Early on a Texas Saturday morning, the Cup Series drivers take to the track at Texas Motor Speedway for a practice session and qualifying for the Wurth 400 on Sunday afternoon to cap off a triple header weekend.
Thirty-eight teams have brought cars to Texas for the race including a second Cup Series race for Xfinity Series driver Jesse Love.
The drivers have been divided into two groups for a 25 minute practice session.
The top 13 drivers in Group 1 are running sub 29 second laps with AJ Allmendinger leading the list with the fastest lap of 28.38 seconds.
The 51 car driven by Cody Ware had issues going through the inspection process, needing three times to make it through. As a result his car chief has been ejected for the weekend and he loses his right to choose a pit stall – NASCAR will assign Ware’s pit stall.
Several of the drivers in the race this weekend are making their debut appearances at Texas Motor Speedway.
On Friday, Kevin Harvick was elected into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame.
The drivers are practicing at faster speeds than the pole spot last week at Talladega.
Carson Hocevar topped the leaderboard in Group 2 practice. Hocevar was making a good showing in the Truck Series race last night until he began having voltage issues and went through three batteries.
Chad Finchum is the first drive on the track to make a qualifying run in his first Cup Series start of 2025. He posted a time of 29.883 seconds.
When the drivers began practicing the track temperature was 67 degrees; at the beginning of qualifying it had risen to 95 degrees!
Erik Jones is making Cup Series start number 300 this weekend.
With a time of 28.174 seconds Carson Hocevar puts his number 77 car on the pole for his first ever pole. William Byron will start alongside Hocevar on the front row. Noting that he has had some pit road issues, Hocevar said that he is “pumped” to have the number one pit stall.
At 22 years old, Carson Hocevar is the youngest driver to sit on the pole at Texas Motor Speedway.9
Fourteen thousandths of a second separate the front row drivers.
The starting lineup for the Wurth 400:
Carson Hocevar
William Byron
Austin Cindric
Kyle Larson
Michael McDowell
Ty Gibbs
Josh Berry
Denny Hamlin
Bubba Wallace
AJ Allmendinger
Alex Bowman
Chris Buescher
Zane Smith
Erik Jones
Justin Haley
Christopher Bell
Tyler Reddick
Noah Gragson
Austin Dillon
Cole Custer
Riley Herbst
Chase Briscoe
Ty Dillon
Ryan Blaney
Daniel Suarez
Kyle Busch
Joey Logano
John Hunter Nemechek
Chase Elliott
Brad Keselowski
Ross Chastain
Todd Gilliland
Ryan Preece
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Jesse Love
Cody Ware
Shane van Gisbergen
Chad Finchum
Stage one is 80 laps, stage two is 85 laps, and stage three is 102 laps for a total of 267 laps around the mile and a half track. The drivers can run around 60 to 65 laps on a single load of fuel.
Kasey Kahne is driving the pace car for today’s race.
A 100-year-old Iwo Jima survivor sang the National Anthem!
Carson Hocevar brings the field down for the green flag start of the race on the inside lane with William Byron alongside. Carson Hocevar gets out in front after going side by side with William Byron for most of the lap.
Lap three the top five are Carson Hocevar, William Byron, Austin Cindric,, Michael McDowell, and Kyle Larson.
Lap six, Carson Hocevar has a lead of over half a second on William Byron; Austin Cindric, Michael McDowell, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Lap nine, Carson Hocevar has a lone second lead on William Byron.
Lap 16, Carson Hocevar continues to lead the race and is now nearly two seconds in front of William Byron; Austin Cindric, Michael McDowell, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Carson Hocevar has run the fastest laps in the race so far.
The first caution flag of the race comes out on lap 20 when Noah Gragson gets loose and spins out but keeps it off the wall.
Most of the field comes down pit road; Denny Hamlin stayed out on the track. Taking only two tires, Austin Cindric wins the race off of pit road with Carson Hocevar coming out in fourth.
John Hunter Nemechek and Ryan Blaney were caught speeding on pit road with Ty Dillon charged with too many crew members coming over the wall too soon.
Denny Hamlin made his pit stop and was caught speeding on pit road.
Austin Cindric brings the field down for the green flag restart with Josh Berry alongside on lap 25. Drivers are getting three wide back on the field. Austin Cindric takes the lead.
Lap 27, the top five are Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Chris Buescher, Carson Hocevar, and Kyle Larson.
Fourth place driver Carson Hocevar is the first driver to have four fresh tires.
Lap 31, Austin Cindric leads the race by nearly half a second with Josh Berry in second; Chris Buescher, Carson Hocevar, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Lap 36, leader Austin Cindric barely missed hitting the wall.
Lap 43, has a third of a second lead on Joshy Berry with Chris Buescher, Carson Hocevar, and Kyle Larson continuing to fill out the top five.
Lap 46, Josh Berry and Chris Buescher are closing in on leader Austin Cindric.
Chad Finchum is the only driver not on the lead lap in his second Cup Series start of the season.
Kyle Larson passes Carson Hocevar for fourth.
With 30 laps remaining in stage one, Austin Cindric continues to lead the race with Josh Berry just two tenths of a second behind.
Lap 60, Austin Cindric leads the race with Josh Berry in second; Chris Buescher, Kyle Larson, and Carson Hocevar round out the top five.
Lap 65, Brad Keselowski finally gets around Riley Herbst for 22nd. There are 36 cars on the lead lap.
Austin Cindric has pulled out to a lead of over half a second on Josh Berry; Chris Buescher, Kyle Larson, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.
Lap 72, leaders are approaching slower traffic.
Lap 73, Tyler Reddick has moved up to third place.
Tyler Reddick passes Josh Berry for second.
Lap 74, Tyler Reddic has caught leader Austin Cindric and is challenging for the lead.
Denny Hamlin has lost power and is now on fire and smoking heavily to bring out the second caution flag of the race on lap 74.
Austin Cindric wins stage one under caution.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Austin Cindric
Josh Berry
Kyle Larson
Chris Buescher
Carson Hocevar
William Byron
Ty Gibbs
Michael McDowell
Erik Jones
Out of the infield care center, Denny Hamlin said that he had no warning of the blown engine or fire.
It has been five years since the stage one driver also won the race when Kevin Harvick won the race in 2019.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Josy Berry winning the race off of pit road.
Justin Haley and Erik Jones were caught speeding on pit road. Christopher Bell was charged with a safety violation on pit road. Chad Finchum was charged with crew members coming over the wall too soon.
Josh Berry brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Austin Cindric alongside on lap 87 and gets out in front of the field.
The caution flag comes out on lap 89 when Chase Briscoe goes for a spin. He clips Riley Herbst during the spin. Briscoe was in 10th place at the time of his spin.
Chad Finchum is the “lucky dog”.
Christopher Bell had to make two unscheduled stops on pit road to get the air hose to his helmet reconnected.
Josh Berry brings the field down for the green flag restart on the inside lane with Kyle Larson alongside on lap 93. Larson and Berry go side by side before Berry finally gets out in front.
Lap 96, the top five are Josh Berry, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Austin Cindric, and Chris Buescher.
Lap 100, Josh Berry has a lead of over half a second on Kyle Larson; Tyler Reddick, Austin Cindric, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.
Lap 104, Josh Berry has pulled out to a one second lead on Kyle Larson; Tyler Reddick, Austin Cindric, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.
Lap 111, Josh Berry continues to lead the race with a near one second lead with Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher, and Austin Cindric rounding out the top five.
With 47 laps remaining in stage two, the drivers till need to make a pit stop.
Chad Finchum and Chase Briscoe are the only drivers in the race not on the lead lap.
Lap 124, Josh Berry holds a lead of around one second on Kyle Larson; Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out on lap 125 for leader Josh Berry spinning out and bouncing off of the wall. Kyle Larson is the new leader.
