the race.
The 32nd-place finish dropped the 2020 series champion from the points lead coming into Texas to seventh in points — 26 points behind new championship leader Logano, and only four points above the cut-off line heading to Race 2 of this three-race championship round at the always unpredictable Talladega Superspeedway next weekend.
“Something came apart, I could hear it flapping on the right rear, so if it wasn’t down, it was certainly coming apart,’’ Elliott said.
“It’s not a great position to be in for sure, but it is what it is now. I hate it for our No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet team. We were actually decent here for once, and that was nice while it lasted. We’ll go to Talladega and try to survive over there, get a win next week and go on down the road.”
Elliott was one of a handful of playoff drivers who had challenging days in Fort Worth. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, who came into the race ranked sixth after turning in the best Round 1 playoff showing of any of the 12 championship-eligible drivers. He suffered tire issues that ultimately eliminated him from competition as well.
The incident dropped him to 11th place in the playoff standings, 39 points behind eighth-place Daniel Suarez with eight drivers advancing to the next round of the playoffs.
“Very disappointing weekend and I was feeling optimistic when they dropped the green flag,’’ Bell said, adding, “It makes our decision easy on how to play Talladega. We were hoping to come out of here good and be able to ride around and just survive Talladega. We are going to have to race and get some stage points and be up front all day.’’
Justin Haley finished third on the day with playoff drivers Ryan Blaney (Team Penske) and Chase Briscoe (Stewart-Haas Racing) rounding out the top five. Erik Jones, Byron, Sunday’s race pole-sitter Brad Keselowski, reigning series champion Kyle Larson and Hamlin rounded out the top 10.
Byron holds onto the third playoff spot, 13 points behind leader Logano. Larson is fourth (-14), followed by Blaney (-15) and Hamlin (-22). Elliott and Sunday’s 12th-place finisher Daniel Suárez are seventh and eighth in the playoff standings, both 26 points behind Logano.
Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Bell and Alex Bowman (who finished 29th) round out the top 12, with Bowman 56 points behind leader Logano and 30 points out of the eighth-place position that would advance to the Round of 8.
Cody Ware was treated and released from the infield care center after a hard hit with his No. 51 Ford midway through the 500-miler. His Rick Ware Racing team released a statement saying the 26-year-old driver would return home after the race, and RWR representative Robby Benton said X-rays at the track showed no fractures. Benton added that he had some discomfort in one of his ankles, and that he would follow up with a specialist at Ortho Carolina this week as a precaution.
The race was red-flagged for rain showers and lightning after 220 laps were complete, just before the start of the final stage. That 56-minute delay pushed the finish under the lights.
The second race of this Round of 12 comes next Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway in the YellaWood 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Bubba Wallace is the defending race winner. Chastain won in April at Talladega.
Note: Post-race inspection was completed in the Cup Series garage without issue, confirming Reddick as the race winner.
Cody Ware was treated and released from the infield care center following a hard wreck at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Ware was assisted out of his No. 51 Ford after a wreck halfway through Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race, where he was then transported to the infield care center via ambulance.
Ware crashed into the Turn 4 retaining wall, prompting the race’s eighth caution period, on the 167th of a scheduled 334 laps. His car careened off the barrier and then caromed off the pit wall before coming to rest.
Rick Ware Racing shared on social media that Ware, 26, would return home post-race.
“We are thankful to the track crew here,” said Robby Benton, team manager of Rick Ware Racing. “We had a bit of a delay going through the normal protocol of x-rays and reviews and making sure there were no fractures. All of that came back clear. He will be on the team plane with us to return to Charlotte tonight and we are happy he is OK.
“No broken bones,” Benton added. “I feel like we will probably follow up just as a precaution. He will see a specialist with Ortho Carolina once we get home. For as hard of a hit as that was, we are thankful it is as clean as it is and he will be okay to go home tonight.”
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s vice president of officiating and technical inspection, said in a Monday morning appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that competition officials would review the crash this week, including looking at the car, data and the potential for changes to be implemented at the track. Sawyer added that officials would consult with safety experts at the University of Nebraska.
“You look at that hit that Cody had yesterday, and first and foremost, we’re extremely pleased that he is OK,” Sawyer told SiriusXM. “It was a hard hit, both the first hit into the outside wall in Turn 4 and then as he came across the football field and made contact on the inside pit road. We will look at all of that — A, the car; B, the angle in which he hit from both sides, the outside wall and the inside retaining wall. Looking at that opening there, that he didn’t hit directly on the opening, but he was just a few feet or so ahead of that. So we’ll look at all that, work with our folks at Nebraska on the safety aspects of the facility and see if there’s anything we need to do there, the car, and even our pit crews and how they position themselves for pit stops. More times than not, they’re right there up against the wall, maybe a foot or piece of equipment is sitting on the wall. So all those things we’ll look at today and what adjustments we need to make, and we’ll make them sooner than later as we head into Talladega.”
Thursday. Sept. 29 6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
10 p.m., Race for the Championship: Hometown Glory, USA Network
Friday, Sept. 30 1:01 a.m., Race for the Championship: Hometown Glory (re-air), USA Network
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway, USA Network, NBC Sports App
Saturday, Oct. 1 6 a.m., Race for the Championship: Hometown Glory (re-air), USA Network
6 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: Trucks (re-air), FS1
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: Talladega (re-air), FS1
7:30 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1987 Winston 500 (re-air), FS1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway, NBC Sports App
12 p.m., IMSA Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, NBC, NBC Sports App, Peacock
12 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NCWTS at Talladega, FS1
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Chevy Silverado 250 at Talladega, FS1
3 p.m., NCWTS post-race show: Talladega, FS1
3:30 p.m., Countdown to Green: Talladega, USA Network
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Sparks 300 at Talladega, USA Network, NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series post-race show, USA Network
7 p.m., IMSA Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, USA Network, NBC Sports App
11 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Chevy Silverado 250 at Talladega (re-air), FS2
On MRN: 12 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Chevy Silverado 250 at Talladega
3 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Sparks 300 at Talladega
Sunday, Oct. 2 5:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Chevy Silverado 250 at Talladega (re-air), FS1
11:30 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Talladega, FS1
1 p.m., Countdown to Green: Talladega, NBC, NBC Sports App
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: YellaWood 500 at Talladega, NBC, NBC Sports App
5:45 p.m., NASCAR Post-Race Show, Peacock Premium
11 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Chevy Silverado 250 at Talladega (re-air), FS1
On MRN: 1 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: YellaWood 500 at Talladega
Chase Elliott’s day in the Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12 opener came to an early end Sunday after a Stage 2 crash at Texas Motor Speedway.
Elliott was in the lead when his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet broke loose through Turn 4 in the 185th of a scheduled 334 laps in the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500. He crunched the outside retaining wall and his car skidded to a stop on the main straight at the 1.5-mile track. Elliott exited the car under his own power.
Elliott said he could hear a tire flapping in the right-rear fender well before the crash.
“I’m not sure that Goodyear is at fault,” Elliott said. “Goodyear always takes the black eye, but they’re put in a really tough position by NASCAR to build a tire that can survive these types of race tracks with this car. I wouldn’t blame Goodyear.”
Elliott has won four Cup Series races this year on the way to the Cup Series Regular Season Championship. The playoffs’ top seed retired after 184 laps and finished 32nd in the 36-car field.
Elliott entered the first race in the Round of 12 with a 30-point cushion above the postseason cutline. He now heads to Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) just four points up — eighth in the playoff standings.
“It’s not a great position to be in for sure, but it is what it is now,” Elliott said. “I hate it for our No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet team. We were actually decent here for once, so that was nice while it lasted. We’ll go to Talladega, try to get a win and go on down the road.”
