SPEEDREADS SPEEDREADS
T E X A S M O T O R S P E E D WAY
aaa texas 500 advance nascar sprint cup series
1
November 2, 2016
lucky seven
Johnson's quest for seventh championship in high gear PAGE 2
history making
Johnson can join Petty as only drivers to win the same race five consecutive times PAGE 4
rounding into form Kenseth looking for top finish as Chase enters final races PAGE 5
splash 'n go
Is third time a charm for Truex Jr., Edwards needs a victory, race week blog, AAA Texas 500 entry list PAGE 6 Te x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | N o v e m b e r 2 , 2 0 1 6 | A A A Te x a s 5 0 0
2
SPEEDREADS
LUCKY SEVEN
JOHNSON'S QUEST FOR A SEVENTH TITLE IN HIGH GEAR
Te x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | N o v e m b e r 2 , 2 0 1 6 | A A A Te x a s 5 0 0
SPEEDREADS
3
him with one of the four coveted berths in the Championship 4 race in the Nov. 20 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It also put him in position for a shot at his seventh Sprint Cup crown, which would elevate him into a tie with NASCAR icons Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. “So we're fired up and ready to go,” Johnson said. “Very, very excited for the next couple weeks. Certainly ready to go to Homestead and race, race for this thing.” Will Jimmie Johnson add his name to the Wall of Champions for the fifth consecutive time at the AAA Texas 500?
At one point, an opportunity at winning a record-tying seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship seemed like a monumental task for Jimmie Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team. The team struggled through much of the summer with uncharacteristically poor finishes, including five of 32nd or worse in a 12-race stretch. Once a fixture in Victory Lane, Johnson’s team did not appear to be one of the favorites heading into the Chase with just one victory – Atlanta in the second race of the season – and no momentum. But Johnson has turned the tables since the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup kicked off Sept. 18 at Chicagoland Speedway. A pair of top-10 finishes in the Round of 16 helped him comfortably advance to the Round of 12, where the team ultimately returned to their traditional role of a championship contender. A win at Charlotte Motor Speedway snapped Johnson’s career-long, 24-race winless streak and in the process elevated him as a championship favorite. His win punched his ticket to the Round of 8, where he ultimately continued his newfound winning ways with a victory last week at Martinsville. That win provided
Should history serve as any indication, the momentum for Johnson will continue through Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (1 p.m. CT, TV: NBC, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Channel, 95.9 FM The Ranch locally). He has won the AAA Texas 500 four consecutive years and is looking tie the second-best run of consecutive wins of the same race in NASCAR history of five held by Petty. The NASCAR legend also holds the NASCAR record at six. Despite being locked into the Championship 4, don’t expect him to coast at a track he has dominated. “Just the big takeaway for us over these next two weeks could be momentum,” Johnson said. “If we can run up front or win again, I mean, that's just huge momentum for the team. That's the big thing we have that could work for us going to Homestead.”
DID YOU KNOW? The AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway is the highest-paying race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Te x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | N o v e m b e r 2 , 2 0 1 6 | A A A Te x a s 5 0 0
4
SPEEDREADS
DRIVE FOR FIVE
JOHNSON CAN MAKE IT FIVE STRAIGHT AT AAA TEXAS 500 year at Richmond International Raceway from 197074.