Chase Briscoe was caught speeding during his green flag pit stop and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Kyle Larson winning the race off of pit road.
Michael McDowell and Cody Ware were caught speeding on pit road. Erik Jones and Zane Smith were charged with pit road infractions.
Josh Berry has taken his car to the garage.
Todd Gilliland brings the field down for the green flag restart after staying out on the track with Kyle Larson alongside on lap 132. Gilliland edges out for the lead drivers are getting three wide through the field. Kyle Larson moves up on the outside lane and takes the lead.
The top five are Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, Tyler Reddick, Carson Hocevar, and Chris Buescher.
Lap 134, Tyler Reddick passes Ryan Preece for second.
Lap 136 Kyle Larson is just a third of a second in front of Tyler Reddick.
Lap 140, Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick continue to be separated by a quarter to a third of a second as they maneuver for position.
After bringing the field to the green flag, Todd Gilliland has fallen to 18th place.
Lap 150, Kyle Larson has pulled out to a half second lead on Tyler Reddick; Chris Buescher, Ryan Preece, and Carson Hocevar round out the top five.
Lap 155, after starting the race near the back of the field, Ryan Blaney has worked his way into the top 10 but reports that he doesn’t like his car.
Bubba Wallace passes Carson Hocevar for sixth; Alex Bowman is in fifth.
After a 12 second pit stop during the caution, Austin Cindric has fallen to 21st place.
Chris Buescher’s car is smoking heavily with a flat tire. He is working his way to pit road but the caution flag comes out on lap 163 when part of the tire comes off on the track.
Kyle Larson wins stage two under caution.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Kyle Larson
Tyler Reddick
Alex Bowman
Ryan Preece
Bubba Wallace
Carson Hocevar
William Byron
Ryan Blaney
Joey Logano
Kyle Busch
With his stage win, Kyle Larson sets two more records – six stage wins at Texas and 68 career stage wins.
Chris Buescher was charged with a commitment cone violation.
Drivers come down pit road for service with William Byron winning the race off of pit road with teammate Chase Elliott out second. William Byron and Cole Custer make contact on pit road and sends Custer around to land backwards in his pit stall.
Michael McDowell was charged with pitting out of the box. Riley Herbst was charged with an uncontrolled tire on pit road.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Chase Elliott alongside on lap 172. Byron jumps out in front but reports a steering issues.
The caution flag comes out on lap 173 for a big crash. Bubba Wallace got loose, hit the wall, and spun out. AJ Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Noah Gragson, Joey Logano, and Chad Finchum were also involved and sustained damage.
Chris Buescher is the “lucky dog”.
Bubba Wallace was charged with pitting before pit road was open and will restart the race from the back of the field.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart with Chase Elliott alongside on lap 178. Elliott and Byron battle for the lead with Byron getting out in front.
Lap 181, the top five are William Byron, Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, and Ty Gibbs.
Bubba Wallace takes his car down pit road.
Lap 184, William Byron has a quarter of a second lead on Austin Cindric; Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Bubba Wallace takes his car to the garage for repairs.
Lap 189, Kyle Larson passes Austin Cindric for second; just a third of a second behind leader William Byron.
Lap 191, Kyle Larson passes William Byron for the lead; Ty Gibbs passes Byron for second.
Tyler Reddick passes William Byron.
Lap 197, the top five are Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, and Carson Hocevar. Willaim Byron has dropped to 10th place.
Lap 200, William Byron brings his car down pit road for his final green flag pit stop.
Lap 203, Kyle Larson has a half second lead on Ryan Blaney.
Passing several cars, Kyle Busch is just outside the top 10 in eleventh.
Lap 210, Kyle Busch passes John Hunter Nemechek to enter the top 10.
Josh Berry returns to the race 85 laps down.
Drivers are beginning to make their green flag pit stops.
Lap 215, the top five are Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, and Carson Hocevar.
Lap 217, Carson Hocevar is the first top five driver to make his green flag pit stop.
