You can say Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a rough day at the office at Martinsville Speedway where a 24th-place finish ended his brief NASCAR Sprint Cup points reign. Earnhardt fell from first to third, 12 points behind Jimmie Johnson and six arrears of Brad Keselowski. Texas Motor Speedway represents a good chance for Junior to rebound. He finished seventh in last fall’s race, the second after returning to competition after being sidelined by concussion. Earnhardt won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at TMS in 2000.
Texas Motor Speedway
Truex and Ambrose Pace Friday Texas Sprint Cup Practice Sessions
onPhoto Credit: Todd Warshaw/NASCAR via Getty Images
By: Toby Christie – Follow on Twitter @Tobalical
The trend of 2013 is that guys like Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Brad Keselowski will be among the quickest of the litter, but two surprise names topped the charts Friday during the two practice sessions at Texas Motor Speedway.
Continue reading “Truex and Ambrose Pace Friday Texas Sprint Cup Practice Sessions”
Photos: Friday At Texas Motor Speedway
onKevin Harvick To The Back For Saturday; Blows Motor
onPhoto Credit: Alex Trautwig/Getty Images
By: Toby Christie – Follow on Twitter @Tobalical
Kevin Harvick had been pretty fast through the early part of the weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, but early in the second practice session the motor in Harvick’s No. 29 Chevrolet expired down the front stretch. What this means is that no matter where Harvick ranks in today’s qualifying session for Saturday’s NRA 500, he will have to start from the rear of the field.
This marks the second engine that has gone up in smoke for the Earnhardt Childress Engine shop, as Paul Menard lost a motor in testing Thursday.
Harvick has had a sluggish start to 2013, as he has just one top-10 through six races, and he sits 14th in the point standings. If he expects to move forward, he’ll have to do it from the back of the field on Saturday.
Danica Patrick’s Rookie Fortunes On Upswing Following Solid Short-Track Finish
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This week marks an anniversary of sorts for Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Danica Patrick and her Stewart-Haas Racing crew chief Tony Gibson. The pairing finished 24th in its initial outing at Texas Motor Speedway last fall. Patrick holds a slim rookie points lead over Ricky Stenhouse Jr. after a 12th-place finish in Martinsville – the third-best debut at the track by a driver in Sunday’s field. The finish was Patrick’s best Sprint Cup finish on a non-restrictor plate track.


