Texas Betting Preview: 2019 AAA Texas 500

Kyle Busch has three Cup wins at Texas.

There are dozens of juicy storylines coming into Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway that heighten the anticipation for the second of three races in the Round of 8. One driver, Martin Truex Jr., has already clinched one of the Championship 4 berths and the seven other eligible drivers to participate for the 2019 Cup Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 17 will fight it out for the three other spots.

And fight it isn’t just a loose term thrown out there. Two championship contenders went after it last week at Martinsville, or at least their crews did. Joey Logano wasn’t happy with the way Denny Hamlin pinned his car to the wall last week. He talked with Hamlin after the race and it looked civil at first, but as Logano was about to leave the conversation, he shoved Hamlin and then walked away, and then it was on.

Logano still ended up finishing eighth so the big question is whether or not he thinks he needs to retaliate at Texas or Phoenix in an attempt to end Hamlin’s championship hopes the way Matt Kenseth did to Logano in 2015. The way I see it is that Hamlin still owes Logano a few more paybacks in a rivalry that includes spinning Hamlin at 200 mph at Fontana in 2013 that resulted in Hamlin hitting the wall hard and breaking his back. He missed four races because of it.

It would be a shame if Logano tries to damage Hamlin’s championship run, and it’s not only because I’m holding a 25/1 futures ticket on him to win the title. It’s because Hamlin is having the season of his career with a 9.2 average finish and a series-leading 18 top-fives. He comes into Texas confident after winning there in the March race, his third Texas win.

“It would certainly help, clinching a spot to move on and not have to worry about it in Phoenix,” Hamlin said. “We’re all going to work as hard as we can to prepare and position ourselves to end up in Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway.”

The Westgate Las Vegas Superbook has Hamlin listed at 7/1 odds along with four other drivers with Kyle Busch and Truex co-favorites at 5/1 odds.

With a win, Hamlin would become the only driver to ever sweep a season at Texas, twice. Jimmie Johnson (2015), Carl Edwards (2008), and Hamlin (2010) are the only three to sweep Texas.

A good reason to support a Hamlin wager this week is that he has three wins in the 16 races using this week’s race package with cars having aero ducts and engines producing 550 horsepower. No other driver has more with it. The last race using it was also the last race on a 1.5-mile track at Kansas two weeks ago and Hamlin won.

Another driver not a Logano fan is Kevin Harvick, who is also listed at 7/1 odds to win and the reason to support him begins with it being the playoffs and Harvick currently outside looking in while sitting fifth in points. Of all the clutch moments in the playoffs I can remember, it seems like they’re all Harvick wins.

“Clutch moments – there’s nothing like them,” Harvick said. “It’s one thing to dominate a race all day and win – that’s great. But, making a last-lap pass, an end-of-the-race pass or winning on a day when you’re not supposed to, there is just no better feeling than getting out of the car and looking at those guys. Having the rest of the field asking how was he able to win today.

“Those are the types of moments that I love to be a part of. We’ve been fortunate to experience a lot of those. That’s the adrenaline rush that comes with what we do. There is no better feeling than those particular moments.”

Two of those moments came the last two playoff races at Texas. Harvick won them both, the first two wins at Texas of his career which helped him qualify for his third and fourth Championship 4 in five chances, the first of which he won his lone Cup Championship in 2014. He’s currently on a run of 10 straight top-10s at Texas, which also includes three runner-ups.

Harvick was eighth in the Texas spring race, but his team hasn’t gotten much better with this particular race package since August. He’s won at Michigan and Indianapolis with it and was also runner-up with it at Las Vegas.

This particular round seems like it was almost hand crafted for Harvick because of his amazing active streak at Texas and also being the all-time leader at Phoenix nine wins. If he doesn’t win Sunday, he’s a good bet to win at Phoenix next week as the favorite.

READ MORE HERE...........TOP-5 FINISH PREDICTION ON VEGASINSIDER.COM

Busch & Logano are riding long droughts

Two of the season’s most competitive championship contenders, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, remain among the top four in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings heading into this week’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. But both seem overdue to return to Victory Lane.

Busch, a four-race winner and the 2019 regular season champion, heads into the AAA Texas 500 ranked third in the Playoff standings, seven points behind second-place Denny Hamlin. He’s 20 points behind standings leader and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr., who has already secured a spot in the Championship 4 with his win last weekend at Martinsville.

Team Penske driver Logano is a two-race winner this season and challenged Busch for the regular season title. He is currently fourth in the Playoff standings, three points behind third-place Busch and 14 points ahead of fifth-place Kevin Harvick.

