NASCAR race at Texas: Points reset has Chase Elliott leading field, plus starting lineup

Heading into this weekend — thanks to a playoff defined by parity and a good-enough points performance in the Round of 16 — Chase Elliott leads the field again.

But is he ready for Texas?

The second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs arrives at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday at 3 p.m. You can follow the race on USA Newtork, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Elliott leads the Cup field in points heading into Sunday. And that’s despite a slow start to the 2022 playoffs: The Dawsonville, Ga., native finished last in Darlington and 29th at Kansas — but the points reset and his regular-season dominance has pushed him atop the standings once more. (The 12 drivers still in the Cup championship chase had their point totals reset to 3,000 with their earned playoff points added to the total. Elliott, with the 40 playoff points he’s earned throughout the season, now leads the field with 3,040 points — 31 above the eight-car cutline.)

The No. 9 car finished second in Bristol last weekend, though, and the driver hopes that momentum carries him through a course ... that isn’t exactly his favorite.

“I feel like it’s been a challenge there for years,” Elliott told reporters earlier this week. “I don’t feel like anything is new. That’s just Texas, in my opinion. ...

“As much as I hate going there, I still think we can go win. We just gotta put a good weekend together and execute a solid day.”

When asked why Elliott dislikes Texas, he added that he thinks “they kind of ruined” the race track. Texas was also under scrutiny earlier this year at this season’s All-Star race — an event that made many, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., think that the race manufactured drama to no real avail for fans.

Christopher Bell had the best trio of races in the first round of the playoffs but couldn’t find a way to notch any playoff points, so he looms in seventh in the points standings. He’s at 3,013 points — tied with Denny Hamlin (seventh) and Ryan Blaney (eighth), who won the All-Star race at Texas in May.

Below the cutline at the moment: Chase Briscoe (3,009), Alex Bowman (3,007), Daniel Suarez (3,007) and Austin Cindric (3,006).

All playoff drivers can clinch a spot in the next round with a win. Then again — in another bit of evidence of this year’s weirdness — no race in this year’s postseason has been won by a playoff driver.

Brad Keselowski will be starting on the pole. The part-owner of RFK Racing is coming off a big weekend, when RFK’s own Chris Buescher won at Bristol. (Buescher will start 13th on Sunday.) Joey Logano will start in P2, and William Byron and Tyler Reddick will make up the next row.

The last driver to win a Cup race at Texas was Kyle Larson in 2021. Before that, the last 10 Cup races at Texas featured winners who are either no longer in the Cup championship chase or who have long retired. (Hamlin won at the course in November 2010.)

Here’s what else you need to know.

NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway details

• Race: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500
• Place: Texas Motor Speedway
• When: Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET
• Purse: $8,455,617
• TV: USA, 2:30 p.m. ET
• Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
• Distance: 501 miles (334 Laps)
• Stages: Stage 1 ends on Lap 105, Stage 2 ends on Lap 210, Stage 3 ends on Lap 334

Starting lineup: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription