Old Cars, Fast Track:
The SAMSUNG 500 at Texas Motor Speedway will be a big change from NASCAR's last two NEXTEL Cup events. The last two races were held on the short tracks of Bristol and Martinsville with the Car of Tomorrow. This week the NEXTEL Cup stars visit the
fastest race track on the schedule with the "old" car style. Who will come out on top at this race track that has a history of unpredictability?
Tickets:
Speedway ticket office (817)215-8500
Buy online from TicketsNow (direct link)
The Track:
Texas Motor Speedway is a 1.5 mile quad-oval. With 24 degrees of banking in the corners the NEXTEL Cup drivers can really haul the mail off into the corners. In order to be fast a driver needs a car that is handling well so they can carry that speed through the turns.
Race Distance:
334 Laps = 501 Miles
The Big Picture:
Jeff Gordon's second place finish in Martinsville allowed him to stretch his point lead slightly over Jeff Burton. Burton won the inaugural Texas race back in 1997 while neither Gordon or third place Jimmie Johnson have ever won at this fast tri-oval. Will we see a new point leader after Sunday's race?
Top Twelve
- Jeff Gordon -0
- Jeff Burton -28
- Jimmie Johnson -60
- Matt Kenseth -130
- Kyle Busch -162
- Denny Hamlin -190
- Clint Bowyer -215
- Tony Stewart -240
- Carl Edwards -256
- Kevin Harvick -279
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -289
- Jamie McMurray -316
Storylines:
The one thing that Texas Motor Speedway has never seen is a repeat winner. The twelve events held so far at the speedway have seen twelve different winners. Will this be the year that the streak is broken or will Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson score their first Texas win to keep the streak alive?
This week's race will also see the return of the "old" car style. The Car of Tomorrow will return next week in Phoenix. This weekend's race will also see the return of Mark Martin after he took the last two weeks off. Will the veteran driver be able to shake off the dust and return to his point-leading ways?
Media Coverage:
TV: FOX Sunday, April 15th, 1:30PM Eastern.
Radio: PRN and SIRIUS Satellite
Actual Race: 2:20 p.m. Eastern
Posted Awards:
$7,253,642
Last Year:
Greg Biffle dominated the first 83 laps last year before he crashed off the front bumper of Kurt Busch. This left the door open for pole sitter Kasey Kahne. Kahne won the final race off of pit road with 17 laps to go and held on for the easy win.
Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart had been fast much of the day but were not able to mount a challenge when it mattered.
Predictions:
Texas Motor Speedway has never seen a repeat winner in its first twelve races. That streak could stay alive this week as neither point leader Jeff Gordon or three-time 2007 race winner Jimmie Johnson have ever won at this fast race track. However neither of those two drivers is my top pick for this week.
Tony Stewart has posted four top ten finishes in the six races run so far in 2007. This includes a strong second place run in Atlanta which is another high-speed track similar to Texas.
Stewart lead the most laps in this race last year and finished third. Then in the fall he lead an incredible 278 laps en route to the easy win. Tony Stewart is my top pick this week and would become the first repeat winner in Texas history.
My backup pick this week is Jimmie Johnson. Johnson beat Stewart to the finish in Atlanta a few weeks ago. He also chased Stewart to the finish line in Texas last fall. Johnson has already won half of the NEXTEL Cup races held so far in 2007 and he knows how to win on tracks like this.
If anyone is going to keep Texas' streak of unique winners alive Jimmie Johnson can do it.
