Duck Commander 500 Betting News and Notes

Texas Driver Tale of the Tape

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Safety-Kleen Ford)

· Two wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.6
· Average Running Position of 12.3, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 100.9, fourth-best
· 473 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· 1,325 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 173.678 mph, fourth-fastest
· 4,838 Laps in the Top 15 (72.2%), fourth-most
· 796 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most

Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota)

· Three top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.3
· Average Running Position of 12.8, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 91.4, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 173.475 mph, ninth-fastest

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)

· One win, three top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.0
· Driver Rating of 87.4, 12th-best
· 200 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 1,537 Green Flag Passes, second-most
· 642 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet)

· One win, four top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.6
· Average Running Position of 12.9, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.1, 10th-best
· 230 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· 1,438 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 173.498 mph, sixth-fastest
· 4,950 Laps in the Top 15 (73.8%), third-most
· Series-high 800 Quality Passes

Carl Edwards (No. 19 STANLEY Racing For A Miracle Toyota)

· Three wins, six top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.2
· Average Running Position of 12.9, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 95.9, sixth-best
· 361 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· 1,324 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 173.522 mph, fifth-fastest
· 4,607 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7%), fifth-most
· 724 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Panasonic Chevrolet)

· One win, nine top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 17.6
· Average Running Position of 13.4, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 93.2, eighth-best
· 391 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 173.482 mph, seventh-fastest
· 4,401 Laps in the Top 15 (65.6%), eighth-most
· 702 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota)

· Two wins, five top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.8
· Average Running Position of 12.3, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.5, seventh-best
· 180 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· 1,458 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 173.364 mph, 10th-fastest
· 4,223 Laps in the Top 15 (70.0%), ninth-most
· 792 Quality Passes, third-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Pro Services Chevrolet)

· Four wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 9.1
· Average Running Position of 10.9, third-best
· Driver Rating of 105.7, second-best
· Series-high 579 Fastest Laps Run
· Average Green Flag Speed of 173.696 mph, third-fastest
· 5,005 Laps in the Top 15 (74.7%), second-most
· 710 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)

· Two wins, 13 top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 8.9
· Series-best Average Running Position of 9.2
· Series-best Driver Rating of 105.9
· 365 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 1,502 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 173.830 mph
· Series-high 5,333 Laps in the Top 15 (79.5%)
· 768 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

· Two wins, six top fives, 13 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 12.9
· Average Running Position of 10.9, second-best
· Driver Rating of 98.3, fifth-best
· 362 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 173.477 mph, eighth-fastest
· 4,456 Laps in the Top 15 (70.0%), seventh-most
· 639 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet)

· Two top fives, eight top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 15.4
· Average Running Position of 13.9, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.8, 11th-best
· 1,316 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 173.326 mph, 11th-fastest
· 3,920 Laps in the Top 15 (61.5%), 12th-most

Drivers to Watch - Fort Worth
By Sportsbook.ag

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Duck Commander 500
Saturday, April 11 – 7:30 p.m. ET
Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, TX

The Sprint Cup Series continues with the Duck Commander 500, an annual race that has taken place in early April since 1997. The 1.5-mile, asphalt track has not typically been dominated by a few, but by many as there are only three multiple winners with nobody winning more than twice.

This short list includes Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth and most recently Greg Biffle in 2012 when he posted the fastest time in the history of this race when he completed the 334 laps in 3:07:12. The large 24-degree corners have led to some of the fastest speeds on the series and last year it was Joey Logano who earned one of his nine career victories after the race was extended due to a green-white-checker finish.

Roush Fenway Racing has been able to net by far the most wins in this specific event, getting seven winners over its existence with Biffle’s impressive 2012 performance being the last.

Let’s take a look through the entrants and see who could get a win this week.

Drivers to Bet

Matt Kenseth (10/1) - If there is one racer who has dominated on this course it is Kenseth with his driver-best rating of 107.2 here as he has two wins and 13 top-five finishes in his 25 starts. His 17 top-10s also ties him with Jimmie Johnson for most here and he leads all other racers with an impressive average finish of 8.9. He ranks 11th in the Sprint Cup Standings this year and is coming off his best performance when he finished fourth at Martinsville, leading a total of 11 laps and adding to the 54 laps that he had led previously on the season. Kenseth should be able to pull down at least a second straight top-10 in Texas this week with a very good chance of a 32nd career Sprint Cup win on the way.

