Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are headed into this weekend’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway with an eye on the future.

Crew chief Jeremy Bullins said the DEX Imaging team plans to spend the remainder of the 2023 season putting themselves in position to dramatically improve their performance next year.

“For our team headed to Texas, we are just trying to learn and look ahead to next year as we continue to work with Harrison and understand what he’s looking for from our cars to find speed,” Bullins said. “Obviously, a year from now we want to be in the Playoffs, so we need to approach this week as an opportunity to learn as much as we can and have some good notes to work from.”

Bullins said that while the results don’t reflect it, he and Burton have made significant gains since Bullins returned to the Wood Brothers No. 21 team where he started his Cup Series career.

Burton has qualified near the back all three weeks, but the team has found speed as the races unfolded, allowing him to work his way into the upper half of the field only to lose positions due to crashes and other issues before the conclusion of the races.

“Bristol was our third race working with Harrison, and while the starting positions or finishing positions won’t show it, we have made a ton of progress during the races,” he said. “We feel like some good finishes are right around the corner if we can get some momentum going before the season ends.”

Practice for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 is set for Saturday at 11:35 a.m. Central Daylight Time (12:35 Eastern) and will be followed immediately by qualifying.

Sunday’s 267-lap race is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Eastern) with TV coverage by USA Network.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 80 and 160.

About DEX Imaging
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:
Reducing Operating Costs
Reducing Paper Consumption
Increasing Productivity

DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.

THE START OF THE ROUND OF 12

Four Team Chevy drivers will continue in the race for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Championship with Texas Motor Speedway set to host the first stop in the Round of 12. The 1.5-mile oval sets up the most diverse trio of tracks in the series’ postseason with NASCAR’s longest oval of Talladega Superspeedway and the 2.28-mile, 17-turn Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course making up the Round of 12.

With the playoff standings reset, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron regained the top position in the standings with a 25-point cushion over the cutline. The 25-year-old Charlotte native heads to Texas Motor Speedway with added confidence – earning a win and three top-three finishes on 1.5-mile tracks this season. Byron’s teammate Kyle Larson sits fourth in the standings and 12-points above the cutline. Larson’s one win at Texas Motor Speedway came in 2021 – a victory that earned his spot into the Championship Four race that led to his first career title. Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch also enters the next round above the cutline in the sixth position. Despite a disappointing opening round, the Las Vegas native knows how to navigate his way around Texas Motor Speedway – leading the series’ active drivers with four wins at the track. While on the outside looking in, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain is currently only three-points outside of the playoff picture.

·       Larson Proves to be Championship Contender in Opening Round

Larson’s pursuit in becoming a repeat champion in NASCAR’s premier series started early in the postseason stretch – earning the first ticket into the Round of 12 with a win in the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. The 31-year-old California native followed up the win with a championship-caliber performance in the next two races – finishing no lower than fourth and earning an average finish of 2.33 in the first three postseason races. With his runner-up finish at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend, the Team Chevy driver has recorded a series-leading 13 top-five finishes in 29 points-paying races – a percentage of 44.8%.

A look at Team Chevy’s playoff contenders heading into the first race of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 at Texas Motor Speedway:

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 1st in Playoff Standings; 25-points above the cutline

Victories: 5 (series-leading)

Top-Fives: 10

Top-10s: 15

Laps Led: 877 (series-leading)

Average Finish: 12.5

Stage Wins: 8 (series-leading)

At Texas Motor Speedway:

Top-Fives: 1

Top-10s: 4

Average Finish: 13.5

Of Note:

·       The 2023 season marks Byron’s fifth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.

·       Bryon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs came in 2022, finishing the season sixth in the final points standings.

·       Among Byron’s nine career wins in NASCAR’s premier series, five have come at tracks in the playoffs, including each of the final four races.

·       While he was eliminated in the Round of Eight last season, it’s projected to be his strongest trio of tracks in the post-season – having found victory lane at all three venues (Las Vegas Motor Speedway – March 2023; Homestead-Miami Speedway – Feb. 2021; Martinsville Speedway – April 2022).

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 4th in Playoff Standings; 12-points above the cutline

Victories: 3

Top-Fives: 13 (series-leading)

Top-10s: 15

Laps Led: 798

Average Finish: 14.6

Stage Wins: 4

At Texas Motor Speedway:

Wins: 1

Top-Fives: 4

Top-10s: 6

Average Finish: 17.8

Of Note:

·       The 2023 season marks Larson’s seventh appearance in the NCS playoffs.

·       Larson has one NCS Regular Season Championship and one NCS Driver Championship title to his name – both coming in 2021.

