THE RACE: Samsung Mobile 500

TRACK: Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Sprint Cup Race #7 of 36 for the 2011 season

Updated: often, leading up to the race

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Race: Saturday, April 9, 2011 in Fort Worth, TX

Title Sponsor: Samsung

Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 7:45pm/et

Television Coverage/Re-air/TV Team

  • NASCAR Pre-race: FOX – 7:00pm/et

  • Television Race Coverage: FOX, 7:30pm/et

  • In the Booth: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds

  • Pit Reporters: Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum, Krista Voda

  • Hollywood Hotel: Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond

  • SPEED’s NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 5:00pm/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace

  • Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:

    Wednesday, April 13 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

  • TV Listings, Links and Info:
    Jayski’s TV Listings Page
    NASCAR on TV
    Race Fan TV

Radio Coverage/Shows/ Team


Event Schedule

Wednesday, April 6th

5:00 pm NNS Haulers Enter
7:00 pm NSCS Haulers Enter

Thursday, April 7th

8:30 am NNS Garage Opens
11:30 am NSCS Garage Opens
2:00 – 4:00 pm NNS Practice
4:10 5:50 pm NSCS Practice
6:00 7:30 pm NNS Practice
7:00 pm NSCS Garage Closes
9:00 pm NNS Garage Closes

Friday, April 8th

8:30 am NNS Garage Opens
9:30 10:45 am NNS Practice
11:15 am 12:30 pm NNS Practice
12:00 pm NSCS Garage Opens
2:00 3:30 pm NSCS Final Practice
4:00 pm NNS Pole Qualifying
5:40 pm NSCS Pole Qualifying Day
7:30 pm NNS O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
8:00 pm NSCS Garage Closes

Saturday, April 9th

12:00 pm NSCS Garage Opens
4:00 pm Pre-Race Show Begins
5:00 pm Concert performed by 3 Doors Down Opens
6:30 pm NSCS Samsung Mobile 500

NSCS = Sprint Cup Series
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Times are local to the Track


Purse/Race Awards

2011: $7,000,716
2010: $7,094,253
2009: $7,384,649
2008: $7,336,866
2007: $7,253,642
2006: $7,117,176
2005: $6,826,746
2004: $6,767,841
2003: $6,047,759

TRACK/RACE NEWS

  • Track Specifications:
    Track/Race Length: 1.5-mile quad oval, 334 laps, 501 miles
    Track Size: 1.5 miles
    Race: 334 laps, 501 miles
    Width: 58 feet (minimum)
    Turns: 750-foot radius
    Degree of Banking: Turns: 24 degrees
    Straightaways/dogleg: Banking: 5 degrees;
    Straights: Front Straight – 2250 feet; Back Stretch – 1330 feet
    Front Straightaway Grandstand: 66 rows, 112,522. Includes: PSL seats (36,000
    w/armrests); and Handicapped Seating (1,595 Row 28 at portal entrances)
    Back Straightaway Grandstand: 12 rows, 9,855
    Luxury Suites: 144 with seating for 9,992
    Victory Lane Club Suites: 50 with seating for 3,152
    Condominium Seating: 2,571
    Infield Capacity: Approx. 53,000
    Grandstand Seating: 122,377
    Total Permanent Seating: 138,122
    Total Estimated Capacity: 191,122
    Pit Road: 45 pit stalls for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
    Pit Road Speed: 45mph
    Pace Car Speed: 55mph
    Opened: 1997

  • Carry-in items:
    Coolers: allowed (14-inch by 14-inch by 14-inch limit)
    Glass containers: not allowed
    Alcoholic beverages: allowed
    Cameras/binoculars: allowed

  • Race Festivities/Officials:
    Grand Marshal: Retired Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Gary Linfoot
    Command to start engines: Retired Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Gary Linfoot
    Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: ?
    Invocation: Dr. Roger Marsh, Texas Alliance, Raceway Ministries
    National Anthem: Army Ground Forces “Brass Brigade” Band
    Military Flyover: F-15s, 159th FW, Louisiana Air National Guard

