Darling Raceway Track Facts: 2014 Bojangles Southern 500

The Lady in Black give out stripes as souvenirs   

Darlington Raceway Data

Season Race #: 8 of 36 (04-12-14)

Track Size: 1.366-miles

Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 25 degrees

Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 23 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 6 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 6 degrees

Frontstretch Length: 1,229 feet

Backstretch Length: 1,229 feet

Race Length: 367 laps / 501.3 miles

 

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Darlington

Jeff Gordon.............................. 111.8

Denny Hamlin............................ 108.9

Greg Biffle................................ 107.5

Jimmie Johnson........................ 107.5

Kyle Busch............................... 106.2

Kasey Kahne.............................. 99.1

Ryan Newman............................. 95.8

Martin Truex Jr............................ 94.8

Carl Edwards.............................. 93.4

Dale Earnhardt Jr........................ 91.4

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (nine total) among active drivers at Darlington Raceway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2013 Coors Light pole winner:

Kurt Busch, Chevrolet

181.918 mph, 27.032 secs. 05-10-13

 

2013 race winner:

Matt Kenseth, Toyota

141.383 mph, (03:32:45), 05-11-13

 

Track qualifying record:

Kurt Busch, Chevrolet

181.918 mph, 27.032 secs. 05-10-13

 

Track race record:

Matt Kenseth, Toyota

141.383 mph, (03:32:45), 05-11-13

 

At Darlington Raceway:

History

·         Darlington Raceway was built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-1950.

·         Darlington Raceway hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on Sept. 4, 1950. – won by Johnny Mantz.

·         The track was re-measured to 1.375 miles in 1953.

·         The track was re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race in 1970.

·         The track was repaved in 1995.

·         The 2005 race was the first Saturday night race at Darlington.

·         The track was repaved again prior to the 2008 season.

Notebook

·         There have been 110 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway. The 1.366-mile track has hosted the fourth most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying races.  

·         702 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway; 426 in more than one.

·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Darlington with 65. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 33 starts; followed by Joe Nemechek with 27.

·         Curtis Turner won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Darlington in 1950 with a speed of 82.034 mph. 

·         47 drivers have Coors Light poles at Darlington, led by David Pearson with 12. Kasey Kahne leads all active drivers with four.

·         Nine drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Darlington. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Darlington with five (1975 - 1977).

·         Youngest Darlington pole winner: Kurt Busch (09/02/2001 – 23 years, 0 months, 29 days).

·         Oldest Darlington pole winner: David Pearson (09/06/1982 – 47 years, 8 months, 15 days).

·         46 different drivers have won at Darlington Raceway, led by David Pearson with 10. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with seven.

·         Youngest Darlington winner: Kyle Busch (05/10/2008 – 23 years, 0 months, 8 days).

·         Oldest Darlington winner: Harry Gant (09/01/1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 22 days).

·         Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Darlington in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 14.

·         11 different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Darlington; led by Chevrolet with 40 victories; followed byFord with 28.

·         19 of the 110 (17.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Dale Jarrett in 1997. NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson has won from the pole four times at Darlington – the series’ most. 

·         The Coors Light pole starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (19) than any other starting position at Darlington. The outside front row (second-place) has produced the second most wins (17).  

·         36 of the 110 (32.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington have been won from the front row: 19 from the pole and 17 from second-place.

·         95 of the 110 (86.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Darlington have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Six of the 110 (5.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Darlington was 43rd by Johnny Mantz in 1950 – the inaugural NSCS event.

·         Buddy Baker and Richard Petty are tied for theseries most runner-up finishes at Darlington with eight each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in second-place finishes at Darlington with four.

·         Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Darlington with 25. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 19. 

·         Bill Elliott leads the series in top-10 finishes at Darlington with 35. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 22.

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Darlington with a 6.758.

·         Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Darlington with a 5.375.

·         Two active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers have an average finish in the top 10 at Darlington: Denny Hamlin (5.3) and Jimmie Johnson (8.8).  

·         13 drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Darlington; Dale Earnhardt (1989-1990)and Jeff Gordon (1995-1996)are tied for theseries lead in consecutive wins at Darlington with three each. 

·         All six active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Darlington Raceway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Among active drivers, Kyle Busch won at Darlington in the fewest previous appearances (three).   

·         Matt Kenseth competed at Darlington Raceway 19 times before winning last season; the longest span of any the six active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·         Joe Nemechek leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington without visiting Victory Lane at 27.

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington Raceway was the (03/16/2003) race won by Ricky Craven with a MOV of 0.002 second – the MOV is tied with the 2011 Talladega race as the closest finishes in the NSCS using electronic scoring. 

·         There have been three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Darlington Raceway: 2005 (367/370), 2011 (367/370) and 2012 (367/368).

·         Eight of the 110 races at Darlington Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the fall race of 2000. 

·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington Raceway five times; most recently was the fall race of 2004. 

·         Terry Labonte (09/04/1978) made his series debut at Darlington Raceway.

·         Ken Schrader (03/29/1987), Kurt Busch (09/02/2001) and Clint Bowyer (05/13/2007) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Darlington.   

·         Regan Smith (05/07/2011) and Terry Labonte (09/01/1980) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Darlington. 

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Darlington with 1,736 laps led in 33 starts.

·         Three female drivers have competed at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date	Race Name
Janet Guthrie	26	16	9/5/1977	Southern 500
Shawna Robinson	42	42	3/17/2002	Carolina Dodge Dealers 400
Danica Patrick	38	31	5/12/2012	Bojangles' Southern 500
Danica Patrick	40	28	5/11/2013	Bojangles' Southern 500

 

NASCAR in South Carolina

·         There have been 220 NASCAR Sprint Cup races among 10 tracks in South Carolina.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Darlington Raceway	Darlington	110
Columbia Speedway	Columbia	43
Greenville-Pickens Speedway	Greenville	29
Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds	Spartanburg	22
Rambi Race Track	Myrtle Beach	9
Coastal Speedway	Myrtle Beach	2
Lancaster Speedway	Lancaster	2
Gamecock Speedway	Sumter	1
Hartsville Speedway	Hartsville	1
Newberry Speedway	Newberry	1

 

·         133 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as South Carolina.

