Tag Archives: Texas Motor Speedway

Michael Annett and Pilot Flying J to Join JR Motorsports in 2017

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Michael Annett, driver of the #46 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 5, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Michael Annett, driver of the #46 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 5, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images


JRM Expanding Lineup to Four Full-Time Teams in NXS Competition

JR Motorsports will expand its NASCAR XFINITY Series program to four full-time teams in 2017, as the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned company has signed a multi-year agreement with driver Michael Annett and Pilot Flying J, the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America.  Annett will compete full-time for an NXS championship with JRM’s No. 5 Pilot Flying J entry next year.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Annett will join a 2017 JRM roster that already includes full-season drivers Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier, and rookie William Byron.  JR Motorsports will run a fifth car, the No. 88 entry, in select races with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne.

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Ryan Reed Remains within Striking Distance in XFINITY Series Chase after Texas

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Ryan Reed, driver of the #16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on November 5, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo - Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Ryan Reed, driver of the #16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on November 5, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Ryan Reed and the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association team earned a top-15 finish on Saturday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway, crossing the finish line in 12th.  The finish keeps Reed within striking distance in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) Chase approaching next weekend’s cutoff race at Phoenix International Raceway.

After two practice sessions on Friday, the NXS set the starting lineup with a three-round qualifying session on Saturday morning.  Reed made it past the first round of qualifying, but with just a handful of seconds left in the second round was bumped from the top-12 and ultimately earned a 13th-place starting position. Continue reading →

Larson Holds Off Keselowski for NASCAR XFINITY Series Win at Texas

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Grabbing the lead after a restart on lap 171 of 200, Kyle Larson moved to the top of the track just in time to hold off polesitter Brad Keselowski for the victory in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway.

In a race that saw Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez open some breathing room in the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase with respective fourth- and fifth-place finishes, Larson got a push from sixth-place finisher Elliott Sadler on the decisive restart and kept Keselowski behind him for the final 30 laps.

Despite brushing the outside wall in turn one with eight laps left, Larson’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet got to the finish line .385 seconds ahead of Keselowski’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford, as the winner worked traffic over the closing five laps. Continue reading →

Kevin Harvick isn’t Waiting for Phoenix to Correct Chase Deficit

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Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 4, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 4, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Kevin Harvick is at his best when he makes life difficult for himself.

A lackluster 20th-place finish last Sunday at Martinsville left the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion sixth in the Chase standings, 16 points out of the final transfer position currently held by Kyle Busch.

Then again, Harvick always has Phoenix, where he has won five of the last six races and six of the last eight. But Phoenix, the final track in the Chase’s Round of 8, is two weeks away, and Harvick seems ready to make his move toward the Championship 4 in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway at 2 pm ET on NBC. Continue reading →

NASCAR XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Preview

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NASCAR XFINITY Series teams are racing 300 miles over 200 laps in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, November 5th at 3:30 pm ET. Television coverage is on NBC with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

 

What to Watch For: Texas marks the penultimate race of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase Round of 8. Elliott Sadler (12 points above Erik Jones on the cutoff line) leads the Chase Grid, followed by Daniel Suarez (+12), Blake Koch (+5), Justin Allgaier (0, currently holds tiebreaker over Erik Jones), Erik Jones (0), Ryan Reed (-2), Brendan Gaughan (-17) and Darrell Wallace Jr. (-18).

The Round of 8 drivers’ career average finishes at Texas: Erik Jones (2.3), Elliott Sadler (12.1), Justin Allgaier (12.5), Daniel Suarez (13.3), Darrell Wallace Jr. (13.3), Ryan Reed (16.2), Brendan Gaughan (19.4) and Blake Koch (31.5). Jones is the lone Chase contender who has won at Texas Motor Speedway (2015). Continue reading →