  • Websites:
    Texas Motor Speedway
    Speedway Motorsports
    ESPN’s NASCAR Track Guide: Texas Motor Speedway
    Texas Motor Speedway – Facebook
    Texas Motor Speedway – Twitter
    Texas Motor Speedway – MySpace
    for info on the old Texas shareholder vs NASCAR lawsuit, see my Lawsuit’s Page

  • November 2010: see my Texas Race Info page

  • April 2010: see my Texas Race Info page

  • For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski’s Texas Motor Speedway Track News/Rumors/Links page

Track Records

  • April 2010 Pole Sitter: #14-Tony Stewart, 191.327mph, finished 32nd

  • November 2010 Pole Winner: #19-Elliott Sadler, 195.397 mph, finished 23rd

  • Track Pole Record: #25-Brian Vickers, 196.235, 11/3/2006

  • Oldest Pole Winner: Bill Elliott, 46 years, 6 months, 0 days, 4/08/2002

  • Youngest Pole Winner: Brian Vickers, 23 years, 0 months, 12 days, 11/05/2006

  • April 2010 Race Winner: #11-Denny Hamlin, 146.230mph, started 29th

  • November 2010 Race Winner: #11-Denny Hamlin, 140.456mph, started 30th

  • Track Race Record: Carl Edwards, Nov 2005, 151.055mph

  • Slowest Race Record: Jeff Burton, 1997, 125.102mph

  • Oldest Race Winner: Dale Jarrett, 44 years, 4 months, 6 days, 4/1/2001

  • Youngest Race Winner: Ryan Newman, 25 years, 3 months, 22 days, 3/30/2003

  • Most Wins: 3 – Carl Edwards

  • Most Poles: 2 – Ryan Newman, Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon

  • Most Top 5s: 8 – Matt Kenseth

  • Most Top 10s: 12 – Mark Martin

  • Numbers for Texas Motor Speedway:
    1 – number of wins from the pole (Kasey Kahne – 2006) in the previous 18 Sprint Cup races at Texas Motor Speedway; four from the front row
    1 – fewest laps led by race winner (Jeff Burton – 4/15/07)
    4 -fewest leaders for a race (11/8/09)
    5 -fewest cautions for a race (twice, most recently 11/8/09)
    6 -number of jet dryers available for track drying this weekend at TMS
    6 – fewest cars on lead lap at the finish of a race at the 1.5-mile track (11/8/09)
    7 – number of cautions in last year’s spring race at TMS including three for spins and two for accidents
    17 -most leaders for a race (4/2/00)
    26 -fewest caution laps for a race (twice, most recently 11/8/09)
    73 -most caution laps for a race (4/6/97)
    40 – most cars running at finish of a race (twice, most recent 11/2/08)
    120 -minutes, amount of time it takes to dry the 1.5-mile track after a significant rainfall.
    278 -most laps led by race winner (11/5/06)
    2,500 -approximate number of tires Goodyear will mount for Sprint Cup teams during the weekend; teams may receive as many as five sets of tires for practice and 11 sets for the race.
    2011 Caution Update
    4 – fewest cautions this season (Fontana)
    16 – most cautions this season (Daytona)
    56 – number of cautions in the first six races of 2011; 32 for accidents (56 cautions in the first six races in 2010; 29 for accidents)
    283 of 1,987 – number of laps under caution in 2011
    345.753 of 2,162.000 – miles under caution in the first six races
    BONUS: Three Texas tracks have hosted 29 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races with Texas Motor Speedway the site of 20 races since 1997. Meyer Speedway in Houston hosted one race in 1971 and Texas World Speedway in College Station hosted eight from 1969 to 1981.(Dodge Motorsports)(4-8-2011)

  • Texas Winners List, Big Names All:
    Texas’ wins list reads like the 2030 NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee list. A quick By the Numbers .
    16 – Number of different winners in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas.
    14 – Number of winners who have made at least one Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
    2 – Only two Texas race winners haven’t earned a Chase berth: Terry Labonte and Dale Jarrett. But both won championships (Labonte in 1984, ’96; Jarrett in 1999) prior to the Chase’s inception in 2004.
    7 – Texas race winners who have won series championships: Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Jarrett and Labonte.(NASCAR)(4-6-2011)

