This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to action at Texas Motor Speedway.  Coverage of the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 can be seen starting with NASCAR RaceDay at 1:30 p.m. on FOX Sports 1.  Coverage moves to FOX at 2:30, while the race will go green around 3:07  It can also be listened to on PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

Last year's O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 was fairly competitive as no driver led more than 66 of the 334 laps.  Denny Hamlin took the lead from Erik Jones with 32 laps to go, then had a good final stop.  From there, he held on to take the victory.

Hamlin ended up nearly three seconds ahead of Clint Bowyer at the finish.  Daniel Suarez finished third, followed by Jones and Jimmie Johnson.

Jimmie Johnson is the winningiest driver in the history of Texas Motor Speedway, winning seven times.  Carl Edwards has four wins at TMS, while Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch each have three wins.  Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart and Jeff Burton each have two wins a piece.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.5 mile quad-oval, 334 laps (501 miles)
Banking: 24 degrees

Frontstretch: 2,250 ft., banked 5 degrees

Backstretch: 1,330 ft., banked 5 degrees

Grandstand Seating: 128,655 (total capacity 181,655)
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 55 mph
Opened: 1997

Website: http://www.texasmotorspeedway.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/texasmotorspeedway

Twitter: http://twitter.com/TXMotorSpeedway

Say What?!

"Texas is a hot place. This time of year, I think everywhere is probably going to be hot. It always is. From the hydration standpoint, that’s always important. Preparing to sweat a lot is another big thing. As far as the track goes, I don’t expect the racing to look a whole lot different just because it’s hot. I think it will be really similar to what we’ve seen there in the past. The repave has been a big-time struggle for us. We just need to settle in and try to find some consistency and get going a little better. It’s such a unique place now with the ends being so different and how you want to configure your car." - Chase Elliott

"I know they’ve been working on the track, but you are still trying to put rubber down. With the smooth surface, it’s hard to understand what you’re feeling with your car because you can think you’re tight, you’ve got all the grip in the world, you’re going around the corner and then, ‘Boom,’ it just busts loose right out from under you with no warning. That’s why the older racetracks, the more aged racetracks – the Atlantas, the Californias – you’re sliding the whole time, so you’re already against the slide. You don’t have maximum grip. You’re already playing with it and trying to get the most out of yourself and the car that you possibly can. At Texas, you’re not just locked down, you’re locked in solid, then it can jump out from under you in a hurry. We were OK there last year but would like to have a good run there on Sunday with our Interstate Batteries Toyota." - Kyle Busch

"Texas was one of the races I ran last year with Front Row Motorsports, so you always look forward to going back to a place where you had good experiences. Having the same crew when we go back is helpful and I’m confident in where we’re going as a team. We already have a notebook from running at Texas last year, so hopefully we can start off close. As a mile-and-a-half track, Texas is basically Kentucky reversed. The track is going to change a lot with the PJ1, so as a driver, you need to find the best line to run while adapting to various conditions." - John Hunter Nemechek

Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.  Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.