NASCAR at Texas 2015: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
With three races left in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, wrecks, suspensions and more take center stage as the series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for Sunday's AAA Texas 500.
It's been an odd Chase thus far, with big names like Jimmie Johnson eliminated despite having won this race the past three times.
Maybe the most important storyline around was Jeff Gordon getting his first win of the season last week, but it's been flooded out by the fact that NASCAR just slapped Matt Kenseth with a two-race ban for intentionally wrecking Joey Logano last weekend, according to ESPN.com's Bob Pockrass.
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So yes, this one's going to be quite entertaining as the non-Chase drivers tiptoe around those in contention and the final eight duel one another to make it to the final race. Here's a look at everything to know.
Viewing Details
Where: Texas Motor Speedway
When: Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m. ET
Watch: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Live Extra
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Sprint Cup Standings
| 1 | Jeff Gordon | 4047 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 4039 |
| 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 4039 |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | 4037 |
| 5 | Carl Edwards | 4030 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 4013 |
| 7 | Kurt Busch | 4011 |
| 8 | Joey Logano | 4009 |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 2251 |
| 10 | Ryan Newman | 2231 |
| 11 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2221 |
| 12 | Jamie McMurray | 2201 |
| 13 | Matt Kenseth | 2197 |
| 14 | Jimmie Johnson | 2193 |
| 15 | Paul Menard | 2177 |
| 16 | Clint Bowyer | 2124 |
NASCAR at Texas Entry List
| 1 | Jamie McMurray |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne |
| 7 | Alex Bowman |
| 9 | Sam Hornish Jr |
| 10 | Danica Patrick |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 13 | Casey Mears |
| 14 | Tony Stewart |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer |
| 16 | Greg Biffle |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr |
| 18 | Kyle Busch |
| 19 | Carl Edwards |
| 20 | Erik Jones |
| 21 | Ryan Blaney |
| 22 | Joey Logano |
| 23 | Jeb Burton |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon |
| 26 | J.J. Yeley |
| 27 | Paul Menard |
| 31 | Ryan Newman |
| 32 | Joey Gase |
| 33 | Brian Scott |
| 34 | Brett Moffitt |
| 35 | Cole Whitt |
| 38 | David Gilliland |
| 40 | Landon Cassill |
| 41 | Kurt Busch |
| 42 | Kyle Larson |
| 43 | Aric Almirola |
| 46 | Michael Annett |
| 47 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 51 | Justin Allgaier |
| 55 | David Ragan |
| 62 | Reed Sorenson |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr |
| 83 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr |
| 95 | Michael McDowell |
| 98 | Ryan Preece |
Drivers to Watch
Quietly, Kyle Busch is right where he wants to be.
He's faded from the minds of most, perhaps a breath of fresh air for the driver who dominated headlines by coming back from a medical exemption and broken leg to seize four checkered flags and a spot in the Chase.
Despite the lack of attention, Busch has been on absolute fire as of late, finishing fifth in two of his last three outings, the exception an 11th-place slot at Talladega—actually a good thing considering he started 16th.
For Busch, who sits tied for second place, the final three races represent a chance at something special. He described the situation to Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram: “That’s how I look at it. I feel like someday maybe down the road there may be a story written or a movie done about this year for me. I think the script is written, we’ve just got to follow it and win that championship.”
He's been quiet, but folks shouldn't sleep on Busch's chances of coming out and stealing an automatic bid. It's been a special season so far, and it doesn't sound like he is done just yet.
Kevin Harvick
Also quiet?
Kevin Harvick.
The man's sitting in fourth place in the standings and doesn't face a must-win situation this weekend thanks to a strong eighth-place showing at Martinsville last week after starting 12th.
More than anything, it sounds like Harvick enjoys sitting outside of the drama and doing his own thing, as Mobil 1 The Grid captured:
Harvick does well at Texas, with five top-five finishes, but it's one of the rare tracks he has yet to record a checkered flag at.
There's no better time than the present, right? An automatic berth to the final round sounds like a great way for Harvick to mark the track off on his checklist, so don't be shocked if he makes an epic run late this weekend.
Joey Logano
Just like that, it's now-or-never time for Logano.
Logano was NASCAR's most dominant driver in recent weeks, sweeping the three races of the last round with a trio of checkered flags. This past weekend, though, Kenseth spoiled his incredible form despite a pole start and leading 207 laps.
Despite sitting in last place and in a dire situation, it sounds like Logano and his crew will do nothing short of using everything as motivation, as Brant James of USA Today captured:
"Driver Joey Logano said he was "disgusted" by raucous fan reaction to being wrecked intentionally by Matt Kenseth while leading at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday but said his Team Penske crew is "more fired up than ever" and "more focused than ever" entering a likely must-win situation this week at Texas Motor Speedway.
"
Logano has one career win at Texas. Generally speaking, he's still on fire as the same driver who swept Round 2, putting on a strong performance last weekend before the wreck that got Kenseth suspended.
Now, he can't go out and have fun, though. He's in a rough spot with everything to lose, so look for perhaps the most aggressive Logano fans have seen in months at Texas.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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