NASCAR at Texas live updates: Austin Dillon gets win

NASCAR Cup racing kicks off at Texas Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. The race starts at 3 p.m. on NBCSN.

Doubleheader races for NASCAR’s lower-level series precede the race. Saturday’s afternoon Xfinity race was won by Austin Cindric and the nighttime Truck Series race was won by Kyle Busch. Busch also raced in the earlier Xfinity race and finished ahead of Cindric, but the victory was awarded to Cindric after Busch’s No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota failed post-race inspection. NASCAR determined the car’s left rear was too low.

Busch, now a three-time 2020 Trucks winner, is still seeking a race win at the Cup level this season. He is starting fourth Sunday. Aric Almirola is starting on the pole with Ryan Blaney in the front row via random draw.

Follow along here for lap-by-lap updates from the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. Refresh this page for the latest updates. Full results will be published here shortly after the race.

FINAL

Austin Dillon won the race, followed by teammate Reddick, Logano, Kyle Busch and Harvick.

6:34 p.m., Lap 285: Blaney still in the lead

With 50 laps remaining, Blaney is still out front, followed by Hamlin, Almirola and DiBenedetto.

5:35 p.m., Lap 218: Red flag

A big wreck on a restart caused a red flag as they cleaned up the track. Blaney is still in the lead followed by Keselowski.

5:23 p.m., Lap 210: Blaney runs away with Stage 2

Ryan Blaney takes the green-and-white checkered flag over five seconds ahead of Logano in second place. After Blaney, the finishing order is Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Harvick, Truex, Elliott, Almirola, Jones, and Kyle Busch in the top-10 for stage points. Blaney leads the field to pit road and NBC NASCAR analysts predict that this stop will shake up the order some, but Blaney takes four new tires and will continue to lead on the restart.

5:14 p.m., Lap 190: Blaney back to the lead

After green flag pit stops cycle through, Blaney goes back to the lead, putting nearly three seconds between him and Logano in second. Then it’s Hamlin, Truex and Kurt Busch in the top five. Elliott, Harvick, Almirola, Jones and Kyle Busch follow in the top-10. The race is nearing in on the Stage 2 finish, coming on Lap 210.

5:05 p.m., Lap 176: More green flag pits stops

With 45 laps to go, Denny Hamlin and other leaders pit under green and the order cycles through with Kevin Harvick in the lead. Harvick stays out front for about 10 laps, followed by Kurt Busch, but then both he and Busch pit with 35 laps left in the stage. After more pit stops, Truex Jr. becomes the new leader with only seven cars on the lead lap after Almirola briefly led between pit stops. Keselowski, Newman, Wallace, Nemecheck, LaJoie and Blaney follow Truex in the order. There have been relatively few cautions in this race, eliminating a major disruption of the running order.

4:39 p.m., Lap 130: Hamlin, then Blaney leads

Denny Hamlin makes a pass of his teammate Busch. Blaney runs closely behind, and is able to get to first by both Hamlin and Busch. Further back, Christopher Bell gets loose rounding a turn from the middle of the pack. He scrapes the wall, probably suffering some right front damage, but is able to save the car and the race stays green. Joey Logano has speed as he races to second place, on Blaney’s tail, a few laps later.

4:30 p.m., Lap 117: Caution for Johnson

The No. 48 car gets loose around Turn 4 and smashes into the wall running in 11th. The caution flag comes out shortly after Busch made a pass of Blaney for first place. The order is Busch, Blaney, Hamlin, Logano, Jones. It’s looking like the Toyotas have found some speed early in this race. Johnson’s Chevrolet Camaro was also fast racing from the back of the back, but he suffers another blow after his team is issued a two-lap penalty for having too many crew members over the wall while under damaged vehicle policy.

4:23 p.m., Lap 105: Ryan Blaney wins Stage 1

Ryan Blaney races Kyle Busch to the flag to end stage 1, but keeps the lead after leading the most laps in the stage. After Blaney and Busch, the order is Harvick, Reddick, Byron, Kurt Busch, Johnson, Bowman Buescher and Truex in the top-10 for points. Blaney and Busch then stay out, while others pit after the stage. Ryan Newman gets a penalty for pitting outside the box.

