By David Morgan, Associate Editor
FORT WORTH, Texas – The Lone Star State comes calling this weekend when the NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Texas Motor Speedway for Sunday’s running of the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400.
Texas first joined the circuit in 1997, but back in 2017 went through a reconfiguration, dropping the banking in Turns 1 and 2 from 24 degrees to 20 degrees, as well as widening the racing surface from 60 feet to 80 feet. Meanwhile, Turns 3 and 4 remain banked at 24 degrees and 60 feet wide, giving the track two distinct corners that the drivers will have to navigate.
The trip to the 1.5-mile quad oval marks the first time the Cup Series has raced on a track larger than a mile in more than a month following a slate of short tracks and road courses that preceded this weekend’s race.
Through the first eight races of the season, seven of those events have been won by either Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs Racing and if recent history is any indication, the driver that dons the cowboy hat in Victory Lane at the end of the day on Sunday will have to go through those two organizations to get there.
Defending race winner William Byron is also on a heater coming into the weekend having won three races so far in 2024 with no signs of slowing down.
By the Numbers
What: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400, NASCAR Cup Series Race No. 9 of 36
Where: Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, Texas (Opened: 1997)
When: Sunday, April 14
TV/Radio: FOX Sports1, 3:30 pm ET / PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90
Track Size: 1.5-mile quad oval
Race Length: 267 laps, 400.5 miles
Stage Lengths: First stage: 80 laps, Second stage: 85 laps, Final stage: 102 laps
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 55 mph
September 2023 Race Winner: William Byron – No. 24 Chevrolet (Started 18th, six laps led)
Track Qualifying Record: Kurt Busch (26.877 seconds, 200.915 mph – 11/3/2017)
Top-10 Driver Ratings at Texas:
- Jimmie Johnson – No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota – 100.4
- Kyle Busch – No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet – 99.9
- Tyler Reddick – No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota – 94.7
- Ryan Blaney – No. 12 Team Penske Ford – 94.0
- William Byron – No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 93.1
- Martin Truex, Jr. – No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – 92.7
- Erik Jones – No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota – 91.0
- Kyle Larson – No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet…
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