·       The 31-year-old California native has made it to the Championship Four once – the season that delivered the Team Chevy driver his first championship title in NASCAR’s top series (2021). In his other playoff appearances, Larson reached the Round of Eight (2019), Round of 12 (2017, 2018 and 2022) and Round of 16 (2016).

·       During the playoff era (2004-present), the 2021 season saw Larson earn a series-leading five post-season victories – tying the record set by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart in 2011.

·       Larson has found victory lane in two of the three tracks in the Round of 12 – both coming in his title-winning season (Texas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course).

·       In the first three races of the 2023 NCS playoffs, Larson finished no worse than fourth – earning an average finish of 2.33.

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 6th in Playoff Standings; eight-points above the cutline

Victories: 3

Top-Fives: 8

Top-10s: 15

Laps Led: 233

Average Finish: 14.0

Stage Wins: 2

At Texas Motor Speedway:

Wins: 4 (series-leading)

Top-Fives: 14

Top-10s: 18

Poles: 1

Average Finish: 11.656

Of Note:

·       In his debut season with Richard Childress Racing and his return to the Bowtie brigade, 2023 marks Busch’s 16th appearance in the NCS playoffs.

·       Busch is one of only two active drivers with multiple championships to his name – taking the title in 2015 and 2019.

·       In Busch’s 63 career wins in NASCAR’s top series, eight of those triumphs have come in the post-season.

·       The 38-year-old Nevada native has made it to the Championship Four on five different occasions – most recently in 2019 en route to his second title.

·       Busch is the series’ most recent winner at one track in the Round of 12, with one of his three wins on the season coming at Talladega Superspeedway in April.

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 9th in Playoff Standings; three-points below the cutline

Victories: 1

Top-Fives: 7

Top-10s: 10

Laps Led: 482

Average Finish: 15.2

Stage Wins: 5

At Texas Motor Speedway:

Average Finish: 225.167

Of Note:

·       The 2023 season marks Chastain’s second appearance in the NCS playoffs.

·       Chastain’s first time competing in the NCS playoffs came in 2022 – going on to advance to the Championship Four and ultimately leading Team Chevy with a runner-up finish in the final points standings.

·       Chastain found his way to victory lane in one track in the Round of 12 – scoring his second win of the 2022 season in the series’ spring appearance at Talladega Superspeedway.

TO THE TOP

One year ago, Richard Childress Racing and Tyler Reddick took Chevrolet to its 16th NASCAR Cup Series win at Texas Motor Speedway – making the Bowtie brand the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR’s top series at the track. Hendrick Motorsports contributed to 10 of those victories, including Chevrolet’s first NCS win at the 1.5-mile oval with Terry Labonte (1999). Seven-time NCS champion Jimmie Johnson is attributed with seven NCS victories at Texas Motor Speedway – a series-leading record that still stands today. 

ALLGAIER CLAIMS FIRST TICKET TO NXS ROUND OF EIGHT

For the second consecutive year, a Team Chevy driver has taken the victory in the opening race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs. Most recently, it was JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier that was able to accomplish the feat – leading a race-high 110 laps en route to the victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. The win – his third on the season – also delivered the Team Chevy driver the series’ first guaranteed ticket into the Round of Eight. The 37-year-old Illinois native is no stranger to the series’ postseason competition – holding the record as the only driver in series’ history to appear in all eight NXS playoffs since its inception to the series in 2016. Allgaier has made his way to the Championship Four a series-leading five times, most recently last season. 

·       Where Team Chevy’s NXS playoff contenders stand with two-to-go:

The NXS playoff opener brought mixed results for Team Chevy’s playoff contenders. Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric and Chandler Smith also collected a top-five finish at Bristol Motor Speedway – earning both drivers a spot above the cutline with a double-digit advantage over the cutline. Austin Hill’s race ended early after an incident in the final stage that resulted in a 33rd place finish, but a cushion of playoff points still kept the regular season champion above the cutline in the fourth position. With an 11th place finish, Richard Childress Racing’s Sheldon Creed sits in the eighth position to give the manufacturer five drivers above the cutline heading into race two of the Round of 12 at Texas Motor Speedway.

ECKES LEADS CHEVROLET IN NCTS ROUND OF EIGHT OPENER

Coming off a win at Kansas Speedway one week prior, Team Chevy’s Christian Eckes was trending towards a repeat trip to victory lane at Bristol Motor Speedway. But while navigating through lap traffic in the race’s closing laps, Eckes lost the lead with only five laps remaining – ultimately taking the checkered flag in the runner-up position. Despite the disappointment of coming just short of a guaranteed spot into the Championship Four, the 22-year-old New York native had a strong points day in the opening race of the Round of Eight – sweeping both stages and leading a race-high 150 laps en route to his fourth-straight podium finish in the series’ postseason.