But for all their early season success, neither Busch nor Logano has won a race since June – taking the checkered flag in consecutive weekends. They each have only three top-10 showings through the opening seven races of the Playoffs and neither has earned top 10s in consecutive Playoff races.

Busch was the quickest driver to reach four victories this season, earning his fourth on June 2 at Pocono. His 1,375 laps led on the season are most in the series. And his average finish of 9.5 through the first 33 races is second best in the series to his JGR teammate Denny Hamlin (9.2).

Since his victory at Pocono, however, Busch has 11 top-10 finishes in 19 races. Eight times he finished a race lower than he started on the grid, including a pair of season-low 37th-place finishes at Indianapolis and the Charlotte ROVAL. His best Playoff showing was a runner-up at Richmond Raceway – the second race of the Playoffs – where he led a race-high 202 laps but finished runner-up to Truex by more than two seconds.

Logano earned his wins in March at Las Vegas and this summer at Michigan, where he won from the pole position. His average start (10.7) this season is third best behind only Harvick (9.0) and his Penske teammate Brad Keselowski (10.1). He has 10 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes on the season.

However, in the 18 races since his Michigan win on June 10, he has only two top-five and seven top-10 showings. Eleven times in those 18 races, Logano has finished worse than he’s started. His best Playoff showing is an eighth place last week at Martinsville.

Busch and Hamlin are tied with the most Texas wins (three) among the eight Playoff drivers, his last coming in the spring of 2018. Logano has one Texas win in the spring race in 2014. Busch has a pair of top 10s – including the win – in his last five Texas starts. Logano had a string of six consecutive top-10 finishes at Texas snapped this March, when he finished 17th.

Hamlin’s championship path

Denny Hamlin is 7/1 to win at Texas.

Denny Hamlin’s season has been an example of sustained excellence.

After winning the season-opening Daytona 500 – his second career victory in the sport’s most famous race – he has steadily answered with victories on a wide variety of venues and turned in convincing showings even when he hasn’t hoisted a trophy. He is the most recent winner at this week’s Texas Motor Speedway, he won on the unique Pocono 2.5-miler this summer, answered that with a win from the pole position at Bristol Motor Speedway and then won a Playoff race at the Kansas two weeks ago.

His five victories mark the second-largest single-season trophy haul for the 38-year old Virginian. He won eight times in his 2010 championship runner-up season. His 18 top-five finishes this year is a personal best and his 22 top-10 efforts ties a personal high set in 2016 and 2017. He has the most top-five finishes in the series and only Kyle Busch (24) and Kevin Harvick (23) have more top 10 results.

While some of his closest competitors are enduring months of winless efforts, Hamlin has been consistent - especially on his game for the Playoffs. He has five top-five finishes through the opening seven Playoff races, winning a pair of pole positions (at Dover and Martinsville) and notching that win at Kansas – his first there since 2012. He’s led 404 laps in the seven Playoff races – 51.9 percent of his entire season total (777).

Hamlin arrives in Fort Worth tied with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch for the most wins (three) there among the championship-eligible Playoff drivers. He’s had three top-10 finishes in the last eight Texas races and is one of only three drivers (Jimmie Johnson - 2015 and Carl Edwards - 2008) to score a season sweep at the track (2010).

High expectations for Harvick

Kevin Harvick is 7/1 to win at Texas. 

Kevin Harvick hasn’t celebrated in Victory Lane since a dominating victory in the regular season finale at Indianapolis on Sept. 8, but he’s been close. And the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford heads into the final two races of this Playoff round a heavy favorite to hoist hardware at either this week’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBSCN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) or next week at Phoenix’s ISM Raceway.

Harvick, 43, earned all three of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories this season in a seven-race span starting with the New Hampshire mile in July and ending with the notoriously challenging Indianapolis 2.5-miler in September. Since Indianapolis, he’s had six top-10 finishes in the seven Playoff races, including a best showing of runner-up in the Las Vegas Playoff opener and a third place at the Charlotte ROVAL.

In total he’s had 12 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes and his five pole-winning efforts ties him with Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron for most on the season. His 8.96 average start is best in the series, and his 10.6 average finish is fourth-best.

Only championship leader Martin Truex Jr. has equaled Harvick’s Playoff top 10 effort. And only Truex (6.2) has a better Playoff average finish than Harvick (7.0).

