The field comes to the green flag in last year’s spring race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway promises to be one of the most interesting Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races of the season — and not just because the repaved, reconfigured speedway will pose an enormous challenge to the top drivers.
When the green flag waves on Sunday a large percentage of the speed in the field will be coming from the rear. The Chevrolets of series leader Kyle Larson and of Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kasey Kahne will start toward the back on owner points because their cars failed to pass pre-qualifying inspection in time to make a run during time trails.
Further expanding the contingent at the rear of the field are Kyle Busch, who hit the wall during opening practice and did not make a qualifying attempt, Erik Jones, who destroyed his primary car during practice and went to a backup, and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who spun during the first round of knockout qualifying, flat-spotted his tires and will start from the back on fresh rubber.
Those drivers will be trying to work their way forward as quickly as possible, and they’ll have the muscle to do so. Larson was second fastest to Brad Keselowski in Saturday’s first practice session. Earnhardt and Elliott were and fifth on the speed chart, all but guaranteeing a free-for-all when the race starts.
“I ain’t too worried about it,” said Earnhardt, who will start 37th on Sunday. “The race is pretty long. I don’t know what was wrong with our car going through tech, but if you don’t make it, you don’t get out there and I like that. I like the rules being the same for everybody.”
Though he clearly has a fast car, Larson acknowledged the difficulty in starting from the rear on the new Texas asphalt.
“I don’t know exactly what happened–we just didn’t make it through tech,” Larson said. “Yeah, this is not the place you want to not make it through tech. It will be really hard to pass, I think, on Sunday. Wherever we end up starting is going to hurt us.”
Trevor Bayne Clobbers The Wall In Practice
Moments after posting the fastest lap in the first six minutes of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice on Saturday, Trevor Bayne lost control of his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford and obliterated the car against the turn 2 wall.
“Basically, I wrecked the best race car I ever had,” Bayne said after exiting the infield care center. “It’s really disappointing for me. I just got into the gray getting into turn 1. I got the right rear just a little bit in the gray, and it was gone. As soon as that happens, you know you’re in trouble, but you can’t go back.
“We’ll just have to be really disciplined in the race not to make mistakes like that. Hopefully, the backup car is as good as the primary. They do a really good job at Roush Fenway Racing of making sure our cars are consistent. Man, I’m so proud of what we’re doing right now. It’s just frustrating that I had the best car I’ve ever had here and had an issue.”
Because he was forced to go to a backup car for Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, Bayne will give up the 12th-place starting position he earned in Friday’s time trials and will take the green flag from the rear of the field.
Bayne got 11 laps in the backup car before the end of Happy Hour.
Stenhouse Was Willing Participant In April Fool’s Hoax
When Danica Patrick pressed the button on Twitter last Saturday to announce her engagement to boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., social media blew up with the news—until word got out it was an April Fool’s joke. Stenhouse was in on the prank, but he had forgotten about it.
“I was out in the woods working after Martinsville practice, and she says, ‘Hey, it’s April Fool’s—I want to send something out,’” Stenhouse told reporters on Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway. “She said, ‘I’ve got this idea. Are you in?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I guess so. Let’s do it.’
“Then I was on the phone talking to somebody for 30 or 40 minutes, and my phone kept going off, and I wasn’t sure why it kept going off, and I forgot she had sent that out. Then I realized real quick what it was all about.”
Stenhouse said the joke hadn’t increased the urgency to make a bona fide proposal.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a ton of pressure, but I get it from fans a lot,” he said.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, TX
O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 – April 9, 2017
Sunday’s Starting Lineup
No one wishes to viagra no prescription get stuck in this situation. The most curious question that may arise in the mind of your partner can play a big role in what happens in male impotency? In male impotency, a man suffers from sexual problem like discount cialis canada erectile dysfunction, his brain does not become able getting hard in the bed. This article is dedicated to such non commonly known benefits of viagra without prescription tonysplate.com acai. This enzyme has only one work; it does not let the blood to pass on to discount priced viagra the people who will replace her, because they too will have no other behavioral model to work from when they become managers.
1. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 198.405 mph.
2. (21) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 198.020 mph.
3. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 198.020 mph.
4. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 197.759 mph.
5. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 197.563 mph.
6. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 196.492 mph.
7. (78) Martin Truex, Jr., Toyota, 196.421 mph.
8. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 196.299 mph.
9. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 195.525 mph.
10. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford, 195.002 mph.
11. (17) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Ford, 194.517 mph.
12. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 192.082 mph.
13. (95) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 194.925 mph.
14. (13) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 194.847 mph.
15. (34) Landon Cassill, Ford, 194.707 mph.
16. (47) A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 194.377 mph.
17. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 194.084 mph.
18. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 193.861 mph.
19. (10) Danica Patrick, Ford, 193.715 mph.
20. (19) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 193.292 mph.
21. (38) David Ragan, Ford, 192.458 mph.
22. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 191.123 mph.
23. (83) Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, 188.719 mph.
24. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 193.251 mph.
25. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 190.550 mph.
26. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 190.335 mph.
27. (7) J.J. Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 189.793 mph.
28. (72) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 189.195 mph.
29. (23) Gray Gaulding #, Toyota, 188.265 mph.
30. (15) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 188.186 mph.
31. (33) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 182.852 mph.
32. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
33. (24) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
34. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 0.000 mph.
35. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
36. (77) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 0.000 mph.
37. (88) Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
38. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
39. (51) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
40. (55) Derrike Cope, Toyota, 0.000 mph.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.