Eckes led a trio of Team Chevy’s NCTS playoff contenders to top-five finishes with GMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger and Niece Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar in the third and fourth-positions, respectively. Strong finishes at the Tennessee half-mile put all three drivers above the playoff cutline with Eckes in second (+29 points), Hocevar in third (+18) and Enfinger in fourth (+14). Nick Sanchez drove his No. 2 Rev Racing Silverado RST to a ninth-place finish, with the series’ rookie now sitting seventh and 22-points below the cutline in the playoff standings.

The NCTS will return to competition at Talladega Superspeedway on September 30, with the Love’s RV Stop 250 marking the second race in the series’ Round of Eight.

 BOWTIE BULLETS:

·       Chevrolet will pace the field in the doubleheader race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. The Camaro SS 1LE will lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Saturday’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 and the Camaro ZL1 will lead the NASCAR Cup Series in Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400.

·       Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway:

Kyle Busch – 4 wins (2020, 2018, 2016, 2013)

Kyle Larson – 1 win (2021)

Austin Dillon – 1 win (2020)

·       Chevrolet has recorded a manufacturer-leading 16 NASCAR Cup Series wins at Texas Motor Speedway, two of which have come in the series’ past two appearances at the track (Tyler Reddick – 2022; Kyle Larson – 2021).

·       Since the debut of the 16-driver playoff field and elimination rounds to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014, at least five Chevrolet drivers were represented in the playoffs each season.

·       In 29 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (14), top-fives (62), top-10s (123), stage wins (20) and laps led (2,798).

·       Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with 14 victories in 29 NASCAR Cup Series races, 14 victories in 27 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and 12 wins in 20 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races.

·       With Kyle Larson’s win in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener at Darlington Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports now sits at 299 all-time victories in NASCAR’s premier series – all recorded with Chevrolet.

·       Chevrolet’s series-leading 14 NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing).

·       Chevrolet drivers have recorded 20 of the 58 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (eight; series-leading), Ross Chastain (five), Kyle Larson (four), Kyle Busch (two) and Chase Elliott (one).

·       Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 62 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 78 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 67 points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

·       Chevrolet has swept the Manufacturer Championships across all three NASCAR national series in a single season four different times (2012, 2005, 1998, 1996).

 ·       With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 847 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history. 

 FOR THE FANS:

·       Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Texas Motor Speedway.

·       Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles at the Team Chevy Racing Display including: Camaro 1LZ 1SE, Bolt EUV 2LZ, 2024 Equinox 1LZ, Silverado 1500 Crew High Country 3LZ, 2024 Silverado 2500 3LZ, Suburban High Country, Corvette 3LT, Colorado ZR2.

·       Fans can also view Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Camaro ZL1 show car. 

Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:

Saturday, September 23

·       Daniel Hemric: 11:45 a.m.

·       Sam Mayer: 12 p.m.

·       Jeremy Clements: 12:15 p.m.

Sunday, September 24

·       Erik Jones: 10 a.m.

·       AJ Allmendinger: 11:15 a.m.

·       Daniel Suarez: 11:30 a.m.

Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:

·       Saturday, September 23: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

·       Sunday, September 24: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

TUNE IN:

NASCAR Cup Series: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400

Sunday, September 24, at 3:30 p.m. ET

(USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: Andy’s Frozen Custard 300

Saturday, September 23, at 3:30 p.m. ET

(USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1

How do you approach Texas with it being the first race in Round 2 of the Playoffs?

“It’s preservation at Texas. Don’t do anything to take ourselves out. Since the repave at Texas I’ve struggled at places like that. Super high grip tracks where you have all of this grip until you overstep. I’m pretty good at overstepping and catching it but at Texas it’s so tough to catch. So I just need to stay under my limit as to what I perceive is 100 percent effort.”

Where do you rank Round 2 of the Playoffs to the other rounds?

“Last year, I felt like Round 2 was our toughest round because of all of the different types of tracks and then we had an issue at the Charlotte Roval. Key to all of this is to not take ourselves out.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1

Larson on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

“Looking ahead to Talladega (Super Speedway) it’s a little crazy and there is typically a lot of crashes. So, you put a lot of pressure on this race this weekend, or at least I do, to do a good job. I like Texas (Motor Speedway). Our HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy team won there a couple years ago (2021). So, we hope to do that again and have another good day.”

CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1

Daniels on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

“Going into Texas (Motor Speedway) this weekend, we have some strong runs behind us from the last couple of weeks which is good to have that little bit of wind in our sail and momentum behind us. We’ve had this layout of the Texas (Motor Speedway) race track since 2017 and it is such a tough place for an intermediate (track). The two ends are so different with not a lot of banking and a tight radius in (turns) one and two and then a lot of banking and a bigger radius in (turns) three and four. So, it’s a tough place. Our mindset is to get a good solid car on the track and execute a good race to make sure we are there at the end.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL1

Last year the No. 8 team at Richard Childress Racing was eliminated from the Playoffs but rallied back to win one week later at Texas Motor Speedway. How impressive was that accomplishment?

