TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: FORT WORTH, TEXAS
EVENT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 34 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6 (NBC/PRN/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne
Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 36
Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
17th in standings
33 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
12 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
Career
465 starts
17 wins
27 pole positions
89 top-five finishes
168 top-10 finishes
4,607 laps led
Track Career
24 starts
1 win
1 pole position
5 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
224 laps led
AARP AT TEXAS: This weekend at Texas Motor Speedway marks the final time of the season AARP Foundation and their Drive to End Hunger program will adorn the No. 5 Chevrolet SS as the primary sponsor. AARP Foundation’s black car with red accents was most recently run by Kahne at Bristol Motor Speedway in August where he finished 13th.
KAHNE AT TEXAS: In April 2006, Kahne earned the pole award at Texas as well as the win. He led 63 laps to sweep the weekend in just his fourth start at the Fort Worth, Texas, track. The 36-year-old is one of three drivers to capture the pole and win in the same weekend at the mile-and-a-half track. In this year’s spring race, Kahne ended the day in the eighth position.
TEXAS LOOP DATA: Kahne ranks seventh in quality passes with 832 at Texas Motor Speedway. Quality passes are determined by the number of times a driver passes another car that is running in the top 15 while under green-flag conditions. The Enumclaw, Washington, native is sixth in green-flag passes with 1,678.
BLAZE AND THE MONSTER MACHINES: Kahne, who plays “Fender” in Nick Jr.’s animated preschool series “Blaze and the Monster Machines,” will be featured in this week’s episode, “The Hundred Mile Race” on Friday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. ET on Nickelodeon. Kahne joins Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott in the episode.
SUITS FOR SOLDIERS: Farmers Insurance has launched Suits for Soldiers, a national program to help transitioning veterans enter the civilian workforce. Through the end of November, bring new or gently used suits or pieces of business attire for men or women to your local Farmers Insurance agent’s office to donate. Farmers will distribute the business attire to veterans through the Army Reserves, various transition assistance programs and at Recruit Military events starting in 2017. Suits for Soldiers builds on Farmers’ commitment to veterans, as a corporate citizen and as a workplace. In an effort to bring awareness to the program, the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS will be adorned with #SuitsForSoldiers on the TV panel for the upcoming Phoenix race weekend.
KASEY’S KAROLINA KAHNEWICH: Kahne and the Kasey Kahne Foundation have partnered with PDQ (People Dedicated to Quality) restaurants to create the Karolina Kahnewich. Kahne’s revved-up BBQ sandwich will be served exclusively at all 11 PDQ locations throughout North and South Carolina from Oct. 4 through Nov. 30. The sandwich is $5.99 with $1 from each sandwich sold benefiting the Kasey Kahne Foundation in its effort to raise funds to support chronically ill children and their families.
No. 24 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet SS / Chase Elliott
Driver Chase Elliott
Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 20
Resides Dawsonville, Georgia
2016 Season
12th in standings
33 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
15 top-10 finishes
355 laps led
Career
38 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
15 top-10 finishes
355 laps led
Track Career
1 start
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
1 top-10 finish
1 lap led
FACEBOOK LIVE FRIDAY: This weekend at Texas will be Kelley Blue Book’s final primary race on the No. 24 Chevrolet SS in 2016. The 20-year-old driver will be going live on his Facebook page alongside Kelley Blue Book on Friday, Nov. 4 at approximately 3:30 p.m. local time. Fans are encouraged to tune in and ask Elliott questions to learn more about the rookie driver. Additionally, Elliott will spend time talking about Kelley Blue Book’s Best Buy Awards. The experts at Kelley Blue Book identify the best of the best new vehicles each year, naming one model the Best Buy of the Year while also naming the top model in 12 different popular car segments. To learn more about why Kelley Blue Book is The Trusted Resource for millions of car shoppers visit KBB.com.
REIGNING ROOKIE: Elliott leads the 2016 Rookie of the Year contender standings heading into Texas Motor Speedway by 61 points over second-place Ryan Blaney and 90 points over third-place Chris Buescher. Elliott has accumulated a total of 287 rookie points this year through the first 33 races. He has yet to win his first race, but claims nine top-five showings – the most by a rookie since Carl Edwards scored 13 in 2005.