Greg Biffle (60/1) - Biffle’s top-10 finish at both the Budweiser Dual #2 and Daytona 500 show that he still has some left in the tank at the age of 45, but he has finished 14th or worse in each of the first five Sprint Cup Series races this year. Texas Motor Speedway is a perfect spot for him to get out of this funk with his two past victories and eight top-fives being a big factor. He has an average green-flag speed of 173.396 MPH when running on the track, third most among drivers, and has spent 4,457 laps in the top-15 (74%), ranking the fourth-most among his peers while getting a series-high 742 quality passes. Biffle should be able to put up his best showing of the year in Forth Worth this week.

Carl Edwards (15/1) – Edwards grabbed the win at this event back in 2008 and has also had solid showings when running on this track with two other victories as he has had the fastest lap 358 times (third-most). His driver rating of 97.5 is sixth-best at the venue and he has spent 73.5% of his time (4,425 laps) amongst the top-15. He has been consistent with an average finish of 14.3 over his past three races on the year, but should have no issues getting near the top of the leaderboard when he hits the asphalt in Forth Worth on Saturday.

Jamie McMurray (50/1) - McMurray has looked solid this season since a poor 40th-place in Atlanta to kickoff the Sprint Cup Series, ranking 21st or better in each successive race with three top-11s. He was the runner-up in Phoenix and currently is 14th in the standings. The seven-time Sprint Cup Series winner has started at Texas Motor Speedway 22 times in his career and has earned five top-five finishes as his average finish of 17.7 ranks him 15th in the tracks history. McMurray’s season has been trending upwards and he should be expected to be near the front of the pack once again.

Danica Patrick (300/1) - This is more of a contrarian pick considering in her five starts at this track she has a poor average finish of 28th, but her season is moving in the right direction as she comes off a seventh in Martinsville and is sitting at 15th in the Sprint Cup Standings. Her best finish in the series in the past was 27th, so this year is certainly a step in the right direction and she could grab the momentum from her last start to propel her into career-best campaign.

Sportsbook.ag - Odds to win Duck Commander 500

Kevin Harvick 4/1
Jimmie Johnson 6/1
Kurt Busch 6/1
Brad Keselowski 10/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 10/1
Jeff Gordon 10/1
Joey Logano 10/1
Matt Kenseth 10/1
Denny Hamlin 12/1
Martin Truex Jr 12/1
Carl Edwards 15/1
Kasey Kahne 20/1
Kyle Larson 20/1
Ryan Newman 25/1
Tony Stewart 40/1
Jamie McMurray 50/1
Clint Bowyer 60/1
David Ragan 60/1
Greg Biffle 60/1
Paul Menard 60/1
Ryan Blaney 100/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 100/1
Austin Dillon 200/1
AJ Allmendinger 300/1
Aric Almirola 300/1
Danica Patrick 300/1
Casey Mears 500/1
Ricky Stenhouse 500/1
Sam Hornish Jr 500/1
Trevor Bayne 500/1

Check out more NASCAR Odds and Props at Sportsbook.ag!

Duck Commander 500 Odds
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

Everything is big in Texas, with the exception of small odds offered on the favorite to win Saturday night’s Duck Commander 500. Even though Jimmie Johnson has won three of the past five races at Texas Motor Speedway, it’s Kevin Harvick -- a driver that has never won at Texas -- who is the 4-to-1 favorite.

That’s what happens when you dominate two races held on similar 1.5-mile tracks this season. Harvick led the most laps at both Atlanta and Las Vegas and came away with a 1.5 average finish, including his first career Cup win at Vegas. Could Texas be his next first-time conquest?

Let’s take a look at all the drivers odds offered by the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook and see if there might be some 'value' on a few of the other drivers if you so dare to doubt Harvick’s chances of winning this week

KEVIN HARVICK 4/1: He is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the field on these type of tracks and is worthy of such a low price. Knowing that he's going to be fast in practice again, he'll qualify near the front and likely lead lots of laps. This makes 4-to-1 actually appear kind of generous. In 24 starts he's accumulated a 13.1 average finish and had a career-best second-place finish last fall.

JIMMIE JOHNSON 6/1: Based on his four career wins at Texas and 9.1 average finish in 23 career starts, you definitely don't want to discount him this week. He also managed to beat Harvick at Atlanta and led 45 laps at Las Vegas before settling for a disappointing 41st-place finish. The thing that lingers with Johnson is his ordinary performance at Fontana's 2-mile layout, the last down force track run at, where he was ninth.