Johnson is currently one of seven drivers Fans of Texas Motor Speedway have gotten used to seeing Jimmie Johnson performing a burn-out following a win in the who have AAA Texas 500. recorded four Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup consecutive wins in the same Series champion Jimmie Johnson race a total of 10 times. Petty, Jeff has enjoyed one of the most domGordon and Darrell Waltrip each inant winning streaks of a single accomplished the feat twice while race in NASCAR history when it comes to Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 Dan Gurney, Rusty Wallace and Kyle Busch have done it once. at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnson won last season’s AAA Texas 500 for his fourth win in a row of that event dating to 2012, a feat that ranks tied for third in NASCAR history. A win on Sunday and he will join NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty as the only drivers in history to win the same race five or more consecutive times. Petty accomplished this twice in his career. He won a record six consecutive spring races at North Wilkesboro Speedway from 197075. He then won five consecutive times in the second race of the
utive AAA Texas 500 wins, he has started outside of the top three just once – eighth last year – and led a combined 620 laps. Those four wins make up a large portion of his speedway-record six overall Sprint Cup victories. “What’s tough is when you unload and you’re off at a place you’ve had success because you show up calm and relaxed,” Johnson said. “When you’re faced with some adversity, it’s easy to overreact, easy to kind of hit the panic button, especially with all the pressure that’s on the line. That’s something you have to manage. Anybody with a streak at a particular track, you’ve got to show up with realistic expectations but enough swagger knowing it’s a track that’s good for you, then go get it done.”
During that stretch of four consecCONSECUTIVE WINS IN SAME RACE IN NASCAR HISTORY Richard Petty Richard Petty Jimmie Johnson Dan Gurney Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Kyle Busch Richard Petty Richard Petty Rusty Wallace
6 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
North Wilkesboro Richmond Texas Riverside Bristol North Wilkesboro Bristol Darlington Richmond Nashville Martinsville Martinsville
1970-75 (1st) 1970-74 (2nd) 2012-15 (2nd) 1963-66 1981-84 (1st) 1981-84 (2nd) 1995-98 (1st) 1995-98 (1st) 2009-12 (1st) 1964-67 1967-70 (2nd) 1993-96 (1st)
Number after dates are which race it was at the track that year
Te x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | N o v e m b e r 2 , 2 0 1 6 | A A A Te x a s 5 0 0
SPEEDREADS
5
KENSETH IN A GOOD PLACE HEADING INTO AAA TEXAS 500 With Jimmie Johnson locking up one of the four Championship 4 berths, there are seven other Chase drivers eyeing a win in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway to join the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion for a title bout Nov. 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. One of those is Matt Kenseth, who is looking for his first championship in 13 years after winning the title in 2003. He is currently third in the Chase standings and will be looking to reverse a slight downward trend at a track where he is a two-time winner and has run well overall in his career. Kenseth has not finished in the top 10 at Texas in his last three races after doing so in six of his previous eight. "The results have been disappointing, but we've ran pretty well," Kenseth. “We've been in contention in a couple races. Neither of them worked out. We had fast enough cars, if all of the stars were aligned, maybe we'd have a couple more wins there. I think it all depends on how you want to look at it. I feel if you run well enough, over time the law of averages is going to work out, you're going to win some races, you're going to get some finishes. It's just tough to go through when you're not getting good finishes, but I'd much rather run the way we're running and perform the way we're performing.” In 27 career starts at the 1.5-mile oval, Kenseth boasts two wins; 13 top-five finishes, second only to Jimmie Johnson’s 14; 17 top 10s and an average finish of 9.5. Perhaps things are starting to turn around for the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran as he finished 11th in April’s Duck Commander 500 at Texas after not placing in the top-20 in his two previous races at the track. "Ironically, Texas is one of those places that when I was
Matt Kenseth is hoping to regain his past form at TMS to solidify his place in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship 4. at Roush (Fenway Racing) was probably my best track,” Kenseth said. "I felt like even years we didn't run well other places, we always finished well there, always ran well there. We were able to win twice, were in position to win a couple more times and got beat real late. Since I've been over (at Joe Gibbs Racing), it's been a struggle for some reason. We haven't run very well the last three years there, so I'm looking forward to going back and seeing if we can make it better." Kenseth does enter this weekend on a bit of a roll. He has finished among the top 10 in six of his last seven races, including a win at Kansas to move him into the Round of 8. Prior to the Chase, he had only two top-10 finishes in six starts. “We have the speed where we can go out and contend for wins and race up in the top five if everything goes right and we all do our jobs,” he said.
