Race No. 6 of the NASCAR XFINITY Series season falls this weekend the recently-repaved Texas Motor Speedway. In addition to the repave that included pit lane, and reducing the banking in turns one and two from 24 to 20 degrees, the 1.5-mile track also had a French drainage system on both the backstretch and front stretch. These enhancements were made to ensure the best possible fan experience.
There are 42 drivers on the roster for the My Bariatric Solutions 300. Austin and Ty Dillon, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick and JJ Yeley are all scheduled to do double duty, running both the NXS race as well as the MENCS O’Reilly Auto Parts 500.
Kyle Busch is the defending race winner. Driving the No. 18 NOS Toyota, he led a dominating 150 out of 200 laps a year ago. Busch is not scheduled to run XFINITY this weekend. Instead, he will pass the baton to the reigning series champion Suarez.
The new stage format has been responsible for some exciting on-track action in the first five races of the NXS. The JR Motorsports trio of Elliott Sadler, William Byron and Justin Allgaier currently hold the top three spots in the NXS points standings. Although Sadler hasn’t been to Victory Lane yet, the No. 1 One Main Financial Chevrolet driver tops the standings with 189 points and two stage wins. Except for the race at Las Vegas, Sadler has finished in the top 10 of every stage.
Byron is 17 points back. Although the rookie contender and driver of the No. 9 Axalta/Priefert Chevrolet has no race wins or stage wins to date, he sits second with 172 points. While Byron is making his series debut at Texas, he is no stranger to this track as he won the spring NCWTS event in 2016.
Along with the win at Phoenix, Allgaier has earned a total of five playoff points. He will pilot the No. 7 Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet at Texas where he finished both of last year’s races inside the top 10.
While Kyle Larson won the previous NXS event at Auto Club Speedway, he will step out of the seat in the Lone Star State. It will be Tyler Reddick who will take over the reins of the No. 42 Broken Bow Records Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing this weekend. This is a machine that won the Texas fall race back in November. This will also be the first time for Reddick to set wheel on the Fort Worth asphalt.
Another one to look out for this weekend is Darrell Wallace Jr. in the No. 6 Leidos Ford. The Roush-Fenway Racing driver has posted four consecutive top-six placing in his last four Texas starts. Wallace Jr. also sits fifth in the NXS standings with 140 points.
“It’ll be interesting to see how Texas is with the repave,” Wallace Jr. said earlier this week. “I’m really looking forward to getting there after a week off.”
Qualifying for the My Bariatric Solutions 300 begins tomorrow morning at 9:35 AM CT (track time) on FS1, PRN and Sirius XM 90. The three-round group format will set the grid for the race, which will then roll off at 12:30 PM CT on local FOX/PRN affiliates as well as Sirius XM 90. The race will be 200 total laps with stage one ending on lap 45, stage two on lap 90 and stage three on lap 200.
I didn’t decide I wanted to pursue a career in NASCAR until the summer of 2012. I’m not a wrench head or strong enough for a pit crew so media was the next best thing. At the beginning of 2013, I started going to races and making connections within the sport. I also studied Motorsports Management at Sports Management Worldwide. Although I love what happens on the track, I’ve always been interested in what goes on behind the scenes and I’ve gotten to know many people throughout the radio, TV and digital media world.
While I’m a long time writer, 2015 was my first year actually covering the sport with www.nascarfemale.com . I also became a media correspondent for Raceline. I’ve been able to help the TV show gain recognition on social media. My current goal is to acquire more experience in covering NASCAR and move up the media ladder. Outside of motorsports, I have been an equine-sports statistician for 16 years.
I currently reside in Gillette, WY where I’m still involved with horses. I enjoy riding them, rodeo, swimming, traveling and meeting people.
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