FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: TEXAS NOTES
Fresh off its third victory of the season, Mustang will be making it’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, which is hosting all three of the sport’s top touring series. Here’s a closer look at how it has done in each through the years.
MUSTANG CONTINUES EARLY-SEASON SUCCESS
Mustang has gotten out of the box strong to start the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and it continued last weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Joey Logano led a Ford sweep of the top four positions in qualifying, capturing the pole for the fifth time in his career at the half-mile short track, while Brad Keselowski took all three stages and led 446-of-500 laps to win the race. Here’s a race-by-race look at Mustang’s success after six events.
POLES: 4
Atlanta – Aric Almirola
Las Vegas – Kevin Harvick
Phoenix – Ryan Blaney
Martinsville – Joey Logano
WINS: 3
Atlanta: Brad Keselowski
Las Vegas: Joey Logano
Martinsville: Brad Keselowski
FORD IN THE MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES AT TMS
· Ford has the most all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins at TMS with 14.
· Kevin Harvick won the Playoff race at TMS in November.
· Jack Roush is tied for the most wins among car owners at TMS with nine.
FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT TMS
· Ford leads all manufacturers with 13 NASCAR XFINITY Series wins at TMS.
· Ryan Blaney and Cole Custer posted wins last year, giving Ford a series season sweep.
· Mark Martin won the first NXS race at Texas and leads Ford with three series victories overall.
FORD IN THE NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES SERIES AT TMS
· Ford has 3 series wins at TMS.
· Kenny Irwin Jr. won the first series event held at TMS in 1997.
· Ford’s last series victory at TMS came by Greg Biffle in 2000.
HARVICK POSTS CONSECUTIVE TEXAS PLAYOFF WINS
The last time the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series came to Texas Motor Speedway was November and for the second straight year Kevin Harvick came away with a Playoff victory that automatically sent him into the Championship 4. Harvick took the lead early in Stage 1 and never looked back as he led 177 laps and won all three stages. That was much different from what Harvick did in 2017 when he passed Martin Truex Jr. with 10 laps remaining to win and advance. That marked Harvick’s first Cup victory at the speedway in 30 starts.
LAST LAP PASS LEADS LOGANO TO VICTORY
Joey Logano’s first Cup win at TMS came in 2014 in a race that was delayed until Monday because of rain. Logano dominated much of the second half, but a caution with two laps to go forced a green-white-checker finish. He started third on the restart after the leaders stopped on pit road and was able to get past Jeff Gordon on the final lap to claim victory. Logano led 108 of the final 116 laps to claim the first of five wins that season.
A TEXAS TWO-FIRST
A couple of firsts happened on April 6, 1997 as Texas Motor Speedway hosted its inaugural Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event and Jeff Burton took his first checkered flag. Burton, led by crew chief Buddy Parrott, passed Todd Bodine with 58 laps remaining and beat fellow Ford driver Dale Jarrett to the finish line by four seconds. The race was slowed by 10 cautions, which included a multi-car accident in first turn of the first lap. Burton went on to win 21 career series races with 17 of those coming in a Thunderbird or Taurus.
SADLER WINS FIRST RACE WITH RYR
Elliott Sadler passed Jeff Gordon with 27 laps remaining and then held off Kasey Kahne in the closing laps to win the Samsung/Radio Shack 500 on April 4, 2004. Sadler, in his second season with Robert Yates Racing, hugged the inside lane over the final three laps as Kahne worked the outside. When the two cars came off turn four for the final time, Sadler had a lapped car in front of him and that allowed Kahne to make one last charge. Despite gaining crucial ground through the tri-oval, Kahne came up half-a-car length short as Sadler crossed the line first to gain his second of three career series wins.
FORD MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT TEXAS
1997 – Jeff Burton
1998 – Mark Martin
2001 – Dale Jarrett
2002 – Matt Kenseth
2004 – Elliott Sadler
2005 – Greg Biffle (1) and Carl Edwards (2)
2008 – Carl Edwards (Sweep)
2011 – Matt Kenseth (1)
2012 – Greg Biffle (1)
2014 – Joey Logano (1)
2017 – Kevin Harvick (2)
2018 – Kevin Harvick (2)
FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT TEXAS
1997 – Mark Martin
1999 – Mark Martin
2000 – Mark Martin
2004 – Matt Kenseth
2007 – Matt Kenseth
2010 – Carl Edwards (2)
2011 – Carl Edwards (1) and Trevor Bayne (2)
2012 – Ricky Stenhouse (1)
2013 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2018 – Ryan Blaney and Cole Custer
FORD NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT TEXAS
1997 – Kenny Irwin Jr.
1998 – Tony Raines
2000 – Greg Biffle (1)