·         11 drivers from South Carolina have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; eight have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
David Pearson	105	1	0
Cale Yarborough	83	0	0
Rex White	28	0	0
Cotton Owens	9	0	0
Tiny Lund	5	0	0
James Hylton	2	0	0
Johnny Allen	1	0	0
Joe Eubanks	1	0	0
Larry Pearson	0	15	0
Jason Keller	0	10	0
Butch Lindley	0	6	0

 

Updated LVH Super Book odds to win 2014 Sprint Cup Championship, following Texas

Jeff Gordon (12/1) is the new points leader after Texas

2014 SPRINT CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

JIMMIE JOHNSON 5-2
KYLE BUSCH 8
MATT KENSETH 8
DENNY HAMLIN 10
BRAD KESELOWSKI 8
KASEY KAHNE 15
JEFF GORDON 12
DALE EARNHARDT JR 10
TONY STEWART 15
KEVIN HARVICK 8
KURT BUSCH 20
JOEY LOGANO 12
CARL EDWARDS 20
CLINT BOWYER 30
GREG BIFFLE 30
RYAN NEWMAN 40
MARTIN TRUEX JR 300
BRIAN VICKERS 100
JAMIE McMURRAY 100
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 200
AUSTIN DILLON 300
PAUL MENARD 200
KYLE LARSON 50
MARCOS AMBROSE 300
DANICA PATRICK 1000
FIELD 200

Logano wins at Texas, seventh different driver to win in seven 2014 races

Joey Logano celebrates after his win ta Texas Monday

Joey Logano was practically speechless when a caution flag flew as he led the field to the white flag Monday at Texas Motor Speedway.

Asked what he was thinking, Logano said, "A lot of things I can’t say on TV."

Logano, who had been dominating the race, lost the lead on pit road when the leaders pitted just before a green-white-checkered restart. He blew past Jeff Gordon with just one lap remaining, however, to win the Duck Commander 500 and become the seventh different winner in seven races this year, the first time that has happened since 2003.

MORE: Earnhardt crash | Keselowski's car damaged | Race photos

Logano, 23, held about a 1-second lead over teammate Brad Keselowski when Kurt Busch hit the wall with just over a lap remaining to bring out a caution flag. Gordon and Brian Vickers took just two tires when the leaders pitted to beat Logano and Keselowski off pit road.

"Talk about a lot of emotion," Logano said. "You feel like you are about to win the race and then the caution comes out when you come to take the white and you’re like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me."

Read More Here........Sporting News

Texas Final Results

Photo of young 2014 NASCAR season: Sean Gardner shot on Carl Edwards at Texas, Brilliant!

Carl Edwards during Saturday's qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway (Sean Gardner/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Final Texas Practice Notes: Stewart-Haas cars have the edge

Harvick looks like the driver to beat at Texas this week

Kurt Busch laid down the fastest lap (194.630 mph) during Saturday’s final Sprint Cup practice session at Texas Motor Speedway in preparation for Sunday’s Duck Commander 500, and he did it with back-up car. His primary car slapped the wall during Friday’s practice after blowing a left rear tire. It is a surprise to see the back-up so dialed in, but maybe it shouldn’t be just because of all the great information the Stewart-Haas Racing organization gained through a test session at Las Vegas last month where Kevin Harvick was the star.

Apparently, SHR is prepared to go fast on the high banked 1.5-mile tracks this year, because Harvick came through with the third fastest lap in Saturday’s practice and then Tony Stewart won the pole. The biggest sign that Harvick might be in line to win his first Texas race was because he had the fastest 10-consecutive lap average among the 18 drivers that ran as many laps straight.

We can look at Harvick’s 41st-place performance at Las Vegas and be skeptical of his chances Sunday, but if we look deeper than just the results sheet, we notice that Harvick had a brake issue that sent him to the garages during the race, but not before he led twice for 23 laps. He was a contender then, and he should be one on Sunday.

So why don’t we have Harvick rated No. 1?

Harvick definitely looked the best overall in practice, but it’s Jimmie Johnson who gets the nod at the top not only because of his good practices, but because of past history that has seen him win three times at Texas, including two of the past three. He’s also driving a chassis that has pretty good history itself, winning at Texas last fall in addition to also winning at Dover in September.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of both practice sessions was seeing Greg Biffle near the top of the charts again. Biffle had a very ordinary Las Vegas race finishing 22nd, but came out blazing with the second fastest lap in Friday’s session and fourth best during Saturday’s happy hour, which was actually 90-minutes. He then went on to qualify fourth.

Biffle certainly has history in favor with two career wins, and he’s also got the Roush-Fenway Racing program behind him that has won nine races at Texas, more than any other team.

Another beneficiary of the Roush pedigree is three-time Texas winner Carl Edwards. Although Edwards didn’t shine during practices at Las Vegas, he did manage to pull out a gutsy fifth-place finish. Edwards had the second-fastest lap during Saturday’s practice.

The best long shot to consider is Paul Menard, listed at 75-to-1 odds before practices. He finished third at Las Vegas and will be using the same chassis again this week. He had the sixth-fastest lap during happy hour Saturday and finished third behind Harvick and Johnson in the 10-consecutive lap average category. If looking for one driver who can help turn $20 into a quick vacation fund, Menard would be it.

Because of Las Vegas being a nice measuring tool for what to expect at Texas, we were initially high on Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. They finished 1-2 at Vegas and each led more than 50 laps, but they weren’t overly impressive Saturday during happy hour. In fact, Keselowski looked terrible, but he gets the benefit of the doubt because of what he did at Vegas. He also found speed somewhere Saturday during qualifying and will start on the front row next to Stewart. Overall, Junior was much better between the two practices and is also using the same chassis that ran out of fuel on the last lap while leading at Vegas.

Rain is expected Sunday in the Fort Worth, TX area, so this one could be racing under like lights at night. If so, Friday’s practice conditions might be more relative to race day than Saturday’s which ran in the morning.

Read More Here..........Final Driver Ratings

Johnson fastest in first Texas practice session

Big Hoss: the largest HD screen in the world

Jimmie Johnson was fastest in Friday’s two hour practice session at Texas Motor Speedway, laying down his fast lap at 193.237 mph on the first of his 35 laps run. Johnson, a three-time winner a Texas, is the 5-to-1 favorite to win Sunday’s Duck Commander 500. He is using the same chassis this week that he used to win at Texas last fall which appears to be a scary set of circumstances for the rest of the field as Johnson is still winless on the season..

