Friday Night Lights At Texas

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES – FRIDAY, 8:30 P.M. ET, ESPN2

 

Friday Night Lights At Texas

After a two week break in the schedule, the wait is finally over as the NASCAR Nationwide Series returns this week at Texas Motor Speedway. An added bonus: it’s the first night race of the season.

 

This race features one of the more star-studded fields thus far in 2012. Joining regulars like standings leader Elliott Sadler, Danica Patrick, reigning series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and talented rookies Austin Dillon and Cole Whitt are six top double-duty drivers led by Dale Earnhardt Jr. (who also is Patrick and Whitt’s team owner), Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and 2009 series champion Kyle Busch.

 

Busch is the all-time series wins leader at Texas with five – all consecutive victories from 2008-10. He’s still looking for his first win of the year running in his own Kyle Busch Motorsports equipment. Three other former winners are in the field: Earnhardt, Kahne and 1992 series champion Joe Nemechek.

 

Can Regulars Keep Dominating Pace?

Dating back to November – the last time the NASCAR Nationwide Series raced at Texas – drivers who don’t earn championship points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have won six of the last eight races.

 

Trevor Bayne won his first series race last November at Texas before Sam Hornish Jr. won the season’s penultimate event at Phoenix. To kick off 2012, James Buescher – who’s checked the box for championship points in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and is in line to run 14 Nationwide races this year – won at Daytona. Elliot Sadler won in the spring returns to Phoenix and Bristol while Ricky Stenhouse won at Las Vegas. Joey Logano finally chalked up one for the Cup regulars at Auto Club Speedway.

 

Bayne’s win last fall made him the first series regular – and third overall – to win at Texas dating back to 1998. Earnhard Jr. won that year and Jeff Purvis was the winner in 2002. Both of those victories came when one series event was contested in Ft. Worth.

 

In addition, each manufacturer has won at least one of the last eight Nationwide races dating back to the last three events of 2011 (Ford – 2, Dodge – 2, Chevy – 3, Toyota – 1). 

 

Top 30 Takes 2012 Turn

With the first five races of the season in the books, the top-30 tide will turn starting at Texas. For the first five races of the year, the top 30 cars via 2011 owner points were locked in to each event. At Texas – and for the remainder of the year – the current top 30 in owner points will be locked in.

 

That scenario presents a nerve-racking qualifying session for Johanna Long, a Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate. Long, 19, will not only be making her series debut at Texas but will have to qualify her No. 70 ML Motorsports Chevrolet on time. The No. 70 is just two points out of the 30th slot, behind the No. 4 car of Danny Efland.

 

Long has run well at Texas in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. She qualified ninth in her truck series track debut at Texas in the fall 2010 race and finished 11th there last June. This will be Long’s fourth NASCAR race at Texas, the most appearances for the Pensacola, Fla., native at any track.

 

And now that crew chief Bruce Cook has moved to the No. 88 of Cole Whitt and Tony Eury Sr. is now leading the No. 5 Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have the familiar voice of “Pops” in his ear as he qualifies that car on time at Texas. Earnhardt and Eury won 13 NASCAR Nationwide races and two series championships in 1998-99.

 

NNS TX ETC

Texas is a home race for Turner Motorsports owner Steve Tuner (Halletsville) and Robert Richardson Jr. (McKinney), driver of the No. 23 R3 Motorsports Chevrolet … Steve Arpin is back in the series for the first time in two years, and will run one of Turner’s three cars. … Tayler Malsam, currently eighth in points, will throw out the first pitch at the April 11 Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners game at The Ballpark at Arlington. … Justin Allgaier and Jeremy Clements will visit three schools in Darlington County on April 10 in support of the May 11 race. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. travels to Montreal on April 11 to meet the media and help promote ticket sales for the August 18 race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.