logo
NASCAR Saturday schedule at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Saturday schedule at Texas Motor Speedway

NBC Sports03-05-2025

The Xfinity and Cup Series will be on track at Texas Motor Speedway as the 1.5-mile oval north of Fort Worth will play host to about six consecutive hours of practice, qualifying and racing.
Cup drivers will be on track at 11 a.m. ET for practice, followed by qualifying for Sunday's 400-mile race. Kyle Larson is the defending Cup pole-sitter at Texas, and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott won the April 14, 2024 race to snap a 37-race skid without a victory.
The Xfinity Series will race at 2 p.m. ET (CW), its 12th consecutive race to start the 2025 season before a two-week break.
Dustin Long,
Texas Motor Speedway schedule
(All Times Eastern)
Saturday, May 3
Garage open
9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. — Cup Series
11 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. — Xfinity Series
Track activity
11 a.m. - 12 p.m. — Cup practice (Prime, Performance Racing Network)
12:10 p.m. - 1 p.m. — Cup qualifying (Prime, MRN)
2 p.m. — Xfinity race (200 laps, 300 miles, Stage 1 at Lap 45, Stage 2 at Lap 90; CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Weather
Saturday: Mainly sunny skies in the afternoon with a high of 75 degrees and winds from the north at 10 to 15 mph. It's expected to be 70 degrees with no chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Carson Hocevar moves a step closer to taming NASCAR Cup Series with Nashville result
Carson Hocevar moves a step closer to taming NASCAR Cup Series with Nashville result

NBC Sports

timean hour ago

  • NBC Sports

Carson Hocevar moves a step closer to taming NASCAR Cup Series with Nashville result

LEBANON, Tenn. — Carson Hocevar apologized. No, not for the contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a matter Hocevar said he needed to review. And Hocevar didn't apologize for being a bull in a china shop, at least that's how some competitors see him. After matching his career-best finish of second Sunday night at Nashville Superspeedway, Hocevar apologized — for cutting an interview short. 'I'm about to throw up,' he said. The 22-year-old turned and walked over to the infield grass and did just that. He felt better afterward and resumed talking to reporters. Nothing is ordinary with Hocevar, who reminds one of a bucking bronco yet to be quite fully tamed, full of energy and able to force others to react to what they do. Even Nashville winner Ryan Blaney acknowledged what Hocevar has done with Spire Motorsports this season. 'Spire has been really, really fast this year,' Blaney said after his first victory of the season. 'Mainly the 77 (Hocevar). He's been really, really good and had a great shot to win that race last week and ran really good tonight.' Nate Ryan, Hocevar seems to be closing on his first career Cup victory, provided he can harness his talent and his team can execute a clean race. It all almost came together Sunday. Then again, that victory might have come the previous week in the Coca-Cola 600 had his engine not blown while he was running second with less than 100 laps to go. 'We're right on the doorstep,' Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson told NBC Sports after Sunday's race at Nashville Superspeedway. 'That was different from (the Coca-Cola 600) where we had a bunch of speed early and often. This was more of a workmanlike, mature finish for the group. I'm proud of (Hocevar). 'We still had our drama there. I wish he would have just cut Ricky a break more than anything. I don't know if that was entirely on Carson, but I do expect him to cut a guy a break like that. That's all part of the building block. I'd rather be having that discussion with him after a second-place run than 32nd.' Hocevar has noted that he's continuing to learn but also ready to win, saying this weekend: 'I feel like I know how to win. It's just being able to be detailed enough to have it work out.' And avoiding issues with competitors. After he finished runner-up at Atlanta in February, the second-year Cup driver had multiple drivers upset with him. Blaney and Ross Chastain talked to him after the race about his driving. While acknowledging he had room to grow on the track, he remained confident in what he was doing. 'We're here to win races and not be a boy band and love each other and play on the playground together,' Hocevar said at the time. Dustin Long, Hocevar is the third young driver that Luke Lambert has been paired with throughout his 13-year Cup career as a crew chief and those experiences are helping him connect with Hocevar more. 'I think what I've learned in working with different rookies and now with Carson is so much about managing expectations and building the mental toughness to be a Cup driver, which you really can't develop without the experience of driving in this series. … The mental toughness required to manage these Cup races is really where the difference is made.' So how does Lambert help Hocevar with that? 'It's a 24/7 focus on discipline,' Lamber said. 'Our focus is to develop the right amount of discipline for him without killing his creativity. That requires conversations about everything that happens on the track but also conversations that happen about everything in your life in between races.' Lambert calls Hocevar 'one of the most creative race car drivers I've ever been around in that he finds ways to do things with the car that other guys wouldn't have thought of or he may not have seen another guy do before.' Hocevar's finish moved him to within four points of Kyle Busch, who holds the final playoff spot with 12 races left in the regular season. After starting 26th, it made the accomplishment even more meaningful. 'Super proud of our group and what we're doing right now,' Lambert said on the team's radio after the race. 'We are proving that we are heading in the right direction. We're going to keep it up. The fact that we rallied and got this finish tonight is just another example of we're heading in the right direction. 'Good magic for next week. Let's have some fun.'

