NASCAR Cup Series

As Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team prepare for the second of three races in the Round of Eight in the Monster Energy Cup playoffs, the goal remains essentially the same as it’s been for every race this season.

Richard Childress Racing's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Texas Motor Speedway ... In 100 starts at Texas Motor Speedway dating back to 1997, RCR has recorded one win (Jeff Burton, April 2007), eight top-five and 31 top-10 finishes with drivers Burton, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Green, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman. Prior to Texas Motor Speedway's inaugural season in 1997, Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR's top division, earned a pair of top-10 finishes at the now defunct Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. RCR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams boast an average starting position of 19.2, an average finishing position of 17.4 and have completed 32,331 of the 33,349 contested laps (96.9 percent) with 140 laps led at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth-based race track.

Liberty National Life Insurance Company has entered into a partnership with Richard Childress Racing and the No. 31 team for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Liberty National will be featured as a primary sponsor for select races with Ryan Newman and the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro, and will be an associate sponsor for the entire season.

Kansas Speedway was the key to Round 3 advancement for Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team. Texas Speedway holds much the same gravitas for the Wood Brothers’ ambition to race for the NASCAR championship at Homestead in three weeks.

Hendrick Motorsports has named veteran crew chief Darian Grubb to lead the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team of driver William Byron, who will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2018 and compete for rookie of the year honors.

In 23 starts at Texas, Hamlin has collected two wins and five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. During the Series’ last Playoffs visit to the 1.5 oval, Hamlin finished ninth in the rain-shortened event. Hamlin is one-top five finish away from tying his career-best 15 top-five finishes in a single season (2009).

Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick are currently holding down third and fourth-place, respectively, in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings while Ryan Blaney is in sixth-place, only six points behind the final transfer spot. 

With three races left in the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season, Erik Jones will make his third-career Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway. Jones made his first Cup Series start at the Fort Worth, Texas track in 2015 where he started the race from the sixth position and with a strong run, finished 12th.

“Texas is one of my favorite tracks. In the spring there were a lot of unknowns due to the repave, but we ended up having a solid race and feel confident coming into this weekend. With three races left in the season, we are focused on finishing the season strong and carrying that momentum into the off-season.”

Trevor Bayne makes his 15th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) start at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. In 14 previous starts at the 1.5-mile oval, Bayne has recorded a best finish of 13th in the spring 2017 event.