NASCAR Countdown Pre-race: ESPN - 2:00pm/et

Television Race Coverage: ESPN, 3:00pm/et

In the Booth: Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree
Pit Reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch
NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe, Brad Daugherty, Rusty Wallace, Ray Evernham

SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 12:00 pm/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace

Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
Monday, November 5 at 12:00am/et on ESPN2; Wednesday, November 7 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

TV Listings, Links and Info:
Jayski's TV Listings Page
ESPN Network Schedules
SPEED TV Schedule
NASCAR on TV
TV Racer

Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90

goprn.com (including qualifying)

PRN Live Streaming

Practices:
Friday, November 2, 12:30 - 2:00 pm/et, TV-SPEED
Saturday, November 3, 3:00 - 3:50pm/et, TV-SPEED

Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Saturday, November 3, 5:45 - 6:45pm/et, TV-SPEED

Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Friday, November 2 at 4:40 pm/et, TV-ESPN2, no re-air scheduled.

Track Specifications:
Track/Race Length: 1.5-mile quad oval, 334 laps, 501 miles
Track Size: 1.5 miles
Race: 334 laps, 501 miles
Width: 58 feet (minimum)
Turns: 750-foot radius
Degree of Banking: Turns: 24 degrees
Straightaways/dogleg: Banking: 5 degrees;
Straights: Front Straight - 2250 feet; Back Stretch - 1330 feet
Front Straightaway Grandstand: 66 rows, 112,522. Includes: PSL seats (36,000 w/armrests); and Handicapped Seating (1,595  Row 28 at portal entrances)
Back Straightaway Grandstand: 12 rows, 9,855
Luxury Suites: 144 with seating for 9,992
Victory Lane Club Suites: 50 with seating for 3,152
Condominium Seating: 2,571
Infield Capacity: Approx. 53,000
Grandstand Seating: 122,377
Total Permanent Seating: 138,122
Total Estimated Capacity: 191,122 Pit Road: 45 pit stalls for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Pit Road Speed: 45mph
Pace Car Speed: 55mph
Opened: 1997

Carry-in items:
Coolers: allowed (14-inch by 14-inch by 14-inch limit)
Glass containers: not allowed
Alcoholic beverages: allowed
Cameras/binoculars: allowed

Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: Cast from TNT's Dallas: Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Julie Gonzalo, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Larry Hagman
Command to start engines: Cast from TNT's Dallas
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: Anita Perry, the wife of Texas Governor Rick Perry
Invocation: Dr. Roger Marsh, Texas Alliance Raceway Ministries
National Anthem: TCU Marching Band
Military Flyover: B52 Stratofortress, Barksdale Air Force Base

Track Websites:
Texas Motor Speedway
Speedway Motorsports
Texas Motor Speedway - Facebook
Texas Motor Speedway - Twitter
Texas Motor Speedway - MySpace

April 2012: see my Texas Race Info page

November 2011: see my Texas Race Info page

April 2012 Race Winner: #16-Greg Biffle, 160.577mph, started 3rd

November 2011 Race Winner: #14-Tony Stewart, 152.706mph, started 5th

Track Race Record: Greg Biffle, April 2012, 160.577mph

Slowest Race Record: Jeff Burton, 1997, 125.102mph

Oldest Race Winner: Dale Jarrett, 44 years, 4 months, 6 days, 4/1/2001

Youngest Race Winner: Ryan Newman, 25 years, 3 months, 22 days, 3/30/2003

April 2012 Pole Sitter: #56-Martin Truex Jr., 190.369mph, finished 6th

November 2011 Pole Winner: #16-Greg Biffle, 193.736 mph, finished 5th

Track Pole Record: #25-Brian Vickers, 196.235, 11/3/2006

Oldest Pole Winner: Bill Elliott, 46 years, 6 months, 0 days, 4/08/2002

Youngest Pole Winner: Brian Vickers, 23 years, 0 months, 12 days, 11/05/2006

The Numbers for the AAA Texas 500:
1 - number of wins from the pole (Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Dodge, 4/9/06)
1 - fewest laps led by race winner (Jeff Burton, 4/15/07)
2 - fewest cautions (4/14/12)
4 - fewest leaders (11/8/09)
6 - number of jet dryers available for track drying this weekend
6 - fewest cars on lead lap at finish (11/8/09)
10 - fewest caution laps (4/14/12)
12 - most cautions (three times, most recent 11/4/07)
13 - fewest lead changes (twice, most recent 11/8/09)
16 - different race winners
17 - most leaders (4/2/00)
17 - wins from a top-10 starting position
25 - most on lead lap at finish (11/6/05)
29 - fewest running at finish (three times, most recent 4/19/10)
33 - most lead changes (11/7/10)
40 - most cars running at finish (twice, most recent 11/2/08)
73 - most caution laps (4/6/97)
120 minutes - amount of time it takes to dry the 1.5-mile track after a significant rainfall.
278 - most laps led by race winner (11/5/06)
2012 Caution Update
1 - fewest cautions this season (Fontana)
8 - races extended beyond scheduled distance (Daytona, Martinsville, Talladega, Darlington, Sonoma, Michigan2, Atlanta and Talladega2)
14 - most cautions this season (Kansas2)
196 - number of cautions in the first 33 races of 2012; includes 91 for accidents, 50 for debris and 24 for spins
1,025 of 9,521 - number of laps under caution in 2012
1,392.952 of 12, 497.676 - miles under caution in the first 33 races
(Darnell Communications for SRT Motorsports and Dodge)(11-1-2012)

At Texas Motor Speedway:
• Construction began in 1995.
• The first NASCAR race was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on April 5, 1997.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on April 6, 1997.
• There have been 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, one per season from 1997 through 2004 and two races per year since 2005.
• Four drivers have competed in all 22 Texas races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.
• Jeremy Mayfield was the first pole winner, in 1998. Qualifying for the inaugural race in 1997 was canceled.
• Jeff Burton won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
• 16 drivers have scored poles, led by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr. with two.
• 16 drivers have won races, led by Carl Edwards, with three. Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle each have two wins.
• 17 of 23 races have been won from a top-10 starting position. Only one has been won from the pole - Kasey Kahne in 2006.
• Matt Kenseth started 31st en route to his victory at Texas in 2002, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started.
• Both Jeff Burton (1999) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) scored their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Texas, and 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne made his first series start at Texas (11/07/10).
• Martin Truex Jr. (11/04/07) and David Ragan (04/09/11) scored their first series poles at Texas.
• Matt Kenseth (8.6) and Jimmie Johnson (9.7) are the only active drivers to average a top-10 finish at Texas.
• Jimmie Johnson (9.2) is the only active driver to average a top-10 starting position at Texas.
• Roush Fenway Racing leads all owners in victories, with nine. Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have three wins each.
• There has been two season sweeps, by Carl Edwards in 2008 and Denny Hamlin in 2010.(NASCAR)(10-30-2012)

For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski's Texas Mottor Speedway Track News/Rumors/Links page

Johnson wins at Texas: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Texas AAA 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway for second consecutive win, his 5th of year and 60th career win. He took the lead from Keselowski at the start of a green white checker restart.
#48-Jimmie Johnson is the first driver to win two races in a row from the pole since #24-Jeff Gordon won consecutive races at Phoenix and Talladega from the pole in April 2007.
#2-Keselowski held on to finish 2nd followed by #18-Busch, #17-Kenseth, #14-Stewart, #15-Bowyer, #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #78-Busch, #29-Harvick, and #20-Logano.
#48-Johnson led the most laps to maximize his points on the day. He now has a 7 point lead over #2-Keselowski.
There were 9 cautions for 49 yellow flag laps. There were 20 lead changes among 7 drivers. The average speed was 136.117mph.
The estimated attendence was 146,000, down from 159,000 in the spring race and down from 151,000 last November.
See race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Texas Race Results page (pdf) and the official race and points rundown on the Official Race & Points Report.(11-4-2012)