KURT BUSCH 6/1: He won at Texas in 2009 while driving for Penske Racing. Even though we didn't get to see him participate this season at Atlanta or his home track in Las Vegas, his dominance through the weekend at Fontana (where he sat on the pole and was fastest in all three practice sessions) gave every indication that among all drivers on the down force tracks, Busch is the closest to Harvick's plateau.

JEFF GORDON 10/1: He's the only driver to have participated in all 28 Cup starts at Texas, but he's captured only one victory (2009) along with three runner-up finishes. The last time we saw Gordon at Texas, he was charging after Brad Keselowski in a post-race melee after feeling he got wronged late while leading during a green-white-checker finish. Gordon's best finish on the down force tracks this season was 10th at Fontana. .

BRAD KESELOWSKI 10/1: His daring move late last fall was the cause of Gordon puncturing his tire and finishing 29th, but it's in those type of moves that always makes Keselowski attractive when wagering. The guy goes all out for wins, and he showed similar determination at Fontana three weeks ago when the only lap he led was the last one. He finished third last fall and his career best was second-place in the fall of 2012 which helped him win the Sprint Cup.

JOEY LOGANO 10/1: He won this race last spring and has had more success on the down force tracks this season than teammate Keselowski. He led 84 laps and finished fourth at Atlanta and led 47 laps at Las Vegas and finished 10th. He has a top-10 finish in all six races this season.

DALE EARNHARDT JR 10/1: Even though Johnson has a win at Atlanta, it is Junior who has been the most consistent for Hendrick Motorsports on these tracks. He was third in Atlanta, fourth at Las Vegas and sixth at Fontana. He won his first career Cup race at Texas in 2000 as a rookie, but hasn't won there in 24 starts since. If you had to pick one of the greatest moments in Junior's career, that Texas win might make the top-two just because the image of his proud father running to congratulate him in the winners circle is everlasting in NASCAR history.

MATT KENSETH 10/1: He has two wins in 25 starts and his 8.9 average finish is best among all drivers. Joe Gibbs Racing appears to be gradually improving on these tracks. He led 10-laps at Atlanta before finishing fifth, was ninth at Las Vegas and led 43 laps at Fontana before breaking an axle with 15 laps to go and eventually finishing 31st.

DENNY HAMLIN 12/1: He's in the exact same boat as teammate Kenseth, where he should show plenty of speed and give the Stewart-Haas duo of Harvick and Busch a run for their money. At Fontana, Hamlin led 56 laps, but his day was ruined by pit road penalties and then a blown engine late. He also led 14 laps at Atlanta and finished fifth at Las Vegas. He's definitely on an upswing and the team should be feeling very confident coming off their impressive Martinsville win. In 2010, he swept the season.

CARL EDWARDS 12/1: He's done three back flips following Cup races at Texas, but the last one came in 2008 when he swept the season. He's not showing anywhere near the same speed on down force tracks as JGR teammates Kenseth and Hamlin.

MARTIN TRUEX JR 18/1: He is one of only three drivers this season to finish in the top-10 of all six races so far, including runner-up at Las Vegas. His best Texas finish was second-place in the fall of 2013. Look for another strong run Saturday night.

KASEY KAHNE 20/1: He won in 2006, and 1.5-mile tracks have typically been his bread and butter over his career, but of the four Hendrick cars, he looks the worst on them this season with a best of 14th at Atlanta.

KYLE LARSON 20/1: He's been cleared to race this week after missing Martinsville with a fainting episode prior to race day. We've seen some speed out of him practices this year, but it hasn't translated to race day like it did last season when he finished fifth and seventh in the two Texas races.

RYAN NEWMAN 40/1: We get to see just how much of edge Newman had at Fontana when he finished fifth, but got severely penalized for manipulating tires in that race. He's using the same chassis from that race this week (different legal tires). Newman won at Texas in 2003 for Penske Racing, but hasn't had a top-five finish there since 2008.

JAMIE McMURRAY 50/1: Career-best second-place in 2005 and finished fifth last fall. His best performance on the down force tracks this season was 11th at Las Vegas.

TONY STEWART 40/1: He's a two-time winner with a 12.9 average finish throughout his career, but hasn't been a factor on down force tracks yet this season, which is kind of mystifying considering two of the cars he owns -- Harvick's No. 4 and Busch's No. 41 -- are so much better than everyone else. That's got to change soon, right? There was some positives that came from his 14th-place finish at Fontana to suggest the No. 14 will be better soon.