“I thought it was pretty cool how the 8 team was able to rally, rebound, have a really fast car and be able to win that race. It’d be cool if you’re eliminated and you win you could put yourself back in, but the rules are the rules. I’d say last year’s elimination in the first round for myself and my old team as well as the 8 car getting eliminated in the first round was quite disappointing. It’s a tough situation but then you got to move on and go into the next week. But just being able to score a win late in the year is always important because it lends itself to a strong finish to the season.”

You have raced on a couple of different designs of the track at Texas. Do you like this configuration? How different is it from when you first started?

“Texas went through a reconfiguration and a repave a few years ago. I would say this configuration is definitely the most challenging from a driver’s perspective and from a crew chief’s perspective on how to get both ends of the racetrack to feel similar or to feel good, so that makes it tough on all of us. When I first started, Texas had a lot of grip and was really fast and then right before the repave there it was kind of worn out and you’d slide around a little bit more. You could move around the racetrack, though, which was really cool. You could run low, you run middle, you could run high, and it was pretty fun how the place spread out. Now it seems like there’s one particular groove that you want to run in Turns 1 and 2 and one particular groove that you want to run in 3 and 4, so it’s really tough to make speed and make passes. The mile-and-a-half package has been really good this year and I’m excited about getting to Texas.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1

“Texas is one of the more challenging mile and a half race tracks that we go to with both ends of the race track being completely different. I had a lot of fun in the All-Star race there last year. It’s a tough racetrack, probably one of the fastest we go to. I think we can go there and build off the speed we’ve had at mile and a half tracks this year. It’ll be a fun, hot, slick race and I am looking forward to the challenge.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 VSEVERYBODY.COM CAMARO ZL1

“Texas has been good to me in a few different series. I’ve been able to win a whole bunch of races there through trucks and Xfinity, but I’ve never closed one out in the Cup Series. We have been close a couple of times. It’s a unique place since the repave; it’s become challenging to race, and there is a bit more groove on the bottom. You have to have track position and be upfront. It does have some of the same old Texas tendencies that the track had before the repave, so you can look back at some of those notes, but overall, it’s a pretty unique place.”

 Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2022): 41

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

 Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2021): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)              

2023 STATISTICS:                                                                                                   

Wins: 14

Poles: 8

Laps Led: 2,798

Top-five finishes: 62

Top-10 finishes: 123

Stage wins: 20

·       Ross Chastain – 5 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2), (Dover), (Darlington)

·       William Byron – 8 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond), (Dover), (Charlotte), (Watkins Glen)

·       Kyle Larson – 4 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt), (Pocono), (Kansas)

·       Chase Elliott – 1 (Talladega)

·       Kyle Busch – 2 (WWTR), (Sonoma)

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 847 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 742

Laps led to date: 248, 342

Top-five finishes to date: 4,283

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,835

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

         General Motors: 1,181

         Chevrolet: 847

         Pontiac: 154

         Oldsmobile: 115

         Buick: 65

         Ford: 826                                                          

         Ford: 726

         Mercury: 96

         Lincoln: 4

         Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

         Dodge: 217

         Plymouth: 191

         Chrysler: 59

         Toyota: 179

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 Ford Mustang for RFK Racing, met with the media on Wednesday as a part of a NASCAR-hosted Zoom meeting to discuss the Playoffs, the upcoming round at Texas Motor Speedway and more.

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang – YOU ARE HEADING BACK TO YOUR HOME STATE OF TEXAS AND TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, WHAT IS YOUR OUTLOOK FOR THIS WEEKEND? “Yeah, it has been a big change year over year and especially two years over to now. Certainly, it is impressive to see the progression and the change and the success that we have had which has been huge. I haven’t made it this far through a playoff round before so it has been a while since we have been able to participate in the playoffs. I am proud that we did a good job and pretty comfortably made it into the next round. We didn’t expect it to be very difficult for us. I felt like with where we are at right now, we have been really fast at a lot of really good race tracks for us. Kansas, the tire going down there at the end of that race certainly put us in a hole that we didn’t expect to be in and made it a little more stressful for the beginning of Bristol. I think I talked to some of you that qualifying may not have been as good as we wanted but I knew we had a fast race car and were able to work our way up there pretty quick and stay up there in the top five. I am really happy with where we are at. Going back to Texas, we had a tire blowout there last year as well but I think we are mostly beyond that and as we head into a race track that historically hasn’t been my best but we were very fast there last year and I am excited to head back to it. We have been able to get significantly better there. The All-Star race we were a whole lot better than we have been in the past. I feel like we are on the right track here and obviously, it is always a little more exciting to go back to a home track where we have thousands of laps on every other surface there as well as the big track. It is fun to return back and I am just looking for that win on the big track now.”