  • At Texas Motor Speedway:
    � Construction began in 1995.
    � The first NASCAR race was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on April 5, 1997.
    � The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on April 6, 1997.
    � There have been 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, one per season from 1997 through 2004 and two races per year since 2005.
    � Four drivers have competed in all 20 Texas races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.
    � Jeremy Mayfield was the first pole winner, in 1998. Qualifying for the inaugural race in 1997 was canceled.
    � Jeff Burton won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
    � 14 drivers have scored poles, led by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon with two.
    � 16 drivers have won races, led by Carl Edwards, with three. Denny Hamlin and Jeff Burton each have two wins.
    � 14 of 20 races have been won from a top-10 starting position. Only one has been won from the pole (Kasey Kahne in 2006).
    � Matt Kenseth started 31st en route to his victory at Texas in 2002, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.
    � Both Jeff Burton (1997) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) scored their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Texas, and 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne made his first series start at Texas (11/07/10).
    � Martin Truex Jr. scored his first series pole at Texas (11/04/07).
    � Three of the last four races have had a margin of victory under one second.
    � Denny Hamlin (8.8) and Matt Kenseth (9.3) are the only two active drivers to average a top-10 finish.
    � Roush Fenway Racing leads all owners in victories, with seven. Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have three wins each.
    � There has been two season sweeps, by Carl Edwards in 2008 and Denny Hamlin in 2010.(NASCAR)(4-5-2011)

  • For more track records, past starting spots that have won and more on Jayski’s Texas Motor Speedway Track News/Stats/Links page

Practice Dates/Times/Television coverage

(times in eastern time)

  • Practices:
    Thursday, April 7, 5:10 – 6:50pm/et, TV-SPEED

  • Happy Hour ‘Final’ practice: Friday, April 8, 3:00 – 4:30pm/et, TV-SPEED

Qualifying Information/Times/Television coverage

  • Qualifying Draw: none, qualifying order is set by practice speeds, if rained out, then by points

  • Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Friday, April 8 at 6:40 pm/et, TV-SPEED, re-air at 12:30am/et;
    AND live via radio at PRN Radio only on NASCAR.com.

RACE RUNDOWN….news and links

  • Kenseth wins at Texas: #17-Matt Kenseth won the Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway for his 1st win of 2011, his first win since Auto Club in February 2009, and the 19th of his career.
    #33-Bowyer finished second followed by #99-Edwards, #16-Biffle, #27-Menard, #9-Ambrose, #6-Ragan [pole sitter], #48-Johnson, #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and #22-Busch.
    There were 31 lead changes among 13 drivers; 5 cautions for 24 yellow flag laps.

    The attendance is listed as 168,400, up from last years 92,200 during the spring when the race was held Sunday afternoon.
    Scheduled Race Re-Air: SPEED, Wednesday, April 13 at 12:00pm/et
    See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski’s Texas Race Results/Awards page.(4-9-2011)

  • Race Fast Facts – Texas:
    Matt Kenseth won the 15th Annual Samsung Mobile 500, his 19th victory in 407 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
    This is his first victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2011. He breaks 76-race winless streak. Last win Feb. 22, 2009 at Auto Club Speedway.
    This is his second victory and 12th top-10 finish in 18 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
    Clint Bowyer (second) posted his sixth top-10 finish in 11 races at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his third top-10 finish in 2011.
    Carl Edwards (third) posted his fifth top-10 finish in 13 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
    Andy Lally (32nd) was the highest finishing rookie.
    Carl Edwards leads the point standings by 9 points over Kyle Busch.(NASCAR Statistics)(4-9-2011)

  • 2011 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
    [after Texas, race 7 of 36]:
    rank, car#, driver, points, behind
    1) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 256
    2) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win], 247, -9
    3) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 243, -13
    4) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 243, -13
    5) #22-Kurt Busch, 240, -16
    6) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 235, -21
    7) #39-Ryan Newman, 233, -23
    8) #42-Juan Montoya, 232, -24
    9) #29-Kevin Harvick [2 wins], 228, -28
    10) #14-Tony Stewart, 213, -43
    11) #27-Menard, 209, -47
    12) #33-Bowyer, 201, -55
    See drivers championship points standings on Jayski’s Drivers Points Standings page.(4-9-2011)