NASCAR Driver Reveals He Idolized Denny Hamlin Ahead of Veteran's 700th Start
NASCAR Driver Reveals He Idolized Denny Hamlin Ahead of Veteran's 700th Start

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

NASCAR Driver Reveals He Idolized Denny Hamlin Ahead of Veteran's 700th Start

Denny Hamlin is set to hit 700 Cup Series starts this weekend at Nashville. And while that puts him in rare elite company, one of the best tributes might've already come from inside his own camp. Cory Heim, one of the rising stars and development driver for Hamlin's 23XI Racing, didn't hold back when talking about what his boss meant to him growing up. Advertisement 'A lot of people know that growing up, Denny was my idol,' said Heim. 'It means the world to have grown up idolizing him. Never knowing if I would make it to this level. But here I am and I've got him as one of my best supporters so far.' Also Read:: Ranking Ross Chastain's Coca-Cola 600 Comeback in NASCAR History Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images It's a full circle moment that shows just how long Hamlin's been at the top level of the sport. And also how big his impact's been on the next wave of talent. While the 700 number puts him alongside names like Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, what stands out more than just longevity is what Hamlin's done beyond the driver's seat. Advertisement Through 23XI, he's given younger guys like Heim and Tyler Reddick a shot and left his mark on more than just stat sheets. '. It's great to have someone like that in that role that owns the team. Someone you raced against that me and Bubba can also lean on.' Teammates outside his own team have noticed, too. Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell called Hamlin a pillar of Toyota's success in NASCAR. Hamlin's been open about how tough the road was to get here and the sacrifices were real. That hustle eventually turned into 700 Cup starts. With 56 race wins, three Daytona 500 and now, a driver-development pipeline under his own roof. Denny Hamlin is still chasing that first Cup title. But when the green flag drops in Nashville, he'll already have something a trophy can't buy: respect and admiration from the next generation. Also Read:: Jimmie Johnson joins hollywood agency, follows Tom Brady's playbook to build post-racing empire

'Not That Simple': Hendricks Motorsports Insider Delivers Grim Update on NASCAR's Future
'Not That Simple': Hendricks Motorsports Insider Delivers Grim Update on NASCAR's Future

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

'Not That Simple': Hendricks Motorsports Insider Delivers Grim Update on NASCAR's Future

The call for more horsepower in NASCAR is growing louder across fan forums and pit boxes, but a top Hendrick Motorsports insider is dousing the flames. As NASCAR explores adding power to improve short-track racing, Hendrick Motorsport's powertrain director Scott Maxim says it's not as simple as flipping a switch. Momentum for more horsepower has picked up in 2025 with drivers like Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson advocating for it. Advertisement NASCAR's managing director of communications Mike Forde recently said on the Hauler Talk podcast that they are working on bringing back 750 horsepower to select tracks. The current Gen 7 cars run around 670 horsepower on most tracks. A jump to 750 horsepower would require changes to the tapered spacer. That's the piece NASCAR uses to regulate airflow and control horsepower. But anything above 750 would get much more technical and expensive. Also Read:: NASCAR Driver Reveals He Idolized Denny Hamlin Ahead of Veteran's 700th Start Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images But Maxim recently told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio it's not that easy. '750 would be an 80 horsepower increase over where we are currently at,' he said. 'you know, there's a lot of folks involved. We have four engine suppliers, we have three manufacturers and we have NASCAR. So it will take a lot of collective effort.' Advertisement 'If it's a moderate power increase, we have a pretty good understanding of the changes required,' Maxim added. 'If we were to have a higher horsepower target than that, then that would require some more extensive changes. But we'd have to be given clarity on the direction.' And clarity seems to be in short supply. While Maxim's comments leave room for small changes, the bigger picture is less rosy. Doug Yates of Roush Yates Engines said earlier this year that going back to 900 hp would shorten engine life and increase costs. 'That would be a big project,' he said. 'You'd need a new engine every race.' Also, NASCAR officials are skeptical. VP Elton Sawyer recently said increased horsepower could scare off new manufacturers by increasing costs and NASCAR's John Probst noted there's no evidence more power equals better racing. In the end, the dream of high-horsepower stock cars may be just that, a dream. While the technology exists, getting everyone on the same page with execution, safety and cost is a tall order. For now, Scott Maxim's comments suggest the future is about small tweaks not a full-on return to the past. Advertisement And for Hendrick Motorsports whose drivers like Larson and Byron are already winning with the current package, the need for raw horsepower may not be as great as it is for others. Also Read:: Jimmie Johnson joins hollywood agency, follows Tom Brady's playbook to build post-racing empire Related Headlines

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store