THE GENERAL MANAGER AND VICE PRESIDENT OF TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY WAS PRETTY OPEN WITH REGARDS TO THE RECONFIGURE AND CHANGES TO THE TRACK. AS A DRIVER, IS THERE ANYTHING, IN PARTICULAR, YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHANGED AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY MOVING FORWARD RELATIVE TO THE TRACK ITSELF? “Yeah, the reconfiguration in its current state is not very old but we have seen it time and time again where new asphalt takes a long time to make decent racing. It is very difficult to get it to age appropriately to where it is not a one-groove race track. Turn 1 and 2 is extremely wide when you are talking in terms of pure asphalt but there is no banking change up the hill so essentially you have four or five lanes of race track that are completely unusable. We are limited to two lanes around Texas Motor Speedway right now and this is only because of the introduction of the PJ-1. It has been a tough race track to get the racing back to where we want it. It is a very sensitive race track but that is not abnormal when we talk about mile-and-a-half tracks but we seem to have found something that has gotten it racier than what it has been in the past. I think of some of my favorite race tracks and I am always a proponent of progressive banking. If it is going to be as wide as it is, you have to have some incentive to try to use those outermost lanes. The amount of distance that you would add trying to go up there at Texas, there has to be a significant amount of banking to make that happen. I don’t know. I haven’t heard the comments and don’t know how small or drastic the changes are that were discussed but I certainly feel like there are things that would cost a ton of money to do to try to make it right. It isn’t my money sitting here, so I can have a bunch of opinions but I don’t have the answer. I have a few things that I feel like you could do to try and fix what we’ve got and there are always options to chop it down and rebuild it.”

YOUR WALK-UP MUSIC AT BRISTOL, ‘COUNTRY CLUBBIN’, WHY DO YOU LOVE THAT SONG SO MUCH? “I was just trying to be a little goofy with it and having a good time. I have been listening to a lot of Paul (Cauthen) lately and thought it would be fun to have a good time with the lyrics because they crack me up when I am riding around. I have been in my truck a lot lately so I figured it would be perfect for Bristol.”

YOU HAVEN’T BEEN IN THE ROUND OF 12 BEFORE BUT A LOT OF FOLKS AT ROUSH HAVE. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE THEY HAVE GIVEN YOU? “A lot of people have and I think the biggest piece of advice has been that it doesn’t get any easier. This is going to be a challenge throughout the whole thing. We have been very competitive and come a long way. I feel like we have some very good tracks ahead of us and I feel like at Texas we were very fast last year and Brad (Keselowski) got a pole there and did very well in the race. Talladega obviously we will be fast. Then the Roval has been very good to us as well. I look at this round, and know we have good tracks, it is just a matter of putting together good races and staying after what we have been up to. It is going to be very challenging. The first round, I won’t say we thought it would be easy but certainly didn’t feel like it was going to be a real challenge for us. Then Kansas really threw a curve ball at us and got us way less comfortable than we wanted to be heading into Bristol. Anything like that can happen, and we know that, but I think that is what the advice has been. Just know that you are going to stay after it and no part of this is going to get any easier along the way.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHERE YOU GUYS ARE AT WITH QUALIFYING AND IS THERE TIME FOR IT TO GET BETTER? “That is a fair question. I am not the strongest qualifier. It has never been my biggest quality. I have a lot to figure out there. I have certainly been trying to study it a lot more to try to get it better. I think that we have been a little better this year, off and on, maybe not consistently better, but we have had some things last year that probably led to a little better fire-off speed but hurt us in long run in the races. We have figured out how to get much better for the duration of the race. Maybe some of that has come at the expense of a little bit of fire-off speed. In the grand scheme of things we have elevated our program but to try to fire off for that one or two laps has been tough still. We are trying to study it. I don’t have the answer. I know from a personal side of things it is probably one of my weaker spots so I am trying to figure out how to be stronger in that regard. Stage points can certainly add up quick and it is hard to do anything within certain scenarios. There have been some times this year where our group has certainly had a bad qualifying effort and left us very upset at the end of it, but there have also been days where it has helped us and we aren’t mad about it when it helps. You have to take them both and just understand it is a part of it. You have to study hard on it and figure out what it is. I have a computer sitting right here next to me and I was just watching qualifying videos before we dialed in here. So we are into it trying to find those little bits.”