  • Top-35 in Owner Points: going to Talladega (after 7 races):
    The #13 teams moves into the top 35 and the #37 team falls out
    31) #34-Gilliland/Front Row, 114, +25
    32) #78-Smith/FRR, 112, +23
    33) #32-Schrader/FAS Lane, 110, +21
    34) #7-RGordon/RGM, 104, +15
    35) #13-Mears/Germain, 93, 4 points ahead of 36th
    these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
    36) #71-Lally/TRG, 89, -4 out of top 35
    37) #37-Raines/Front Row, 87, -6
    38) #36-Blaney/TBR, 87, -6
    39) #38-Kvapil/Front Row, 62, -31
    For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(4-9-2011)

  • Penalty Report – Texas:
    Car#, Lap, Reason, Penalty
    #37, 10, Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
    #34, 46, Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
    #20, 47, Too many crewmember(s) in contact with pit service area, tail end
    #32, 50, Speed-Exiting pits, tail end
    #32, 113, Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
    #00, 115, Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
    #00, 115, Too many crewmember(s) in contact with pit service area, tail end
    #20, 116, Too many crewmember(s) in contact with pit service area, tail end
    #78, 202, Tire violation-Removing outside tire acceptable/Rolling a tire(s) beyond the center of pit road, pass thru
    #1, 215, Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
    #78, 215, Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
    #14, 276, Speed-Entering pits, pass thru
    #24, 334, Speed-Entering pits, pass thru
    (NASCAR Statistics)(4-9-2011)

  • Lucky Dogs – Who got a lap back on each caution at Texas: (and their finish)
    Caution 1: none, no driver down a lap
    Caution 2: #71-Lally, 32nd
    Caution 3: #4-Kahne, 21st
    Caution 4: #14-Stewart, 12th
    Caution 5: #39-Newman, 15th
    (4-9-2011)

  • Pit Road Times
    Texas Motor Speedway
    NSCS Samsung Mobile 500
    Provided by NASCAR Statistics
    Sat, April 09, 2011 @ 10:38 PM Central

    Car# Pit Stops Driver Laps Time Total Seconds Avg Seconds
    6 8 David Ragan 334 04:40.1 280.064 35.008
    17 8 Matt Kenseth 334 04:41.0 281.014 35.127
    33 8 Clint Bowyer 334 04:44.2 284.235 35.529
    9 8 Marcos Ambrose 334 04:49.1 289.109 36.139
    99 8 Carl Edwards 334 04:49.6 289.611 36.201
    22 9 Kurt Busch 334 05:22.4 322.360 35.818
    88 9 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 334 05:25.8 325.804 36.200
    16 9 Greg Biffle 334 05:27.5 327.518 36.391
    27 9 Paul Menard 334 05:28.5 328.538 36.504
    48 9 Jimmie Johnson 334 05:36.5 336.492 37.388
    31 10 Jeff Burton 334 06:01.5 361.500 36.150
    14 11 Tony Stewart 334 07:34.1 454.064 41.279
    2 8 Brad Keselowski 333 04:42.9 282.928 35.366
    11 9 Denny Hamlin 333 05:12.7 312.747 34.750
    39 9 Ryan Newman 333 05:29.0 328.991 36.555
    42 9 Juan Pablo Montoya 333 05:31.1 331.111 36.790
    18 10 Kyle Busch 333 05:42.3 342.288 34.229
    21 11 Trevor Bayne(i) 333 06:43.4 403.400 36.673
    24 8 Jeff Gordon 332 04:58.7 298.675 37.334
    43 9 A J Allmendinger 332 05:35.0 334.997 37.222
    29 9 Kevin Harvick 332 05:38.6 338.599 37.622
    4 9 Kasey Kahne 332 06:03.3 363.265 40.363
    1 12 Jamie McMurray 332 08:45.5 525.549 43.796
    47 9 Bobby Labonte 331 05:41.3 341.318 37.924
    13 10 Casey Mears 331 06:26.1 386.078 38.608
    20 13* Joey Logano 331 11:38.1 698.056 53.697
    09 9 Landon Cassill(i) 330 05:53.8 353.791 39.310
    83 10 Brian Vickers 330 07:16.0 436.020 43.602
    36 10 Dave Blaney 329 07:24.5 444.539 44.454
    00 13 David Reutimann 329 13:16.1 796.068 61.236
    7 11 Robby Gordon 328 08:01.2 481.159 43.742
    71 10 Andy Lally # 324 06:46.8 406.815 40.682
    37 11* Tony Raines 319 08:15.1 495.087 45.008
    32 13* Ken Schrader 319 13:16.4 796.443 61.265
    56 7 Martin Truex Jr. 213 04:08.3 248.344 35.478
    5 7 Mark Martin 213 04:12.9 252.918 36.131
    78 8 Regan Smith 212 04:56.9 296.915 37.114
    95 4 David Starr(i) 122 02:48.6 168.587 42.147
    87 2* Joe Nemechek 60 07:16.9 436.924 218.462
    66 2* Michael McDowell 56 12:05.3 725.293 362.647
    46 2* J J Yeley 52 07:05.2 425.196 212.598
    34 1 David Gilliland 44 00:46.7 46.748 46.748
    60 1* Mike Skinner(i) 36 07:31.4 451.428 451.428