DAVID RAGAN 60/1: He was just as strong as all his JGR teammates at Martinsville, but like Edwards, the similarities end there as Ragan hasn't had good results at any down force track while filling in for the injured Kyle Busch. However, it should be noted that he has shown speed in practices on those tracks to suggest he could be the biggest long shot starting the race.

PAUL MENARD 60/1: Career-best fifth-place in 2011 with a 19.8 average finish in 17 starts. He's finished 13th or better on all three down force tracks this season, including a season-best fourth-place at Fontana.

CLINT BOWYER 75/1: Even though he'd love to win this race sponsored by his 'Duck Dynasty' buddies, he won't be equipped enough to make it it happen. A top-15 finish for this team would be considered a strong day with things going in the right direction. His best finish was second-place in 2011 while driving for Richard Childress Racing.

GREG BIFFLE 75/1: A two-time winner with the last victory coming in 2012. Those were the good old days of Roush Fenway Racing on 1.5-mile tracks. These are currently the dog days for RFR like never seen before. He managed a 14th-place finish at Las Vegas last month.

RYAN BLANEY 100/1: He'll be making his third start of the season for the Wood Brothers in the famed No. 21. He finished 19th at Las Vegas in his last start.

AUSTIN DILLON 200/1: He's still looking for his first top-10 finish of the season. Last season he finished 21st in both Texas races.

A.J. ALLMENDINGER 300/1: Career-best 10th-place in 2010 and finished 14th last fall. Finishing seventh at Atlanta and sixth at Las Vegas give plenty of reason for optimism and another top-10 this week.

ARIC ALMIROLA 300/1: A 20.1 average finish in eight starts with a career-best seventh-place in 2013.

DANICA PATRICK 300/1: The team should be beaming with confidence after a season-best seventh-place at Martinsville, but their team seems to be in the same situation as Stewart's where they are severely lacking the same performance as their teammates on these type of tracks. Her best finish at Texas was 24th in her first start and she finished a career-worst 36th last fall.

TREVOR BAYNE 500/1: A 22.9 average finish in nine starts with a best of 17th-place which he accomplished in his first three starts on the track.

RICKY STENHOUSE JR. 500/1: No Roush revival here this week. Career-best 16th-place in 2013.

SAM HORNISH JR. 500/1: After finishing 12th in the Daytona 500, it's been all down hill in the next five where he hasn't had a top-20 finish. This will be his first Cup start at Texas since 2012. His best Cup finish was 17th on two occasions.

CASEY MEARS 500/1: He had a couple Texas top-fives when driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2005, but he hasn't been able to do it since in 17 starts. He has been surprisingly competitive on the down force tracks this season.

FIELD 300/1: Forget about it. Do a good deed instead and send the money to a worthy charity.

Duck Commander 500
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

It seems like an eternity since NASCAR last raced, but it was only two weeks ago at Martinsville. The drivers and crews got a much needed weekend off for Easter Sunday after going full throttle every weekend since early February.

Just in case you may forgot what has happened so far over the first six races of 2015, here's a refresher: Kevin Harvick is rocking this NASCAR world!

Harvick has never won a Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway, but he had also never won at Las Vegas until dominating that race last month. It's his current form that make him the 4/1 favorite (Bet $100 to win $400) to win Saturday night's Duck Commander 500, and that price may generous just because he has a considerable advantage over almost everyone in the series. We've seen Jimmie Johnson dominate in the past, but the dropoff to the second best competitor wasn't as prominent as it is with Harvick this year.

Harvick has had six top-10 finishes during the six races and has averaged a finish of 2.7, that includes two wins and three second-places. His string of eight consecutive top-2 finishes or better came to end at Martinsville, but that was to be expected because it’s never been his most consistent track. He may have never won at Texas, but similar tracks suggest he’s ready more than ever to cross Texas off his ’things to do’ list.

We’ve seen action already on 1.5-mile layouts at Texas’ sister tracks of Atlanta and Las Vegas and he led the most laps in each. Both tracks have strong similarities to Texas and there really isn’t a reason to suggest he won’t race well Saturday. The only thing that might stop him is if he gets involved in an accident and or has engine problems, but his chances of getting involved in a wreck are mitigated because he‘s out front leading so much.

So with the understanding that no one is in Harvick’s class for this race, is there any value in betting another driver to win?

'Value' may be a strong word to use, but we can at least make a case for a couple.

immie Johnson has won three of the past five Texas races and has four overall. The positive with Johnson is that he won at Atlanta despite Harvick’s dominance. However, 6-to-1 odds certainly isn’t enough to get excited about and holds little ‘value’ considering Harvick’s edge.

Joey Logano has finished in the top-10 of all six races like Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. and won this race last season. He led 85 laps at Atlanta and finished fourth and led 47 laps at Vegas before settling for 10th. At 10/1 odds, he might be worth a poke.

Brad Keselowski finished third in the fall Texas race last season, but hasn’t wowed on the down force tracks like did last season. Even his win at Fontana came with lots of luck involved as his only lap led was the last lap. Logano would be the better choice among the Penske duo.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. grabbed his first career Cup win at Texas in 2000, but hasn’t won there since. However, when looking at his performance on 1.5’s along with Fontana’s 2-mile layout, Junior has been close to Harvick with finishes of sixth or better in all three. He offers the best value among the Hendrick drivers.

Kurt Busch might be the closest to teammate Harvick among all drivers, but you’re only getting 6/1 odds with him. Busch won at Texas in 2009 and the amazing thing about Busch is that even though he missed the first three races, he’s 24th in points.

Denny Hamlin showed lots of speed on the three down force tracks this year and the Gibbs team appears to be getting better and faster. Hamlin swept the Texas season in 2010 and has a 10.8 average finish in 19 starts.

Matt Kenseth is a two-time Texas winner and he’s in the same boat as Hamlin with a team that isn’t as good as Harvick, but they’re gaining weekly. Kenseth has a track-best 7.5 average finish at Texas since 2005, a span of 20 races.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #4 Kevin Harvick (4/1)
2) #22 Joey Logano (10/1)
3) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr (10/1)
4) #41 Kurt Busch (6/1)
5) #11 Denny Hamlin (12/1)