Greg Biffle came in with the second fastest lap (192.055) almost at the same juncture Johnson posted his top speed. Ryan Newman was third fastest -- doing so in the late stages, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr and Brian Vickers to round out the top-5.

Biffle’s speed has to be encouraging for the No. 16 Roush Fenway team just because they were very ordinary at Las Vegas last month finishing 22nd. Texas and Las Vegas are similar 1.5-mile sister tracks, but Texas is much faster. And apparently, so is Biffle. A Roush Fenway Ford has won nine times at Texas, including two by Biffle.

A total of 47 drivers participated in the practice session with Joey Logano running the most laps (55). Ten drivers ran at least 10 consecutive laps with Earnhardt Jr. having the fastest average.

Two drivers, David Ragan and Kurt Busch, had some trouble during the session and will have to go to back-up cars. Busch had the seventh fastest lap of the session, but blew out a left rear tire late and slapped the wall.

The drivers will return to the track for the second and final practice session Saturday at 10:30 am (ET), which will run for 90 minutes and then qualifying will take place at 3:10 pm. It is quite the odd schedule of events, but not a bad change of pace.  

Practice 1 Speeds  

Texas Driver Chassis Selections: 2014 Duck Commander 500

Earnhardt Jr. is usinf 2nd-place Las Vegas car this week at Texas

#2-Brad Keselowski: Primary Chassis for Texas is PRS-862, which is a new chassis. The backup chassis is PRS-840 which last served as a backup at Las Vegas in March. With 11 NSCS starts at Texas to his credit, Keselowski owns a best result of second-place. The finish, which came after Keselowski earned an eighth-place starting spot, was recorded at the fall race of his 2012 championship winning season.

#3-Austin Dillon: will pilot chassis No. 465 in the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. This is a new Dow Powerhouse Chevrolet SS that will be utilized for the first time this weekend. Dillon has two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts to his credit at Texas Motor Speedway, earning finishes of 33rd and 22nd in 2013.

#4-Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 4-858 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Built new for 2014, Chassis 4-858 will see its first laps of competition this weekend. In 22 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas, Harvick has three top-five finishes and 11 top-10s. Additionally, the 38-yearold driver has an average starting position of 21.1, an average finish of 12.3 and has completed 99.8 percent of the laps he's contested (7,345 of 7,359).

#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-863 for Sunday's race at Texas. This is a new chassis. Kahne went to Victory Lane at Texas on April 9, 2006, after starting from the pole position and leading 63 laps. The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet SS has five top-five finishes, six top-10s and has led a total of 218 laps in 19 Cup starts at the Fort Worth, Texas, oval. Most recently, Kahne scored a fifth-place result there in November 2013.

#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-754: This car debuted in March 2013 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where it qualified ninth and finished a solid 11th. Prior to Las Vegas, it had never turned a wheel on a racetrack, but it did spend considerable time in the wind tunnel. Its second start came last April at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, where it qualified 13th and struggled with its handling before finishing 21st. Its most recent start came in last year's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, where it started 13th and finished 14th in the non-points event. Chassis No. 14-754 has sat idle since, but under the direction of new crew chief Chad Johnston, has been rebuilt for the 2014 season. It will make its fourth career start Sunday at Texas.

#15-Clint Bowyer: Chassis No. 802 serves as the primary chassis for Bowyer at Texas Motor Speedway. Bowyer drove this Toyota to a 23rd-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after hitting the wall with just 35 laps remaining. Chassis No. 800 serves as the back-up chassis. This chassis has never seen action on the race track but has served as the back up for Fontana and Las Vegas.

#16-Greg Biffle: and the Matt Puccia led #16 3M ESPE Dental Give Kids A Smile team will bring primary chassis RK-896 at Texas, a brand new chassis. The backup chassis is RK-879 which last ran at Las Vegas and finished 22nd. In his 20 career Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile track, Biffle has two wins, eight top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. His average starting position is 12.7 with an average finishing position of 15.1. This is the fourth year that Give Kids a Smile has been on the hood of Greg's No. 16 Ford and they were on the hood last year for his win at Michigan.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: and the #17 Ford EcoBoost team will be using primary chassis Chassis RK-899 at Texas, which is a brand new chassis. The backup chassis is RK-860, which was last raced at Texas in 2013 and finished 16th. Stenhouse has two Sprint Cup career starts with an average starting position of 13.0 and average finishing position of 28.0.

#22-Joey Logano: Primary Chassis is PRS-848 for Texas, which last raced at New Hampshire, finishing 14th. The Backup Chassis is PRS-844 which was last used as a backup at Las Vegas. After finishing fifth in the first Texas race last season, Logano backed it up with a third-place finish in the fall race at TMS. The only other time Logano has finished inside the top five at Texas came at the end of 2010 when he finished fourth.

#24-Jeff Gordon: crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-830 for this Sunday's race. This chassis has been used in competition twice - once at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this year when Gordon raced it to a ninth-place finish and once in the 2013 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway where he finished 11th.: Gordon, driver of the #24 Axalta/Texas A&M College of Engineering Chevrolet SS, has one win, two pole positions, eight top-five finishes and 11 top-10s in 26 Cup starts at Texas Motor Speedway. Currently tied with Jeff Burton, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin for the most Cup starts at the 1.5-mile track, Gordon will move into sole possession of most starts with a 27th on Sunday.

#27-Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 454 this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. This Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet SS was last used at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this year where Menard scored a third-place finish. Through 15 starts at the 1.5-mile track, Paul Menard has achieved one top-five, two top-10s and two laps led. He's completed 4,835 of 5,021 laps (96.3 percent) contested with an average start of 19th and a 20.6 finishing average. Menard's best start of fourth was achieved twice (Nov. 2011 and Nov. 2013). His best finish of fifth was in April 2011.

