RADIO
Chase Elliott Earns his Second Texas Motor Speedway Victory
Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports won the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway while being the most dominant driver of the race. Elliott began the race from 14th, but spent the whole first stage gaining track position, even through pit stops. By the end of the first stage, Elliott made it up to eighth and earned three stage points. In the second stage, Elliott took advantage of cautions and pit stops to cycle out to the lead after others headed to pit road over the course of the green flag. Despite one more caution at the end of the second stage, where Elliott went to pit road while Brad Keselowski and Ryan Preece stayed out, Elliott was able to pass both drivers for the second stage victory and 10 stage points on the ensuing restart. In the final stage, Elliott dominated the stage outside of pit stops despite some competition from Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick. After the final caution occurred with eight laps to go, Elliott stayed on track instead of pitting and competed with Hamlin for the win. Elliott successfully held off Hamlin to score his second victory of the 2026 season as well as his second Texas win. As a result of winning, Elliott is now third in the regular-season standings after 11 races.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Denny Hamlin Misses Out on Winning at Texas
Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing was one of the main contenders to win in another race at a 1.5-mile intermediate track this season, this time the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Hamlin showcased his race-winning speed after starting the race from fourth as he went ahead and took the lead from Chase Briscoe midway through the first stage before his first pit stop. Through the rest of the first stage, Hamlin went on to battle with Christopher Bell until a late race caution shuffled Hamlin back as he returned to pit road while others stayed out. He then worked back up to 10th by the end of the first stage, scoring one stage point. In the second stage, Hamlin continued his ascent through the pack until he reached second behind Chase Elliott. When another caution occurred near the end of the stage, Hamlin went to pit road, but fell behind Brad Keselowski and Ryan Preece, who stayed out and also behind Elliott. After the final restart of stage two, Hamlin finished the stage in fourth behind Keselowski, Elliott, and Tyler Reddick, who passed the No. 11 Toyota driver. In the final stage, Hamlin competed for the lead alongside Elliott and Reddick until the very end, and despite his best efforts, he was unable to pass Elliott through the entire stage. Hamlin settled for his third top-2 finish on a 1.5-mile Intermediate oval track of the season, but is now second in the regular-season standings after 11 Cup races this year behind Reddick.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Alex Bowman Finishes Third for the Second Week in a Row at Texas
Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman finished in third place in the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. The No. 48 Chevrolet driver started from ninth, but was not much of a factor in the race's first two stages. In the first stage, Bowman ran at the back of the top 10, but then used pit stops to try to adjust his car for the later parts of the race. He finished the first stage in 18th and failed to gain any stage points. The second stage was also quiet for Bowman as he ran inside the top 20 through most of the stage, but kept his car clean. After heading to pit road once more at the end of stage two, Bowman made it up to 10th and scored one stage point at the end of the stage. In the final stage, Bowman's car was improved enough that he ran between fifth and 10th throughout most of the stage. During the final caution, Bowman stayed out of pit road for track position and restarted third behind Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin. Bowman could not keep up with the two leaders, but held on for his second consecutive third-place finish of the 2026 season. After the 11th race of the season, Bowman now moved up two positions to 34th in the regular-season standings after missing four races due to injury.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Tyler Reddick Earns Seventh Top-Five Finish of the Season at Texas
Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing placed fourth at the end of the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. The No. 45 Toyota driver started the race from the eighth position and ran inside the top 10 through most of the stage. After pit stops and cautions, Reddick got shuffled further back into the pack and ended the first stage in 20th, leaving him with no stage points. Reddick recovered his track position in the second stage thanks to a fast car that allowed him to make moves on track and through well-executed pit stops. This allowed Reddick to compete for the stage win, but he finished second at the end of the second stage to Chase Elliott and gained nine stage points. In the final stage, Reddick ran mostly in the top five and competed for the lead at times with Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin. Before the last restart of the race, Reddick led a bunch of drivers into pit road, got fresher tires while others stayed out. Reddick restarted in 10th and then made it back up to fourth by the checkered flag, falling short of grabbing the win from Elliott. After Texas, Reddick remains the points leader of the Cup Series standings with 11 races completed, thanks to his seventh top-5 result of the season.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Chris Buescher Scores his First Career Texas Finish in the Top Five
RFK Racing's Chris Buescher finished in the fifth position in Sunday's Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Buescher began the race from the third position, and although he ran in the top five through the first half of the first stage, he fell back to 11th in the second half after pit stops and restarts shuffled the field. This left Buescher with no stage points at the end of the first stage. In the second stage, he made his way back up to the top five after making moves on track and having clean pit stops. Due to other drivers staying out and not getting the best restart at the end of the stage on stage two's final restart, he fell to seventh and earned four stage points. In the final stage, Buescher continued to make a run at the top five and made it back there in the closing laps. On the final restart of the race, Buescher restarted around sixth and made his way up to fifth to collect his first career top-5 finish at his home track at Texas. With his second top-5 finish of the season, Buescher now moves to fifth in the Cup Series standings after 11 races.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Is Christopher Bell Worth Rostering for Texas Lineups?
Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing will start in the seventh position for this week's Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. The No. 20 Toyota driver will start in the top 10 for the first time since April 2024 at Texas. In seven Cup starts at Texas, Bell has four top-10 finishes, including two of the last three Cup events at the site. After 10 races completed this season, Bell has four top-10 finishes and an average finish of 15.5. In practice for this week's Cup race, Bell ranked 12th in 10 and 15 consecutive lap averages. Bell does not carry much upside from his starting position, but he is a driver who can maintain a top-10 finish based on equipment and overall favorable track history. Fantasy players should roster Bell in tournament-based lineups more than cash games this week.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
William Byron Might have the Speed to Compete for the Win at Texas
William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports qualified 15th for this week's Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Byron last qualified outside of the top 10 at Texas in the 2023 race at the site. In 11 Cup races at Texas, Byron has one win and six top-10 finishes with an average finish of 11.4, which ranks second-best of all active Cup drivers. In 10 races completed so far this year, Byron has five top-10 finishes with an average finish of 14.8. In practice for this week's race, Byron ranked first in 10 consecutive lap averages and second in 15 consecutive lap averages. Considering how Texas is one of his better tracks with fast enough speeds to compete for the win in practice, Byron is an excellent choice to roster in all DFS formats.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Joey Logano Provides Solid Upside for Texas DFS Lineups
Team Penske's Joey Logano will start in the 23rd position for Sunday's Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway after qualifying. This marks the fourth consecutive Texas race where Logano will start 20th or worse in the Cup Series. In 30 Cup starts at Texas, Logano has two wins, 22 top-20 finishes, and an average finish of 13.3. After 10 Cup races completed so far this year, Logano has six top-20 finishes and an average finish of 19.4. In practice, Logano ranked seventh in 10 consecutive lap averages and ninth in 15 consecutive lap averages. Due to his upside from his starting position combined with his practice speeds, Logano is worth rostering in all DFS formats for this week's race at Texas.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Could Chase Briscoe be A Sneaky Pick for Texas Lineups?
Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing is starting Sunday's Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway from the fifth position after qualifying. Briscoe matches the best qualifying result of his career from the 2024 race at Texas for this week's race. In seven previous races at the site, Briscoe has four top-10 finishes in three of the past four Texas Cup races. Through 10 races so far this season, Briscoe has four top-10 finishes and an average finish of 18.3. In practice for this week's race, Briscoe ranked among the top five fastest in the 15 through 30 consecutive lap average categories. Based on his great track history, top-notch equipment, and practice speeds, Briscoe is an underrated driver capable of competing for the win this week.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Should DFS Managers Roster Ty Gibbs at Texas?
Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs will start 10th for Sunday's Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. This will be the fourth consecutive race in his Cup career where Gibbs will start inside the top 10 at Texas. In four previous races at Texas, Gibbs has had a best finish of 13th and led only five laps total. With 10 races completed so far in the 2026 season, Gibbs is sitting fifth in the regular season standings with one win, seven top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.7. In practice for this week's race, Gibbs ranked 18th in overall lap averages and 22nd in 15 consecutive lap averages. Although Gibbs does not have the strongest track history at Texas, he has been remarkably consistent this season, regardless of track type. Fantasy players should consider Gibbs as a potentially sneaky DFS option to compete for a top-10 finish based on his season-wide performance and top-notch equipment from JGR, which has led more laps on 1.5-mile Intermediate ovals than any other team this season.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Is Daniel Suarez Worth Rostering After Career-Best Starting Position at Texas?