Chassis Selections
Jayski.com

#3-Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 507 in the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. This is a new Chevrolet SS that will be utilized for the first time this weekend.
#4-Kevin Harvick: Chassis No. 4-884: Kevin Harvick will pilot the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet SS built on Chassis No. 4-884 in the Duck Commander 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth. Built in 2014, Chassis No. 4-884 made its debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last July, where it won the pole, led 12 laps and finished eighth. It also won the pole in its second appearance at Atlanta in August, when it led 195 laps and finished 19th. It won its third appearance at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in October, when it started seventh and led 162 laps. In its most recent start, Harvick made his 500th career start at Texas when he started fifth, led two laps and finished second.
#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Keith Rodden has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-911 for Saturday night's race at Texas. In October 2014, Kahne drove the car to a 10th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Most recently in March 2015, he drove the car at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he finished 14th.
#10-Danica Patrick: Chassis No. 908: Danica Patrick will pilot Chassis No. 908 in the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Patrick scored a 16th-place finish in this car in the Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In the 2014 season finale, she raced this car to an 18th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Formerly a No. 41 chassis for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Kurt Busch, Chassis No. 908 made its on-track debut at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in October 2014. That weekend, Busch set a track qualifying record with a speed of 198.771 mph and went on to score an 11th-place finish in the race.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-710: This car debuted in April 2012 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. It qualified 22nd and led four times for 118 laps before a late-race caution canceled Stewart's two-and-a-half second lead and forced him to settle for a third-place finish. It was then tested June 6-7 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and again during a Goodyear Tire Test June 12-13 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon marked Chassis No. 14-710's second career start. There, a new tire compound from Goodyear confounded the No. 14 team, and they labored to a 12thplace finish. The car returned to Richmond in September for its third career start, where it rallied from its 28th-place starting spot to lead 15 laps before finishing fourth. Its last start of 2012 came in October at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway where in its fourth career start, it qualified seventh and finished a disappointing 27th. With 2013 Chevrolet SS bodywork covering it, Chassis No. 14-710 returned to Martinsville in April. After rallying from its 26th starting spot to 10th by lap 200 and then hovering in or near the top-10 for the remainder of the race, Stewart found himself hung in the outside lane following a restart on lap 473. The final 27 laps of the 500-lap race around paperclip-shaped .526-mile oval proved arduous, as Stewart was stuck in the outside lane as the seemingly express lane to his left boxed him out of the preferred line. When the checkered flag dropped, Stewart was 17th. Chassis No. 14-710 sat idle until being tested at Richmond Aug. 26-27 with interim driver Mark Martin at the wheel in preparation for the track's Sept. 7 Sprint Cup race. The testing paid off as Martin scored a top-10 after starting 16th. Chassis No. 14-710 returned to Martinsville in October for its third start of 2013, its second with Martin and seventh overall, qualifying 21st and finishing 36th after an accident on lap 204 sent it to the garage for repairs. The car underwent a massive overhaul under the direction of crew chief Chad Johnston for the 2014 season. It made its first start of 2014 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, where with Stewart back in the driver's seat, it qualified 10th and recovered from a midrace spin that dropped it to last in the 43-car field to finish fifth. The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte was Chassis No. 14-710's ninth career start, and it had a quiet, but solid outing, finishing 13th. The car hasn't raced since, but it has logged numerous hours in the wind tunnel with its new Chevrolet SS body. Its first start of 2015 comes this weekend at Texas, and it will be Chassis No. 710's 10th career start.
#15-Clint Bowyer: Chassis No. 797 serves as Bowyer's primary chassis at Texas. Bowyer raced the chassis at Bristol in August (17th), Charlotte in May (17th) and California (16th). Chassis No. 816 serves as back-up for Bowyer. It served as the back-up earlier this year at California and Las Vegas.
#17-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.: and the # 17 team will be racing a new chassis at Texas.
#24-Jeff Gordon: Crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-861 for this Saturday night's race. The chassis has been raced five times previously - all in 2014 - with finishes of 17th at Atlanta, sixth at Michigan (June), seventh at Charlotte (May) and Darlington and 13th at Fontana.
#27-Paul Menard: will utilize chassis No. 508 during Saturday night's 501-mile event at Texas Motor Speedway. This Chevrolet SS is brand new to the Richard Childress Racing stable and will make its first laps of the 2015 season during Friday's practice session at 11:30 a.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
#31-Ryan Newman: will drive chassis No. 504 on Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway. This Chevrolet SS was utilized earlier this season at Auto Club Speedway where Newman qualified ninth and finished fifth.
#41-Kurt Busch: Chassis No. 894: Kurt Busch will pilot Chassis No. 894 in Saturday night's Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Formerly a No. 10 chassis for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Danica Patrick, Chassis No. 894 debuted at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in October 2014, when Patrick qualified 14th and appeared to be on her way to a top-10 finish before her solid run was derailed when she was involved in an on-track incident at lap 247. Chassis No. 894 was outfitted with a new body over the offseason and saw its first laps of the season in February at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Regan Smith started 38th and finished 17th.
#47-A.J. Allmendinger: "We are taking chassis 478 to Texas, the same one that we had at Atlanta Motor Speedway," crew chief Brian Burns said. "Actually, we have made some improvements to that car and expect to be stronger this time around."
#48-Jimmie Johnson: For this weekend's event, crew chief Chad Knaus has selected chassis No. 48-928, which is a new car that has not been raced.
#55-Brett Moffitt: Primary 775 - Has not raced Backup 814 - finished eighth at Atlanta with Moffitt. In 2014 it finished 16th at Indianapolis with Clint Bowyer, 13th at Richmond in September and 37th at Charlotte in October with Vickers driving.
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: This weekend at Texas, crew chief Greg Ives will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-901. Earnhardt last raced the chassis to a 17th-place finish at Dover International Speedway in September 2014.

Driver Handicaps: Texas
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

MRN.com's Jeff Wackerlin helps you set your fantasy racing lineup for Saturday night's Duck Commander 500 with detailed driver notes and stats for Texas Motor Speedway.

Who's HOT at Texas

• Defending race winner Joey Logano has posted a 5.3 average finish in his last four starts.
• Jimmie Johnson has finished sixth or better in five of the last six races, including three wins in the fall race.
• Matt Kenseth has one win and an 8.4 average finish in his last 10 starts.
• Kyle Larson posted a 6.0 average finish in his first two starts last year during his rookie season.
• Brad Keselowski has recorded an average finish of 7.0 and combined to lead 212 laps in his last five starts.
• Carl Edwards, who will make his first track start with Joe Gibbs Racing, is a three-time winner.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Texas

