NASCAR

NASCAR in Texas: How to watch, schedule, drivers to watch for Fort Worth

Here's a full preview of the upcoming NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway

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NASCAR is back in Texas.

The racing series will make its second visit of the season to the Lone Star State this weekend. Weeks after an event in Austin, the Cup Series will race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

The 1.5-mile quad-oval has hosted NASCAR races annually since 1997. But for the first time since 2019, the track will hold a race in the springtime.

What’s in store for Sunday’s race? Who are the favorites? What is the schedule? Here’s everything you need to know for the 2024 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400:

NASCAR at Texas entry list

Thirty-eight drivers will race in Texas – the 34 full-timers, plus four others.

Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson is the headliner, making his second of nine starts this season for Legacy Motor Club. Then there’s Austin Hill, an Xfinity Series regular, driving the No. 33 for Richard Childress Racing in his first of four starts this season.

Elsewhere, Kaz Grala will pilot the No. 15 for Rick Ware Racing as he continues his part-time effort and veteran Ty Dillon will make his second start of the year for Kaulig Racing.

Here’s the full entry list for Texas:

Car numberDriverTeamSponsor
1Ross ChastainTrackhouse RacingWorldwide Express
2Austin CindricTeam PenskeDiscount Tire
3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingBass Pro Shops
4Josh BerryStewart-Haas RacingMINER
5Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsHendrickCars.com
6Brad KeselowskiRFK RacingBuildSubmarines.com
7Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsSchluter Systems
8Kyle BuschRichard Childress RacingZone
9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsHooters
10Noah GragsonStewart-Haas RacingOverstock
11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingYahoo!
12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeMenards
14Chase BriscoeStewart-Haas RacingRush Truck Centers
15Kaz GralaRick Ware RacingN29 Capital Partners
16Ty DillonKaulig RacingSea Best Seafood
17Chris BuescherRFK RacingFifth Third Bank
19Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingBass Pro Shops
20Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingRheem
21Harrison BurtonWood Brothers RacingFreightliner
22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeAAA Insurance
23Bubba Wallace23XI RacingColumbia Sportswear
24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsLiberty University
31Daniel HemricKaulig RacingSouth Point Hotel & Casino
33Austin HillRichard Childress RacingUnited Rentals
34Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsLove's Travel Stops
38Todd GillilandFront Row MotorsportsLong John Silver's
41Ryan PreeceStewart-Haas RacingHaas Tooling
42John Hunter NemechekLegacy Motor ClubRomco Equipment
43Erik JonesLegacy Motor ClubDollar Tree
45Tyler Reddick23XI RacingMonster Energy
47Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingKroger
48Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsAlly Financial
51Justin HaleyRick Ware RacingOhanafy
54Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs RacingInterstate Batteries
71Zane SmithSpire MotorsportsAmbetter Health
77Carson HocevarSpire MotorsportsPremier Security
84Jimmie JohnsonLegacy Motor ClubAdventHealth
99Daniel SuarezTrackhouse RacingKubota Tractors
2024 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 entry list

When is the NASCAR race this weekend in Texas?

The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas is set for Sunday, April 14, at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Before the race, there will be practice and qualifying sessions. The 38-car field will be split into two groups (found here), with each group practicing for 20 minutes on Saturday.

Qualifying will start immediately after practice. Each car from the two groups will make one lap in the first round, with the five fastest cars on single-lap speed in each group advancing to the final round. In the final round, the remaining drivers each get one lap to set the top 10 starting order, with positions 11 through 38 are set based on first round times.

NASCAR TV schedule this weekend in Texas

Saturday, April 13 (FS1 and streaming online)

Sunday, April 14 (FS1 and streaming online)

NASCAR Texas past winners, race history

There are eight former Texas winners who will race on Sunday, including Jimmie Johnson – the winningest driver in TMS history with seven victories. William Byron is the defending winner after taking home the checkered flag last September.

Kyle Busch (4) and Denny Hamlin (3) join Johnson as the only other multi-race winners. The one-time winners include Joey Logano (2014), Austin Dillon (2020), Kyle Larson (2021), Tyler Reddick (2022) and Byron (2023). Additionally, Ryan Blaney won the non-points All-Star Race at TMS in 2022.

Get to know NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney.

NASCAR at Texas favorites, drivers to watch

Texas is different from most intermediate tracks because it has two unique corners – turns one and two are wider and flatter, turns three and four are narrower and steeper.

Since the track was reconfigured in 2017, the 11 races have been won by eight different drivers and four different organizations. Kevin Harvick, who retired after last season, had three wins in Texas from 2017 to 2019.

So with Harvick out of the picture, who could be the contenders on Sunday? Byron is the defending winner, but Larson and Bubba Wallace dominated the race last fall. Wallace led 111 laps and finished third, while Larson led 99 laps before crashing out in the closing moments. Both drivers should be in the mix again this year.

Historically speaking, Tyler Reddick (10.4 average finish in five starts), Erik Jones (11.8 in 12 starts), Busch (12.3 in 33 starts), Christopher Bell (13.0 in five starts) and Chase Elliott (13.1 in 13 starts) have posted solid runs in Texas.

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