Texas 101: Qualifying format, tire info, story lines and more
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are still going on. The Round of 12 starts at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. A win could send a driver into the Round 8.
Teams will have 20 minutes to practice on Saturday (12:35 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App) Teams will be broken into Groups A and B. Single-car, single-lap qualifying will begin at 1:20 p.,m., and the playoff drivers and teams will qualify in their groups.
Chris Buescher's Bristol victory marked a record 19 different winners this year. Only three of the current active Cup Champions are still playoff eligible. Christopher Bell is having the best season of his career with more poles, top fives, and top 10s than in his prior seasons. William Byron is the only playoff driver yet to have a notable problem in the postseason.
Goodyear updated the construction of its tires midway through the 2022 season. The balance of the Next Gen car has shifted towards the rear. Goodyear and teams work closely together to help them make the right tire choices. The tire setup used this weekend at Texas is the same that was used two weeks ago at Kansas Speedway. It will also be used again in three weeks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
The first Cup race was held at Texas Motor Speedway on April 6, 1997. The property contains 660 acres of parking with a capacity of 80,000 vehicles. Texas has hosted a race every year since it opened in 1997 and two races a year from 2005-2020. There has been a playoff race at the Texas every season since 2005. Kyle Larson led 256 laps in his Texas win in 2021.
Denny Hamlin is the favorite at 6-1 odds. Christopher Bell is 8-2, Bubba Wallace 18-5. Toyota has been fast on mile-and-a-half tracks through 2022. The most recent winner at a mile and a half track was Bubbi Wallace. He's still eligible for the owners championship.
The 2022 Fantasy Live points leaders are Chase Elliott (1,013), Joey Logano (877), and Christopher Bell (817). NASCAR.com is offering the Playoffs Grid Challenge during the playoffs.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more.