• Kevin Harvick, who finished second last fall, has one win and has led the most laps (258) in the two races at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3.5), Martin Truex Jr. (4.0), Ryan Newman (6.5), AJ Allmendinger (6.5), Paul Menard (12.5) and Kasey Kahne (15.5) each rank in the top 10 in average finish at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Roush Fenway will bring cars with new developments from their engineering department to try and turn around their performances at 1.5-mile tracks. Greg Biffle leads the team with 11 top 10s in Texas, including one win, in the last 13 races there.
• Jeff Gordon, who has combined to lead 89 laps in the last two Texas races, finished 29th last fall after contact with Brad Keselowski while going for the win on a late-race restart. He finished second in this event last year.
• Denny Hamlin, a two-time Texas winner, has finished in the top 10 in seven of the last eight races at 1.5-mile tracks dating back to last season.
• Kurt Busch, who will make his first start at a 1.5-mile track this season, finished eighth last fall at Texas in his first race working with crew chief Tony Gibson.
• Tony Stewart has finished 11th or better in four of his last six starts at Texas, including a win in the 2011 fall race.
• David Ragan is coming off his first top five of the season with Joe Gibbs Racing.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Kevin Harvick
Pete Pistone: Jeff Gordon
John Singler: Matt Kenseth

Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish in Last Five Races at Texas

Stats are for Texas unless noted

Joey Logano: Is the defending race winner. The victory came after leading 108 laps and it was Logano's third straight top five. He finished 12th last fall to give him an average finish of 5.3 in the last four races. This year, Logano has recorded a 7.0 average finish and 131 laps led in the two races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Jimmie Johnson: Has won the last three fall races. Johnson's 25th-place finish in the event last year, when debris damaged his car, raised his average finish to 6.8 in the last five races. This year, Johnson has posted one win (Atlanta) and has led 137 laps in the two races at 1.5-mile tracks. This weekend, Johnson will debut a new car (chassis No. 928).

Brad Keselowski: Led 85 laps and finished 15th in this event last season. Keselowski finished third last fall for his fourth top 10 in the last five races. This season, Keselowski has posted an 8.0 average finish with 11 laps led in the two races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Greg Biffle: Finished 13th last fall for his worst finish in the last 13 races. Biffle's last of two wins came in this event in 2012. He finished sixth in this race last year. Roush Fenway has struggled as of late, but crew chief Greg Puccia says the Texas car has a lot of the latest developments from their engineering department.

Matt Kenseth: Coming off first Texas finish outside the top 20 since 2000 after a problem with a lug nut on a pit stop and late-race contact relegated him to a 25th-place finish. Kenseth led 59 laps from the pole in that race, but the finish raised his average to 12.0 in four track starts with Joe Gibbs Racing. This year, Kenseth has recorded a 7.0 average finish in the two races at 1.5-mile tracks.

Kyle Larson: Led all drivers entered in this weekend's race with a 6.0 average finish in the two races last season. His fifth-place finish in this event last year is one of eight top fives in his Sprint Cup career.

Tony Stewart: Won the pole and led 74 laps en route to a 10th-place finish in this race last year. Stewart went on to finish 11th in the fall, giving him a 12.0 average finish in his last six starts dating back to his win in the 2011 fall race. This weekend, Stewart will return in the same car (chassis No. 710) that he last finished 13th with in the 2014 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Ryan Newman: Has posted a 15.5 average finish in two track starts with Richard Childress Racing. His two top-10 finishes in 2013 with Stewart-Haas Racing are his only ones in the last 13 races. Prior to NASCAR’s massive penalty for tire manipulation found on the No. 31 car after the March 22 race at Auto Club Speedway, Newman posted a 6.5 average finish in the two races this season at 1.5-mile tracks. This weekend, Newman will be back in the same car (chassis No. 504) he finished fifth with at Auto Club Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr.: Ranks third among all drivers in average finish (4.0) in the two races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. Truex, who will look to extend his top-10 steak in every race this season, has a 15.4 average finish in 19 Texas starts.

Clint Bowyer: Finished 28th last fall, snapping a streak of two consecutive top 10s. This weekend, Bowyer will return in the same car (chassis No. 797) that he last finished 17th with at Bristol Motor Speedway last summer.

Kevin Harvick: Finished second last fall for his third top 10 in the last five races. Harvick leads all drivers in average finish (1.5) and laps led (258) in the two races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. This weekend, Harvick will be back in the same car (chassis No. 884) that he won with at Charlotte Motor Speedway last fall and then finished second with at Texas Motor Speedway in November.

Carl Edwards: Will make first track start with Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards posted nine top 10s, including three wins, in his previous 20 starts with Roush Fenway Racing. If Edwards can win this weekend, sponsor Stanley and the Ace Hardware Foundation will donate a million dollars to Children's Miracle Network.

