FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: TEXAS PLAYOFF NOTES
The Round of 8 begins in the NASCAR Cup and NASCAR XFINITY Series this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, a place where Ford has had its share of success through the years. Ford leads all manufacturers on the Cup side with 15 series wins since the track opened in 1997 and has posted nine NXS victories in the last 11 seasons.
This Week’s Schedule:
Saturday, Oct. 16 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 3 p.m. ET (NBC)
Sunday, Oct. 17 – NASCAR Cup Series, 2 p.m. ET (NBC)
ROUND OF 8 NCS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 4 Advance After Martinsville)
4th — Ryan Blaney (+1 above cutline)
7th — Joey Logano (-11 below cutline)
8th — Brad Keselowski (-16 below cutline)
FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT TMS
- Ford has the most all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins at TMS with 15.
- Kevin Harvick has won 3 of the last 4 Texas playoff races.
- Jack Roush is tied for the most wins among car owners at TMS with nine.
ROUND OF 8 NXS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 4 Advance After Martinsville)
2nd — Austin Cindric (+28 above cutline)
FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT TMS
- Ford has 13 NASCAR XFINITY Series wins at TMS.
- Austin Cindric won the first NXS race at Texas this year, capping a three-race winning streak.
- Mark Martin won the first NXS race at Texas and leads Ford with three series victories overall.
ALL OF TEAM PENSKE STILL ALIVE IN CHAMPIONSHIP HUNT
As the NASCAR Cup and NASCAR XFINITY Series head into the Round of 8, all Team Penske drivers remain alive for the respective championships. Austin Cindric finds himself 28 points above the cutline as the round begins as he seeks his second straight NASCAR XFINITY Series championship. Ryan Blaney enters the Cup Series Round of 8 fourth while Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski are 11 and 16 points behind, respectively, going to Texas. All four have won on the 1.5-mile speedway. Logano took the first Cup race in 2014 while Keselowski (2013, 2015), Blaney (2018) and Cindric (2020) have NXS triumphs.
LOGANO ALL-TIME FORD PLAYOFF WINS LEADER
Team Penske’s Joey Logano has won 10 career playoff races with Ford, making him the manufacturer’s all-time wins leader in that department. Of the four tracks remaining on the 2021 schedule, Logano has posted at least one playoff victory in three of them (Kansas twice, 2014-15; Martinsville, 2018; and Phoenix, 2016). As noted above, Logano’s lone Texas win came in the spring race of 2014. Carl Edwards ranks second behind Logano with eight playoff wins while Greg Biffle is third with seven.
FORD 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)
2019 – 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 (1) and Cole Custer (2)
2020 – Austin Cindric (1)
