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Five to Watch: Story lines for Texas playoff race
By Jeff Wackerlin | Sunday, October 25, 2020
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Texas Motor Speedway is set to host the eighth race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with the running of Sunday's Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at 3:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Texas, which held a race in July, will mark the 11th and final race at a 1.5-mile track in 2020. Six of the playoff drivers in the Round of 8 have won at a 1.5-mile track this season with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin the only multiple winners. The other four drivers are Kevin Harvick (Atlanta), Brad Keselowski (Charlotte), Chase Elliott (Charlotte) and Kurt Busch (Las Vegas).
"We're going to gas it up hard at Texas," said Kurt Busch, who is eighth in the playoff standings (minus-73). "We ran really well there the last few races together as a unit at Chip Ganassi Racing. And what's great is we were in position ... in the summer months of July, when Austin Dillon won. Now we have to execute here in November to do the right things to win with cooler track temps."
"We're going to gas it up hard at Texas," said Kurt Busch, who is eighth in the playoff standings (minus-73). "We ran really well there the last few races together as a unit at Chip Ganassi Racing. And what's great is we were in position ... in the summer months of July, when Austin Dillon won. Now we have to execute here in November to do the right things to win with cooler track temps."
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TWO TO GO: With Joey Logano locked in by virtue of his win last weekend at Kansas, three spots remain in the Championship 4 with two races to go before the finale on Nov. 8 at Phoenix Raceway. Heading to Texas, Brad Keselowski is on the bubble, eight points ahead of Chase Elliott. Kevin Harvick (+41) and Denny Hamlin (+20) are the two other drivers currently in on points.
"I'd like to go there and score a lot of points," said Keselowski, who has a 7.1 average finish at 1.5-mile tracks this season. "We had a solid race in Kansas, just came up a few spots short and a great performance overall. If we can bring that kind of speed and so forth to Texas, we will be in great shape. Obviously, sitting on the cutoff line is not ideal because I could have a great race and still get knocked out because somebody else wins, so the best thing for us to do is to go win that thing."
"I'd like to go there and score a lot of points," said Keselowski, who has a 7.1 average finish at 1.5-mile tracks this season. "We had a solid race in Kansas, just came up a few spots short and a great performance overall. If we can bring that kind of speed and so forth to Texas, we will be in great shape. Obviously, sitting on the cutoff line is not ideal because I could have a great race and still get knocked out because somebody else wins, so the best thing for us to do is to go win that thing."
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HARVICK SEEKS FOUR SCORE: Kevin Harvick is looking for his fourth consecutive win in the playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway. If he can accomplish the feat, not only would it lock him into the Championship 4, but it also would give him his 10th victory of the season. Plus, it would tie Jimmie Johnson's mark of four straight Texas fall wins (2012-2015). Johnson was the last driver to record 10 wins in a season in 2007.
"I think as you look at really everything that's happened at Texas it's just been A-plus, and when you have that confidence in a race track and the guys have confidence in the setup and the car and the things that they change from year to year it's hard to beat confidence," Harvick said. "There's always things that can happen, but I truly believe that we'll go there and have a really fast car and be comfortable the week leading up to it that you made the right decisions because we've made a lot of really good decisions there in the past. It's just been a great place for us."
"I think as you look at really everything that's happened at Texas it's just been A-plus, and when you have that confidence in a race track and the guys have confidence in the setup and the car and the things that they change from year to year it's hard to beat confidence," Harvick said. "There's always things that can happen, but I truly believe that we'll go there and have a really fast car and be comfortable the week leading up to it that you made the right decisions because we've made a lot of really good decisions there in the past. It's just been a great place for us."
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THE 'NEW' TEXAS: There have been seven races held since Texas was repaved and changes were made to the banking in Turns 1-2. Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch are the only drivers who have finished in the top 10 in each. A number of non-playoff drivers have been good in the seven races, including Ryan Blaney. Blaney's four stage wins and 383 laps led rank second to Harvick. Erik Jones has finished in the top 10 in the last six races, and his teammate Kyle Busch, the 2018 spring winner, has finished in the top 10 in the last three. Aric Almirola has led 100 laps and posted top 10s in the last four races. In July, Austin Dillon became the fifth different winner in the seven-race span.
"Texas Motor Speedway just has so much grip now," Dillon said. "It's quite a bit different, and the banking has changed a lot from the old track to the new track. I really like Texas and am looking forward to getting there. Our cars have been strong on 1.5-mile tracks this year."
"Texas Motor Speedway just has so much grip now," Dillon said. "It's quite a bit different, and the banking has changed a lot from the old track to the new track. I really like Texas and am looking forward to getting there. Our cars have been strong on 1.5-mile tracks this year."
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TEXAS TURNAROUND: Chase Elliott admits Texas has not been one of his best tracks since the repave. Elliott has finished outside the top 10 in his last three starts at Texas, including a 32nd in this event last year. Denny Hamlin is another driver who has had a tough run lately at Texas. Although he won the 2019 spring race, Hamlin has posted finishes of 20th or worse in four of the last five races. Both Hamlin (179) and Elliott (121) are the only drivers to lead more than 100 laps in the two playoff races (Las Vegas and Kansas) that had the same right-side Goodyear tires that will be used again this weekend. The two drivers also scored a pair of stage wins in those events.
"I feel like it's one of our worst tracks as a team and Texas is a bad place to struggle because if you make it to the Round of 8 it's a track that seems like it's always right there at the tail end of the season," Elliott said. "It's an important track to have a good performance and that can propel you to a potential final four run. Those types of struggles at a track like that, where it falls in the playoffs is not ideal, so I hope we can get a little better out there."
"I feel like it's one of our worst tracks as a team and Texas is a bad place to struggle because if you make it to the Round of 8 it's a track that seems like it's always right there at the tail end of the season," Elliott said. "It's an important track to have a good performance and that can propel you to a potential final four run. Those types of struggles at a track like that, where it falls in the playoffs is not ideal, so I hope we can get a little better out there."
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UPDATE: Truex sent to rear
TRUEX JR. OPTIMISTIC: Martin Truex Jr.'s streak of winning at least one race at a 1.5-mile track every season since 2016 is on the line this weekend. Truex, who is 31 points below the cutline, saw his last win at a 1.5-mile track come in the 2019 playoff opener at Las Vegas. Truex is optimistic for Sunday's race after having a good run in July before getting swept up in a multi-car crash. Texas and Atlanta are the only two 1.5-mile tracks where Truex has yet to win.
"I feel good about it," Truex Jr. said. "We were really strong in the spring Texas race. I thought we had a shot at it, and we ended up getting crashed on a restart. I think James (Small, crew chief) feels good about it. Really the next two weeks, I feel good about. We are not in a great position points wise. We need to make something happen, but I'm definitely feeling like we have that opportunity to do it and the potential to do it."
TRUEX JR. OPTIMISTIC: Martin Truex Jr.'s streak of winning at least one race at a 1.5-mile track every season since 2016 is on the line this weekend. Truex, who is 31 points below the cutline, saw his last win at a 1.5-mile track come in the 2019 playoff opener at Las Vegas. Truex is optimistic for Sunday's race after having a good run in July before getting swept up in a multi-car crash. Texas and Atlanta are the only two 1.5-mile tracks where Truex has yet to win.
"I feel good about it," Truex Jr. said. "We were really strong in the spring Texas race. I thought we had a shot at it, and we ended up getting crashed on a restart. I think James (Small, crew chief) feels good about it. Really the next two weeks, I feel good about. We are not in a great position points wise. We need to make something happen, but I'm definitely feeling like we have that opportunity to do it and the potential to do it."
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