SPEEDWAY CHILDREN'S CHARITIES, WORLD VISION AND TOYOTA HELPING THE COMMUNITY Toyota Racing has partnered with World Vision and Speedway Children’s Charities in building Hygiene Kits for those in need due to recent catastrophic weather events. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities. World Vision’s efforts in NASCAR are part of a campaign to “Drive Hope Home!” The campaign benefits World Vision’s U.S. Programs to address the needs of the one in five children in the United States living in poverty. Recent hurricanes and floods have increased the need for Hygiene Kits. These kits provide essentials for those impacted by natural disasters and the homeless who find themselves without such supplies as shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste and razor. World Vision has already sent 1,860 Hygiene Kits to the east coast for those impacted by Hurricane Matthew. The Hygiene kits will be assembled at Texas Motor Speedway at Toyota PitPass on Friday at 8:45 a.m. and Saturday at 7 a.m. Te x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | N o v e m b e r 2 , 2 0 1 6 | A A A Te x a s 5 0 0
6
SPEEDREADS
SPLASH ’N GO
NOTES FROM TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TRUEX JR HOPING THIRD TIME'S A CHARM AT TMS The last two times Martin Truex Jr. competed at Texas Motor Speedway his Furniture Row Racing car was contending for the win. But in the late stages of each race, he watched his chance for a trip to Victory Lane slip away. Truex Jr. had the lead in last year’s AAA Texas 500 with 17 laps remaining before problems arose with his power steering and a loose right-front wheel. Those issues derailed his chances and he finished eighth. This past April in the Duck Commander 500, Truex Jr. had the dominant car. He led the most laps (141) and at times enjoyed an eight-second lead on the field. But pit-road strategy to forego fresh tires late in the race didn’t pay off and he ended up finishing sixth. Truex Jr., who has four wins, five poles and has led the most laps (1,743) this season, is hoping the third time will be the charm as he returns for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500. “We let a couple of races get away from us at Texas but feel that we can once again contend for the win,” he said. “We need to close the deal there. I love Texas Motor Speedway. The speed, the bumps, the slickness of the track and cars sliding all around. “The way we race, Texas is a good fit for our team. I feel like it owes us one and that’s why we’re going back there with plenty of confidence.”
EDWARDS EYES WIN AT AAA TEXAS 500 When Carl Edwards suffered a blown tire at Martinsville last week, it may have also blown his chances to advance to the Championship 4 unless he can pull off a win in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway or next week at Phoenix. A trip to Texas may have come at the right time for Edwards, who has enjoyed plenty of success and milestones at the 1.5-mile speedway. He was the first driver to sweep both Sprint Cup races in a single season in 2008, which also allowed him to become the first two-time Cup winner at the track. His three career victories – the other coming in 2005 in this event – rank second only to Jimmie Johnson’s six. “We could have won at Texas earlier this year so I feel very confident going back there this week, so I think we’ll be alright,” Edwards said. Edwards won the pole in April’s Duck Commander 500 and finished seventh after leading 124 laps, second most in the race.
TMS RACE WEEK BLOG Veteran motorsports reporter John Sturbin will be providing comprehensive coverage of the upcoming AAA Texas 500 NASCAR tripleheader weekend with stories and a live blog on www.texasmotorspeedway.com. Sturbin will provide race and qualifying stories from all three NASCAR national series as well as breaking news and various items of interest in the “Trending Now” blog on the landing page of the website that will go live on Thursday of race week.