#31-Ryan Newman will race chassis No. 456 in Sunday's Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Chassis No. 456 was raced on March 9 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where Newman qualified 10th and finished seventh. Newman is looking to capture his second-career victory at Texas when he makes his 22nd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start. His win came in the spring of 2003 making him the youngest Texas winner at 25 years, 3 months and 22 days. The Rocket Man also won the pole for both Sprint Cup Series events in 2005 to complete the sweep. In total, he owns three top-five and five top-10 finishes. The South Bend, Ind., native has an average start of 17th and average finish of 19th. When calculating points earned through the last 10 races at TMS, Newman ranks 10th in most championship points earned.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: Crew chief Chad Knaus has selected Chassis No. 48-797 which Johnson drove to Victory Lane last November at Texas. The backup car is Chassis No. 48-784 which Johnson most recently raced last season at Michigan International Speedway in June. In 21 starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Johnson has three wins, 10 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s. Johnson has an average starting spot of 8.5 and an average finish of 8.7 during this timeframe. Last April, Johnson started seventh and finished sixth at the 500-mile event. He won the race in November en route to his sixth Cup series championship.

#55-Brian Vickers: Primary Chassis 803 has not raced. The backup chassis is 801, which finished 13th at Las Vegas. In 28 MWR starts, Vickers has posted a win, 12 top-10 (43%) and 5 top-five finishes (18 percent).

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 team has selected Chassis No. 88-822. Earnhardt last raced this chassis to a second-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. In 23 Sprint Cup starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Earnhardt has scored one win, two pole positions, four top-five finishes and 13 top-10s. He has an average starting position of 11.3, which is his second-best at all tracks. He has led at least one lap in 13 of those starts for a total of 448 laps.

#99-Carl Edwards the #99 Fastenal blue team will unload primary chassis RK-897 at Texas, which is a new chassis. The backup chassis is RK-880 which was last used in 2014 as a primary at Vegas, finishing fifth. Edwards is tied with Jimmie Johnson for the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Texas Motor Speedway with three. Edwards first went to victory lane in 2005 at the track and then swept the season in 2008. Edwards has 18 Sprint Cup starts at Texas Motor Speedway with an average start of 13.4 and an average finish of 15.6. Edwards has finished in the top-five six times and in the top-ten eight times.

- compiled by Jayski.com

Edwards 20/1 at Texas

Carl Edwards – DUCK COMMANDER 500 ADVANCE

Team: No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig
Primary Chassis: RK-897
Backup Chassis: RK-880
Twitter: @99_RFRracing

ADVANCE NOTES

Edwards at Texas Motor Speedway
* Edwards is tied with Jimmie Johnson for the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Texas Motor Speedway with three. Edwards first went to victory lane in 2005 at the track and then swept the season in 2008.

* Edwards has 18 Sprint Cup starts at Texas Motor Speedway with an average start of 13.4 and an average finish of 15.6
* Edwards has finished in the top-five six times and in the top-ten eight times

The Car
* Primary chassis RK-897 is a new chassis
* Backup chassis RK-880 was last used in 2014 as a primary at Vegas, finishing fifth

Fastenal
* 014 marks Fastenal’s fifth year with Roush Fenway Racing and third year in the Sprint Cup Series.
* Edwards earned Fastenal its first victory in 2010 at Road America in the NNS.
* Make sure to follow @FastenalRacing for updates on Carl Edwards and the No.99 team.

Edwards on Texas:
“Last week in Martinsville was fun and we are looking forward to Texas Motor Speedway. The track has been great for us and winning the pole there last year was a blast. We are headed back there in our Fastenal Ford with winning as our only goal. Eddie Gossage and the gang at Texas always make it a fun weekend and I look forward to shooting some pistols in Victory Lane.”

- Roush Fenway Racing

Martin Truex Jr. hoping to keep Texas momentum going this week

Truex Jr. is 60/1 to win Sunday at Texas

DENVER (April 2, 2014) – One of the better NASCAR venues for Martin Truex Jr. has been Texas Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s Duck Commander 500 Sprint Cup Series race.

Last year at the Texas spring event Truex nearly pulled off the win. He led 142 laps and was in the lead when the final caution came out for debris with 21 laps remaining.

Truex lost the lead to Kyle Busch coming off pit road and went on to finish runner-up, scoring his second top-five and eighth top-10 in 17 career starts at the 1.5-mile oval located in Fort Worth.

Along with his impressive performance one year ago, Truex’s Texas Motor Speedway highlights also include: a third-place finish (fall race, 2007) and two poles (fall 2007 and spring 2012). His average running position at Texas of 13.7 is 10th best among active drivers and his driver rating of 89.1 is 11th best.

“If you want to contend at Texas, your car needs to have plenty of speed,” said Truex. “Texas is going to be really, really fast. I am sure that we’ll run wide open or close to it during qualifying. I expect a new track record – it’s going to be ridiculously fast. What we learned at Las Vegas and California will help us develop a baseline for Texas, especially California because of the bumps in the track.”

Truex added, “I am confident our Furniture Row Chevrolet SS will have the speed, and hopefully I can have the same performance in Texas as I did last year, except for one position better. Finding the right setup is tricky, but the teams that do will be the same ones you’ll see running up front. Based on our performances – not finishes – but performances in Las Vegas and California I feel our Furniture Row Chevy should be one of the cars running up front on Sunday.”

Truex’s optimism for Sunday’s 500 miler (334 laps) is the way his No. 78 Chevrolet performed in both the Las Vegas and California races – two intermediate-sized tracks like Texas.

At the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track Truex was running in the top-six for the majority of the event, but fell back to 14th after a pit-road strategy backfired.

Two weeks later at the 2-mile Fontana, Calif. track, Truex’s bad luck continued. He was forced to a backup Chevrolet after crashing his primary car in practice due to a flat tire. Truex had more trouble in the race when debris on Lap 26 ripped a chunk out of the car’s splitter, resulting in an aerodynamic disadvantage. The splitter problem later led to further car damage, halting Truex’s forward charge.

“We know we can run on the intermediate tracks, we just have to stay out of trouble,” said Truex. “Our luck is about to change. Texas has the potential to turn things around for our Furniture Row team.”