HOW BIG OF AN ISSUE IS THIS COMPARED TO OTHER THINGS YOU ARE FOCUSED ON OR STUDYING FOR THIS ROUND? “It is pretty high up there as a priority to try to figure out how to get our qualifying better because it opens up opportunities for our group on top of the box. It opens up clean air and at a place like Texas, that is a big conversation. Even Bristol, the first stage we really thought we would be able to drive forward, and through whatever reasons it was a complete bottom-feeder race track for an entire stage and we couldn’t make any headway. I felt like we gave away a few that we were pretty positive we would be able to get to the top 10 had it been the same conditions as last year. So, it is pretty high up there because we realize it can affect a lot of our day.”

ANY FAMILY OR FRIENDS STILL LEFT IN PROSPER (TX) AND ARE YOU EXPECTING ANY AT THE TRACK THIS WEEKEND? “Not a whole lot, not from Prosper anyway. My younger sister is still in Texas, so she is coming out and I have a handful of friends that are actually closer to the race track that are going to come hang out with us for the weekend. Yeah, it always gets a little busier when we go to Texas and I get to catch up a little bit and hang out for the Xfinity race and get together to watch it. We don’t have much downtime on weekends but we will get to hang out with some friends that are camping there as well. I have some options. The weekend goes quick and I have to stay focused on our job at hand too, on Sunday, and kicking off this round in a good way.”

YOU HAVE HAD GOOD FINISHES AT THE ROVAL THE LAST FEW YEARS, DESPITE STARTING OUTSIDE THE TOP 15. WHAT IS THE KEY TO NAVIGATING THAT RACE DESPITE NOT AN IDEAL STARTING SPOT? “The Roval is tricky. There are a lot of areas to get yourself in trouble. There is very little run-off. It is a very unique road course when we talk about how you go about setting up for it. We can be very good in certain areas that can be good passing zones but can give up some overall lap time in order to do that. I feel like we have studied it enough to be confident that the tradeoff is worth it and we should be able to defend the areas that may not be the best passing zones but may cost some speed at the expense of being able to roll forward and not get stuck wherever we are at in the running order. That is the gist of it, basically. We try to set it up for the right areas to make passes and understanding that the raw speed, you can give up a little bit.”

THE ROUND OF 12 HAS A SUPERSPEEDWAY AND THE ROVAL COMING UP. IS THIS GOING TO BE THE MOST UNPREDICTABLE OR MOST STRESSFUL ROUND IN THE PLAYOFFS? “I don’t think so. The way I see it, the superspeedway races always have a certain amount of unpredictability but where I am at is I know RFK will be bringing fast Fords to that race. I know we will be in contention to win it, assuming we can survive the chaos. But I think we have seen that same chaos at a lot of different tracks throughout the year. Bristol last year was a train wreck when you talk about cars falling out and having issues. I promise you after losing out on a bunch of points at Kansas, it was on my mind going into Bristol, knowing we would be fast but that there was an array of issues that popped up last year and took really good cars and ruined their days and their playoffs. I don’t know that any of these races coming up have me any more stressed out than the Bristol race had me going into it. If we can go to Texas and have a good day and have a rough Talladega, then yeah, the Roval will be more stressful. I don’t get too caught up in worrying about it. Martinsville can be very rough. Even Texas last year had a lot of issues too. I don’t know that there is any one round that looks worse over another. I am excited for this round because I know we will be fast at all these race tracks and if we can control that part of it and take care of ourselves then it shouldn’t be that stressful on us.”

CAN THIS BE AN OPPORTUNITY ROUND FOR THE 17 TEAM THEN CONSIDERING HOW WELL YOU RUN AT SUPERSPEEDWAYS AND ROAD COURSES? “Yeah, I think that is just it. I think that is what is going to make it maybe a little less stressful for us than some others. That can change in a heartbeat with one bad day before we get to the Roval but as of right now, I am very excited for this round. I feel like all of the race tracks we are going to, out of all the race tracks in the playoffs, Darlington was the one that I felt like we needed the most improvement at and felt like that one was going to be tough and we would have to work really hard to just survive that one. We went there and ran third on the day. I am proud of what everyone has done to get us to this point and proud to say we will look at the race tracks coming up as opportunities at each and every one of them. I don’t have one coming up that has me stressed out or down about it or thinking we just have to get through it and get to the next one.”

