NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Will be Remembered after Sunday’s Texas Two Step?
One of NASCAR’s wildest, most treacherous tracks is up next for the Cup Series stars at Texas Motor Speedway. Now the only stop at The Lone Star State intermediate oval, the Würth 400 has the potential for peak drama. Here are a few drivers who are favorites to proudly wear the cowboy hat trophy as a Texas winner.
Kyle Larson
Perhaps the favorite at any intermediate oval, Kyle Larson and Texas appear to be a perfect match. The 2021 All-Star Race and fall winner here, Larson’s led bunches of laps in every start since his sweep. Luck has not fallen team 5’s way over the last two Texas trips, however. Past results aside, Larson knows he will likely be among the ones to beat on Sunday.
“We’ve always had a good mile-and-a-half program I feel like and we’ve just always improved on it,” Larson said. “Plus we’ve won Texas before. I think this weekend has potential to be another strong weekend for the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team.”
Larson is the odds-on favorite to take the checkers first in Texas. Over 450 laps led across the last four Texas races alone deservedly have the 5 taking these top honors heading into the weekend. Despite such consistent speed here though, Larson’s seen a best result of ninth since 2021. Texas seems to be a very checkers or wreckers kind of track for the 2021 champion. It’s very possible this trend continues on Sunday.
Ryan Blaney
Still technically 0-16 at Texas Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney does own an All-Star Race check from this track in 2022. That day saw the Penske No. 12 lead a whopping 84 laps in a second-half beatdown. Aside from this million-dollar triumph, Blaney’s seen a best Texas result of second, and is batting .500 for top-10s here.
Blaney’s been snakebitten one way or another through 2025’s opening 10 races. Driver 12 has been knocking on victory lane’s door though, especially on intermediate tracks. This was proven with 124 laps led at Homestead, and a top-five at Darlington. Blaney should be a top-five presence again throughout Sunday’s 400 miles. Should strategy fall right, he could follow up Austin Cindric and deliver Roger Penske a second-straight Cup win.
Denny Hamlin
Never one to be counted out at Texas is the No. 11 of Denny Hamlin. A three-time winner here, Hamlin was within eyesight of a fourth checkered flag a year ago. Wrecking while racing for the lead with two laps left, Hamlin just stepped over the edge finding grip. That result aside, Hamlin’s been 11th or better in every Texas race dating back to 2020.
Last winning here in 2019, 2024 saw Hamlin lead more laps at Texas (37) than the prior six races combined. Joe Gibbs Racing’s intermediate package has seemed elite in recent weeks; Hamlin was fifth at Homestead and won Darlington. Hamlin is hoping for retribution in the one that got away 12 months ago.
William Byron
One of three drivers with a perfect Next Gen top-10 record at Texas, William Byron is the only one to find victory lane. The 24 returning to glory at Texas in the 2023 Playoffs was a momentous occasion, marking Cup win number 300 for Rick Hendrick. Seventh and third in the other two Next Gen races here, Byron leads all drivers with an astounding 3.7 average finish. Much like Larson, points leader Byron aims for more of the same up front at TMS.
“I think this weekend should be a good one for us,” Byron said. “We’ve always run pretty well at Texas, and I feel like we’re really showing the strength we have on the No. 24 team right now. We just want to keep executing to the best of our abilities every weekend.”
Still winless since the season-opening Daytona 500, consistency has been key in Byron staying atop the points. The 24 has been P1 in the standings for the last eight-straight races, now with a 31-point gap to second place. Talladega last week marked a third-straight top-10 as well for this team. Thanks to Byron (2023) and Chase Elliott (2024), Hendrick Motorsports has a shot at a Texas three-peat. If not Larson, Byron should be seen as a heavy contender for keeping Texas’ trophy in Hendrick’s house.
Bubba Wallace
Speaking of 2023’s Texas race, William Byron was far from the dominant driver that day. That honor went to Bubba Wallace, who arguably had the best race of his career in Fort Worth. Starting from pole, the No. 23 Toyota led 111 laps before losing the top spot late and fading to finish third. Seventh a year ago was a nice continuation of 23XI Racing’s intermediate progression. Time out front in both of those races should have team 23 beaming for this weekend.
Coming off an eighth-place run at Talladega, Wallace’s career season shows no signs of faltering anytime soon. Teammate Tyler Reddick is always an ace on these intermediates, as shown last year, but his stiffest competition may come from within Airspeed. Wallace’s team is trending towards a breakout win, but execution will be the name of the game for this entire crew.
Ross Chastain
Had last lap contact not happened a year ago, Ross Chastain was on his way to a second-straight Texas runner-up. Across both of these trips to TMS, the Trackhouse No. 1 has been a threat out front and looked stout. A recent intermediate track winner from Kansas last fall, Chastain hopes for similar fortunes on Sunday.
“I’m looking forward to Texas because it’s fun track to race on,” Chastain said. “We’ve been pretty good there the last couple of years. The Dallas and Fort Worth areas are so much fun because there’s so much to do at the Stockyards and in the surrounding areas.”
To say Chastain has been carrying the load for Team Trackhouse this year would be an understatement. Chastain’s one top-five and five top-10s are more than both of his teammates combined. These stats have the 1 ranked tenth in points. Talladega also ended a three-race top-10 streak for the watermelon man. Right on the precipice of title contention, Chastain guns for a return to form at Texas.
Texas is likely to have at least one unforgettable highlight thanks to the Next Gen Car combined with its perilous layout. Who survives the calamity for a Lone Star checkered flag will have weathered one of the most unpredictable races of the season. The Würth 400 will get underway Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