YOUNG GUN IN THE LONE STAR STATE: Young gun Elliott will head to Texas Motor Speedway for the second time in a Cup car this weekend after claiming a top-five finish earlier this spring. The rookie will be looking for his first-career Cup Series victory and has had some good luck in the Lone Star State. In 2014, Elliott led 38 laps en route to his first trip to Victory Lane in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
JEOPARDY!: The Kelley Blue Book driver will be featured on “Jeopardy!” – America’s Favorite Quiz Show – on Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET. He will be asking a question on the Daytime Emmy Award-winning TV game show.
MARK, SET, GET ANIMATED: Nickelodeon shifted into high gear with their series of six race car-themed episodes of the hit animated preschool series “Blaze and the Monster Machines” featuring Blaze, a high-octane race car and guest voice appearances from superstar race car drivers including Johnson, Elliott and Kahne. Four of the episodes have already aired with Elliott as a special guest in three of them. He will be featured in the final two episodes of the series: “The Hundred Mile Race,” premiering Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. ET on Nickelodeon, followed by another all-new episode “The Polar Derby” on Dec. 9. Elliott voices the race car character “Mark Set-Go” – a sensational race starter who kicks off each racing adventure with rock-star style and a signature rhyme.
No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson
Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 41
Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2016 Season
1st in standings
33 starts
4 wins
1 pole position
10 top-five finishes
15 top-10 finishes
721 laps led
Career
540 starts
79 wins
35 pole positions
217 top-five finishes
329 top-10 finishes
18,430 laps led
Track Career
26 starts
6 wins
1 pole position
14 top-five finishes
20 top-10 finishes
1,023 laps led
CLOCKED IN: Johnson’s win at Martinsville automatically advances him to the Championship 4 round at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale. The win also tied Johnson with teammate Jeff Gordon for most wins all-time at the half-mile, paperclip-shaped track.
79 AND COUNTING: Johnson’s win at Martinsville puts him within four wins of tying Cale Yarborough’s 83 wins for sixth on the NASCAR all-time win list. Johnson is currently seventh on that list.
STRONG IN TEXAS: In this race one year ago at Texas, Johnson proved to be a Chase-contender spoiler of sorts. Johnson was no longer eligible for the championship after being knocked out of the Round of 12, but led six laps en route to his sixth win at the 1.5-mile track.
GUNSLINGER: Johnson has won five of the last eight races at Texas Motor Speedway. In total, Johnson has won six times and led 1,023 laps in the process, both of which are the most all-time at Texas.
TEXAS CREDENTIALS: Johnson has many series-best accolades at Texas Motor Speedway according to NASCAR’s loop data. Among active drivers, Johnson has the series-best driver rating of 107.8. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points.
NBC “SUPERSTORE” CAMEO: When in Los Angeles in September, Johnson dropped by NBC Studios and filmed a cameo for NBC’s popular show “Superstore.” The primetime show is a hilarious workplace comedy featuring a unique family of employees at a supersized megastore. The show featuring Johnson’s appearance will air Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. ET.
BLAZE AND THE MONSTER MACHINES: Nickelodeon’s popular animated preschool and STEM-based series “Blaze and the Monster Machines” will feature Johnson in an upcoming race car-themed episode, along with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kahne and Elliott. Johnson is featured as “Dash,” a car that is fun, friendly, fast and the ultimate racing buddy for Blaze. The episode titled “The Hundred Mile Race” will air on Nickelodeon Nov. 4 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS / Alex Bowman
Driver Alex Bowman
Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 23
Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
7 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
2 top-10 finishes
6 laps led
Career
78 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
2 top-10 finishes
9 laps led
Track Career
4 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
MARTINSVILLE RECAP: Gordon competed in his final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race driving the No. 88 Chevrolet SS this past Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. The driver filled in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in eight races on the 2016 circuit, logging two top-10s — at Dover International Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. Gordon climbed into the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS for the final time Sunday before claiming his best finish of the season — sixth place. Gordon’s sixth-place result breaks his tie with Richard Petty, moving him into sole possession of first on the list for the most top-10 Cup finishes at Martinsville of all time with 38 and extends his all-time record for lead-lap finishes (39) at the paperclip. Gordon also will continue to hold the record for the least DNF’s at Martinsville, having been running at the finish in every single one of his 47 races at the half-mile short track.