ARE THE 1.5-MILE TRACKS MAYBE YOUR LAST HURDLE TO BEING COMPETITIVE AT EVERY TRACK, SINCE YOUR BEST FINISH ON ONE THIS YEAR HAS BEEN EIGHTH? “You know, if it weren’t for Michigan I would say that there is maybe a little more merit to it but obviously it is bigger yet but a lot of what we do at Michigan does carry over into our mile-and-a-halves. I think internally we can point to some things through the year at the 1.5-mile tracks that can make us better. I think that in one way, we certainly have gotten better after the first couple of months of the season where we had been to a few and maybe didn’t have our strongest showings but we haven’t had many to lean into, and compare where we have come this season. Kansas would have been the one. Granted, that was not as competitive as we wanted to be there but certainly felt like we had some glimpses of good things there and have some ideas that we certainly want to try going back. Yeah, it is the one that we haven’t been able to run as good at and get that result, but I think on our side we have some good understanding of why that is or some situation that may have happened along the way that leads the stats to say that. Again, Texas we were running third when we blew a tire there and had just run our fastest lap of the race and we were in a really good spot last year. It is a track that I look at as a good opportunity for us to go have a good day still. Putting aside that we haven’t been as strong at the mile-and-a-halfs but we haven’t had many the last couple of months.”

HOW MANY HOURS ON THE SIMULATOR THIS WEEK? “We had a luncheon so it cut an hour out, but we have done three hours this week.”

WHAT: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 – opening Round of 12 race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

WHERE: Texas Motor Speedway – a 1.5-mile oval in Fort Worth, Texas.

WHEN: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. CT.

TV AND RADIO: TV: USA Network | Radio: PRN, SiriusXM (Ch. 90), 95.9 The Ranch (local).

RACE LENGTH: 267 laps | 400.5 miles.

RACE STAGE LENGTHS: 1-80 | 81-160 | 161-267.

ROUND OF 12 PLAYOFF DRIVERS & STANDINGS: 1) William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, 3,036 points; 2) Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, 3,036; 3) Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, 3,032; 4) Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, 3,023; 5) Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, 3,021; 6) Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, 3,019; 7) Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, 3,016; 8) Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, 3,014; 9) Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, 3,011; 10) Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, 3,011; 11) Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, 3,008; 12) Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, 3,000.

ROUND OF 12 SCHEDULE (3 RACES): Texas Motor Speedway, Sunday; Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, Oct. 1; Charlotte ROVAL®, Sunday, Oct. 8.

ENTRY LIST: Click here for the full Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 entry list.

DEFENDING RACE WINNER: Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing.

DEFENDING POLE WINNER: Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.

2022 TOP-FIVE FINISHERS: 1. Tyler Reddick, Richard Childress Racing; 2. Joey Logano, Team Penske; 3. Justin Haley, Kaulig Racing; 4. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske; 5. Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing.

NOTEWORTHY:

·      Texas Motor Speedway will be hosting the Round of 12 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff opener for the second consecutive season. Texas Motor Speedway has hosted the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs since 2005. The inaugural Playoff race was won by Carl Edwards, his first of four career wins at Texas.

·      Playoff drivers swept all three races in the opening Round of 16 with Kyle Larson winning Darlington, Tyler Reddick at Kansas and Denny Hamlin at Bristol.

·      Seven organizations are represented among the remaining 12 playoff contenders. Joe Gibbs Racing leads the way with three entries while Hendrick Motorsports, 23XI Racing and RFK Racing have two each. Rounding out the group are Richard Childress Racing, Trackhouse Racing and Team Penske.

·      Kevin Harvick won the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 three consecutive times from 2017-19. Jimmie Johnson won this NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race a track-record four times in a row from 2012-15. Johnson holds the TMS record for most Cup victories with seven.

·      Johnson holds the track mark for career top-five finishes with 16. Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth are tied for second with 14. Harvick is next with 13 and Joey Logano with 12. Harvick owns the track record for top-10 finishes with 24.

·      The polesitter has won a Cup race at Texas just five times in 42 races. The most recent, however, came in 2021 when Larson went wire to wire.

·      Last season’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 had a track-record 36 lead changes for a Cup Series race. Texas Motor Speedway has recorded 23 or more lead changes in five of the last six Cup races.

·      The drivers with the best average starting position at Texas Motor Speedway with a minimum of four starts are Ryan Blaney (9.0, 14 starts), Logano (11.6, 27 races),  Hamlin (12.8, 32 starts), Chase Elliott (13.3, 12 starts) and William Byron (13.3, 8 starts).

·      The drivers with the best average finishing position (min. four starts) are Reddick (6.8, 4 starts), Erik Jones (10.1, 11 starts), Harvick (10.5, 38 starts), Ky. Busch (11.7, 32 starts) and Elliott (13.3, 12 starts).

·      Eight of the 12 playoff drivers have an average finishing position of 16.1 or better. The four who do not are Larson (17.8, 15 starts), Chris Buescher (23.3, 13 starts), Bubba Wallace (23.6, 8 starts) and Ross Chastain (25.2, 6 starts). Larson, however, does have a win to go along with four top-five finishes and six among the top 10.

