AAA Texas 500 2012: Start Time, Lineup, TV Schedule and More

The AAA Texas 500 race on Sunday is the eight race of the 2012 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup and the first in which Jimmie Johnson has led the standings.

With only two more races to go, the results at Texas Motor Speedway just may determine who ends up being this year’s champion.

The last time we found ourselves at Texas was back in April for the Samsung Mobile 500. Points leader Johnson was the runner-up to Greg Biffle who walked away as the winner.

Current second-place points driver Brad Keselowski is seeking his first Sprint Cup championship but will have to perform remarkably better than his showing at Texas back in April in order to stand a chance down the stretch at regaining his lead.

Where: Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas

When: Sunday, Nov. 4, 2 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: TrackPass

Listen: Motor Racing Network

Starting Order:

Pos.	Car	Driver
1	48	Jimmie Johnson
2	16	Greg Biffle
3	18	Kyle Busch
4	15	Clint Bowyer
5	56	Martin Truex Jr.
6	20	Joey Logano
7	21	Trevor Bayne
8	2	Brad Keselowski
9	99	Carl Edwards
10	17	Matt Kenseth
11	55	Mark Martin
12	11	Denny Hamlin
13	5	Kasey Kahne
14	43	Aric Almirola
15	9	Marcos Ambrose
16	24	Jeff Gordon
17	22	Sam Hornish Jr.
18	78	Kurt Busch
19	68	Dale Earnhardt Jr.
20	13	Casey Mears

For the full starting order please visit NASCAR.com.

Full TV Schedule

AAA Texas 500 Practice, Nov. 3, 3 p.m. ET, SPEED

AAA Texas 500 Final Practice, Nov. 3, 5:30 p.m. ET, SPEED

AAA Texas 500 Race, Nov. 4, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN

Drivers to Watch  

Brad Keselowski

As mentioned, Keselowski has fallen two points behind Jimmie Johnson after Johnson’s win last week at Martinsville. He didn’t race badly but didn’t do quite enough to maintain his points lead.

In his last race at Texas, Keselowski finished a miserable 36th out of 43 drivers. In fact, he’s never even placed within the Top 10 at the track. He’ll be pulling out all the stops, though, to help keep himself in contention for the final two races. He likely won’t win but expect a better showing than his last performance.

Jimmie Johnson

Johnson is coming off of a big win at Martinsville and has surpassed Brad Keselowski as the points leader heading into Sunday’s AAA Texas 500.

His second-place finish at Texas and his great career at the track (and all 1.5 mile tracks) are big things in Johnson's favor this weekend.

Clint Bowyer

Bowyer is still in contention but needs to do whatever it takes to start getting some wins down the stretch. This pivotal race would be a great time to do that.

He’s been the epitome of consistency in this season’s chase and has found himself in a favorable third position with three races to go. He trails leader Jimmie Johnson by just 26 points.

Predicted Winner: Jimmie Johnson

It’s hard to predict a back-to-back win for anyone in a NASCAR race, especially one with the magnitude of this weekend’s race. However, Johnson finished second at Texas back in April and is surging at the right time.

He’s won five Sprint Cups in the past six years and is looking primed to win another one this year. He also sits atop the pole after Friday afternoon’s qualifying round.