Te x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | N o v e m b e r 2 , 2 0 1 6 | A A A Te x a s 5 0 0
SPEEDREADS
ENTRY LIST
7
AAA TEXAS 500
12th Annual AAA Texas "500" - NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - Texas Motor Speedway - 11/6/2016 Last Update: Entry Veh #
10/31/2016 9:51:00 AM Driver
Organization
Crew Chief
Veh Mfg
Sponsor
1
1
Jamie McMurray
Chip Ganassi Racing
Matt McCall
16 Chevrolet Sherwin Williams
2
2
Brad Keselowski
Team Penske
Paul Wolfe
16 Ford
3
3
Austin Dillon
Richard Childress Racing
Slugger Labbe
16 Chevrolet Realtree / Bad Boy
4
4
Kevin Harvick
Stewart-Haas Racing
Rodney Childers
16 Chevrolet Busch Beer Chevrolet SS
5
5
Kasey Kahne
Hendrick Motorsports
Keith Rodden
16 Chevrolet AARP Drive to End Hunger
6
6
Trevor Bayne
Roush Fenway Racing
Matt Puccia
16 Ford
7
7
Regan Smith
Tommy Baldwin Racing
Tommy Baldwin
16 Chevrolet Nikko RC / Road Rippers Protect & Serve Chevrolet
8
10
Danica Patrick
Stewart-Haas Racing
Billy Scott
16 Chevrolet TaxACT Chevrolet SS
9
11
Denny Hamlin
Joe Gibbs Racing
Michael Wheeler
16 Toyota
10
13
Casey Mears
Germain Racing
Bootie Barker III
16 Chevrolet GEICO
11
14
Tony Stewart
Stewart-Haas Racing
Mike Bugarewicz
16 Chevrolet Bass Pro / Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS
12
15
Clint Bowyer
HScott Motorsports
Steve Addington
16 Chevrolet 5-hour Energy
13
16
Greg Biffle
Roush Fenway Racing
Brian Pattie
16 Ford
Performance Plus Motor Oil Ford Fusion
14
17
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Roush Fenway Racing
Nicholas Sandler
16 Ford
Fastenal Ford Fusion
15
18
Kyle Busch
Joe Gibbs Racing
Adam Stevens
16 Toyota
M&M's Core
16
19
Carl Edwards
Joe Gibbs Racing
Dave Rogers
16 Toyota
Sport Clips
17
20
Matt Kenseth
Joe Gibbs Racing
Jason Ratcliff
16 Toyota
DeWalt Flexvolt
18
21
Ryan Blaney
Wood Brothers Racing
Jeremy Bullins
16 Ford
Virginia Tech
19
22
Joey Logano
Team Penske
Todd Gordon
16 Ford
AAA
20
23
David Ragan
BK Racing
Patrick Donahue
16 Toyota
Dr. Pepper
21
24
Chase Elliott
Hendrick Motorsports
Alan Gustafson
16 Chevrolet Kelley Blue Book
22
27
Paul Menard
Richard Childress Racing
Danny Stockman Jr
16 Chevrolet Schrock / Menards
23
30
Josh Wise
The Motorsports Group
Wayne Carroll
16 Chevrolet Curtis Key Plumbing
24
31
Ryan Newman
Richard Childress Racing
Luke Lambert
16 Chevrolet Grainger
25
32
Joey Gase(i)
GO FAS Racing
Wally Rogers
16 Ford
Donate Life Texas
26
34
Chris Buescher
Front Row Motorsports
Bob Osborne
16 Ford
Love's Travel Stops
27
38
Landon Cassill
Front Row Motorsports
Donnie Wingo
16 Ford
MDS Transport
28
41
Kurt Busch
Stewart-Haas Racing
Tony Gibson
16 Chevrolet Haas Automation / Monster Energy Chevrolet SS
29
42
Kyle Larson
Chip Ganassi Racing
Chad Johnston
16 Chevrolet Kleenex
30
43
Aric Almirola
Richard Petty Motorsports
Drew Blickensderfer
16 Ford
Smithfield
31
44
Brian Scott
Richard Petty Motorsports
Chris Heroy
16 Ford
Albertsons / Tom Thumb Ford
32
46
Michael Annett
HScott Motorsports
Michael Hillman
16 Chevrolet Pilot Flying J
33
47
AJ Allmendinger
JTG Daugherty Racing
Randall Burnett
16 Chevrolet Bush's Chili Beans
34
48
Jimmie Johnson
Hendrick Motorsports
Chad Knaus
