The Cup Series grid travels to the Wild West this weekend after a Hendrick Motorsports dominant race at Martinsville. The upcoming event at the Texas Motor Speedway will be the ninth race of the ongoing season and the track’s first points race in the spring since 2019. In all fanfare on ode to the spring race’s return, the gates will open in Texas on Friday at 4:05 p.m. (Eastern Time).
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Following a 30-minute practice run for the Truck Series race, qualifying for the same will take place at 4:35 p.m. followed by the main race at 8:35 p.m. Practice and qualifying for the Xfinity Series will take place on Friday as well. On Saturday, along with the main Xfinity Series race (1:30 p.m.), the Cup Series grid will practice (10:35 a.m.) and qualify (11:20 p.m.).
The main event of the weekend, the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400, will begin on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The last time the Cup Series grid raced at Texas in the spring, Denny Hamlin emerged as the victor. On the other hand, the latest to win on the track is William Byron. Going to Sunday, both will be amongst the drivers to watch out for. Notably, Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have combined to win 7 of the 8 races in the 2024 season thus far.
Important storylines to watch out for at the Texas Motor Speedway
This weekend’s race at the Texas Motor Speedway will be the track’s 44th Cup Series event. Away from the ongoing flow of things, other names ought to be followed closely over Sunday. RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher is a Texas native and hopes to get his first top-ten finish on his home track. He is yet to finish inside the top ten in 14 starts.
Team Penske is in dire need of a victory as well. Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano haven’t won at the Texas Motor Speedway in their last 25 combined starts. Where Logano has at least one victory (2014), Blaney has none. The duo will be hoping to do further justice to their titles as Cup Series champions.
Also under the microscope is Hendrick Motorsports’ golden boy Chase Elliott. The Dawsonville native has yet to find the victory lane in his last 42 starts. His 3rd place finish in Martinsville was the best of his season so far and presented a clear upward trajectory in recent results. The most popular driver in NASCAR will desire to make Texas the avenue where he finally manages to end his winless streak.