- DMF Communications for Furniture Row Racing

Team Chevy Notes for 2014 Duck Commander 500 at Texas

Johnson has won three times for Chevy at Texas

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
DUCK COMMANDER 500
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FT. WORTH, TEXAS
APRIL 6, 2014

TEAM CHEVY IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NSCS) COMPETITION:
· Chevrolet has won 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Manufacturers’ Championships
· Team Chevy drivers have scored 721 wins and 648 poles in NSCS competition

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
Chevrolet drivers have won nine (9) of 26 races at Texas Motor Speedway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s “Spring is Calling” Chevrolet SS, has three (3) victories at Texas Motor Speedway (’07, ’12 & ‘13)
Tony Stewart, No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS, has two (2) wins at Texas Motor Speedway (’06 & ’11)
Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS, has made one (1) trip to Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway (’09)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet SS, has one (1) trophy from Texas Motor Speedway (’00)
Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Axalta/ Texas A&M Engineering School Chevrolet SS, has one (1) win at Texas Motor Speedway (’09)
Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet SS, has one (1) victory at Texas Motor Speedway (’06)
Ryan Newman, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS, has one (1) cowboy hat from Texas Motor Speedway (’03)
A Chevrolet driver has won three (3) of the last five (5) races at Texas Motor Speedway
A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Texas Motor Speedway 12 times
Team Chevy drivers have scored 46 top-five and 111 top-10 finishes at Texas Motor Speedway
A Chevrolet has led 3,334 laps (38.1% of possible 8,755 laps) at Texas Motor Speedway

DRIVER FAN Q/A APPEARANCES:
· Saturday, April 5th – Tommy Baldwin Racing teammates Reed Sorenson and Michael Annett will stop by the Team Chevy stage for a question and answer session at noon.
· Sunday, April 6th – Fans can get autographs from the No. 42 over-the-wall pit crew at 9:30 a.m. Jamie McMurray will be on the Team Chevy stage for a question and answer session starting at 10:00 a.m. followed by Tony Stewart at 11:20 a.m.
· Hours of operation: Fri. April 4th – 10:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.; Sat. April 5th – 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sun. April 6th – 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

TEAM CHEVY IN THE GARAGE AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY– ALBA COLON, PROGRAM MANAGER, NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES – CHEVROLET RACING:
“This weekend we head to Texas Motor Speedway, which is one of our favorite stops on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit. It’s a favorite for the teams, the fans, and for Chevrolet in particular. Texas is ‘truck country’, which is an ideal place to display our great line-up both in and outside the track.

“Martinsville was another success for Team Chevy. We finished 1-2-3 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. regained the point lead. We have momentum going to Texas. Congratulations to Kurt Busch, Daniel Knost, Gene Haas, Tony Stewart and the entire Haas Automation No. 41 Chevrolet SS group for their great win there. This was really huge for Kurt and for the newly formed team at Stewart-Haas Racing. We are very proud of all of them.

“Now, we switch gears from a short track to an intermediate track. Texas Motor Speedway is a fast, challenging, and fun track. It has widened-out and has several grooves, which allow the drivers to race all over it. TMS presents its own set of demands on the handling side too; and the dependability of our engines will be key because it is definitely a horsepower track. Qualifying will be very important too since good track position is required in order to succeed. And of course, let’s not forget tire management. This track has all the elements to keep everyone on their toes.

“In the first six races of the season we have enjoyed some very exciting racing, which has produced six different winners. It will be interesting to see if we will get our seventh different winner, or if we will have our first repeat winner. Either way, it promises to be a great race. I am looking forward to celebrating with one of our Chevy teams in Victory Lane on Sunday evening!”

TEAM CHEVY FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT:

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – POINTS LEADER
“There are a lot of things I like about Texas Motor Speedway. One of the things I like about TMS, and this is genuine, is the fan support. When we first built that racetrack, to be frank, we (NASCAR) were struggling west of the Mississippi to really draw crowds. For whatever reason, when they built this racetrack, people really latched on to it. It’s been a great market for us. It’s been very successful. There’s a great staff out there that does a lot of cutting-edge stuff and does a lot of unique promotion that you don’t see at other places. It makes it a lot of fun to come here. Especially when the fans show their support to the track itself, it makes you want to race in front of them. It makes you excited to be here when they’re, in turn, excited to see you.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA/TEXAS A&M SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING CHEVROLET SS – 4TH IN STANDINGS
“I always enjoy the trip to Texas Motor Speedway. It’s a fast, high-banked track with multiple grooves. There should be a lot of tire wear – and ‘drop off’ of the speeds – during the race which should lead to an exciting race.

“I can’t wait to get there – especially with how well we ran at Fontana. We had a fast race car in California, and I hope to have another fast one in Texas.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S “SPRING IS CALLING” CHEVROLET SS – 5TH IN STANDINGS
“Texas is one of the more interesting racetracks we race on. The characteristics of the track – the bumps and the surface will make for an exciting race. So far with six winners in six races the racing in 2014 has been really exciting for the fans. We’ve run up front and led a lot but haven’t been able to finish the job. I’m not too sure what the tire situation will be this weekend – if it will be the same tire as California or not – but it’s been a good track for us in the past and it would be great to get our first win of the season this weekend.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CHEVROLET SS – 9TH IN STANDINGS
“I’ve been to Texas Motor Speedway a few times. I was fast there in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car last year, so I can’t wait to get there. Our Las Vegas Motor Speedway run should lay over to Texas Motor Speedway for qualifying and hopefully we can better ourselves for the race. It’s a fast, rough track and I enjoy those.”

RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS – 10TH IN STANDINGS
“Texas Motor Speedway is a good track race-wise. It provides drivers with a lot of options. You can move around and find a line that your car responds to and it’s really versatile so you can get around somebody. It’s also fast- really fast – so aero is also an important part of it and it’s nice to have that ability to move around. With it being one of the older tracks on the circuit asphalt-wise, the racing will be good for both the drivers and the fans watching in the stands and on television.”

PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 QUAKER STATE/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS – 11TH IN STANDINGS
“What can you say about Texas Motor Speedway that hasn’t already been said in regards to how fast it is around that place? We’re going to need a good set-up under our Quaker State Chevrolet to get through the turns and great horsepower from ECR Engines to be successful. Our 1.5-mile track program has been getting better and better since late last year. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do this weekend at Texas and keep our momentum going in the right direction.”