    * Includes time spent in the garage
    (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

  • Race Coverage of the Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, April 9, 2011.
    Television (TV): FOX at 7:30 pm/et; pre-race show at 7:00 pm/et; green flag approx 7:45pm/et
    Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 128

    Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
    SPEED, Wednesday, April 13 at 12:00pm/et

  • Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway have been made.
    Pole sitter #6-Ragan chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
    Outside pole sitter #99-Edwards took pit stall 14, the next stall with an opening in front of it.
    #33-Bowyer, who starts 3rd took the 13th pit stall, the first stall with an opening behind it.
    The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #17-Kenseth, who starts 4th.
    To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(4-8-2011)

  • NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR’s Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.(2-11-2010)

  • Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.(10-11-2009)

  • Jayski’s – 2011 Sprint Cup Race Results Page(pole and race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup, practice speeds and chase stats as well as link to race track and race information page for each race)

QUALIFYING INFO, PRACTICE SPEED and ENTRIES
info, news, speeds and links

  • Ragan wins Texas pole: #6-David Ragan won the Coors Light pole for the Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway with a speed of 189.820mph. It is his 1st pole of the season and the 1st of his career. #99-Edwards starts 2nd followed by #33-Bowyer, #17-Kenseth, #78-Smith, #48-Johnson, #9-Ambrose, #20-Logano, #16-Biffle, and #22-Busch.
    The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #66-McDowell, #13-Mears, #95-Starr, #46-Yeley, #60-Skinner, #87-Nemechek, #36-Blaney, and #71-Lally.
    The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (1): #38-Kvapil.
    See the starting lineup, qualifying speeds and notes on my Texas Starting Lineup/Qualifying Results page.(4-8-2011)

  • Qualifying Fast Facts – Texas:
    David Ragan won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 15th Annual Samsung Mobile 500 with a lap of 28.448 seconds, 189.820 mph.
    This is his first pole in 153 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
    This is his first pole and third top-10 start in 2011.
    This is his first pole in nine races at Texas Motor Speedway. Ragan won a Nationwide Series pole here in 2007.
    Carl Edwards (second) posted his fourth top-10 start of 2011 and his fifth in 13 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
    Clint Bowyer (third) posted his sixth top-10 start at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his second in seven races this season.
    Andy Lally (43rd) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
    (NASCAR Statistics)(4-8-2011)

  • Coverage of Qualifying for the Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is scheduled for Friday, April 8, 2011 at 6:40pm/et.
    Television (TV): SPEED, 6:30pm/et

    Radio: Performace Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 128, via nascar.com only
    Jayski.com: Jayski’s Texas Qualifying Page
    Qualifying Re-Air: on SPEED at 12:30am/et