4:16 p.m., Lap 94: Pit stops

The other leaders cycle through for green flag pit stops. Blaney and Hamlin take four tires, while others taking only two tires or fuel (Reddick took only fuel). This will likely be the last of the pit stops if the race stays green for the remainder of the stage. Blaney emerges in first after the stop.

4:02 p.m., Lap 76: Truex out of gas, order gets a shake-up

After Almirola pits and Harvick drops back, Truex Jr. becomes the new leader, but he runs out of gas. Kyle Busch circles into the lead briefly, but is passed by Ryan Blaney. Almirola earlier was given a penalty on pit road. The running order is Blaney, Busch and Byron in the top-three. Johnson has made it up to 10th.

3:56 p.m., Lap 56: Harvick drops back

Martin Truex Jr. races into third place, and a few laps later, Almirola is to re-take the lead on Lap 56. All of those drivers will need to make a pit stops soon, and Almirola becomes the first to pull to pit road. Ty Dillon earlier reported the temperature felt like 140 degrees in the cars.

3:40 p.m., Lap 30: Harvick slides into the lead

Too many men go over the wall on the No. 48 team of Jimmie Johnson and he is given a safety violation and sent to the rear of the pack on the restart. The race goes green, and Harvick runs outside Almirola, gaining speed as he rounds the turn. He is able to pass him and take the lead. The running order is Havick, Almirola, Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, William Byron. A few laps later (Lap 35), Johnson makes his way back to the top-20.

3:35 p.m., Lap 23: Competition caution, more issues

The competition caution comes out and Almirola, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. stay out while others pit. In addition to Almirola, other drivers are struggling with their cars. Denny Hamlin reports his car is “loose” and has a “bad bobble over the bumps.” Bubba Wallace says he’s on the splitter around Turns 3 & 4. Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski are also heard on their radios evaluating the bumps. The running order before the caution was Almirola, Blaney, Kurt Busch, Harvick, Kyle Busch, Truex, DiBenedetto, Johnson, Keselowski and Logano in the top-10.

3:21 p.m.: Almirola’s brake issues, green flag!

Aric Almirola reports to his No. 10 team that his brakes aren’t working. He says he has to pump them “two or three times” before they start working. Almirola is told he can pit before the race, and he does, before the green flag comes out a few minutes later. Five laps into the race, Almirola in first says, “Still no brakes.” Those are important.

3 p.m.: Pre-race ceremonies

The invocation is delivered as drivers stand on the grid. Country music singer Rachel Bradshaw (daughter of former NFL player and television personality Terry Bradshaw) performs “God Bless America” before an instrumental rendition of the national anthem is performed live. Terry Bradshaw, wearing a giant cream-colored cowboy hat, gives a rousing command to start engines. The crowd of fans in the Texas Motor Speedway grandstands lets out a cheer.

The race is 334 laps with a competition caution on Lap 20. NASCAR announces that Josh Bilicki, Joey Gase and J.J. Yeley will also start at the rear for driver changes. The track is HOT. NBC Sports Network that the temperature at the track feels like 103 degrees. Clint Boywer says on his radio the car “feels like an oven.”

2:25 p.m.: All-Star winner Chase Elliott drops to the back of the pack

Chase Elliott will be sent to the rear of the field at the start of the race, per NASCAR. His No. 9 Hendrick Chevrolet failed technical inspection twice. Elliott is coming off an All-Star Race win at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday. He has two wins this season, with his first win at Charlotte for points, and he was originally slated to start eighth at Texas.

Reed Sorrenson’s No. 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet also failed pre-race technical inspection twice and will drop to the back at the rear. He was already starting last in the lineup.

HOW TO WATCH NASCAR RACE AT TEXAS

• Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 500

• Distance: 500.5 miles, 334 laps (stages end on laps 105, 210, 334)

• When: Sunday, 3 p.m.

• TV: NBCSN (broadcast starts at 2:30 p.m.)

• Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• 2019 Race Winner: Denny Hamlin

STARTING LINEUP FOR NASCAR RACE AT TEXAS

This story was originally published July 19, 2020 at 2:25 PM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription