NASCAR Cup Series

Matt Kenseth's appeal of his two-race suspension will be heard Thursday. The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will go before the National Motorsports Appeal Panel in an attempt to have his suspension overturned Thursday at 9:00 a.m. in Concord, North Carolina.

Richard Childress Racing's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history at Texas Motor Speedway ... In 87 starts at Texas Motor Speedway dating back to 1997, RCR has recorded one win (Jeff Burton, April 2007), eight top-five and 30 top-10 finishes with drivers Burton, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Green, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman.

Brett Moffitt | No. 34 Visit Dallas Ford "Texas is fast, and it's wide. So, you can drive off into Turn 1, and there's just so much room. You've really got to pay attention to your corner entry to make sure you're getting to the bottom when you need to."

"Texas is a big, fun track. There’s a lot that happens and usually does with the high banks and fast speeds. I love Texas, not just the race track but the area in general. There’s so much to do, lots of good restaurants. And you can always pick up a new pair of cowboy boots. Just a neat track and neat area. Looking forward to heading out there this weekend."

The colors of Moen, the No. 1 faucet brand in North America, will hit the high-speed banks of Texas Motor Speedway with Cole Whitt for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. The company will serve as primary sponsor of the No. 35 team for the 501-mile high-stakes event in the heart of the series' playoff chase.

Texas Motor Speedway: “There’s not really a track you can compare Texas Motor Speedway too,” Allmendinger said. “Over the last couple of years, Texas Motor Speedway has gotten a lot of character in it, which means it’s bumpy and slick. So, it is hard to compare it to any other racetrack right now."

The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is suspended from NASCAR Sprint Cup Series action for this week's race at Texas Motor Speedway and next week's race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Matt Kenseth, the driver of the No. 20 car, has been penalized for an infraction that occurred during the Nov. 1 race at Martinsville Speedway.

FIVE COWBOY HATS: Jimmie Johnson has won in his last two attempts at the 1.5-mile speedway near Fort Worth, Texas. In this race one year ago, Johnson led a race-high 191 laps en route to his fourth victory at Texas. Earlier this season in April, Johnson won for a fifth time at the track after leading 128 laps and edging runner-up Kevin Harvick by 1.107 seconds.

Gordon seized his opportunity at Martinsville, taking the lead late and holding on for his ninth win at the Virginia half-mile track. With the win, Gordon will be one of four drivers vying for the Sprint Cup at Homestead.