Daniel Suarez of Spire Motorsports is starting second for the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. This is the first front row start of Suarez's Cup career at Texas. In 13 Cup races, Suarez has six top-10 finishes and an average finish of 14.7 in 13 Cup races. Through 10 races so far this year, Suarez has two top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16.1. In practice for this week's race, Suarez ranked 22nd in overall lap averages and 14th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Despite a new career-best starting position and solid track history at Texas, Suarez is difficult to recommend for this week's race in DFS since he carries little upside. The No. 7 driver is only playable in tournament games, as he is likely to lose positions from Place Differential over others with better equipment who are more likely to compete for the win.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Kyle Busch Is a DFS Risk Starting in the Top 10 at Texas
Kyle Busch of Richard Childress Racing will start in the sixth position for this week's Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. This will be the first race of the 2026 season where Busch will have a new crew chief, Andy Street, who last worked with Busch and RCR in the last five races of the 2025 season. In 35 total Cup Series races at Texas, Busch has four wins, 19 top-10 finishes, and is the only driver in the field with over 1,000 laps led throughout their Cup career (1,069) at the site. After 10 races this season, Busch has one top-10 finish, an average finish of 22.1, and sits 27th in the regular-season standings. In practice for this week's race, Busch ranked 17th in overall lap averages and as high as 11th in 20 consecutive lap averages. Although Busch has solid track history at Texas, his high starting position makes him only worth recommending for tournament lineups, as he is a risk for DFS otherwise.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Tyler Reddick One of the Favorites to Win at Texas
It should come as no surprise to anyone, but Tyler Reddick is one of the favorites to win this weekend's Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Reddick already has five wins this season, including victories at both Kansas and Darlington, other intermediate race tracks. At Texas, Reddick has been one of the best in the Next Gen era despite some misleading results. Last year at this track, he finished second in both Stages but ending up finishing 21st after spinning out on lap 254 while running sixth. In 2024, he finished fourth here at Texas, and he won the fall race here in 2022. This weekend, Reddick qualified eighth for Sunday afternoon's race and looked strong in practice, ranking fastest in 20-lap average during the session. At $10,700 on DraftKings, Reddick makes for an excellent DFS pick this weekend, combining some Place Differential upside with race-winning potential as well.
Source: FOX Sports
Source: FOX Sports
Chase Elliott Could Contend for Another Win at Texas
Keep an eye on Chase Elliott in this weekend's Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is a recent winner here (in 2024) and looked stout in practice this weekend, ranked fastest in 25-lap average during the session. Chase was reportedly very happy with his car, and the speed backed that up. Looking at other intermediate tracks this season, Elliott nearly stole a win at Las Vegas and had top-five speed at Kansas before fading late. On Sunday, the No. 9 Chevrolet will roll off the starting grid from 14th-place, making Chase Elliott ($9,500 on DraftKings) an excellent DFS play with Place Differential upside as well as race-winning upside. In the Next Gen era, Chase has the fourth-best speed ranking at Texas specifically.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Carson Hocevar on Pole at Texas
After grabbing his first-ever Cup Series win at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend, Carson Hocever continued the good vibes this Saturday, ending up fastest in qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway--just like he did last season. Hocevar will now lead the field to the green flag for Sunday afternoon's Würth 400. Last year, Hocevar led 22 laps and finished sixth in both Stages before ultimately falling back to 24th after an untimely caution and him getting caught up in a wreck. Looking at this weekend, though, Hocevar should have the potential for another top-10 finish at Texas, just like he accomplished here in 2024. As far as DFS goes, Carson is a high-risk option due to his starting spot, but if he can dominate a portion of this race and get a good finish, it'll be easier to hit value with his $8,500 DraftKings salary.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
