The first Saturday night race under the lights occurred this weekend, as the Sprint Cup Series invaded Texas Motor Speedway for the 20th Annual Duck Commander 500. Everything is bigger in Texas, and Saturday night's race was no exception.
The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota didn't have the best car on Sunday morning, but he showed why he's the best re-starter in the business when he took control of the lead with 32 laps to go and won the race.
With a fifth-place run at Saturday's Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott, and his No. 24 crew have proved that the 2016 Rookie of the Year competition is in their favor. Not only was it his first career top-five, it was also his fourth top-10 in seven races.
A missing lug nut cost Carl Edwards a chance at victory in the Lone Star State. After starting on the pole, the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led a good chunk of the front-half of the Duck Commander 500. After leading 124 laps and coming off a fast stop, he was in position for a duel to the finish with Martin Truex Jr.
A spin on the backstretch turned into a multi-car wreck in the closing stages of the Sprint Cup Series race in the Lone Star State. Exiting turn 2 with 47 laps to go in the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Austin Dillon was tapped from behind by Jimmie Johnson and sent sliding into the wall. After touching it with the right-rear corner, the driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet overcorrected and turned back into the outside wall.
Despite having the strongest car in the race, Martin Truex Jr. was not able to take his car to victory lane in the Lone Star State. The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota seemed poised to score his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, but two late race cautions and almost everyone behind him opting to pit led to him losing the lead with 32 laps to go and finishing sixth.
Kyle Busch continued his run of excellence in NASCAR with his win in the Lone Star State. The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota took the lead with 32 laps to go and drove on to score the victory in the Duck Commander 500.
Martin Truex Jr. topped the chart in the final Sprint Cup Series practice at Texas Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 28.068 and a speed of 192.390 mph.
Carl Edwards didn’t run a perfect lap in Friday's final round of knockout qualifying, but he had plenty of car to compensate. "I made a little mistake, and I thought that was going to cost us," said Edwards, who earned the top starting spot for Saturday night's Duck Commander 500.
Martin Truex Jr. topped the chart in the first Sprint Cup Series practice at Texas Motor Speedway Thursday evening. The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota was the fastest with a time of 27.995 and a speed of 192.892 mph.