  • Qualifying Order for the Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is posted. 44 cars/drivers are listed. Go-or-go homers will qualify at the end of the session, once the top-35 drivers are done.
    The first of the top-35 drivers scheduled to go out is #37-Raines.
    The final top-35 driver scheduled to go out is #6-Ragan.
    The first go-or-go homer scheduled to qualify [36th] is #71-Lally with the final driver scheduled to qualify being #13-Mears.
    Qualifying order is set by practice speeds, with the top 35 drivers going out from slowest to fastest, then the non-top 35 drivers go out, slowest to fastest from practice.
    See the full qualifying order on the Texas Qualifying Page.(4-8-2011)

  • Happy Hour: for the Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway is over after 90 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and notes:
    #4-Kahne 183.899
    #27-Menard 183.892
    #99-Edwards 183.755
    #22-Busch 183.692
    #78-Smith 183.617
    slowest: #38-Kvapil 178.566 & #37-Raines 175.177.
    notes: There was no TV coverage of Happy Hour. There were no incidents reported.
    See practice speeds, average speeds, laps run on the Texas Practice Speeds Page. (4-8-2011)

  • Practice rank for the non top-35 drivers:
    if things stay the same, these eight drivers would make the race:
    #46-J.J. Yeley, 25th
    #66-Michael McDowell, 28th
    #13-Casey Mears, 31st
    #87-Joe Nemechek, 32nd
    #60-Mike Skinner, 34th
    #95-David Starr, 36th
    #36-Dave Blaney, 37th
    #71-Andy Lally, 42nd
    these drivers would miss the race if the order stayed the same:
    #38-Travis Kvapil, 43rd
    [PC] = [past champion and order, 1 is more recent champ]

  • Thursday practice: for the Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway is over, after 100 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and notes:
    #6-Ragan 185.816
    #14-Stewart 185.701
    #42-Montoya 185.280
    #1-McMurray 185.230
    #16-Biffle 185.128
    slowest: #95-Starr 177.626 & #37-Raines 173.986.
    See practice speeds, average speeds, laps run on the Texas Practice Speeds Page.
    (4-7-2011)

  • Practice rank for the non top-35 drivers:
    if things stay the same, these eight drivers would make the race:
    #13-Casey Mears, 28th
    #66-Michael McDowell, 30th
    #46-J.J. Yeley, 32nd
    #60-Mike Skinner, 33rd
    #87-Joe Nemechek, 36th
    #38-Travis Kvapil, 38th
    #36-Dave Blaney, 40th
    #71-Andy Lally, 42nd
    these drivers would miss the race if the order stayed the same:
    #95-David Starr, 43rd
    [PC] = [past champion and order, 1 is more recent champ]

  • The Entry List for the Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is posted, 44 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
    The #92 team has withdrawn.
    Not in top 35 of owners points:
    #13-Casey Mears (37/6)
    #36-Dave Blaney (38/6)
    #38-Travis Kvapil (39/6)
    #46-J.J. Yeley (41/6)
    #60-Todd Bodine (43/6)
    #66-Michael McDowell (42/6)
    #71-Andy Lally (36/6)
    #87-Joe Nemechek (44/6)

    #95-David Starr (0/0)
    In the event that all practices and qualifying are all rained out or cancelled:
    the eight who would make it [8]: #’s 71,13,36,38,46,66,60,87
    missing the race would be [1]: #’s 95
    See the full entry list at my Jayski’s Texas Entry List.(4-4/6-2011)

  • Top-35 in Owner Points: going to Texas (after 6 races):
    31) #21-Bayne/Wood Bros, 108, +31
    32) #78-Smith/FRR, 105, +28
    33) #32-Schrader/FAS Lane, 99, +22
    34) #7-RGordon/RGM, 91, +14
    35) #37-Raines/Front Row, 77, 0 points ahead of 36th
    these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
    (#71 has best finish of 28th in 2011; #37 has best finish of 25th])
    36) #71-Lally/TRG, 77, -0 out of top 35
    37) #13-Mears/Germain, 75, -2
    38) #36-Blaney/TBR, 72, -5
    39) #38-Kvapil/Front Row, 62, -15
    For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(4-3-2011)

Local Newspapers

Dallas Morning News
Denton Record-Chronicle
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Abilene Reporter News
Houston Chronicle
Times Record News