Where did the 12 Chase drivers finish at Texas?
[by points standings before the race (start pos)]
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson, WON (1)
2) #2-Brad Keselowski, 2 (8)
3) #15-Clint Bowyer, 6th (4)
4) #5-Kasey Kahne, 25th (15)
3) #11-Denny Hamlin, 20th (12)
6) #24-Jeff Gordon, 14th (16)
7) #56-Martin Truex Jr., 13th (5)
8) #17-Matt Kenseth, 4th (10)
9) #16-Greg Biffle, 10th (2)
10) #14-Tony Stewart, 5th (21)
11) #29-Kevin Harvick, 9th (23)
12) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 7th (19)
(11-4-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver CHASE Championship Points Standings:
[after Texas, race 34 of 36]
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson [5 wins], 2339
2) #2-Brad Keselowski [5 wins], 2332, -7
3) #15-Clint Bowyer [3 wins], 2303, -36
4) #5-Kasey Kahne [2 wins], 2281, -58
5) #17-Matt Kenseth [3 wins], 2267, -72
6) #24-Jeff Gordon [1 win], 2267, -72
7) #11-Denny Hamlin [5 wins], 2266, -73
8) #14-Tony Stewart [3 wins], 2259, -80
9) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 2259, -80
10) #16-Greg Biffle [2 wins], 2256, -83
Drivers who have been eliminated:
11) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 2238, -101
12) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 2188, -151
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings (pdf)

Race Fast Facts - Texas
Jimmie Johnson won the 8th Annual AAA Texas 500, his 60th victory in 397 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his fifth victory and 24th top-10 finish in 2012. Johnson has now won two consecutive races, pushing his Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup wins record to 22.
This is his second victory and 14th top-10 finish in 19 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
This is Chevrolet's 700th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.
Brad Keselowski (second) posted his first top-10 finish in nine races at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his 22nd top-10 finish in 2012.
Kyle Busch (third) posted his sixth top-10 finish in 15 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Jimmie Johnson leads the point standings by 7 points over Brad Keselowski.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(11-4-2012)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Phoenix:
#36 remains in 35th and and drops to 90 points ahead of 36th, the #21 team.
there virtually no chance the top-35 will change the rest of the season.
Rank) Car#-Driver/Team, owners pts, +/-
34) #32-TBA/FAS Lane Racing, 471 +146
35) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 397 +72 ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #21-Bayne/Wood Bros., 325, -72pts out of the top 35
37) #33-Whitt/Childress-Falk, 244, -153
38) #30-Stremme/Inception, 222, -175
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see the Owners Points Standings (pdf).(11-4-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings without Chase:
(classic system using current points but NOT the chase system)
[after Texas, race 34 of 36]
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson(X) [5 wins], 1210
2) #2-Brad Keselowski(X) [5 wins], 1191, -19
3) #16-Greg Biffle(X) [2 wins], 1164, -46
4) #17-Matt Kenseth(X) [3 wins], 1161, -49
5) #15-Clint Bowyer(X) [3 wins], 1155, -55
6) #56-Martin Truex Jr.(X) [0 wins], 1121, -89
7) #11-Denny Hamlin(X) [4 wins], 1104, -106
8) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.(X) [1 win], 1087, -123
9) #29-Kevin Harvick(X) [0 wins], 1079, -131
10) #5-Kasey Kahne(X) [2 wins], 1065, -145
11) #14-Tony Stewart(X) [3 wins], 1060, -150
12) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win], 1048, -162
13) #24-Jeff Gordon(X) [1 win], 1044, -166
14) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win], 969, -241
15) #99-Carl Edwards [0 wins], 965, -245
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
(X) = a Chase driver.

