NASCAR is back in Texas.
Two months after its trip to Austin, the Cup Series heads to Fort Worth for a 400-mile race around Texas Motor Speedway.
The 1.5-mile circuit has hosted races annually since 1997 when it first opened. Since then, thousands of race fans have flocked to the speedway to see the likes of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. win races. Now, it’s modern stars like Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson who have visited victory lane in the Lone Star State.
So, what’s in store for this year? What’s the TV schedule for the weekend? And who could contend for the win? Here’s everything to know for the Würth 400:
When is the NASCAR race in Texas?
Green flag for the Würth 400 is set for Sunday, May 3, at 2:43 p.m. CT.
Before the race, there will be practice and qualifying on Saturday. Thirty-eight drivers will be split into two groups, with each group getting 25 minutes of free practice. For qualifying, each driver will get one lap to set the starting order based on speed.
NASCAR TV schedule this weekend for Texas
Mike Joy (play-by-play), Kevin Harvick (analyst) and Clint Bowyer (analyst) will be on the call for FOX and Amazon Prime Video this weekend.
Here’s the full TV and streaming schedule:
Saturday, May 2 (Amazon Prime Video)
Sunday, May 3 (FOX Sports 1)
Who is racing in Texas? Here’s the entry list
Thirty-eight drivers will race at Texas — the 36 full-timers, plus two “open” entries.
Top prospect Corey Heim continues his part-time schedule for 23XI Racing, driving the No. 67 Toyota in his third start of 2026. Elsewhere, 31-year-old Chad Finchum will make his third start of the season and 15th of his career for Garage 66.
Here’s the full entry list for Texas:
Car numberDriverTeamSponsor1Ross ChastainTrackhouse RacingKubota Tractors2Austin CindricTeam PenskeFreightliner3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingBass Pro Shops4Noah GragsonFront Row MotorsportsRush Truck Centers5Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsHendrickCars.com6Brad KeselowskiRFK RacingBody Guard by Fastenal7Daniel SuarezSpire MotorsportsFreeway Insurance8Kyle BuschRichard Childress RacingZone Nicotine Pouches9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsAmazon Prime10Ty DillonKaulig RacingGrizzly Nicotine Pouches11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingProgressive12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeMenards16AJ AllmendingerKaulig RacingCelsius17Chris BuescherRFK RacingFifth Third Bank19Chase BriscoeJoe Gibbs RacingBass Pro Shops20Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingRheem21Josh BerryWood Brothers RacingWürth22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeDiscount Tire23Bubba Wallace23XI RacingChumba Casino24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsValvoline34Todd GillilandFront Row MotorsportsLove’s Travel Stops35Riley Herbst23XI RacingFRE Nicotine Pouches38Zane SmithFront Row MotorsportsSpeedy Cash41Cole CusterHaas Factory TeamHaas/Andy’s Custard42John Hunter NemechekLegacy Motor ClubDollar Tree43Erik JonesLegacy Motor ClubAdvent Health45Tyler Reddick23XI RacingRockstar Energy Drink47Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Hyak MotorsportsOnin Staffing48Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsAlly51Cody WareRick Ware RacingParts Plus/Costa Oil54Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs RacingInterstate Batteries60Ryan PreeceRFK RacingKroger/Ball Park Buns66Chad FinchumGarage 66Cooper & Hunter67Corey Heim23XI RacingRobinhood71Michael McDowellSpire MotorsportsModo Casino77Carson HocevarSpire MotorsportsSpectrum88Connor ZilischTrackhouse RacingChoice Privileges97Shane van GisbergenTrackhouse RacingSuper File2026 Würth 400 entry list
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NASCAR picks, predictions, favorites for Texas
Texas is the most unique 1.5-mile track on the NASCAR schedule.
Unlike its counterparts in Charlotte, Las Vegas and Kansas, the Fort Worth circuit has two distinctly different corners a wide and low-banked turns one and two, then a tighter and higher-banked turns three and four.
That variance has created a tricky challenge for drivers, leading to the more cautions per race than any other active track in the NextGen era (2022-present).
So, who could overcome the chaos to win on Sunday? Keep your eye on the superteams of Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing — and of course, Reddick for 23XI Racing.
HMS has been the standout in recent years, winning three of the last five trips to Texas with three different drivers (Larson, Byron and Elliott). Byron’s 11.4 average finish is the best among drivers with at least 10 Texas starts and Larson’s 615 laps led is third-best. Elliott, meanwhile, won there in 2024.
For JGR, Hamlin typically carries the torch. The veteran has three Texas wins, but his last two starts have ended with an engine failure (2025) and a crash on a late restart (2024). Bell, Briscoe and Gibbs have all started in the top-10 over the last two years, though they haven’t capitalized on great finishes just yet.
If anyone can challenge the HMS and JGR, it’s Reddick. He’s won five of the first 10 races this season for Michael Jordan’s team, and he’s led laps in four straight Texas starts. It’s easy to put Team Penske into this group, especially after Logano’s win last year, but the Fords have struggled at intermediate tracks this season.
Finally, diving into some potential longshots, don’t forget about Hocevar and Austin Dillon. Hocevar, who won his first career race last week at Talladega, was on pole at Texas last year and led 22 laps. Dillon has finished top-10 in his last two Texas starts and won in 2020.
The winning pick for Texas is Larson, who was fourth last year and has led at least 75 laps in four of his last six Texas starts. The reigning champion hasn’t won a race in over a calendar year, so it’s time for him to get back to victory lane.
NASCAR past winners, race history for Texas
Eight of the 38 drivers in the field are past winners in Texas.
Busch leads the field with four victories (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020), followed by Hamlin with three (2010, 2010, 2019) and Logano with two (2014, 2025). One-time winners include Dillon (2020), Larson (2021), Reddick (2022), Byron (2023) and Elliott (2024).
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