Local TV
Network Stations

ABC 8 WFAA
CBS 11 KTVT
FOX 4 KDFW
NBC 5 KXAS


Weather Links

Weather Channel
Accuweather
National Weather Service
Race Weather
Weather Underground


Camping, Eating and
Travel Info

ESPN’s NASCAR Track Guide
Laid Back Racing
Go RVing
NASCAR Camping
RV USA
Speed Eats

PAINT SCHEME NEWS

Car#/Driver Sponsor/Scheme/Promo Image Link
#5-Mark Martin GoDaddy.com #5 Team Schemes Page
#6-David Ragan UPS Freight none…yet
#7-Robby Gordon Speed Energy / Fast Five [movie] #7 Team Schemes Page
#9-Marco Ambrose Stanley #9 Team Schemes Page
#11-Denny Hamlin FedEx – March of Dimes none…yet
#17-Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black #17 Team Schemes Page
#18-Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries #18 Team Schemes Page
#24-Jeff Gordon DuPont #24 Team Schemes Page
#27-Paul Menard Menard’s / Quaker State none…yet
#34-David Gilliland Gander Mountain #34 Team Schemes Page
#39-Ryan Newman U.S. Army Reserve #39 Team Schemes Page
#43-A.J. Allmendinger Valvoline #43 Team Schemes Page
#47-Bobby Labonte Bush’s Baked Beans #47 Team Schemes Page
#48-Jimmie Johnson Kobalt Tools #48 Team Schemes Page
#71-Andy Lally Interstate Moving Services #71 Team Schemes Page
#78-Regan Smith Farm American #78 Team Schemes Page
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy #88 Team Schemes Page
#99-Carl Edwards Scott’s #99 Team Schemes Page

Paint Scheme news and links on the Paint Schemes Gallery

Some Chassis Selections by Teams for this race

  • Chassis selections for Texas:
    #1-Jamie McMurray: . Kevin “Bono” Manion will bring chassis #1102. This chassis was raced earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where the team qualified 11th and finished 27th.
    #2-Brad Keselowski: The #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-745 during Sunday’s Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Keselowski drove this chassis to a 26th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last month.
    #6-David Ragan: Primary: RK-750 Brand new chassis; Backup: RK-695 Last ran Phoenix in 2010 as the No. 99 – finished first
    #9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 728 for the 500-mile event at Texas Motor Speedway. This Stanley Ford Fusion was run previously this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
    #14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-583: This car debuted last March at Las Vegas, where it qualified ninth and led twice for seven laps before finishing seventh. Prior to Las Vegas, it spent time in the wind tunnel. It returned to the track for a NASCAR-sanctioned test at Charlotte Motor Speedway March 23-24 before coming back to Charlotte for the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, where it started 11th and finished a solid fifth. It revisited the wind tunnel in preparation for its third career start in July at Chicagoland. The time in the tunnel paid off, as it qualified a strong third and finished ninth. It served as a backup at Kansas Speedway and at Auto Club Speedway, before returning for the 2010 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In that race, Stewart used Chassis No. 14-583 to rally from his 31st-place starting spot and overcome two instances where he was a lap down to finish eighth, maintaining the car’s streak of never finishing outside the top-10. During the offseason, the car was fitted with a new body and tested extensively in the wind tunnel. The Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas will mark Chassis No. 14-583’s fifth career start and first of 2011.
    #17-Matt Kenseth: Primary: RK-741 (brand new chassis)
    #18-Kyle Busch:Chassis No. 283: This chassis will make it fourth-ever start in Saturday night’s Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. In its first start last September at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, Busch started ninth and finished ninth. The No. 18 team brought No. 283 back for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas last November, where Busch started 29th and finished a disappointing 32nd. Most recently, Busch competed with this chassis in the Ford 400 Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he started 33rd but finished 32nd after being spun and making hard contact with the frontstretch inside retaining wall while running in the top-five late in the 400-mile race.
    #20-Joey Logano: The #20 Home Depot Team is taking chassis #297 to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for the Samsung Mobile 500. The team utilized this chassis at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this season. A late-race tire violation with 25 laps to go dropped the team out of the top 10 and into the 23rd position at the Nevada track. The back-up chassis is chassis #284 which Logano drove last year at Auto Club Speedway to an 11th-place finish and at Phoenix International Raceway in November to third.
    #22-Kurt Busch and his Steve Addington-led Penske Racing “Double-Deuce” team will be racing their “PRS-744” Shell-Pennzoil Dodge this weekend at Texas. “This is the car we debuted at Las Vegas,” said crew chief Addington. “It was a pretty strong car in its only race so far at Vegas. It responded well to our adjustments during the race. We spun out early in the race, but came back up through the field for a solid top-10 (finished ninth) finish. It should be a good match for the demands of the Texas track.”
    #27-Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 351 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #27 Chevy is a brand new addition to the RCR fleet, and will see its first laps on the race track during Thursday’s opening practice session.
    #29-Kevin Harvick: will race chassis No. 309 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Harvick drove this Chevy to fourth-place finishes in both races at Pocono Raceway in 2010.
    #31-Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 344 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built brand new for the 2011 season, this No. 31 racer most recently competed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where handling issues relegated Burton to a 21st-place finish.
    #33-Clint Bowyer: will pilot chassis No. 350 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a brand new #33 Chevy that will turn its first laps during opening practice on Thursday at “The Great American Speedway”.
    #36-Dave Blaney: The TBR team will bring the No. 910 chassis that was built in the off-season. Blaney drove the chassis at California this season. The #36 Chevy started 31st and finished 37th due to a part failure.
    #42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Brian Pattie and the #42 team will bring chassis #1105 this weekend. This chassis was also raced earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where the team finished third.
    #43-A.J. Allmendinger: The #43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 752 for this weekend’s event at Texas Motor Speedway. This Valvoline Ford is a new car and has never been tested.
    #48-Jimmie Johnson: turned in a second-place finish at Auto Club Speedway last month in chassis No. 650, which he will drive in Saturday night’s Sprint Cup Series event. Backup chassis No. 623 crossed the finish line 16th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.
    #99-Carl Edwards: RK-748 New chassis
    (from team PR’s/sites if reported)(4-7-2011)