But while Truex’s win last week at Martinsville Speedway secured a position in the Championship 4, Harvick rolls into Texas ranked fifth in the championship standings, 14 points behind fellow Ford driver Joey Logano in that all-important fourth position in the standings.

The encouraging news for Harvick is that he’s secured a position in the Championship 4 in four of the previous five years of this title format and actually won the first version of it in 2014.

The Californian isn’t just “good” at the upcoming tracks, his 11 combined wins is the most of any current Playoff driver at Texas (two) and Phoenix (nine) – a mark that ties seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson (seven at Texas and four at Phoenix) for most among active drivers at the two venues.

Importantly, Harvick’s two wins at Texas have come at crucial times. He’s won the last two Playoff races there, securing his position to contend for the big trophy. He’s finished in the top-10 in the last 10 Texas races – with three runner-up finishes to compliment his two wins. In total at Texas he has 21 top-10 finishes in 33 starts – 64 percent of his races.

Should Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team continue on to Phoenix next week still looking for a Playoff win, he has the confidence of nine Phoenix victories, most in the field. His last Playoff win there came in 2014, the year Harvick won his series championship.

Kyle Busch is 5/1 co-favorite to win 2019 AAA Texas 500

KYLE BUSCH Everything is Bigger in Texas Kyle Busch is a 3-time winner at Texas. HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (Oct. 29, 2019) – As the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs hit the homestretch with Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Kyle Busch and his No. 18 M&M’S Toyota team for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) know all too well that “everything is bigger in Texas.” Why is that the case? With just three races remaining in the Cup Series season, Busch and his team are very much in the championship battle, and a win Sunday at Texas would punch his ticket to the Championship 4 showdown at Homestead-Miami Speedway in two weeks. In each of his last four playoff runs, Busch and his M&M’S team have successfully followed their blueprint to the Championship 4 at Homestead by steadily advancing through each playoff round via solid finishes. With his sights on his fifth straight visit to the Cup Series finale as championship eligible, Busch has been able to survive and advance through the first two rounds and into the current Round of 8, despite not having the playoffs he had hoped for by his team’s lofty standards. Busch heads to Texas this weekend hoping to bring home his fourth career Cup Series win there. He’s certainly been trending in the right direction at the 1.5-mile oval with seven top-10 finishes in his last 10 starts there. He has 27 career Texas starts with 12 top-five finishes. Along with his three Cup Series wins at Texas, Busch been a frequent visitor to victory lane in most everything he’s raced there. He reeled off an incredible string of five consecutive Xfinity Series wins at Texas from April 2008 to 2010 and added four more for a total of nine Xfinity Series wins there, including in his most recent visit there in April. Add his four NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series wins in November 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2019 and it’s no wonder Busch is feeling good about his chances of reaching victory lane yet again Sunday. The Las Vegas native sits third in the playoff standings heading into Sunday’s second race of the Round of 8. Martin Truex Jr. punched his ticket to the four-driver, winner-take-all championship shootout at Homestead by virtue of his win at Martinsville last weekend. Now, Busch sits 17 points above the fifth-place cutline and will look to either solidify his position among the top four drivers in the playoff standings or, better yet, automatically punch his own ticket to the championship round with a win Sunday. So while Busch and his M&M’S team look to add yet another signature cowboy hat and six-shooters as race winners in the Lone Star State to their trophy collection, Busch and his team will continue to follow the blueprint that got them to the Championship 4 during the last four playoff runs by shooting for at least a solid finish Sunday, but a win would certainly be bigger in Texas. If all goes according to plan, they once again may be the ones with a chance to hoist the Cup Series championship trophy down in South Florida in two weeks.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M'S Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

