RICK WARE RACING
AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400
Date: April 14, 2024
Event: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 (Round 9 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/85 laps/102 laps)
Note: Race extended nine laps past its scheduled 267-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)
RWR Race Finish:
● Justin Haley (Started 32nd, Finished 24th/ Running, completed 276 of 276 laps)
● Kaz Grala (Started 33rd, Finished 27th/ Running, completed 276 of 276 laps)
RWR Points:
● Justin Haley (32nd with 98 points)
● Kaz Grala (33rd with 92 points)
RWR Notes:
● This was Haley’s fourth career start at Texas. His best finish remains third, earned in November 2022.
● This was Grala’s first start at Texas.
Race Notes:
● Chase Elliott won the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 to score his 19th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Texas.
● There were 16 caution periods for a total of 72 laps.
● All but seven drivers finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Texas with an 18-point advantage over second-place Martin Truex Jr.
Sound Bites:
“I put us in a hole early on pit road, unfortunately. Rookie mistake for a rookie. But after that we fought hard, we did everything we could and made some gains on the handling. I think all in all, we put up a good fight today. We did what we could, and we tried to hold serve, and I’m not even sure yet where we officially finished, but we got what we put out of it. I’m proud of everybody at Rick Ware Racing. They stuck with me all day even after that early mistake and we made at least a little something out of the day.” – Kaz Grala, driver of the No. 15 N29 Capital Partners Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the GEICO 500 on Sunday, April 21 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Th