Texas Motor Speedway is the site for Sunday’s Auto Trader EchoPark Automotive 500 (3:30 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM).
Much like practice on Saturday, today’s race is going to be hot and slick. Track position will be at a premium, so look for drivers to get all they can on restarts.
Because practice and race conditions will be similar, I have no issue relying on it to aid my best bet for today’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas.
The theme of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series postseason thus far has been the success of non-playoff drivers. Those teams have a perfect batting average with wins by Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher. On Saturday, it was Brad Keselowski — who led a season-high 109 laps last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway — who was standing tall, winning his first pole since Richmond Raceway in 2019. With RFK Racing scoring two poles in 2022 (Buescher at Dover Motor Speedway), it’s the most the company has earned in a single season since 2013 (three).
Starter 1: Joey Logano
Starter 2: Denny Hamlin
Starter 3: Tyler Reddick
Starter 4: Ryan Blaney
Starter 5: William Byron
Garage pick: Ross Chastain
NEXT IN LINE: Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski
RISING: RFK continues to impress in recent weeks, as Keselowski and Buescher combined to lead 278 of 500 laps at Bristol. While Texas Motor Speedway is a different beast, the team has stepped up its game in the second half of the season, combining for nine top-10 finishes in the last 14 races. In the first 15 events of the season, the Nos. 6 and 17 cars had four such results. On Sunday, both cars will take the green flag from the top 15.
A week after getting knocked out of the playoffs, Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick showed up in practice and qualifying at Texas. The two Richard Childress Racing drivers took the top spots in practice and will start from fourth and seventh, respectively. The seventh-place starting position for Dillon is his best effort of the season, and he did win a 500-mile race in 2020 at Texas.
FALLING: Christopher Bell was the first driver to advance into the Round of 12. But the No. 20 car — and many of the Toyotas — was a tick off in qualifying, starting 22nd. For fantasy players, don’t discount Bell as he has two third-place finishes in three Texas starts. But he barely misses my lineup.
Earlier in the week, I said be smart and utilize Harvick at Texas, as he has three wins in his last eight starts here. However, the No. 4 car struggled on Saturday, ranking 27th in practice and didn’t qualify much better in 23rd. It will shock nobody should Harvick be in the mix late, but Saturday had to be disappointing.
FEATURED MATCHUPS:
Chris Buescher vs. Ryan Blaney: While RFK is on the up and up, Blaney was stout at Texas in May’s All-Star Race. The No. 12 car didn’t quite show that speed on Saturday, but still ranked seventh on the scoring pylon in practice. The easy play here is Blaney.
Chase Elliott vs. Joey Logano: With how Elliott’s first round of the playoffs went, it’s a nice time for a reset. Unfortunately for Elliott fans, Logano believes he had a race-winning caliber car in practice and qualified second. Based on overall success at the track, Logano should be the choice, as he has 11 top-five finishes in 26 Texas starts.
Kyle Larson vs. Ross Chastain: On paper, these two look very similar entering race day. Larson was 10th in practice; Chastain ranked 13th. Larson also out-qualified the No. 1 car by three spots, as they both moved one position up the leaderboard to ninth and 12th. Before getting caught up in a wreck during the second stint in the All-Star Race in May, Chastain looked to have one of the fastest cars. But Larson is typically strong at intermediates, including a stomping last year at Texas, leading 256 of 334 laps. Go with the No. 5 car — he’s out of my lineup solely on usage.
Denny Hamlin vs. Christopher Bell: Entering the weekend, I was fully on the No. 20 team bandwagon, believing that Bell could make a late-season charge towards Phoenix Raceway. That’s still possible, but Hamlin has shown more raw speed throughout the season. That continued Saturday, as he was the lone Toyota to make the final round of qualifying. There’s a reason why I inserted Hamlin into my lineup and took Bell out. Use Hamlin.
