Texas
Tough luck in Texas.
“Had great speed but unfortunately had a loose wheel,” said Parker Kligerman, “Which forced us to burn a set early. Was going to finish top10 until those last few cautions and no more fresh tires. Slight setback as we fall from 7th to 9th in points. We keep grinding.”
Sam Mayer beat Ryan Sieg in a .002 second bumper-to-bumper, door-to-door photo finish win. Parker finished 25th.
Overview
Event: Andy’s Frozen Custard 300
Date: Saturday April 13, 2024
Time: 1:30 p.m. eastern
Location: Texas Motor Speedway, 3545 Lone Star Circle, Fort Worth, Texas 76177
Layout: 1.5 mile quad oval with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24° in turns 3 and 4. The front straightaway juts outward slightly.
Laps: 200
Miles: 300
Stage Lengths: Stage 1 ends on Lap 45, Stage 2 ends on Lap 90, Final Stage ends on Lap 200
TV: FS1
Radio: Sirius XM Channel 90 and PRN. For the station near you click here.
Driver Points: 202, 7th place
Notes of Interest:
“I am so proud of this raceteam and how we have started off 2024,” says Parker Kligerman. “Through some of the tracks I would consider our toughest, we made major improvements over 2023 and because of this find ourselves in a great spot in the points! Now heading to Texas, easily one of my favorite tracks, I could not be more confident. We finished 2nd there last year and I have done the same before in trucks. I actually have a funny superstition about this track since I’ve been so close to winning multiple times. I’ve always wanted a cowboy hat and they give one to you for winning here. I have vowed to never buy one ‘til I win a race at Texas Motor Speedway. So feels like a great weekend to get it done!”
Xfinity Series is back in a Lone Star state of mind
In total, Texas Motor Speedway has hosted 45 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, producing 24 different race winners and 27 different pole winners. Six races have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Ryan Blaney in 2018.
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch holds several records at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth, Texas track – most wins (10), most poles (four), most top fives (17), most top 10s (18), most laps led (1,795), most lead lap finishes (20), and the race record (151.707 mph).
Jeff Green holds the qualifying record with his 2002 speed of 193.493 mph.
Only one previous Texas Motor Speedway winner is entered in this weekend’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 – Cole Custer (2018).
Drivers will kick off the weekend on Friday, April 12 with practice at 6 p.m. ET followed by qualifying at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
Last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, teammates Chandler Smith and Aric Almirola, along with Jesse Love and Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman competed for the chance to win the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus, and it was the veteran Aric Almirola who took home the big check after landing himself in Victory Lane on the 0.526-mile track.
The win would’ve given Almirola the chance to once again compete in the Dash 4 Cash at Texas Motor Speedway but since he’s not entered in this weekend’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 300, the next four highest-finishing eligible drivers will be dashing for the money – teammates Sam Mayer and Justin Allgaier and teammates Chandler Smith and Sheldon Creed.
Let’s take a look at the Dash 4 Cash driver’s stats at the 1.5-mile Texas track:
Sam Mayer (No. 1 Chevrolet) has made four starts at Texas posting one top five and two top 10s.
Justin Allgaier: (No. 7 Chevrolet) has made 26 starts at Texas putting up six top fives and 14 top 10s. He has also led 359 laps at the 1.5-mile track.
Chandler Smith: (No. 81) made his series track debut at Texas last season and posted an impressive fourth-place finish.
Sheldon Creed: (No. 18) has made three starts at Texas posting two top 10s.
Texas Motor Speedway: A place of firsts
With all the records Kyle Busch holds at Texas Motor Speedway in the Xfinity Series, one could assume that the track is a memorable place for him but there are some other drivers who also have fond memories in the Lone Star State.
Four drivers got their first taste of victory in the Xfinity Series at Texas Motor Speedway – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1998), Kurt Busch (2006), Chase Elliott (2014) and Erik Jones (2015).
Others got to experience winning their first Xfinity pole – Denny Hamlin (2006), David Ragan (2007), and Alex Bowman (2013).
It’s about to get rowdy!
With only one previous winner entered in this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway (Cole Custer – 2018), there is sure to be some action-packed racing to see who will be wearing a cowboy hat in Victory Lane on Saturday.
Austin Hill didn’t have the best debut at Texas Motor Speedway but since joining the series full time in 2022, has had strong finishes. In his five starts, he’s posted two top fives and three top 10s, including a runner-up finish in the 2022 Texas Playoff race. He’s had a standout season thus far, already with two wins (Daytona & Atlanta), five top fives and six top 10s through these first seven races.
Although nicknamed the “King of Road Courses,” AJ Allmendinger has always put on a show at the 1.5-mile Texas track. In his four starts, he’s posted one top five and four top 10s.
Sammy Smith has only given the Texas track a go once (2023), but showed he can handle himself, racing his way up to a third-place finish after starting P15. The 19-year old is looking for his first win of the season – he’s posted five top-10 finishes in these first seven races.
Austin Hill to run select Cup Series races with RCR – Austin Hill has been a star with the team’s Xfinity Series program and now, he will be given a shot to compete with the team’s Cup Series program in four races this season.
He has made one start with RCR in the Cup Series in 2022 at Michigan International Speedway. He raced his way up to an 18th-place finish after starting P31. Hill also had a few Cup Series stints last season, but all five starts were with Beard Motorsports.
His first Cup Series start this season will be this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 33. The other three races will be announced at a later date.
Ryan Truex returns at Texas Motor Speedway – Ryan Truex will be back this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway for his third Xfinity Series start of the 2024 season.
He will pilot the No. 20 at Texas for the first of three straight races (Talladega Superspeedway and Dover Motor Speedway to follow).
He’s made two other starts with the team this season. The first at the season-opener in Daytona where he finished 21st and the second at Atlanta Motor Speedway where he finished ninth.