Texas Notes-n-Nuggets:
• Jimmie Johnson earned his 60th career win in his 397th race.
• Jimmie Johnson became the eighth driver in history to reach 60 career wins.
• It is the 12th time in Jimmie Johnson's career that he has won back-to-back races.
• It is the seventh time Jimmie Johnson has won back-to-back races in the Chase.
• Jimmie Johnson garnered his 11th career win from the pole.
• Second Texas win of Jimmie Johnson's career, previous was during the 2007 Chase.
• Jimmie Johnson became the seventh different multiple-race winner at Texas.
• Jimmie Johnson became the second driver to win from the pole at Texas; Kasey Kahne in April 2006 is other.
• Jimmie Johnson captured his fifth victory of 2012, tied for the most with Brad Keselowski.
• This marks the seventh season that Jimmie Johnson has reached five wins, won five races in each of his five Championship years (2006-2010).
• Jimmie Johnson garnered his 17th career win on 1.5-mile tracks, most of all drivers.
• Jimmie Johnson earned his 22nd Chase win, most of all drivers.
• This was the 13th Chase race won from the polesitter, eight have been by Johnson.
• Jimmie Johnson's victory marks the first time a driver won back-to-back races from the pole since Jeff Gordon in 2007.
• Jimmie Johnson led seven times for 168 laps including the final two of the race.
• Hendrick Motorsports picked up its 208th career win, including its fourth at Texas.
• Hendrick Motorsports earned its 11th victory of 2012, most of all organizations.
• Hendrick Motorsports captured its 28th Chase win, most of all organizations.
• Chevrolet won for the eighth time at Texas.
• Chevrolet earned its 14th win of 2012, most of all makes.
• This marks the 700th career victory for Chevrolet.
• Brad Keselowski (second) had his best Texas finish in his ninth start, has now had or matched his best track finish 17 times this season; seven points behind leader Jimmie Johnson, his largest points deficit of the Chase.
• Kyle Busch (third) matched his best Texas finish for the third time in his 15th race; has now posted top-10 finishes in five of the last six races.
• Matt Kenseth (fourth) posted his track-leading 15th top-10 finish at Texas; ran as low as 27th in the race.
• Tony Stewart (fifth) garnered only his second top-five finish of the 2012 Chase, ran as low as 25th in the race.
• Clint Bowyer (sixth) has now finished in the top-10 in eight of the last nine races.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. (seventh) has compiled top-10 finishes in five of the last six Texas races; only top-10 finish in his last five starts.
• Kurt Busch (eighth) picked up only his third top-10 finish of 2012.
• Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnahrdt Jr. are eliminated from Championship contention.
(Racing Resources and Services -- Statistics Racing Recall / nascar.com)(11-4-2012)

Lucky Dogs - Who got a lap back on each caution at Texas: (and their finish)
Caution 1: #22-Hornish, Jr, 17th
Caution 2: none, #51-Allmendinger caused the caution
Caution 3: #31-Burton, 19th
Caution 4: #1-McMurray, 18th
Caution 5: #21-Bayne, 22nd
Caution 6: #21-Bayne (2), 22nd
Caution 7: #31-Burton (2), 19th
Caution 8: #31-Burton (3), 19th
Caution 9: #13-Mears, 21st
(11-4-2012)

Race Coverage of the AAA Texas 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, November 4, 2012.
Television (TV): ESPN at 3:00 pm/et; NASCAR Countdown Pre-Race show at 2:00 pm/et; green flag approx 3:16pm/et
Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
Monday, November 5 at 12:00am/et on ESPN2; Wednesday, November 7 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the AAA Texas 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway have been made.
Pole sitter #48-Johnson chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #16-Biffle took pit stall 14, the next pitstall with an opening in front of it.
#18-Busch, who starts 3rd took the 35th pit stall, the next with an opening in front.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #21-Bayne, who starts 7th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(11-3-2012)

Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's:
Official Race Report
Race Results
Drivers Points
Owners Points
Pitstalls
Happy Hour Practice Speeds
Practice 2 Speeds
Starting Lineup
Qualifying Results
Qualifying Order
Practice 1 Speeds
Entry List

NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.

Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.