Looking ahead to Texas, did you learn anything from Kansas Speedway that will transfer over to Texas, especially when it comes to restarts? “Restarts in (turns) one and two are certainly treacherous, just the way the banking is not quite there to hold you like it used to be. The track ends are very different in three and four, different than one and two. You kind of see, especially with the Xfinity cars with the lower downforce, they have a bit more issues. We’ve seen some late-race restarts and some problems for some guys in that race a couple of times and, for us, it’s no different. We also have some of the same issues. We learned some things I think at Kansas that helped our car and hopefully we can transfer some of that knowledge to Texas and Homestead, as well, with our M&M’S Camry.” What does it mean to win at Texas and take some of the pressure off before Homestead? Can that be a detriment, as well? “Certainly there’s some opportunity there to mess up or overthink things, but I believe any time you’re under pressure or under the amount of stress as what this round is to get yourself into the final four for Homestead, any time you can kind of take a step back and have a clear head is a good time, in my opinion. The pressure that sets in over these next two weeks if you’re behind the cutoff line and trying to get in or whatever, or if you’re right on the cusp of the cutoff line and trying to stay in, that can certainly wear on your team during the week. You try to have other things to do to kind of take your mind off of it a little bit but, overall, this is what we live, eat, breath, sleep, everything. It’s always on our mind.” Do you have extra confidence knowing you’ve made it to the Championship 4 the last four years? “I believe every year is a new year, but you certainly can’t forget what you’ve done and what’s gotten you to that point of being in the Championship 4. I do feel like the experience we’ve had and the times that we’ve been there, we can lean on some of that and some of those bullet points that have given us that success to be able to get to the final four and rely on that information over again. Some of these guys who haven’t made it there have made it to the Round of 8 but haven’t been able to transfer through. They’ve certainly learned some of the things of what not to do, but I feel like we just have to continue doing the things we know to do and hopefully that all comes to fruition.” What’s it like trying to get back to the Championship 4 if you don’t win a championship the prior year? “It’s a long time from championship to championship. It’s 365 days and it feels like an eternity when you look at it in a driver’s mind but, also from traveling so much, as much as we all do, it feels like a short time. We were just in Daytona, it feels like. This year, the JGR cars are good again, but you never know what is going to happen. It’s going to be a dogfight down to the end on whose able to bring it home and who’s able to get it at Homestead. It’s going to be an interesting battle, for sure, but I’d like to think we can fight them out all the way to the end and see where things fall.”

Clint Bowyer is 60/1 to win 2019 AAA Texas 500

CLINT BOWYER Aiming for One Spot Better in Texas This Time KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Oct. 28, 2019) – Improving one position is Clint Bowyer’s goal Sunday when the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, where Bowyer piloted his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) Ford Mustang to a second-place finish on March 31 – the most recent Cup Series race on the ultra-fast, 1.5-mile oval. After enjoying one of their most successful races by sweeping four of the top eight places, Bowyer and his SHR teammates return to Texas this weekend armed with Mobil 1 technology and a lot of positive thinking. “Can you imagine if we were to win in Texas?” asked Bowyer, who celebrated with fans in the grandstands after winning at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in March 2018. “We would make Texas the wildest victory lane you have ever seen. Throw in Mobil 1 and Rush Truck Centers folks and (track president) Eddie (Gossage) and all his people at Texas Motor Speedway, I guarantee it would be one of the best victory lane celebrations NASCAR fans have seen this season.” Bowyer has plenty of incentive at Texas. It would mark his 11th career Cup Series victory and first at Texas, as well as his first of 2019. A two-time winner in 2018, Bowyer owns seven top-five finishes this season but has fallen short of a personal and team goal of visiting victory lane. He’s also battling to remain in the top-10 in the season standings after finishing 34th at Martinsville last Sunday, when a cut tire and broken track bar ended his race early. That left him to 11th in points, 36 markers out of 10th place in the standings. Bowyer has ended the season in the top-10 five times in his Cup Series career. “Finishing in the top-10 is important to us,” he said. “We have worked really hard this year and the guys on our No. 14 crew, as well as everyone at SHR, Ford and Roush-Yates Engines, have put a lot of time and effort into getting us faster. I’m confident we’ll be in the top-10. We just have to close out these last three races.” Bowyer should be one of the favorites at Texas. He owns four top-five finishes in his career at the Speedway Motorsports-owned facility. In March, he started 25th and led laps 80 through 82. He gave up the lead with four laps left in the first stage to finish 15th. He started third in the second stage but fell back to 10th battling with a loose racecar before finishing 11th. He started the final stage 12th and climbed to fifth by lap 200 and second by lap 224. Bowyer couldn’t catch eventual winner Denny Hamlin in the closing laps and finished just 2.743 seconds back. Bowyer’s second-place result equaled his previous best finish at Texas – second in April 2011. “Our car wasn’t lightning fast all day long but, as they started slip-sliding around and struggling, we’d kind of prevail on those long runs,” said Bowyer, whose good friend Blake Shelton watched the race from his pits. “I expect you’ll see a similar type of race this weekend.” The March 31 race in Texas saw SHR place all four of its Ford Mustangs in the top eight. As an organization, it marked one of SHR’s most impressive performances as Daniel Suarez finished third, Aric Almirola seventh and Kevin Harvick eighth to go with Bowyer’s runner-up finish. One of the many factors that played into success that afternoon was Mobil 1 lubricants in all SHR Ford Mustangs. Bowyer will not only have Mobil 1 inside his No. 14 Mustang but on its hood this weekend in Texas as his car carries the decals of Mobil 1 and Rush Truck Centers.  More than 40 years ago, Mobil 1 motor oil entered the marketplace, making it the first globally available, full-synthetic automotive motor oil. Though it was originally released to safely enhance fuel efficiency, later formulations of Mobil 1 motor oil offered outstanding wear protection over the widest range of temperatures. Now, more than four decades later, Mobil 1 remains the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand. It has pushed forward the boundaries of automotive lubricant technology, evolving and improving to keep engines running like new, mile after mile, since 1974. From its vital role in the world of motorsports to its many scientific breakthroughs, Mobil 1 motor oil has a rich story with plenty of twists and turns. In its 17th consecutive season as the “Official Motor Oil of NASCAR,” Mobil 1 is used by more than 50 percent of teams throughout NASCAR’s top three series. It also provides primary sponsorships on the Mustangs of Bowyer and Harvick at SHR during various Cup Series races throughout the year. The Mobil 1 brand also serves as an associate sponsor for all four SHR drivers at all other races. Since 2011, ExxonMobil has been providing lubricant technology support to the SHR team, which helped drivers Tony Stewart and Harvick earn series championships for SHR in 2011 and 2014. Bowyer, Harvick, Almirola and Suarez hope to once again demonstrate the Mobil 1 and SHR advantage at Texas this weekend, like they did in March. If he does, the first to greet him in victory lane would be Rusty Rush and friends from the San Antonio-based Rush Truck Centers, whose decals will also be on the No. 14 at Texas. Rush Truck Centers has been the primary partner on the No. 14 team since Bowyer arrived in 2017 and has been with the SHR organization since 2010. The San Antonio-based company with more than 120 locations and 7,000 employees has used Bowyer and the team to appeal to NASCAR fans as one way to recruit the technicians it needs to operate the largest network of commercial truck and bus dealerships in the country, with locations in 22 states. “I always like going to Texas,” Bowyer said. “It is a lot of fun. Hardest thing there is balancing a little fun and your job. Everything is more fun in Texas.” Especially if he can finish one spot better.

Clint Bowyer, Driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What are your goals in racing? “I want to win races. I want to a championship. It’s always been that way. Once you win a race at this level, the next goal is a championship. It’s as simple as that. You start off every year to win your first race, and then as many as you can, and compete for a championship. We’ve been a part of years where I’ve been part of that conversation and I’ve had years where I haven’t and, for me, over the years it’s hard to pinpoint without pointing fingers or anything else other than just looking at yourself in the mirror. I mean, sometimes there were reasons and sometimes there weren’t and I should have performed better. I’m with a manufacturer that’s dedicated to that goal (winning races and championships). I’m with an organization that’s dedicated to that goal and certainly a race team, so that’s the goal. I love this sport. It’s fun. I love you guys. Everybody works their butt off to bring in the show. Call us whatever, but that’s our job and to come in and set up shop, put on a show and tear it down and go to the next one and I like that life.” Can you be more aggressive with drivers still in the playoffs since they have more to lose? “Whether I was in it or out of it or anything in between, you’re full force. You’re coming here to win the race no different than anybody. It doesn’t matter if we were racing, that’s the unique thing about the predicament we have with our playoff system. It’s not like the NFL, where you go home and it’s just two teams putting on a show. There are 40 of us still out there putting on a show and, that being said, I’m at one of my best racetracks. Whether I’m in the playoffs or out of the playoffs or anything in between, I feel like I have a shot at winning at this place.” Does Mobil 1 provide you and SHR an advantage? “I know you hear drivers talk about the importance of corporate partners all the time and that’s true, but at SHR, they are a key to our success on the track. Mobil 1 is such a source of technology under the hood and it’s a real advantage for us. Our success illustrates the technological advantages Mobil 1 is giving us on the track every single week.” How important is San Antonio’s Rush Truck Centers to you? “Rush is one of my strongest supporters. Rusty (Rush) and his folks have been wonderful to me. They have become some of my closest friends in the world. We want to get the word out that Rush, as well as the entire trucking industry, needs technicians. Rush Truck Centers is a leader in the trucking industry and the largest commercial dealership network in North America. They want to train these folks and give them good jobs. I’ve been around a lot of them in the last few years and it’s a hell of a career.”

Odds to win 2019 AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway

Denny Hamlin won the March 31 race at Texas.

WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERBOOK
ODDS TO WIN 2019 AAA TEXAS 500
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2019 - 3:15 PM ET

Kyle BUSCH 5/1
Martin TRUEX JR 5/1
Chase ELLIOTT 7/1
Denny HAMLIN 7/1
Kevin HARVICK 7/1
Joey LOGANO 7/1
Kyle LARSON 7/1
Ryan BLANEY 12/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 12/1
Kurt BUSCH 25/1
Erik JONES 25/1
William BYRON 25/1
Alex BOWMAN 30/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 40/1
Clint BOWYER 60/1
Aric ALMIROLA 80/1
Daniel SUAREZ 80/1
Austin DILLON 300/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 300/1
Ryan NEWMAN 300/1
Paul MENARD 500/1
Chris BUESCHER 500/1
Matt DiBENEDETTO 500/1
Daniel HEMRIC 1000/1
Ryan PREECE 1000/1
Darrell WALLACE JR 1000/1
Michael McDOWELL 1000/1
Ty DILLON 1000/1
David RAGAN 1000/1
Corey LAJOIE 5000/1
Landon CASSILL 5000/1
FIELD (all others) 500/1

Texas Betting Preview: 2018 AAA Texas 500

The Busch brothers still alive in NASCAR Playoffs.

Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick evenly split up wins in the first six races on 1.5-mile tracks, which includes Busch's April 8 win at Texas Motor Speedway, the site of Sunday's AAA Texas 500. But it's been a different story in the three ensuing races on 1.5s since then with three different winners, none of which are Harvick or Busch. The early advantage is gone as plenty of other teams have caught up in the set-up and horsepower requirements needed to win on these type of tracks.

This sets up for a fantastic finish in the NASCAR Playoffs!

Joey Logano won his first career race at Martinsville last week and got the automatic berth into the Nov. 18 Championship Race at Homestead. There's Texas this week and Phoenix the following week for the seven other eligible championship contenders to try and get an auto-berth by winning. If none of those drivers get a win in the next two weeks the final three slots will be awarded by points and the current leaders are Busch (4,104 pts) and then Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. are tied with 4,083 each.

“We have faced plenty of adversity in the playoffs so far but we’re still in it,” Truex said late race bad luck in the Playoffs at Charlotte, Dover, and last week at Martinsville. “We should have been in Victory Lane at both Charlotte and Martinsville and have a secured transfer spot for the championship round at Homestead.

“Our guys at the track and at the shop are giving everything they have. They all want that championship as bad as I do. None of us are quitting because the team is shutting down at the end of the season. We all have one mission and that’s to successfully defend our championship.”

Back-to-back championships for Truex as the team is shutting down would be an incredible feat. Harvick is looking for his second Cup title as well.

“There’s a lot of respect amongst the three teams, but we all want to beat each other," Harvick said of the Big-3 leading in points vying for those final three Championship Race slots. "Ultimately, that’s why we’re here. We want to win and I feel like that same passion lives in those garage stalls next to us and they like you, but they want to beat you. And a lot of times, you do whatever you have to do for your team to go out and do that and that’s what makes it fun. But there’s also a lot of respect there. In the end, we all want to beat each other, but it has been a lot of fun racing with those guys.”

The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBookadjusted its championship odds on Monday and have Busch the 9/5 favorite followed by Logano at 11/4, Harvick at 5/2, and Truex at 9/2.

After that its Chase Elliott at 12/1, Las Vegan Kurt Busch at 25/1, Clint Bowyer at 30/1, and Aric Almirola, who is currently last in points (4.033), at 40/1 odds. Among those last four drivers, Elliott offers the best opportunity to win at Texas this week.

Elliott, who sits sixth in points (4,052), won the last race on a 1.5-mile track at Kansas two weeks ago. He finished 11th at Texas in April which was his worst finish there in five Cup starts. He's showing a lot more speed in the past two months everywhere and also happens to be the active leader at Texas with a 7.4 average finish. He also has a 2014 Xfinity Series win at Texas.

"I don't think there's one moment that I can say was the turnaround," Elliott's crew chief Alan Gustafson said of the No. 9 teams surge. "It's been coming and coming because of hard work. We've got an amazing group of people that work at Hendrick Motorsports. Certainly, great resources, a great boss. If we get an opportunity we can make some things happen. With Texas, we haven’t been good since they reconfigured it, but the result at Kansas certainly makes me feel a little better."

After no Cup wins in 2.5 seasons, Elliott now has two wins in the last 12 races, the last coming at Kansas which applies well here despite Texas being banked much steeper making it faster.

Brad Keselowski was chopped from the Playoffs in the last round, but his win at Las Vegas to kick off the postseason on Sept. 16 should serve as a major indicator that he can win this week because its banking is steeper and closer to Texas than recent races on 1.5s at Kentucky (July 14) and Kansas. He led 38 laps at Kentucky and finished third and led 26 laps at Kansas finishing sixth. Only Truex has been better in those last three races.

Read More Here......Top-5 Finish Prediction on VegasInsider.com

Odds to win 2018 AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway

Kyle Busch won the spring race at Texas.

WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERBOOK

ODDS TO WIN 2018 AAA TEXAS 500

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2018 - 3:15 PM ET

Kevin HARVICK 11/4
Kyle BUSCH 7/2
Martin TRUEX JR 5/1
Kyle LARSON 6/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 8/1
Joey LOGANO 12/1
Chase ELLIOTT 12/1
Ryan BLANEY 12/1
Clint BOWYER 18/1
Kurt BUSCH 18/1
Aric ALMIROLA 25/1
Erik JONES 40/1
Denny HAMLIN 40/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 60/1
Alex BOWMAN 60/1
Austin DILLON 100/1
Daniel SUAREZ 100/1
Paul MENARD 300/1
Ryan NEWMAN 300/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 300/1
Jamie McMURRAY 300/1
William BYRON 500/1
Trevor BAYNE 1000/1
Chris BUESCHER 1000/1
AJ ALLMENDINGER 1000/1
Darrell WALLACE JR 2000/1
Regan SMITH 2000/1
Michael McDOWELL 2000/1
TY DILLON 2000/1
FIELD (all others) 1000/1

Texas NASCAR Cup Series Notes: 2017 AAA Texas 500

Kyle Busch has two wins at Texas Motor Speedway.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: AAA Texas 500

The Place: Texas Motor Speedway

The Date: Sunday, Nov. 5

The Time: 2 p.m. ET

TV: NBCSN, 1:30 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio                   

Distance: 501 miles (334 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 334)

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Next Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300

The Place: Texas Motor Speedway

The Date: Saturday, Nov. 4

The Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: NBCSN, 8 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 300 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 

Next Race: JAG Metals 350

The Place: Texas Motor Speedway

The Date: Friday, Nov. 3

The Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: FS1, 7:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 220.5 miles (147 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 35),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on lap 147)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Turbos Into Texas

One week after the dramatic Round of 8 opener at Martinsville, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN). Kyle Busch has locked up a berth in the Championship 4 with his win at “The Paperclip.” The Playoff leaderboard shakes out as follows:

Rank	Driver	Points	Race Wins	Playoff Points	Pts from Cutoff
1	Kyle Busch	4100	1	69	-
2	Martin Truex Jr.	4117	-	42	-
3	Brad Keselowski	4079	-	26	-
4	Kevin Harvick	4053	-	17	-
5	Jimmie Johnson	4050	-	17	3
6	Ryan Blaney	4047	-	14	6
7	Denny Hamlin	4045	-	9	8
8	Chase Elliott	4027	-	6	26

Johnson won the Texas spring race.

Of the contenders, only Johnson (six wins), Busch (2) and Hamlin (2) have won at Texas. Retired Carl Edwards is the defending race winner, while Johnson took the checkered flag at the spring race earlier this year in Fort Worth.

The top-10 finishers in this year’s Texas spring race: 1. Johnson 2. Kyle Larson 3. Joey Logano 4. Kevin Harvick 5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 6. Brad Keselowski 7. Jamie McMurray 8. Martin Truex Jr. 9. Chase Elliott 10. Kurt Busch

Johnson Texas Ranger: Seven-Time Champ Goes For Record Seventh Texas Win, Championship 4 Berth

Superman wears Jimmie Johnson pajamas.

While we don’t have proof of that, we do know Johnson is Superman at Texas Motor Speedway – the site of Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 NASCAR Playoffs race. He holds the all-time track records for wins (7), top fives (15) and top 10s (21). Among active drivers, Johnson boasts the top driver rating (107.3), the second-best average finish (8.2) and the third-best average running position (10.3).

Johnson, who won the spring race at Texas, sits three points below Kevin Harvick for advancement to the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He’s won four of the last six races in the Lone Star State.

Elliott Attempts To Rebound From Disappointment With Texas Win

In the closing laps of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race, Chase Elliott looked like he was going to get his first career win and a berth in the Championship 4. Instead, he wrecked in the closing laps and is now 26 points below the cutoff line for advancement to the title race.

