09/20/2023
RFK Advance | Texas
Texas Event Info:
Track Info: Texas Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Date: Sunday, Sept. 24
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Format: 267 laps, 400 miles, Stages: 80-80-107
TV: USA
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 12:35 p.m. ET, Practice (USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 1:20 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3:30 p.m. ET, Race (USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Pace Laps:
- Texas Motor Speedway hosts its lone race date of 2023 this weekend, and race one in the Round of 12 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
- Texas is the site of 18 wins for Jack Roush all-time, including nine in the Cup Series alone. Only Bristol (12) and Michigan (14) have seen more Roush Cup wins.
- Both RFK Fords advanced through to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs, with Texas, Talladega and the ROVAL hosting the next three races in the Round of 12.
- Brad Keselowski is coming off a pole run at Texas a season ago, while Chris Buescher returns to his home state and home track.
6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: BuildSubmarines.com
17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Fastenal
Keselowski at Texas
Starts: 27
Wins: —
Top-10s: 12
Poles: 2 (2015, 2022)
- Keselowski makes his 28th Cup Series start at Texas this weekend. He has a 16.1 average finish at the 1.5-mile track with 12 top-10s, and two runner-up results in 2012 and 2015.
- He’s coming off four-straight top-10 finishes at Texas, including an eighth-place run last season. He finished fourth in 2021, and sixth and ninth in the pair of 2020 events.
- Despite no victories at TMS, Keselowski has led 685 laps at the track, fourth-most of any track in his career.
- Keselowski earned the pole in last season’s race and went on to lead 31 laps, one of two poles in his Cup career (2015).
- He made an additional 23 combined starts at Texas in the Xfinity and Truck Series with two NXS victories in 2013 and 2015.
Buescher at Texas
Starts: 13
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —
- Buescher makes his 14th Cup start at his home track of Texas this weekend. In last season’s race at Texas, Buescher ran third late in the race before blowing a tire – a theme throughout the 400-mile race.
- He has a best finish of 15th (2018) at TMS and a 23.3 average finish overall.
- Buescher has a career-best qualifying effort of 10th (2021), and qualified 13th a season ago.
- Buescher also made five Xfinity starts at Texas with a best finish of ninth (2015).
RFK Historically at Texas
Cup Wins: 9 (Jeff Burton, 1997; Mark Martin, 1998; Matt Kenseth, 2002, 2011; Greg Biffle, 2005, 2012; Carl Edwards, 2008, 2008)
- Dream Season: RFK won both the first NCS (Jeff Burton) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (Mark Martin) races at Texas in 1997. Burton began the afternoon from the fifth position and led 60 laps en route to the inaugural victory.
- Houston, We Don’t Have a Problem: RFK has earned nine NCS victories at Texas, dating back to the inaugural event in 1997. Former drivers Burton, Martin, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth have captured the checkered flag in the Lone Star State.
- J.R.’s ’08 Sweep: Edwards swept the 2008 NCS races for RFK at Texas, leading 335 laps in the two events.
- 9 a.m. in Dallas: RFK has started 152 NCS races at Texas, recording a total of nine victories, 38 top-five finishes, 60 top-10 finishes, an average finish of 16.1 and has led 2,555 laps. Biffle earned RFK’s most recent victory at Texas in the April 2012 event.
- North Dallas Forty: RFK has earned eight victories, 26 top-five finishes, 47 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 13th at Texas in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. RFK won three of the first four races at the 1.5-mile oval.
- Jack Roush: TMS Hall of Famer: Based on the strength of RFK’s numerous accomplishments at Texas, team owner Jack Roush was inducted into the Texas Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
- Tale of the Tape: RFK has started 303 races all-time at Texas Motor Speedway, recording 18 wins, 76 top-fives and 134 top-10s. RFK Fords have captured 10 poles at the 1.5-mile track and led 3500+ laps while turning more than 111,000 miles.
RFK Texas Wins
1997 Burton Cup
1997 Martin NXS
1998 Martin Cup
1999 Martin NXS
2000 Martin NXS
2000 Biffle Truck
2002 Kenseth Cup
2005-1 Biffle Cup
2005-2 Edwards Cup
2007-1 Kenseth NXS
2008-1 Edwards Cup
2008-2 Edwards Cup
2010-2 Edwards NXS
2011-1 Edwards NXS
2011-2 Bayne NXS
2011-1 Kenseth Cup
2012-1 Biffle Cup
2012-1 Stenhouse NXS
Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Bristol: Both RFK cars finished inside the top-10 and punched their ticket into the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs Saturday night at Bristol. Buescher finished fourth, his eighth top five of the season, while Keselowski finished eighth.
Points Standings (17: 5th, 6: 10th): With the points reset entering the Round of 12, Buescher is back to fifth in the playoff standings. He is +10 to the good, while Keselowski now sits 10th, -3 points to P8.
By the Numbers at Texas
Race Win T5 T10 Pole Laps Led AvSt AvFn Miles
152 9 38 60 4 47802 2555 16.6 16.1 71703
101 8 26 47 5 19350 705 12.3 13.2 29025
50 1 12 27 1 7321 290 13.1 13.2 10981.5
303 18 76 134 10 74473 3550 14.5 14.8 111705.5