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 MOBIL 1/BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET SS – 15TH IN STANDINGS
“You have to be comfortable or you’re not going to go fast. The more comfortable I am, the faster we go. This track, the grooves have moved around over the years. We’ve seen the track get wider and it’s made it to where you can move around on the racetrack and where you can run the top side or the bottom side. It’s nice from a driver’s perspective to be able to have that flexibility behind the steering wheel, knowing that if your car’s not driving exactly the way you want it to, you can move around the racetrack and find a spot the car likes better.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 BUSH’S BEANS CHEVROLET SS – 16TH IN STANDINGS
“I think our intermediate program has been pretty good and we’re ready for Texas Motor Speedway. We’ve had a good couple of weeks. A top-10 at Auto Club Speedway and an 11th-place at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. Hopefully, I’m up there battling in the BUSH’S Beans Chevy for a top-10 finish if not a win at Texas Motor Speedway and keep that momentum going.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – 19TH IN STANDINGS
“After a tough track last weekend, I’m really looking forward to Texas. I enjoy the mile and a half tracks the best and have run pretty well on those tracks in the past. Our Target Chevy was really good in pre-season tests on the mile and a half track at Charlotte, so I think we should be able to unload with a really good car for this weekend’s race and plan on being very competitive.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 41 HAAS AUTOMATION CHEVROLET SS – 20TH IN STANDINGS
“The adrenaline of winning and accomplishing something special as a team carries over, but Martinsville is a half-mile that is very different from the mile and a half of Texas. The way we struggled at Vegas earlier this year we definitely need to rebound on the mile and a half’s. So let’s use this adrenaline and this momentum from last week to help us do that. It’s a very different track anything can happen as far as speed. The key to winning there though in my mind is carving through the center of the corner through the bumps. If you can do that and hold it wide open through there you are going to be the car to beat.”

CASEY MEARS, NO. 13 GEICO CHEVROLET SS – 21ST IN STANDINGS
“We’re looking forward to getting to Texas and getting to work. We’ve had a good car every week and the Richard Childress Racing and Chevrolet relationship is working out well. This week is another opportunity to continue building our intermediate program. The guys on this GEICO Racing team have worked hard and it’s showing. We raced in Martinsville yesterday and today we’re testing in Darlington, so these guys are committed and I’m excited about the upcoming races.”

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 TIME WARNER CABLE CHEVROLET SS- 22ND IN STANDINGS
(ON THE BENEFITS OF BEING AN ATHLETE WHILE BEING A NASCAR DRIVER.): “I work out hard, and I do things that I feel make me better throughout the race and after the race. And I feel better mentally because of working out, being prepared and being in great shape. Driving the car, I think with reflexes and things throw at your so quickly, you have to make adjustments — the feeling of your car, the heat. Some tracks can be tough on your neck and arms, and other tracks, not so much. I think there’s a lot there that definitely takes some athletic ability, and I think that helps being athletic and being prepared like that. It helps me for sure.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 BELL HELICOPTER CHEVROLET SS – 23RD IN STANDINGS
“Texas is like most mile-and-a-half (1.5-mile) tracks where track-position is key, maybe even more at Texas because it is tough to pass. We will approach like a typical weekend, try to qualify well and keep track position throughout. I hope that we will have some of the cautions like we’ve had the first few races, I feel like that has made the racing better, being able to get new tires and keep the field together. Texas seems like it has been one of those tracks where you have long green flag runs and the track gives up a lot of grip.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – 25TH IN STANDINGS
“I expect it to create a few more challenges. As we’ve seen the first part of the year, the cars are very fast with the new ride height rule, the new spoiler height and everything that comes with it. I believe the tire that we’ll be using this weekend comes from the same family as what we had at Fontana a few weeks back. I think we’ll see a lot of the same characteristics that we saw there, with the bumps on the racetrack and the tire wear. We’re going to be taking the bumps at a much higher rate of speed with a lot more load on the left-side tires than we’ve had there before. So, I think we’re going to see some new challenges pop up. As we’ve gone through these first five or six weeks, we’ve been to racetracks that we’ve been to before, but we have different things to work on the cars with a lot of new things to understand. We’re still trying to get our arms around everything because there are so many new things to understand. Texas is the first racetrack that’s similar to a track that we’ve raced at already, so it’ll be an interesting race.”

JUSTIN ALLGAIER, NO. 51 BRANDT PROFESSIONAL AGRICULTURE CHEVROLET SS – 27TH IN STANDINGS
“I’m looking forward to Texas [Motor Speedway]. It’s a mile-and-a-half track and this weekend will be my first time there in a Sprint Cup car. It’s another opportunity for me to work with my crew chief, Steve Addington, to build a notebook on this type of track.”

MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVROLET SS – 28TH IN STANDINGS
“Texas is going to be really, really fast. I am sure that we’ll run wide open or close to it during qualifying. I expect a new track record – it’s going to be ridiculously fast. What we learned at Las Vegas and California will help us develop a baseline for Texas, especially California because of the bumps in the track. Texas is about speed and maneuvering through the bumps. Finding the right setup is tricky, but the teams that do will be the same ones you’ll see running up front. Based on our performances – not finishes – but performances in Las Vegas and California I feel that our Furniture Row Chevy should be one of the cars running up front on Sunday.”

REED SORENSON, NO. 36 CHEVROLET SS – 30TH IN STANDINGS
“I am excited to be heading to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, for the Wild Circus. This weekend is also special, because I will be visiting the Dallas Burn Hospital on Friday morning. It will be great to bring some happiness to our troops and the staff at the Parkland Hospital. Hopefully it will be a good weekend for everyone at Tommy Baldwin Racing, and the No. 36 Chevrolet.”

MICHAEL ANNETT, NO. 7 ACCELL CONSTRUCTION CHEVROLET SS – 31ST IN STANDINGS
“I was encouraged by the job we did at Las Vegas, which is an intermediate track like Texas. We were running out of gas at the end of that race and didn’t get the finish we probably deserved, but the day itself proved to us that we can pass with this package. We learned a lot there that I think can translate to this weekend and all the upcoming intermediate races.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships
Total (1949 – 2013): 37
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 11 (2003-2013)
Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Drivers Championships
Total (1949 – 2013): 29
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005 – ’11)
Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013

Event Victories
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 – (in 2007)

2014 STATISTICS:
Wins: 3
Poles: 1
Laps led: 1080
Top-five finishes: 15
Top-10 finishes: 33

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 721 (1949 – to date); (2,395 possible = 30.0%)
Poles Won to Date: 648
Laps Lead to Date: 214,740
Top-Five Finishes to Date: 3,630
Top-10 Finishes to Date: 7,417

Total NASCAR Cup wins by Corporation, 1949 – To-Date
GM: 1,056
Chevrolet: 721
Pontiac: 155
Oldsmobile: 115
Buick: 65

Ford: 720
Ford: 620
Mercury: 96
Lincoln: 4

Chrysler: 466
Dodge: 217
Plymouth: 190
Chrysler: 59

Toyota: 64

About Chevrolet:
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.9 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

- Team Chevy

Paul Menard using third-place Las Vegas chassis at Texas this week

Menard is 75/1 to win Sunday at Texas

Paul Menard
No. 27 Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Week’s Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway … Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 454 this weekend at the 1.5-mile oval in Ft. Worth, Texas. This Chevrolet SS was last used at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this year where Menard scored a third-place finish.