16 Chevrolet Lowe's
35
55
Reed Sorenson
Premium Motorsports
Patrick Tryson
16 Chevrolet TBD
36
78
Martin Truex Jr
Furniture Row Racing
Cole Pearn
16 Toyota
Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Boats
37
83
Matt DiBenedetto
BK Racing
Gene Nead
16 Toyota
E.J. Wade Construction
38
88
Alex Bowman(i)
Hendrick Motorsports
Greg Ives
16 Chevrolet Nationwide
39
93
Ryan Ellis(i)
BK Racing
Douglas Richert
16 Toyota
40
95
Michael McDowell
Circle Sport-Leavine Family
Todd Parrott
16 Chevrolet Thrivent Financial
41
98
Cole Whitt
Premium Motorsports
Ben Leslie
16 Chevrolet TBD
Alliance Truck Parts
AdvoCare Ford Fusion
FedEx Office
ScienceLogic
Te x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | N o v e m b e r 2 , 2 0 1 6 | A A A Te x a s 5 0 0
8
SPEEDREADS
PUBLIC SCHEDULE
AAA TEXAS 500 WEEKEND EVENTS
WednesDAY, november 2
SATURDAY, November 5
9a-5p 10a 10a
7:30a 7:30a 8a-2p 9a
Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours Reserved Infield Camping Opens (South Tunnel) Burnout Alley Load In
9a-5p Texas Motor Speedway Credentials Office Hours 10:00a NCWTS Haulers Enter 11:00a-5p NCWTS Registration Open 11:30a-6:30p NCWTS Garage Open 2:15p Gate 4 Open 2:30p-3:25p NCWTS Practice 3:30p NXS Haulers Enter 4:30p-5:25p NCWTS Final Practice 6:00p NSCS Haulers Enter
NXS Garage & Registration Open NSCS Garage & Registration Open Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours Gates 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 Open for Luxury Suites and Victory Lane Club Only 9a-11a NSCS “HOT PASS” IN EFFECT 9:30a-10:25a NSCS Practice 10:45a NXS Salute to Veterans Qualifying Days Fueled by Texas Lottery 12p-2p NSCS “HOT PASS” IN EFFECT 12:30p-1:20p NSCS Final Practice 2p NXS O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge (200 Laps, 300 Miles) 2:30p NXS & NSCS Registration Closes 4:00p NSCS Garage Closes
FRIDAY, november 4
SUNDAY, November 6
ThursDAY, november 3
8a-7p NSCS Registration Open 8:30a-7:30p NSCS Garage Open 9a-7:30p Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours 10:00a-7p NXS Registration Open 10:30a-9p NXS Garage Open 10:30a NCWTS Garage & Registration Open 11:00a Gate 4 Open 11a-1:30p NSCS “HOT PASS” IN EFFECT 11:30a-12:55p NSCS Practice 1:30p-2:25p NXS Practice 2p Gates 2, 3, 5 & 6 Open for Luxury Suites and Victory Lane Club Only 2:45p NCWTS Salute to Veterans Qualifying Days Fueled by Texas Lottery 4p-5:25p NXS Final Practice 5:15p-7:30p NSCS “HOT PASS” IN EFFECT 5:45p NSCS Salute to Veterans Qualifying Days Fueled by Texas Lottery 7:00p NCWTS Registration Closes 7:30p NCWTS Striping Technology 350 (147 Laps, 220.5 Miles)
7a 8a-1p 9a 9a 11a
NSCS Garage & Registration Open Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours Gates 2-8 Open Luxury Suites and Victory Lane Club Open Loud & Proud Pre-Race Show Fueled by American Ehtanol Featuring Jake Owen 12p-7p NSCS “HOT PASS” IN EFFECT 1p NSCS AAA Texas 500 (334 Laps, 501 Miles) 1:30p NSCS Registration Closes 30 min Portacool Post-Race Show featuring post race Jason Boland & The Stragglers
Te x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | N o v e m b e r 2 , 2 0 1 6 | A A A Te x a s 5 0 0