Fort Worth, Texas – April 14, 2024 – Anthony Holbrook
The ninth race of the NASCAR Series season galloped into the Texas Motor Speedway for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500. Located in the Northeast corner of Texas in the City of Fort Worth, Texas Motor Speedway is very similar in layout to Charlotte Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway in being a 1.5-mile quad-oval with 24-degree banking in the turns. Open since 1996, Cup drivers battle 334 laps to earn the covenant Cowboy Hat and a pair of Six Shooters as champion of the event. William Byron, winner of the previous running will be highly favored to repeat.
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Stage 1- Recap:
Pole Sitter Kyle Larson dueled Tye Gibbs for the early lead in the first segment of the Stage. Lack of caution flags in the open invitation made for Green-Flag pit stops. Race leader Kyle Larson and the majority of the front running contenders opted for a synchronized pit stop around Lap 36. 7-Time and limited-schedule driver Jimmy Johnson lost grip in Turn 4 and invited another yellow flag to slow down the field and open the pits for optional service with 30 Laps remaining in Stage 1.
Nascar Cup Champ Kyle Larson protected his position and racked up a Stage 1 win at Texas.
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Stage 1 – Results:
1. Kyle Larson
2. Christopher Bell
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Tyler Reddick
5. Chase Briscoe
6. Ryan Blaney
7. Chase Elliott
8. Michael McDowell
9. William Byron
10. Bubba Wallace
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Stage 2 – Recap:
Stage 1-Winner Kyle Larson attended Stage 2 Pit service and unfortunately forfeited his position to 2023 Cup Champ Ryan Blaney for the lead. Ryan Blaney paced the field and within 9 laps of the Stage Kyle Larson entered Blaney’s mirror. Once again, another victim of Turn 4 brought out the caution as Christopher Bell’s spin gathered Joe Hunter Nemecheck and Alex Bowman 20 Laps into Stage 2. Ross Chastain benefited from Josh Berry’s confrontation with the safety barrier wall. Michael McDowell’s valiant attempt to run down race leader Ross Chastain encountered another instance of loose grip in treacherous Turn 4 initiating a final Stage caution.
Ross Chastain out dueled Ricky Stenhouse to collect Stage 2 honors in Fort Worth.
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Stage 2-Results:
1. Ross Chastain
2. Bubba Wallace
3. Ryan Blaney
4. Erik Jones
5. Chase Briscoe
6. Brad Keselowski
7. Harrison Burton
8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
9. Ty Gibbs
10. Chase Elliott
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Final Stage- Recap:
Tyler Redick announced his presence after a shaky restart involving Bubba Wallace and Chase Brisco. Redick controlled the lead after the smoke cleared a lap later. Race teams started calculating a final pit stop to complete the race. Race leader Tyler Redick’s pit service on Lap 212 surrendered his top position on track. An unfortunate Pit error hampered Reddick’s exit from pit attention, sacrificing his lead.
With 14 Laps remaining of scheduled event completion, drivers’ aggression increased and coordinating cautions followed. Ricky Stenhouse’s Yellow Flag was a repercussion of the stated aggression. Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin took advantage of the late caution and progressed to the front.
Denny Hamlin lost grip sending him spinning out of control and out of contention for the win. Chase Elliott encountered two additional yellow flags and 2 overtime to complete the Race.
On the deciding final restart, Ross Chastain edged to the front to contest for the win. Elliott blocked the invading Chastain Chevrolet as Chase secured the lead. An intrusive chrome horn delivered by previous event winner William Byron bolted Chastain’s bowtie into the safety barrier wall, ending any hopes for a trophy day for Ross.
Chase Elliott held on and earned a Playoff Voucher with Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 win at Texas Motor Speedway.
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Final Results:
1. Chase Elliott
2. Brad Keselowski
3. William Byron
4. Tyler Reddick
5. Daniel Suarez
6. Chase Briscoe
7. Austin Dillon
8. Bubba Wallace
9. Kyle Busch
10. Carson Hocevar
11. Joey Logano
12. Ryan Preece
13. Ty Gibbs
14. Martin Truex Jr
15. Ty Dillon
16. Noah Gragson
17. Daniel Hemric
18. Chris Buescher
19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
20. Kyle Larson
21. Kaz Grala
22. Erik Jones
23. Christopher Bell
24. Zane Smith
25. Corey LaJoie
26. Jimmie Johnson
27. Austin Cindric
28. Justin Haley
29. Harrison Burton
30. Denny Hamlin
31. Todd Gilliland
32. Ross Chastain
33. Ryan Blaney
34. John Hunter Nemechek
35. Michael McDowell
36. Josh Berry
37. Alex Bowman
38. Austin Hill
NASCAR CUP SERIES
Point Standings
(After Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500)
4/14/2024
Pos | Driver | Points | Wins
1. Kyle Larson | 335 | 1 Win
2. Martin Truex Jr | 318
3. Denny Hamlin | 307 | 2 Wins
4. Chase Elliott | 303 | 1 Win
5. William Byron | 297 | 3 Wins
6. Ty Gibbs | 280
7. Ryan Blaney | 278
8. Tyler Reddick | 269
9. Bubba Wallace | 256
10. Christopher Bell | 250 | 1 Win
11. Ross Chastain | 247
12. Chase Briscoe | 231
13. Chris Buescher | 229
14. Alex Bowman | 228
15. Joey Logano | 217
16. Kyle Busch | 217
17. Brad Keselowski | 216
18. Daniel Suarez | 210 | 1 Win
19. Erik Jones | 179
20. John Hunter Nemechek | 160
21. Austin Cindric | 159
22. Carson Hocevar | 152
23. Michael McDowell | 151
24. Ryan Preece | 137
25. Todd Gilliland | 132
26. Josh Berry | 130
27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 127
28. Austin Dillon | 122
29. Corey LaJoie | 120
30. Noah Gragson | 120
31. Daniel Hemric | 112
32. Justin Haley | 98
33. Kaz Grala | 92
34. Harrison Burton | 85
35. Zane Smith | 78
36. David Ragan | 17
The NASCAR Cup Series accelerates to Alabama for the annual Geico 500 hosted by Talladega Superspeedway.
Sunday, April 21st, 2024
3 p.m. ET
(FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio 90)
