NASCAR’s top two divisions are at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend with a Nationwide Series race Friday night and a Sprint Cup Series race Sunday afternoon. The camping World Truck Series is off until May 9. Storyline’s to watch for at Texas include… NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES – DUCK COMMANDER 500, SUNDAY, APRIL 6 Jimmie Johnson On The Verge Of Win The last two races for six-time NSCS champion Jimmie Johnson were going so well … and then they slipped away. He led the most laps in the races at Auto Club and Martinsville, where he came so close to capturing the win before finishing second to Kurt Busch, who took the point from Johnson with 10 laps to go. Johnson has an excellent shot at winning this weekend at Texas, where has won thrice, including two of the last three races, and thus all but locking up a Chase spot. Five-For-Five, Six-For-Six … Now Paging Seven-For-Seven One has to go all the way back to the 2003 season to find a year in which the first seven races were won by seven different drivers (it wasn’t until the 10th race that season that Kurt Busch became the first two-race winner). With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series headed to Texas for Sunday’s Duck Commander 500, several past winners there, including Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon, are looking to be the seventh consecutive winner of 2014 and all but locking up a spot for the postseason. Kurt Busch Quenches Thirst For Win, Ends Drought Eighty-three races ago, Kurt Busch piloted the No. 22 Penske Dodge to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway. On Sunday, Busch took the checkered flag at Martinsville in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet for the first time since that day in Dover. The win was a first for Busch’s crew chief Daniel Knost in NASCAR’s national series. The series now heads to Texas where Busch has one win. Roush Fenway Racing Has The Right Stuff At Texas In 1997, when Texas Motor Speedway hosted its first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, then-Roush Fenway Racing driver Jeff Burton walked away with the trophy. Since that inaugural race, the organization has won a record eight more times in the series at Texas. Greg Biffle (three) and Carl Edwards (two) have both piloted RFR Fords to victory. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won a NNS event there for the organization in 2012. Both Biffle and Stenhouse have struggled in the first six races of 2014, but a strong finish on Sunday could turn their seasons around. Austin Dillon Finds Himself In Enviable Position Six races into his first full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Austin Dillon has to be pleased with where he sits – ninth in the points standings and second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year competition. He’s a very manageable 48 points behind points leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the championship standings and two points behind Kyle Larson in the rookie race heading to Texas. On Sunday at Martinsville, Dillon notched his fourth top-15 finish of the young season. He has six top-10 finishes in 10 national series starts at Texas. NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES – O’REILLY AUTO PARTS 300, FRIDAY, APRIL 4 Bayne Heads To Texas With Points Lead In Sight A new season and a new crew chief have proven to be good for Trevor Bayne and his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing team. Bayne has finished in the top 10 in all five NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2014, and is currently tied atop the standings with Regan Smith. A win for Bayne this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway would not be out of the question. He captured his first series victory at the 1.5-mile track in fall 2011 and his No. 6 team won the race in 2012 with then-driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Texas: Dillon Looks To Repeat Last Visit To Texas Ty Dillon already has one cowboy hat in his collection, but the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender is looking to add another one this weekend at Texas. He won the NCWTS race at Texas last November and will make his second NASCAR Nationwide Series start at the track on Friday night. In six national series starts at the speedway, Dillon has an impressive resume with four top-five and five top-10 finishes. He is currently third in the NNS standings, six points behind Regan Smith and Trevor Bayne. James Buescher To Receive Sportsmanship Award In Texas James Buescher will be awarded the Sportsmanship Award at the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Gala on Thursday evening following NASCAR Nationwide Series practice. Buescher was nominated and selected to receive the award by local and regional Texas media members for his outstanding work in the community, specifically for his trip last season to Moore, Okla., to assist with the cleanup after a devastating tornado ripped through the area last summer. Buescher, a Texas native, has led 135 laps in national series competition at Texas Motor Speedway, but is still searching for his first victory at his home track.
