Event: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 (Round 9 of 36)
Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 14
Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth
Layout: 1.5-mile oval
Laps/Miles: 267 laps / 400.5 miles
Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 85 laps / Final Stage: 102 laps
TV/Radio: FS1 / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
SHR Fast Facts:
– Six weeks have passed since the last time the NASCAR Cup Series raced on a 1.5-mile oval. It was March 3 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Noah Gragson drove his No. 10 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing to a season-best sixth-place finish. With another 1.5-mile oval next up on the Cup Series docket with the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Gragson is looking forward to racing in the Lone Star State and scoring another strong result.
– Josh Berry will take on the 1.5-mile oval at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for the first time in the NASCAR Cup Series ranks during Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. The 33-year-old rookie has enjoyed success on other intermediate tracks, scoring three of his five NASCAR Xfinity Series victories on 1.5- mile ovals, twice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (fall 2021 and 2022 races) and once at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (spring 2022), all under the JR Motorsports banner. He led a combined 192 of 602 possible race laps in those three victories.
– Despite only having three NASCAR Cup Series starts at Texas, Chase Briscoe’s standing at the 1.5-mile oval is solid. He finished 15th in his Cup Series debut at the track in 2021 and then knocked down back-to-back top-10s in his two subsequent races at Texas, finishing fifth in 2022 and 10th last year.
– Ryan Preece heads to Texas after posting a season-best finish of ninth last Sunday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. He kicked off the weekend with a strong practice session, posting the third-fastest lap. From his 22nd-place starting spot, Preece steadily made his way toward the top-10, finishing the second stage in 14th. After losing four spots on pit road during the Stage 2 break, Preece raced his way forward once again and emerged with his first top-10 of the season. Statistically, he was one of the top-five biggest movers in the final stage.
OUR WEEKLY WRAPS:
WHAT OUR DRIVERS ARE SAYING:
Noah Gragson, Driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse
The risk versus reward factor is higher at Texas because the speeds are so much higher. Can you explain how fast things happen at Texas and how quickly you need to think and make moves on the track?
“Texas is challenging just because you’re pretty much wide open from the exit of turn two all the way through (turns) three and four, down the front straightaway until you get to turn one. There are two different corners at Texas, and that’s a big challenge on getting your car handling right. Turns three and four are more banked, and turns one and two are more flat and wide. It’s a tough, challenging racetrack, and it’s always pretty hot and slick there, too. It’s easy to get up out of the groove and spin out through one and two. You definitely have to be on your game from the get-go.”
Josh Berry, Driver of the No. 4 Miner Ford Mustang Dark Horse
You’ve had a mixed bag of results at Texas Motor Speedway in the Xfinity Series, and now you’re heading there for the first time in the Cup Series. What translates and what doesn’t?
“Texas (Motor Speedway) is a high-grip track and really fast. Each corner is significantly different and takes a slightly different approach, which makes it challenging. But all of the skills from Xfinity I think will translate. Ultimately, my results from Xfinity don’t matter in my mind because I am with a new team, a new car, a new manufacturer, so it’s almost a clean slate, but I am excited for the opportunity to go with Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s obviously our second race on the intermediates but, on the team side, we know that’s where we need to improve the most. It’s a great opportunity to learn and keep improving before we get into the summer months.”
Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang Dark Horse
How would you describe restarts at Texas?
“Restarts at Texas are a little hairy. The speeds are way, way higher, and the risk versus reward is way, way higher. At Texas, I feel like you put yourself in a worse spot sometimes and the car just doesn’t want to do certain things. There are different lanes at Texas, so you can move around, and that makes things hairier.”
Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse
It’s been six weeks since the Cup Series last raced on a mile-and-a-half track. What are your thoughts heading to Texas?
“We knew the No. 10 car (of Noah Gragson) was really good at Las Vegas, so we’ve been looking over and working through some of the things they did to ensure we have some of the speed they had there. Heading into Texas, with it being a mile-and-a-half, we’re a lot more optimistic than last year.”
