After taking a week off for Easter, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. The green flag is scheduled to fly on the 501-mile race at 2 p.m. ET as drivers continue to look for a coveted spot in the playoffs.
Clint Bowyer was the most recent driver to secure his spot in NASCAR’s postseason after winning two weeks ago at Martinsville. Bowyer joins former champions Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick in the playoffs alongside Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon.
Starting lineup for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500
- Kurt Busch
- Kevin Harvick
- Clint Bowyer
- Ryan Blaney
- Denny Hamlin
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Joey Logano
- Kyle Busch
- Jimmie Johnson
- Kyle Larson
- Brad Keselowski
- Aric Almirola
- Trevor Bayne
- Daniel Suarez
- Darrell Wallace Jr.
- Alex Bowman
- Austin Dillon
- Chris Buescher
- Paul Menard
- Chase Elliott
- Erik Jones
- AJ Allmendinger
- Ty Dillon
- Jamie McMurray
- Ryan Newman
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Michael McDowell
- Kasey Kahne
- David Ragan
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Ross Chastain
- Gray Gaulding
- William Byron
- Cole Whitt
- Landon Cassill
- Harrison Rhodes
- Reed Sorenson
Points leader Kyle Busch seeks first win of the season
One driver looking to fill one of those 12 remaining spots is last year’s championship runner-up Kyle Busch. Speaking of runner-up finishes, Busch is no stranger to them this season after finishing second three times in the first six races.
Despite entering Sunday’s race with the regular-season points lead, Busch’s spot won’t be secure until he takes home a checkered flag. Luckily for the veteran, he’s been to Victory Lane twice in the Lone Star State, with his most recent win coming in 2016.
Harvick hoping to make history at Texas
With just a three-month offseason, Harvick isn’t far removed from his Championship 4 clinching win at Texas last year. It was his first win at the track, but he also secured the pole position in the spring race last season as well. If Harvick were to cruise the No. 4 back to Victory Lane on Sunday, he’d become only the fourth driver in NASCAR’s modern era to win four of the first seven races in a season. Harvick has already won at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Other drivers to accomplish the feat are Bill Elliott, Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt, all NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees. Elliott and Petty won four of the first seven while Earnhardt set the mark by winning five of the first seven races in 1987.
Jimmie Johnson looks to snap career-long winless streak
It’s hard to believe that it has been 29 races since Jimmie Johnson last parked the No. 48 in Victory Lane, but if there was ever a track to snap the drought, it’s Texas. Johnson is the all-time leader in track wins, taking the checkered flag seven times in the Lone Star State. In addition to that, he has secured 15 top fives and 21 top-10 finishes in 29 career starts. He’s also the all-time leader in laps lead with 1,041.
After a rough start to the season, Johnson has jumped up to 17th in the standings. If the season ended prior to Sunday’s race, that would put him out of the playoffs. Good news for the seven-time champion, however, is that he’s the defending race winner at Texas. Even better for Johnson, if he can’t secure a win this weekend, he’ll at least have the opportunity to defend last year’s spring win at Bristol next week.
Chase Elliott still hunting for first career win
An early front-runner for NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, the 22-year-old hasn’t had the start to his season that he’d hope for but there is room for optimism. Despite sitting at 18th in the standings, Elliott is coming off of a top-10 finish at Martinsville heading into a track where he’s never finished outside the top 10.
Elliott, alongside drivers like Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones and others are hoping to bring NASCAR’s youth movement to the postseason this year. Three of the four playoff drivers that have already clinched are over the age of 38 while Austin Dillon is an established veteran at 27.
How to watch the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500
Location: Texas Motor Speedway
Date: Sunday, April 8
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Length: 334 laps/501 miles
Stage 1: Ends on lap 85
Stage 2: Ends on lap 170
Final stage: Scheduled for lap 334
TV: FS1
Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
*qualifying scheduled for Friday at 6:45pm ET
Odds to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500
Betting odds for Sunday’s provided by SportsLine. For expert daily fantasy analysis, we encourage you to check out DFS millionaire Mike McClure’s picks by clicking here.
- Kevin Harvick 3/1
- Martin Truex Jr. 4/1
- Kyle Busch 4/1
- Kyle Larson 7/1
- Brad Keselowski 8/1
- Joey Logano 12/1
- Chase Elliott 15/1
- Denny Hamlin 15/1
- Ryan Blaney 15/1
- Jimmie Johnson 20/1
- Erik Jones 20/1
- Clint Bowyer 30/1
- Kurt Busch 40/1
- Aric Almirola 50/1
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