Through the Career … Menard is making his 261st-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this Sunday. During that span, the native of Eau Claire, Wisc. has one victory, 11 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes to his credit. He also has one Pole Award.

How We’re Doing in 2014 … To date, Menard has earned one top-five finish, three top-10s, led 35 circuits and completed 99 percent (1,968 of 1,988) of the laps contested through the first six races. During that span, he and the No. 27 Chevrolet SS team have moved from 30th to 11th in the driver’s points standings.

Texas Time … Through 15 starts at the 1.5-mile track, Paul Menard has achieved one top-five, two top-10s and two laps led. He’s completed 4,835 of 5,021 laps (96.3 percent) contested with an average start of 19th and a 20.6 finishing average. Menard’s best start of fourth was achieved twice (Nov. 2011 and Nov. 2013). His best finish of fifth was in April 2011.

About Quaker State … Quaker State® motor oil has a 70-year history as a leader in consumer automotive products and vehicle care. Quaker State is among the industry’s most innovative motor oil brands and offers a full line of products to meet every type of vehicle engine need. Quaker State is one of the first brands to develop high mileage engine motor oil. For more information about the full line of Quaker State products, visit www.quakerstate.com.

Race Rewind … In this race last year at Texas Motor Speedway, Menard started the No. 27 Chevrolet SS from the fourth position and finished in 15th place.

One Week Ago … Last Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, Menard started 21st and raced to his third top-10 finish in 2014 with a hard-fought 10th place. Aided by his second-consecutive top-10 result, he moved up three more positions to 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver points standings.

PAUL MENARD QUOTE:

What are your thoughts on racing at Texas Motor Speedway?
“What can you say about Texas Motor Speedway that hasn’t already been said in regards to how fast it is around that place? We’re going to need a good set-up under our Quaker State Chevrolet to get through the turns and great horsepower from ECR Engines to be successful. Our 1.5-mile track program has been getting better and better since late last year. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do this weekend at Texas and keep our momentum going in the right direction.”

- Richard Childress Racing

Austin Dillon makes comparisons between Texas and Las Vegas

Austin Dillon is 1001/ to win Sunday at Texas

Austin Dillon
No. 3 Dow Powerhouse Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Week’s Dow Powerhouse Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway … Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 465 in the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. This is a new Chevrolet SS that will be utilized for the first time this weekend.

Dillon at Texas Motor Speedway … Dillon has two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts to his credit at Texas Motor Speedway, earning finishes of 33rd and 22nd in 2013. In four NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Dillon has not finished worse than sixth at the 1.5-mile track, acquiring his best finish of third in April 2013. In four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Texas, Dillon has earned two top-five finishes, one pole award and has led 76 laps, earnning a third-place average starting position and a 14th-place average finish position.

Welcome, Dow …Dillon’s rookie year in the Sprint Cup Series is also Dow’s first year as a primary sponsor with RCR and the No. 3 Chevrolet. Together, both teams embrace the power of safety, science and technology as RCR tests Dow products under the most strenuous conditions. Dow also drives innovation to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems, bringing a broad range of sustainable products and solutions to customers in nearly 180 countries.www.dow.com.

Are You Green? … Dillon will be supporting #NASCARGreen by sporting a Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle paint scheme this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingles are a revolutionary innovation in sustainability, protecting your home as a roof while generating electricity with energy from the sun. That’s why NASCAR, which has the largest sustainability program in all of sports, is a great place with see Powerhouse. The shingles are also one of the most aesthetically attractive options in the solar industry. Dillon has been vocal about the #NASCARGreen initiative, and is encouraging fans to participate by planting a tree and taking energy conservation steps in their own homes. See how by visiting NASCAR.com/green.

Get to the Points … Dillon is ninth in the championship point standings entering this weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, 48 markers behind current leader Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

The Season So Far … Dillon started off his rookie campaign in the Sprint Cup Series with a pole award in the 56th running of the Daytona 500, making him the youngest polesitter in Daytona International Speedway history in the Sprint Cup Series. He earned a ninth-place finish in the “Great American Race.” From there, the Series traveled to Phoenix International Raceway where Dillon finished 24th, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway where he posted a 16th-place finish. He has earned back-to-back 11th-place finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway. He finished 15th at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.

#ALLin Challenge … Dillon is asking fans whether they are #ALLin for a new and exciting challenge every Wednesday on his Twitter account, @austindillon3. From capturing an “awkward hug” via video to submitting your best “poker face” photo to helping crew chief Gil Martin’s son Ford find a date for his upcoming prom, each challenge is unique and the winner, as voted on by Austin, wins race tickets or unique memorabilia. Follow @austindillon3 on Twitter every Wednesday for the #ALLin Challenge.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

What are your thoughts on running at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series?
“I’ve been to Texas Motor Speedway a few times. I was fast there in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car last year, so I can’t wait to get there. Our Las Vegas Motor Speedway run should lay over to Texas Motor Speedway for qualifying and hopefully, we can better ourselves for the race. It’s a fast, rough track and I enjoy those.”

How does Texas Motor Speedway compare to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and other 1.5-mile tracks?
“Each mile-and-a-half track has a little bit of a different character. Texas Motor Speedway is similar to Las Vegas Motor Speedway with less banking, but you’re still carrying tons of speed. Turns three and four at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway are very similar. Turns one and two at Las Vegas have more banking.”

- Richard Childress Racing

Jimmie Johnson 5-to-1 favorite to win 2014 Duck Commander 500 at Texas

Johnson has won two of past three Texas races

LAS VEGAS-- Jimmie Johnson has won two of the past three races at Texas Motor Speedway, so it was only natural the LVH SuperBook would post him the 5-to-1 favorite to win Sunday's Duck Commander 500. In 21 career starts, Johnson has an 8.7 average finish with three wins. He's also been the most spectacular driver on 1.5-mile tracks over his career but what may be most enticing about him this week is his team is on the brink of getting everything figured out. That’s a scary prospect for everyone else. The No. 48 led the most laps in each of the past two races, but had victories at Fontana and Martinsville slip away. We've had six different drivers win the first six races, and Johnson is definitely the top candidate to make it seven-for-seven.