Goodyear Tires Notes / Fast Facts

    Tire:
    Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials

    Number of Tires:
    Sprint Cup: Left-side — 1,400, Right-side — 1,400;
    Nationwide: Left-side — 775, Right-side — 775

    Set limits:
    Sprint Cup: 5 sets for practice/qualifying, 11 sets for race;
    Nationwide: 2 sets for Thursday practice, 6 sets for Friday

    Tire Codes: Left-side — D-4392; Right-side — D-4410

    Tire Circumference: Left-side — 87.1 in.; Right-side — 88.4 in.

    Technical Inspection Inflation:
    Left Front — 30 psi; Left Rear — 30 psi;
    Right Front — 50 psi; Right Rear — 47 psi

    Minimum Recommended Inflation:
    Left Front — 23 psi; Left Rear — 21 psi;
    Right Front — 49 psi; Right Rear — 45 psi

    Estimated Pit Window: Every 48-52 laps, based on fuel mileage (Sprint Cup).

    Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same Goodyear tire codes at Texas this weekend . . . teams in both of these series ran this left-side tire code (D-4392) at Texas last season, but with a different right-side . . . teams did run this exact combination of left- and right-side tires at Homestead last November . . . compared to what was run at Texas in 2010, this right-side tire code (D-4410) features a slight construction change to bring it into line with what is run at other mile-and-a-half tracks . .
    . coming up, Nationwide teams will run this same exact tire set-up at Chicgoland in June and this left-side code at Nashville later this month . . . also, teams in both of these series will run this left-side at Darlington in May . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required run inner liners in all four tire positions at Texas . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be
    12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

Race / Cup Odds

Vegas Insider
NASCAR Race and other odds
Texas Preview by Micah Roberts
NASCAR Top-Five Finish Prediction
2011 Sprint Cup Championship

World Sports Exchange:
Texas Race
2011 Sprint Cup Championship

Bodog:
Odds to win the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship

(this is not to promote gambling but to offer readers odds and ideas on what the ‘experts’ think about the upcoming race and the Cup series season)