Sam Hornish Jr.: Making first track start since 2012. Hornish Jr. has yet to finish in the top 10 in seven overall starts.

Paul Menard: Last of three top 10s came in this event last season. This year, Menard has posted a 12.5 average finish in the two races at 1.5-mile tracks. This weekend, Menard will debut a new car (chassis No. 508) in the Duck Commander 500.

Aric Almirola: Has posted a 20.1 average finish in eight starts. Almirola's lone top 10 came in this event in 2013, in seventh.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Coming off his sixth top 10 in the last eight starts. Earnhardt ranks second among all drivers in average finish (3.5) in the two races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. This weekend, Earnhardt will pilot the same car (chassis No. 901) that he last finished 17th with at Dover International Speedway last fall.

Jamie McMurray: Coming off first top 10 (fifth) in his last 12 starts. McMurray started third last month at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but a chain-reaction crash when Denny Hamlin got loose relegated him to a 40th-place finish.

Kasey Kahne: His average finish rose to 18.0 in the last five races after a crash in last year's fall race. Kahne has posted a 15.5 average finish in the two races at 1.5-mile tracks this season. This weekend, Kahne will return in the same car (chassis No. 911) that he finished 14th with last month at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Kurt Busch: Finished eighth last fall in his first race working with crew chief Tony Gibson. Due to a suspension earlier this season, Busch will be making his first start at a 1.5-mile track this year. This weekend, Busch will drive the same car (chassis No. 894) that Regan Smith finished 17th with at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Jeff Gordon: Finished second in this race last year for the fourth top 10 dating back to his win in this event in 2009. Gordon, who has combined to lead 89 laps in the last two races, finished 29th last fall after late-race contact with Brad Keselowski. This weekend, Gordon will return in the same car (chassis No. 861) that he last finished 17th with at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2014.

Post Practice News
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

Despite not looking imposing during Friday’s two practice sessions at Texas Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick is still the driver to beat in Saturday night’s Duck Commander 500 (7:30 p.m. ET, Fox). However, the large advantage he’s had over the rest of the field since the end of last season may have closed dramatically based on what transpired during those practices.

Saturday’s race will be the third this season on a 1.5-mile track (after Atlanta and Las Vegas) and fourth on a down-force track (Fontana was the other), and Harvick led 292 laps between those three races, capturing a win and two second-place finishes. His excellence on these tracks gives all the creditability he needs to be considered the favorite, even though several drivers showed more speed in practice this week.

One of those drivers was 2006 Texas winner Kasey Kahne, who had the second fastest lap (190.463 mph) during the first sessions and the fastest lap (190.975) in the final session. Kahne also had the fastest 10-consecutive lap average during the first session, which means he’s going to be very good on longer runs, and there are a lot of those over 500 miles.

Unlike most practices where the most relevant times are in the final session, the first session at Texas might be the most important, since it is mostly run in race trim. The final session was split , with teams starting in race trim before switching to a mock qualifying set-up. Brad Keselowski was fastest in the second session using race trim, but Kahne was fastest with qualifying trim on his ninth and final lap run.

Another note to consider is that the race starts under much different conditions – under the lights – than the daytime practices.

Kahne has yet to crack the top-10 in any of the down-force tracks this season, but over his career, most of his success has come on 1.5-mile tracks. Looking the sharpest during practice gives Kahne a serious upgrade in his ratings this week, but he’s still only the third best candidate to win.

Right after Harvick, it’s four -time Texas winner Jimmie Johnson, who looks just as good as Kahne. What gives Johnson the nod over Kahne is that he’s not only won three of the past five Texas races, he’s also won on a 1.5-mile track (Atlanta) this season. Johnson had the second fastest 10-consecutive lap average after Kahne in the early session. Jamie McMurray, Austin Dillon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were next best in the category.

McMurray is the real interesting look here because he looks so fast, but we have seen this before and it hasn’t necessarily translated to race day. You probably won’t get 60-to-1 odds anymore with McMurray, but he’s not a bad long shot. And with Harvick's bar appearing to have been lowered, McMurray is worth an investment.

David Ragan fits that criteria as well. He had the best 10-consecutive lap average in the final practice session. He also had the fifth-fastest lap in the early session. The Joe Gibbs Racing cars are improving every time out on these tracks. Expect Ragan to run as well as teammate Denny Hamlin, who swept the 2010 Texas season.