·      Four playoff drivers have previously won at Texas Motor Speedway, and they have combined for nine Cup victories overall. Busch paces the group with four wins while Hamlin has three and Larson and Reddick one each.

·      Harvick will look to extend his track record for career Cup starts at Texas Motor Speedway to 39 in Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. His first start came in 2001, when he finished seventh.

·      Busch needs to lead 84 laps in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 to surpass Johnson as the career Cup laps leader at Texas. Johnson owns the mark with 1,152 laps led while Busch has 1,069.

·      Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski are the only drivers who rank among the top 10 in career laps led at Texas without a victory. Truex Jr., ninth with 689 laps led, has three runner-up finishes (2013 spring race, 2017 and ’20 fall races) in 33 career starts. Keselowski, 10^th with 685 laps led, has a pair of runner-up efforts (2012, ’15 fall races) in 27 career starts. Last season, he won the pole and led 31 laps en route to an eighth-place finish. Keselowski has finished ninth or better in his last four starts at TMS.

·      Blaney has finished eighth or better in eight of his last nine points races at Texas, including the last five in a row. He finished fourth last season.

·      Jones has posted seven top-10 finishes in 11 career Cup starts at Texas, including sixth last year. He has finished a best of fourth on three occasions.

·      Since Harvick finished 42^nd in the 2014 spring race at TMS, he has recorded top-10 finishes in 13 of his last 15 points-paying starts at the venue. The run includes three wins and 10 top-five finishes overall.

·      Chevrolet has won three of the last four Cup races at Texas with Austin Dillon (2020-spring), Larson (2021) and Reddick (2022). Busch interrupted the run with a win in this race in 2020.

·      Zane Smith, the 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion and a current series playoff contender, is scheduled to drive the No. 38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. It will be his seventh Cup start this season and eighth of his career. His best finish of 10^th came in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

·      NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoff contender Carson Hocevar, who has competed in the last three Cup Series races for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, is scheduled to drive the organization’s No. 42 Chevrolet in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. He is coming off an 11^th-place finish at Bristol.

TMS CAREER LEADERS

WINS:

·      Jimmie Johnson – 7

·      Carl Edwards – 4

·      Kyle Busch – 4

·      Denny Hamlin – 3

·      Kevin Harvick – 3

·      Greg Biffle – 2

·      Jeff Burton – 2

·      Tony Stewart – 2

·      Matt Kenseth – 2

POLES:

·      Kurt Busch – 3

·      Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2

·      Carl Edwards – 2

·      Jeff Gordon – 2

·      Kevin Harvick – 2

·      Jimmie Johnson – 2

·      Brad Keselowski – 2

·      Bobby Labonte – 2

·      Tony Stewart – 2

·      Martin Truex Jr. – 2

·      Ryan Newman – 2

LAP LED:

·      Jimmie Johnson – 1,152

·      Kyle Busch – 1,069

·      Matt Kenseth – 883

·      Tony Stewart – 801

·      Gregg Biffle – 733

·      Carl Edwards – 691

·      Jeff Gordon – 691

·      Kevin Harvick – 691

·      Martin Truex Jr. – 689

·      Brad Keselowski – 685

Bold-Denotes Cup Series Round of 12 Playoff driver.

The NASCAR Playoffs weekend will be highlighted by the NASCAR Xfinity Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT on USA Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90, and PRN), and the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 on Sunday (2:30 p.m. CT on USA Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90, PRN, and 95.9 The Ranch-local). Country Music stars LOCASH will perform Sunday’s pre-race concert at 12:30 p.m. CT on the Machinery Auctioneers Pre-Race Stage located at the start/finish line.

Texas Motor Speedway’s always-busy events schedule is well under way. Upcoming events in 2023 include: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 NASCAR Playoffs weekend (Sept. 23-24), Goodguys’ Summit Racing Lone Star Nationals (Sept. 29-Oct. 1), Speedway Children’s Charities Smoke Show (Oct. 11) and Gordy’s Hwy 30 Music Fest (Oct. 19-22). The year wraps up with the family-favorite and speedway tradition Gift of Lights holiday light show.

###

ABOUT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Texas Motor Speedway is among the largest sports stadiums in the United States and features an array of amenities such as one of the world’s largest TV’s that make it one of the premier venues in the world of sports. The 1.5-mile superspeedway located in Fort Worth hosts all three NASCAR national series as well as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES among its various races and specialty events throughout the year. Texas Motor Speedway is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, LLC, a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit texasmotorspeedway.com.

TICKETS:

For ticket information for the September 23-24 NASCAR Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 weekend, please visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

MORE INFO:

Keep track of all of Texas Motor Speedway’s busy schedule by following on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Keep up with all the latest news and information on the speedway website and TMS mobile app.