The Cup Series continues on this afternoon with the 2024 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. First opened in 1996, Texas Motor Speedway is a 1.5 mile asphalt, intermediate track that has been on the schedule annually since 1997. High speeds, high temperatures and high tempers will rule the day as drivers work on completing 400 miles in the Lone Star State.
Intermediate tracks often get a bad rap, the “cookie cutter” style track that is reviled by legacy fans of the sport. Is every race going to be an instant classic? No, it’s not. That’s just the way it goes, like it or not. This weekend, though, has been quite the opposite, with both races falling in the instant classic category. On Friday, Kyle Busch held off Corey Heim in the Truck Series on a late restart to win the second closest finish of a Texas Motor Speedway Truck Series race, while Sam Mayer ran down journeyman driver Ryan Sieg and beat him back to the line by 0.002 seconds for the second closest finish in the history of the Xfinity Series yesterday. As we saw in yesterday’s Xfinity race, there is strategy to be had, but 4 fresh tires will always win out. Speed will be important in fining success on the high banks of Texas, but with a second groove coming in further up the track as the race goes on, having a car that can handle both lines well will matter also. And if there’s a late race restart, you better strap in and hope for the best because things will be wild.
The AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 has only been on the NASCAR schedule since 2005, but it has produced many quality winners over the past 20 years, including Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick and William Byron, just to name a few. Jimmie Johnson has won this race the most times, taking home the victory 6 times. Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick each have 3 wins here, while Tony Stewart found Victory Lane twice.
Last year’s race was won by William Byron, who took the lead on a late race restart and only led the final 6 laps on the way to victory. Ross Chastain finished second; Bubba Wallace finished third after leading 111 laps on the day; and teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five. Kyle Larson, who led 99 laps on the day, finished in 31st after spinning late while battling Bubba Wallace for the lead.
Coverage of the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 can be seen on Fox Sports 1, with NASCAR RaceDay beginning at 2 PM EST and green flag coverage beginning at 3:30 PM EST.
Believe me, I take no joy in fading Jimmie Johnson. The circumstances necessitate it, though. Johnson is starting even further back than Kyle Busch, and while it’ll be nice to have Johnson out on the track like the good ole days, he just doesn’t bring the heat like he once did. Per Tadd Haislop with NASCAR.com, this will be Johnson’s first time driving a Next-Gen Camry at Texas. We’ll hope for the best, but expect the worst.
I know, I know. Calling Kyle Busch a dark horse at a track where he’s won four times in his career seems a bit unfair. Busch will be starting from the way back of the pack today after a disastrous Practice session yesterday which saw him crash into the wall. Couple that with the bad season he’s having, and you get Dark Horse Kyle Busch.
We expect William Byron and Kyle Larson to simply trade places from last week’s finish. Byron was the big winner at Martinsville, but we expect he’ll come up just short this week.
The pole-sitter for Sunday’s race will finish just as he starts: first. Kyle Larson finished second last week at Martinsville, but don’t expect him to settle for anything less than the checkered flag this week. Larson has performed well historically at Texas, with a win, four Top 5’s, and six Top 10’s on his resumé. We predict Larson will build upon his already-impressive career at Texas and continue to show why he’s the best driver in the Cup Series this season!
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