The best handicapping tool for this race is to refer back to what happened in the March 9 race at Las Vegas — Texas' sister track. The banking at Texas is steeper, making it much faster than Las Vegas, but everything the teams learned about their set-up at Las Vegas during a Thursday test session, practices and the race itself will transfer well to Texas. You can also mix in a little bit of what we saw at Fontana to better help break down the candidates to win Sunday.

Three drivers come is at 7-to-1 odds, led by Las Vegas winner Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, who won this race last spring, and two-time Texas winner Matt Kenseth. All three of those drivers led laps at Las Vegas with Busch having the second most (52) behind Keselowski (53). Last season, it was Kenseth and Busch that had everything figured out early on 1.5-mile tracks, winning six of the first seven on the schedule. Busch would also win at the 2-mile layout at Fontana. However, Kenseth's history at Texas goes much deeper. As great as Johnson has been there over his career, Kenseth has been even better, with a track best 8.3 average finish. Since NASCAR began keeping track of their loop data in 2005, Kenseth has a series-best rating of 107.2. Johnson is second at 106.4.

Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano are each set at 8-to-1 odds. In Logano's first season with Penske Racing last year, he had his best-ever run at Texas with fifth and third-place finishes. At Las Vegas, Logano finished fourth, leading twice for 44 laps. Harvick has never won at Texas, but he's garnered tons of respect from the Las Vegas bookmakers just because of the show he put on during testing where it became clear in an instant that Harvick would routinely be battling for wins on the 1.5-mile tracks for most of the season. He finished 41st in the Vegas race because a brake issue sent him to the garage early, but he did lead twice for 23 laps before the trouble started.

Four drivers have odds set at 12-to-1, led by Dale Earnhardt Jr, who finished second at Las Vegas. Then there's 2006 winner Kasey Kahne, 2009 winner Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin who swept the 2010 season. Junior won his first career Cup race at Texas in 2000 as a rookie in what be the most endearing moment captured on video with his father. Who can forget the proud father’s ear-to-ear smile as the Intimidator ran to the winners circle to greet his son after his first win? Junior hasn't won at Texas since then, but the Vegas race and all of his other successes thus far into 2014 should give reason to believe he'll be challenging for the win. From a value standpoint, Junior looks the most attractive among all the drivers.

This is Texas, so you have to consider a Roush Fenway Racing driver just because the organization has won at Texas nine times, including when they christened the track with Jeff Burton's win in 1997. Greg Biffle (30-to-1) and Carl Edwards (20-to-1) have each won multiple times at Texas, the last coming with Biffle in the spring of 2012. A case could be made for Edwards to run well, but Biffle’s chances don't look promising.

Last week we saw that a long shot could finally win at Martinsville with Kurt Busch paying out at 50-to-1. That stopped a long line of succession where the heavy favorite -- 17 of the past 19 wins were by four drivers -- had won on the flat half-mile track. Over 26 Texas races, the favorites have been the way to go if wanting to cash. The highest odds of an eventual winner was Burton's 2007 win at 35-to-1. Even Junior's first win only paid out at 18-to-1 in 2000. Fast is fast and there is no way to hide it.

Be sure to check back Saturday for our post-practice report where we'll identify who looks the fastest and has the best chance of winning Sunday's race.

Read More Here....LVH odds to win at Texas

Matt Kenseth has best average finish at Texas among all drivers

Kenseth is 7/1 to win Sunday at Texas

Matt Kenseth / No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Preview
Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway
No. 20 Dollar General Toyota News and Notes:

KENSETH BY THE NUMBERS: In 23 Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas, Kenseth has completed 7,641 of 7,693 laps (99.3 percent) and has led for a total of 775 laps. Kenseth is the top active driver in the Sprint Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway with the best average finish (8.3), the most laps led (775), and most top-five (13) finishes. Kenseth has also earned 16 top-ten finishes at the 1.5-mile track.

JOE GIBBS RACING IN THE LONE STAR STATE: Joe Gibbs Racing has 70 Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway earning a total of four wins, 17 top-five, 29 top-ten finishes, and three poles. The organization also has led for a total of 1,219 laps and has an average finish of 16.2 at Texas.

DOLLAR GENERAL PARTNER SUPPORT: Dollar General would like to thank vendor partners Angel Soft, Betty Crocker, Brawny, Bugles, Clorox Wipes, Colgate, Energizer, Gain, Gatorade, Hamburger Helper, Hanes, Hefty Reynolds Wrap, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lays, Old Spice, Snuggle, Sparkle, Stacker2, Sun and Windex for their support of the DG Racing program.

RACE INFO: The Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile) begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 6. The race will be broadcast live on FOX, Sirius XM Channel 90 and PRN Radio.

Kenseth’s 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Earnings	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
6	0	1	4	1	222	$1,311,082	10.2	8.5

Kenseth’s Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Earnings	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
514	31	139	252	12	9,148	$100,853,346	18.4	14.1

From the Cockpit:
Matt Kenseth: “The stars at night are big and bright…deep in the heart of Texas. The prairie sky is wide and high…deep in the heart of Texas. The sage in bloom is like perfume…deep in the heart of Texas. Reminds me of the one that I love…deep in the heart of Texas. The coyotes wail along the trail…deep in the heart of Texas. The rabbits rush around the brush…deep in the heart of Texas. The cowboys cry, “Ki yippee yi!”…Deep in the heart of Texas. The doggies bawl and bawl and bawl…Deep in the heart of Texas.”

From the Pit Box:
Jason Ratcliff: “’God blessed Texas with His own hand, brought down angels from the Promised Land. He gave them a place where they could dance, if you wanna see Heaven, brother, here’s your chance. I’ve been sent to spread the message…God blessed Texas! First He made the sunshine, then He made the water deep. Then He gave us moonlight for all the world to see. Well, everybody knows that the Lord works in mysterious ways, He took a rest, then on the very next day… God blessed Texas with His own hand, brought down angels from the Promised Land. Gave them a place where they could dance, if you wanna see Heaven, brother, here’s your chance. Well, I’ve been sent to spread the message, God blessed Texas!”

- Joe Gibbs Racing