The No. 24 Chevrolet driver essentially needs to win one of the next two races (Texas or Phoenix) to join the Championship 4. He’ll get his first shot at Texas where he’s run strong in his first three races at the 1.5-mile track. In the three starts, he’s placed fifth (spring 2016), fourth (fall 2016) and ninth (spring 2017). Among active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers at Texas, Elliott ranks first in average finish (6.0), second average running position (9.6) and fourth in driver rating (98.3).

Blaney Tries To Pull Off Another Strong Texas Performance

In this year’s spring Texas race Ryan Blaney led an event-high 148 laps and won the first two stages, but couldn’t close the contest out with a victory. He finished 12th.

He’ll try to close the deal in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Blaney enters the race six points behind Kevin Harvick on the cutoff line to advance to the Championship 4. He’s coming off a third-place finish at Kansas and an eighth-place showing at Martinsville.

In five starts at Texas, Blaney has never finished better than 12th (twice). He did not finish his first two races at the 1.5-mile track.

Plenty Can Play Spoiler At Texas

Again, just because a driver is not in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs doesn’t mean he/she can’t win a postseason race.

Six non-Playoff drivers have won at Texas Motor Speedway previously: Matt Kenseth (twice), Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman.

The highest finishing non-Playoff drivers in this year’s Texas spring race were Kyle Larson (second), Logano (third), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (five), Jamie McMurray (seven) and Kurt Busch (10th).

Kyle Busch Can Become Second Driver This Season To Lead 2,000 Laps

Kyle Busch is only 27 laps led away from pacing the field for 2,000 laps this season. If he were to accomplish the feat – joining Martin Truex Jr. (2,068 laps led this season) – It will be the first time since 1989 (28 years ago; Dale Earnhardt led 2,735 laps and Rusty Wallace led 2,020) the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has seen more than one driver lead 2,000 or more laps in a single season.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has had more than one driver lead 2,000 or more laps in a single season 16 times (list is below). The record for the most drivers leading more than 2,000 laps in a single season is four in 1964. Three or more Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers leading 2,000 laps in a single season has happened four times – 1963 (three), 1964 (four), 1965 (three) and 1969 (three).

	Season	Drivers	Laps Led
	2017	Martin Truex Jr	2068
	2017	Kyle Busch	1973
1	1989	Dale Earnhardt	2735
	1989	Rusty Wallace	2020
2	1982	Darrell Waltrip	3028
	1982	Bobby Allison	2423
3	1980	Cale Yarborough	2810
	1980	Darrell Waltrip	2022
4	1978	Cale Yarborough	3587
	1978	Darrell Waltrip	2173
5	1975	Richard Petty	3158
	1975	Cale Yarborough	2542
6	1974	Cale Yarborough	3597
	1974	Richard Petty	3099
7	1973	Cale Yarborough	3167
	1973	David Pearson	2658
8	1972	Bobby Allison	4353
	1972	Richard Petty	2085
9	1971	Richard Petty	4967
	1971	Bobby Allison	3559
10	1970	Richard Petty	5016
	1970	Bobby Isaac	3179
11	1969	Bobby Isaac	5053
	1969	Richard Petty	3057
	1969	David Pearson	2905
12	1968	Richard Petty	4242
	1968	David Pearson	3950
13	1966	David Pearson	3174
	1966	Richard Petty	2924
14	1965	Junior Johnson	3998
	1965	Ned Jarrett	2244
	1965	Dick Hutcherson	2065
15	1964	Richard Petty	3534
	1964	Ned Jarrett	3304
	1964	Fred Lorenzen	2375
	1964	David Pearson	2256
16	1963	Fred Lorenzen	2419
	1963	Junior Johnson	2396
	1963	Richard Petty	2122

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.

Matt Kenseth Set To Run XFINITY Team USA Paint Scheme

Matt Kenseth will drive the No. 20 XFINITY Team USA Toyota Camry during Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.  The car celebrates Comcast’s official partnership with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

The No. 20 will feature Comcast’s Xfinity brand and USOC logo lock-up on the hood of Kenseth’s Toyota Camry to commemorate the 100-day milestone from the start of the Olympic Winter Games 2018.

“Being able to feature XFINITY and Team USA aboard our No. 20 Camry this weekend is really exciting,” Kenseth said. “The Games give our country and the world a way to unite in competitions through sport and I always enjoy getting to watch these athletes do what they do best.”