See Jayski's - 2012 Sprint Cup Race Results Page for pole winner, race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup, practice speeds and chase stats as well as link to race track and race information page for each race

Final practice for the Texas AAA 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is over after 60 scheduled minutes, the top-five, slowest and notes:
#2-Keselowski 184.300
#15-Bowyer 184.193
#17-Kenseth 184.187
#48-Johnson 184.055
#99-Edwards 183.830
slowest: #91-Sorenson 176.039 & #32-Schrader 175.810.
See speeds, best top-10 average and laps run on the Texas practice 3 speeds page (pdf).(11-3-2012)

First Saturday practice for the Texas AAA 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is over after 50 scheduled minutes, the top-five, slowest and notes:
#2-Keselowski 186.929
#48-Johnson 186.864
#11-Hamlin 186.066
#16-Biffle 185.950
#99-Edwards 185.312
slowest: #19-Bliss 175.387 & #87-Nemechek 170.816.
See speeds, best top-10 average and laps run on the Texas practice 2 speeds page (pdf).(11-3-2012)

Johnson wins pole at Texas: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the pole for the AAA Texas 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway with a speed of 191.076mph for his 4th pole of 2012 and 29th career pole.
#16-Biffle will start 2nd followed by #18-Busch, #15-Bowyer, #56-Truex, Jr., #20-Logano, #21-Bayne, #2-Keselowski, #99-Edwards, and #17-Kenseth.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #21-Bayne, #95-Speed, #19-Bliss, #26-Wise, #91-Sorenson, #98-McDowell, #87-Nemechek, and #37-Yeley.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (3): #33-Leicht, #79-Bires, #30-Stremme.
See qualifying results & starting lineup on the Texas Qualifying Page.(11-2-2012)

Qualifying Fast Facts - Texas:
Jimmie Johnson won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 8th Annual AAA Texas 500 with a lap of 28.261 seconds, 191.076 mph.
This is his 29th pole in 397 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. He moves into a tie with Ricky Rudd for 23rd on the all-time series poles list.
This is his fourth pole and 23rd top-10 start in 2012. It is also his second-consecutive pole.
This is his first pole in 19 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Greg Biffle (second) posted his 20th top-10 start of 2012 and his 11th in 18 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Kyle Busch (third) posted his sixth top-10 start at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his 20th in 34 races this season.
(NASCAR Statistics)(11-2-2012)

Where will the 12 Chase drivers start at Texas?
[by points standings before the race]
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson 1st
2) #2-Brad Keselowski 8th
3) #15-Clint Bowyer 4th
4) #5-Kasey Kahne 13th
5) #11-Denny Hamlin 12th
6) #24-Jeff Gordon 16th
7) #56-Martin Truex Jr. 5th
8) #17-Matt Kenseth 10th
9) #16-Greg Biffle 2nd
10) #14-Tony Stewart 21st
11) #29-Kevin Harvick 23rd
12) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 19th
(11-2-2012)

Coverage of Qualifying for the AAA Texas 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is scheduled for Friday, November 2, 2012 at 4:40pm/et.
Radio via goprn.com
Television (TV): ESPN2, 4:30pm/et
Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: none

Qualifying Order for the AAA Texas 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is posted. 46 cars/drivers are listed.
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #32-Schrader, slowest in practice.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #56-Truex, Jr., who was fastest in first practice.
Qualifying order is set by the first practice session, with slowest driver going out by speed and the fastest going out last. The non-top 35 drivers are now mixed in with the top-35 in owners points, slowest to fastest.
See the full qualifying order on the Texas Qualifying Page.(11-2-2012)

Rain Out Procedures: the rain-out qualifying procedure for all three NASCAR national series is as follows: If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.

Friday practice for the Texas AAA 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is over after 90 scheduled minutes, the top-five, slowest and notes:
#56-Truex, Jr. 190.745
#55-Martin 190.449
#2-Keselowski 190.121
#15-Bowyer 189.867
#14-Stewart 188.805
slowest: #36-Blaney 182.186 & #32-Schrader 180.138.
This practice will determine the order for this afternoon's qualifying, scheduled for 4:40pm/et, televised on ESPN2, and covered online at goprn.com.
See speeds, best top-10 average and laps run on the Texas practice 1 speeds page (pdf). (11-2-2012)

Go-or-Go Homers practice at Texas: how fast/slow were the drivers who are not in the top-35 of owners points and must qualify by speed to make the Texas AAA 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, where they practiced in Friday practice:
the eight drivers who would make the race if things stayed the same:
#21-Bayne, 15th fastest overall
#37-Yeley, 30th
#30-Stremme, 33rd
#98-McDowell, 35th
#95-Speed, 36th
#79-Bires, 37th
#87-Nemechek, 40th
#91-Sorenson, 41st
the three drivers who would miss the race if things stayed the same:
#26-Wise, 42nd
#19-Bliss, 43rd
#33-Leicht, 44th
(11-2-2012)

The Entry List for the AAA Texas 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is posted, 46 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
Not in top 35 of owners points:
#19-Mike Bliss (45/26)
#21-Trevor Bayne (36/14)
#26-Josh Wise (40/33)
#30-David Stremme (38/33)
#33-Stephen Leicht (37/33)
#37-J.J. Yeley (50/17)
#79-Kelly Bires (52/9)
#87-Joe Nemechek (42/33)
#91-Reed Sorenson (52/12)
#95-Scott Speed (43/15)
#98-Michael McDowell (39/33)
In the event that qualifying is cancelled:
the eight who would make it [8]: #'s 21,33,30,98,26,87,19, 37
missing the race would be [3]: # 95,91,79
See the full entry list at my Jayski's Texas Entry List

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Texas:
#36 remains in 35th and and drops to 90 points ahead of 36th, the #21 team.
there virtually no chance the top-35 will change the rest of the season.
Rank) Car#-Driver/Team, owners pts, +/-
34) #32-TBA/FAS Lane Racing, 458 +156
35) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 392 +90 ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #21-Bayne/Wood Bros., 302, -90pts out of the top 35
37) #33-Whitt/Childress-Falk, 244, -148
38) #30-Stremme/Inception, 222, -170
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see the Owners Points Standings (pdf).(10-28-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver CHASE Championship Points Standings:
[after Martinsville, race 33 of 36]
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson [4 wins], 2291
2) #2-Brad Keselowski [5 wins], 2289, -2
3) #15-Clint Bowyer [3 wins], 2265, -26
4) #5-Kasey Kahne [2 wins], 2262, -29
5) #11-Denny Hamlin [5 wins], 2242, -49
6) #24-Jeff Gordon [1 win], 2237, -54
7) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 22287, -63
8) #17-Matt Kenseth [3 wins], 2226, -65
9) #16-Greg Biffle [2 wins], 2222, -69
10) #14-Tony Stewart [3 wins], 2220, -71
11) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 2203, -88
12) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 2151, -140
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings (pdf)

