Back Up To Speed:
After two weeks of short track racing the drivers are in for a refresher course in speed. Texas Motor Speedway sees top speeds of over 200MPH and fast laps average better than 194MPH. This place is fast and has a history of providing some great finishes. Who will come out on top in the 2006 Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway?
Tickets:
Speedway ticket office (817)215-8500
The Track:
Texas Motor Speedway is a 1.5 mile quad-oval. With 24 degrees of banking in the corners the NEXTEL Cup drivers can really haul the mail off into the corners. In order to be fast a driver needs a car that is handling well so they can carry that speed through the turns.
Race Distance:
334 Laps = 501 Miles
The Big Picture:
Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin took over the top two spots in the points after last week's Martinsville race. This is race #7 of the 36-race season. The battle for tenth is still blazing as Dale Jarrett, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman are on the outside looking in but well within striking distance.
Top Ten
- Jimmie Johnson -0
- Mark Martin -59
- Matt Kenseth -60
- Kasey Kahne -101
- Kyle Busch -101
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -109
- Jeff Gordon -119
- Tony Stewart -142
- Elliott Sadler -198
- Casey Mears -209
Storylines:
Last year Greg Biffle won this race for his second win of 2005. At that time Greg was second in points. Fast forward to 2006 and Greg Biffle finds himself buried eighteenth in points and scrambling to make something of his season.
If Biffle is going to salvage anything from his 2006 season it is time for him to start putting together strong runs. This is a good time to look ahead at whether or not Greg Biffle can make The Chase in 2006.
Media Coverage:
TV: FOX Sunday, April 9th, 1:30PM Eastern.
Radio: PRN and XM Satellite
Actual Race: 2:10 p.m. Eastern
Posted Awards:
$7,096,079
Last Year:
Greg Biffle dominated this race last year. After crashing in practice he started the race from the back because he had to switch to a backup car. It didn't take long for him to blast to the front and check out on the rest of the pack. This was pure domination as Biffle lead 219 of the 334 laps in the race.
Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears came home second through fourth.
Predictions:
We've spent a lot of time this week talking about Greg Biffle so it should be no surprise that he leads off the predictions. Greg Biffle utterly dominated this race last year and has had some fast cars in 2006. If he can keep the demons away and get some good luck on his side he should roll home to an easy win this week.
The backup slot is equally easy this week. In 2005 Roush Racing swept both races here as Carl Edwards won the fall race. I'm going to stick with Roush, but I'm going with Matt Kenseth in the Roush Racing #17 for my backup pick this week.
Matt already has a win in California this season and won here in Texas in 2002. He could very well find himself back in victory lane this weekend.
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