The caution flag comes out on lap 218 for Jesse Love who spun out and got into the wall. He has two flat tires and will need a tow.
Cody Ware is the “lucky dog”.
With 54 laps remaining in the race, all of the lead lap drivers come down pit road for service. Kyle Larson wins the race off of pit road with Michael McDowell gaining 15 spots coming out second after taking only two tires.
Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag restart with Michael McDowell alongside on lap 226. Larson takes the lead with Michael McDowell in second; Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out on lap 229 when Kyle Busch goes for a ride and bounces off the wall before ending up on pit road. Ricky Stenhouse Jr goes for a run through the grass avoiding making contact with Busch.
Kyle Busch and William Byron are on pit road for repairs.
Kyle Busch was charged with pitting too soon.
Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag restart with Michael McDowell alongside on lap 234. Larson jumps out in front. Ryan Blaney and Michael McDowell battle for second.
Lap 236, the top five are Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick, and Joey Logano.
The tenth caution flag comes out on lap 237 for a wreck involving Carson Hocevar, Cody Ware, and Ryan Preece. Hocevar’s front tires came off the ground and nearly on Cody War’s hood. Carson Hocevar came down pit road skewed to the right.
Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag restart with Michael McDowell alongside on lap 245. McDowell jumps out in front for the lead; Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, and Tyler Reddick battle for second.
The top five are Michael McDowell, Ryan Blaeny, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, and Tyler Reddick.
Lap 247, Michael McDowell has pulled out to a three-quarter of a second lead.
The caution flag comes out on lap 248 for a wreck involving Brad Keselowski, Ty Dillon, Kyle Busch, and Cole Custer. Keselowski slid down the track sideways after getting loose and blocked the track; causing the other drivers to get into Keselowski. Brad Keselowski’s car is towed to the garage.
Austin Cindric and Ryan Preece were charged with pitting too soon and will restart near the back of the field.
Michael McDowell brings the field down for the green flag restart with Ryan Blaney alongside on lap 252. McDowell and Blaney go side by side.
The caution flag comes out with 14 laps remaining in the race for Tyler Reddick getting loose but controlled the car to keep from hitting anyone.
Michael McDowell is the leader by mere inches over Ryan Blaney.
On the radio, Reddick said that he didn’t know how, but he still had a race car.
Michael McDowell brings the field down for the green flag restart with Ryan Blaney alongside with just 10 laps remaining in the race. McDowell and Blaney battle for the lead with McDowell taking the lead.
The top five are Michael McDowell, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, and Erik Jones.
Six to go, Michael McDowell leads the race with Joey Logano in second. Logano has yet to have a top five finish this season.
Four to go, Joey Logano passes Michael McDowell for the lead. Ryan Blaney passes McDowell for second.
The caution flag comes out with three laps remaining in the race when Michael McDowell gets loose and slams into the wall.
Carson Hocevar is the “lucky dog”.
The race goes into overtime for the third overtime finish this weekend.
There have been eight different winners in the last eight races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Joey Logano brings the field down for the overtime shootout to the end with teammate Ryan Blaney alongside. Logano takes the lead with Ross Chastain in second.
Joey Logano takes the white flag..
Earning his first top five of the season, Joey Logano wins the race.
The unofficial results of the Wurth 400:
Joey Logano
Ross Chastain
Ryan Blaney
Kyle Larson
Erik Jones
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Austin Dillon
John Hunter Nemechek
Christopher Bell
Daniel Suarez
Todd Gilliland
Ty Dillon
William Byron
Riley Herbst
Justin Haley
Chase Elliott
Zane Smith
Chris Buescher
Cole Custer
Kyle Busch
Tyler Reddick
Shane van Gisbergen
Ty Gibbs
Carson Hocevar
Austin Cindric
Michael McDowell
Chase Briscoe
Brad Keselowski
Ryan Preece
Cody Ware
Jesse Love
Josh Berry
Bubba Wallace
Noah Gragson
Alex Bowman
AJ Allmendinger
Chad Finchum
Denny Hamlin