Chassis selections for the AAA Texas 500: see the list of many teams and what chassis were selected by the team to run at Texas Motor Speedway:
MISSING? why are some teams missing? like the #11, #24 or others? those teams do not report what chassis in the race previews or prs.
#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the No. 1 McDonald's team will bring Chassis #1106 to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. This chassis has raced previously this year at Bristol, Pocono, Kentucky and Dover, with a best finish of seventh in Bristol.
#2-Brad Keselowski: will race chassis PRS-829 during Sunday's AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Keselowski last raced this chassis to a sixth-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the second race of the Chase for the Championship in September.
#5-Kasey Kahne: crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-739. Kahne has raced this car twice this season, notably recording a 12th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-736: This car debuted in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup opener at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., where Stewart qualified 29th and rallied to lead three laps before finishing sixth. Chassis No. 14-736 made its second career start in October at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, and it had to rally again. After starting 32nd, a lap-16 run-in with Brad Keselowski necessitated numerous pit stops that dropped Stewart all the way to 36th in the 43- car field. But Stewart used Chassis No. 14-736 to claw his way back to a respectable 13th-place finish. The car will make its third career start Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
#15-Clint Bowyer: Primary chassis No. 740 is the race winning car from the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte. Backup chassis No. 716 raced earlier this season in Las Vegas, Kansas, Charlotte, Kentucky and Indianapolis. Chassis No. 716's best finish was sixth at Las Vegas.
#16-Greg Biffle: Primary: RK-809 Last ran Dover - finished 16th; Backup: RK-803 Last ran Pocono - finished 15th
#17-Matt Kenseth: Primary: RK-821 (last run at Charlotte)
#22-Sam Hornish, Jr.: will be utilizing the "PRS-821" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger in this weekend's AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Hornish and team last raced this chassis in the September 8 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond, where they started 11th and finished 11th. This is the same car that AJ Allmendinger raced in the April 14 Samsung 500 at Texas (started 12th and finished 15th). The car was also raced again in the June 17 Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan (started 20th and finished 19th). It has been completely updated since and will be making its fourth start this weekend at TMS. The "PRS-820" will serve as the backup Shell-Pennzoil Dodge. It was last raced in the Sept. 23 race at New Hampshire.
#27-Paul Menard: will pilot Chassis No. 351 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend's AAA Texas 500. This Chevrolet was last raced at Kansas Speedway in October where Menard drove it to his season-best finish of third. This chassis was also utilized at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September, where Menard started 18th and finished eighth, in numerous test sessions this year and was raced last season at Texas Motor Speedway (April - started 19th/finished fifth), Kansas Speedway (June - started ninth/finished 19th) and Dover International Speedway (October - started third/ finished 16th).
#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot Chassis No.404 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the AAA Texas 500. Built new for competition in 2012, Harvick raced this Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October where he collected a 16th-place result after starting from the 11th position.
#31-Jeff Burton: will race Chassis No. 367 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend. This No. 31 Chevrolet has been utilized four times this season at Kansas Speedway in April (started-12th, finished-22nd), Pocono Raceway in June (started-20th, finished-15th), Michigan International Speedway in August (started-32nd, finished-19th) and Chicagoland Speedway in September (started-32nd, finished-24th).
#39-Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-748: This weekend, Newman will pilot Chassis No. 39-748. Its first outing came at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway three weeks ago, where Newman qualified third but had to forfeit his starting spot and drop to the back of the field before the start due to an engine change. Unfortunately, he never could get the car to handle to his liking during the race and was forced to settle for a 20th-place finish.
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Crew Chief Chris "Shine" Heroy and the No. 42 HUGGIES® team will bring Chassis #1218 to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. This chassis has seen track time at Kansas Speedway, finishing 16th.
#48-Jimmie Johnson:: Chassis No. 720 serves as the primary for Johnson at Texas. Chassis No. 714 serves as the backup.
#55-Mark Martin: Chassis 729- finished third at Dover in September. Car won pole at Dover in June, finished third at Texas and 10th at Atlanta with Martin behind wheel.
#88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: crew chief Steve Letarte will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-726. Regan Smith most recently raced this chassis at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in October. Earnhardt last raced this chassis to an eighth-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway in September.
#99-Carl Edwards: RK-820: Last raced Dover, finished fifth.
(from team PR's/sites if reported)(11-1-2012)

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials

Number of Tires: Sprint Cup:
Left-side -- 1,425, Right-side -- 1,425;
Nationwide: Left-side  500, Right-side -- 500

Set limits:
Sprint Cup: 5 sets for practice/qualifying and 11 sets for the race;
Nationwide: 6 sets for the event

Tire Codes:
Left-side -- D-4392; Right-side -- D-4410

Tire Circumference:
Left-side -- 87.2 in. (2,215 mm);
Right-side -- 88.4 in. (2,246 mm)

Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi;
Right Front -- 50 psi; Right Rear -- 47 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 23 psi; Left Rear -- 21 psi;
Right Front -- 51 psi; Right Rear -- 47 psi

Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same Goodyear tire codes at Texas this weekend . . . teams in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will run a similar tire set-up this weekend, using the same left-side tire code (D-4392) but a different right-side code . . . Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams will run the same combination of left- and right-side tires that they ran at Texas earlier this season and during both race weekends at the track last season . . . this is also the same tire set-up that teams in these two series have run at both Chicagoland and Homestead in 2011 and 2012 . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required run inner liners in all four tire positions at Texas . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire . . . Goodyear held a tire test with the 2013 Sprint Cup cars at Texas on October 9-10 . . . teams and drivers participating in that test were No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford with Greg Biffle, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with Kyle Busch, No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with Paul Menard and No. 42 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with Juan Pablo Montoya.