BOWMAN TO CLOSE OUT 2016: Alex Bowman will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet SS for the final three races of the season, starting with climbing behind the wheel of the Nationwide Chevy this weekend at Texas. Texas Motor Speedway will be his eighth of 10 scheduled starts as a substitute for Earnhardt. In his previous seven starts, Bowman has run in the top 10 in each event and produced his best finish of seventh at Kansas, another 1.5-mile track. Combined, he’s earned two top-10 finishes and three top-15s driving the No. 88 Chevrolet SS in 2016.
TEXAS STATS: Bowman has four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway with a best finish of 32nd. He’ll look to improve on that this weekend, as he has earned top-10s in two of his three 1.5-mile races in the No. 88 Chevrolet this season. In the XFINITY Series, he has earned two poles in his two starts, leading laps in both events (seven total) and has a best finish of 14th.
DRIVERS AT SEMA: Earnhardt traveled to Las Vegas on Monday, Oct. 31, to appear at the 2016 SEMA Show — a premier automotive specialty products trade event — on behalf of Chevrolet. Bowman will make the journey to the Las Vegas Convention Center on Wednesday, Nov. 2. He will be at the Axalta booth at SEMA for an autograph session that is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. local time. For the full schedule of Axalta appearances, click here.
MPD: Voting for the 2016 National Motorsports Press Association Sprint Most Popular Driver is in full swing. Race fans have selected Earnhardt a record 13 consecutive times as NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver. Click the link to cast your daily vote for the 2016 Most Popular Driver: http://www.nascar.com/sprintmostpopulardriver.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT TEXAS: Hendrick Motorsports has earned eight wins, 34 top-five finishes, 60 top-10s, six pole positions and led 2,252 laps at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnson has reached Victory Lane in three of the past four events at the track, including a sweep in the 2015 season.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 244 victories, 209 pole positions, 1,007 top-five finishes and 1,689 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 66,159 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
“The surface at Texas is pretty rough which is a good thing for our cars because you have a lot more tire fall off. We’re down to the final few races and I’m going to race hard and if I have the chance to win, I want to make that happen.”
Kasey Kahne on racing at Texas
“Texas is a special place for me. We got our first XFINITY Series win there in 2014. A first of anything is going to make somewhere special. Texas I feel like will always be a special place for me. I think more than anything we just have fast cars there and I’ve been lucky enough to drive them. That is kind of the way I view Texas. I’m looking forward to getting back. It’s definitely a place I enjoy going to, I think for that reason in 2014. We’ve had some good runs since then, we’ve had some bad runs since then, so I don’t know that it’s just a guaranteed place where you are going to go run well, but I enjoy going. Like I said, definitely special.”
Chase Elliott on looking forward to Texas
“For us, we want to improve from where we were in the spring. Our goal is to try to be a contender each week. As I’ve said for a while, you can’t control how things are going to go. You can’t control wrecks or restarts or a lot of the things that happen in front of you or around you. I think for us we need to focus on what we need to control and try to make that stuff as best we can. We want to improve, but we just want to be a consistent contender. If we can be in that hunt to compete each week, I think we’ve done our jobs.”
Elliott on strategy for Texas
“Obviously we want to win more races. If we can have success at Texas, that will only put us in Miami with more confidence and more speed in our car. The work is far from over. There’s one race at the end and it’s winner-take-all. There are no layups.”
Jimmie Johnson on racing at Texas
“We want to go win Texas. We want to go win Phoenix. We want to go win Homestead. Then, in a few months Daytona is rolling around, we want to win that one, too. That’s the way we approach every single race.”
No. 48 team crew chief Chad Knaus on strategy moving forward
“It’s been really cool (to share a ride with Gordon). Jeff was my favorite driver when I was a kid, on the NASCAR side of things. It’s been really good to learn from him – he’s an open book. All five of my teammates really are complete open books and it’s great to lean on them and learn as much as I can. But Jeff just has so much experience and has a really interesting view on a lot of things and has been great to learn from, so it’s been a great time just listening, observing and learning everything I can from him.”
Alex Bowman on learning from Gordon
“It’s amazing what equipment like Hendrick Motorsports has will do for your confidence and your speed at the racetrack. It’s been great to be a part of such a great organization. I think really I’m just learning to maximize the little things I can – whether it’s things like getting on and off of pit road, restarts – just maximizing every little thing and trying to do the best job I can. JR Nation has been great – they’ve been really supportive. It’s been a lot of fun. We’ve been really fast on the mile-and-a-half tracks, so I’m looking forward to getting to Texas this weekend.”
Bowman on looking forward to Texas
