The NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series heads south for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The contest in Fort Worth is set to get underway on Sunday, April 8th at 2:10 p.m. EST. The sixth race of the season can be seen on FoxSporst1 for your NASCAR racing enjoyment.
The one and a half-mile tri-oval speedway in the Lone Star state first hosted the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 1996. Seven-time series champion Jimmy Johnson has won the most at this venue. He also has the most top-five finishes. Last year in the spring event, Kevin Harvick found himself out front when it mattered most. He will be starting in the second spot behind teammate Kurt Busch.
This season’s first race at this venue will see defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. starting out in the sixth spot. The qualifying effort marks the sixth time in a row that the defending champion will begin inside the top-five. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch will jump out of the gate in the eighth spot when the green flag drops Sunday.
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick has shown plenty of speed again this weekend. He will be looking to win his fourth victory of the season. The veteran speedster was inside the top-five for all three of the practice rounds. In fact, powered his Ford Fusion to over 207 MPH. Harvick will be launching off in the 2nd spot for the start of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. The Stweart/Haas Racing standout has to be considered the first option on fantasy tickets as a number one driver. At least until he finally doesn’t win a NASCAR Cup Series 1.5-mile race in 2018.
Kyle Busch
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch will look to break his streak of second place finishes in 2018. The last four weeks he has powered his Toyota Camry to three second-place results. He was extremely fast in qualifying, taking eighth. He also was speedy in all three of the practice rounds this weekend. Busch has done well at Texas Speedway. That also includes two victories in the NASCAR Cup Series. In fact, he is near the top of several statistical categories at the track. Rowdy Busch will be a force to be reckoned with in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 this weekend.
Kyle Larson
Roush Racing’s Kyle Larson will be going for his sixth in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. Furthermore, the youngster has won the last three at Michigan and his Fontana win last year came in the middle of both. Larson has only won five races in his career but four of them have come at the 2-mile venues. Richmond was the other track where he took the checkered flag out in front. His DC Solar Chevrolet will be starting from the rear due to inspection issues earlier in the weekend. He was quick in the three practice rounds, ranking close to the top-10 in all three sessions.
Martin Truex Jr.
It was no surprise to see Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. capture the sixth starting spot for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Fort Worth, Texas. The 2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series defending champion showed plenty of speed in the practice rounds as well. Truex Jr. had seven 1.5-mile victories last season, but he had nothing for Kevin Harvick at Atlanta or Vegas. The gritty competitor finished second here last season in the fall race. Like the drivers above, it would also be hard to keep him off your A drivers list for the Auto Club 400.
Odds to Win the 2018 O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway:
Kevin Harvick +285
Martin Truex Jr. +400
Kyle Busch +450
Kyle Larson +750
Brad Keselowski +850
Joey Logano +1350
Chase Elliott +1650
Denny Hamlin +1650
Ryan Blaney +1650
Jimmie Johnson +2250
Erik Jones +2250
Clint Bowyer +3300
Kurt Busch +4400
Aric Almirola +5500
Austin Dillon +11500
Paul Menard +11500
Ryan Newman +11500
Daniel Suarez +11500
Alex Bowman +11500
Jamie McMurray +11500
William Byron +11500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +22500
Kasey Kahne +55000
Darrell Wallace Jr. +55000
Trevor Bayne +55000
Chris Buescher +55000
AJ Allmendinger +115000
Ty Dillon +225000
Michael McDowell +22500
Go to BetDSI Sportsbook to get some action in for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 this Sunday.
