NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top Story News Schedule Race Update/Results Statistics Point Standings Starting Grid Race Preview Driver Info Team Info Track Info Season Chart All-Time Wins Odds Weather NASCAR - Sprint Cup - Samsung Mobile 500 Preview From The Sports Network   DATE: Saturday, April 14th SITE: Texas Motor Speedway (1997) -- Fort Worth, Texas TRACK: 1.5-mile oval- 2,250 feet (Frontstretch); 1,330 feet (Backstretch) CAPACITY: 138,122 (Total Permanent Seating) ANNUAL: 16th TELEVISION: FOX ANNOUNCERS: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds RADIO: Performance Racing Network (PRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio START TIME: 7:30 p.m. (ET)/Green Flag: 7:46 p.m. (ET) DEFENDING CHAMPION: Matt Kenseth RUNNER-UP: Clint Bowyer POLE WINNER: David Ragan (Finished 7th) LAPS: 334 MILES: 501 QUALIFYING RECORD: Brian Vickers, 2006 (196.235 m.p.h.) RACE RECORD: Tony Stewart, 2011 (152.705 m.p.h.) TOTAL PURSE: $7,000,716 (2011 figures) PAYOUTS: 1st Place - $525,886; 2nd Place - $353,883; 3rd Place - $269,791 2011 Finish Finish Driver Start Finish Driver Start 1 Matt Kenseth 4 6 Marcos Ambrose 7 2 Clint Bowyer 3 7 David Ragan 1 3 Carl Edwards 2 8 Jimmie Johnson 6 4 Greg Biffle 9 9 Dale Earnhardt Jr 28 5 Paul Menard 19 10 Kurt Busch 10 2011 Samsung Mobile 500 Facts and Figures AVERAGE SPEED: 149.231 m.p.h. TIME OF RACE: 3 hours, 21 minutes, 26 seconds MARGIN OF VICTORY: 8.315 seconds CAUTION FLAGS: 5 for 24 laps LEAD CHANGES: 31 among 13 drivers POLE WINNER: David Ragan (189.820 m.p.h.) Past Samsung Mobile 500 Winners (Starting Position) Car -- Speed 2011 -- Matt Kenseth (4th) -- Ford -- 149.231 m.p.h. 2010 -- Denny Hamlin (29th) -- Toyota -- 146.230 m.p.h. 2009 -- Jeff Gordon (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 146.372 m.p.h. 2008 -- Carl Edwards (2nd) -- Ford -- 144.814 m.p.h. 2007 -- Jeff Burton (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 143.359 m.p.h. 2006 -- Kasey Kahne (1st) -- Dodge -- 137.943 m.p.h. 2005 -- Greg Biffle (5th) -- Ford -- 130.055 m.p.h. 2004 -- Elliott Sadler (19th) Ford -- 138.845 m.p.h. 2003 -- Ryan Newman (3rd) -- Dodge -- 134.517 m.p.h. 2002 -- Matt Kenseth (31st) -- Ford -- 142.431 m.p.h. 2001 -- Dale Jarrett (3rd) -- Ford -- 141.804 m.p.h. 2000 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 131.152 m.p.h. 1999 -- Terry Labonte (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 144.276 m.p.h. 1998 -- Mark Martin (7th) -- Ford -- 136.771 m.p.h. 1997 -- Jeff Burton (5th) -- Ford -- 125.111 m.p.h. NOTE: Previously called Interstate Batteries 500 (1997), Texas 500 (1998, 2000-01), Primestar 500 (1999), Samsung/Radio Shack 500 (2002-06), Samsung 500 (2007-09). Past Samsung Mobile 500 Pole Winners (Finish) 2011 -- David Ragan -- 7th 2010 -- Denny Hamlin -- 29th 2009 -- David Reutimann -- 11th 2008 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr -- 12th 2007 -- None -- Weather 2006 -- Kasey Kahne -- 1st 2005 -- Ryan Newman -- 16th 2004 -- Bobby Labonte -- 25th 2003 -- Bobby Labonte -- 37th 2002 -- Bill Elliott -- 9th 2001 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr -- 8th 2000 -- Terry Labonte -- 8th 1999 -- Kenny Irwin Jr -- 15th 1998 -- Jeremy Mayfield -- 23rd 1997 -- None -- Weather Last Race Results RACE: Goody's Fast Relief 500 (April 1st) SITE: Martinsville Speedway -- Martinsville, Virginia MILES: 270.89 LAPS: 515 WINNER: Ryan Newman RUNNER-UP: A.J. Allmendinger THIRD: Dale Earnhardt Jr. FOURTH: Matt Kenseth FIFTH: Martin Truex Jr. POLE WINNER: Kasey Kahne (Finished 38th) TIME OF RACE: 3 hours, 26 minutes, 12 seconds AVERAGE SPEED: 78.823 m.p.h. MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.342 second CAUTION FLAGS: 7 for 56 laps LAP LEADERS: K. Kahne - pole; K. Harvick 1-21; J. Gordon 22-99; B. Keselowski 100; J. Gordon 101-228; D. Earnhardt Jr. 229-231; J. Gordon 232; D. Hamlin 233; C. Bowyer 234-235; M. Kenseth 236; A. Almirola 237-239; J. Gordon 240-322; B. Keselowski 323; J. Gordon 324-355; J. Johnson 356-362; D. Hamlin 363-392; J. Johnson 393-496; J. Gordon 497-502; J. Johnson 503; R. Newman 504-515. Samsung Mobile 500 Entry List Car Driver, Hometown Car/Name 1 Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO) Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops 2 Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI) Dodge/Miller Lite 5 Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) Chevrolet/Farmers Insurance 9 Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia) Ford/Stanley 10 David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL) Chevrolet/Accell Construction 11 Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) Toyota/FedEx/March of Dimes 13 Casey Mears (Bakersfield, CA) Ford/GEICO 14 Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) Chevrolet/Office Depot/Mobil 1 15 Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) Toyota/5-Hour Energy 16 Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA) Ford/Filtrete 17 * Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) Ford/Best Buy 18 Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Toyota/Interstate Batteries 19 Mike Bliss (Milwaukie, OR) Toyota/Humphrey Smith Racing 20 Joey Logano (Middletown, CT) Toyota/Dollar General 21 Trevor Bayne (Knoxville, TN) Ford/Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire 22 A.J. Allmendinger (Los Gatos, CA) Dodge/ Shell/Pennzoil 23 Scott Riggs (Bahama, NC) Chevrolet/North Texas Pipe 24 Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA) Chevrolet/DuPont 26 Josh Wise (Riverside, CA) Ford/Morristown Driver's Service 27 Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI) Chevrolet/Menards/Quaker State 29 Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) Chevrolet/Budweiser 30 David Stremme (South Bend, IN) Toyota/Inception Motorsports 31 Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA) Chevrolet/Caterpillar 32 To Be Announced Ford/JaniKing 33 Hermie Sadler (Emporia, VA) Chevrolet/Precon Marine 34 David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) Ford/TBA 36 Dave Blaney (Hartford, OH) Chevrolet/Tommy Baldwin Racing 37 To Be Announced Ford/TBA 38 David Gilliland (Riverside, CA) Ford/Mod Space 39 Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN) Chevrolet/U.S. Army 42 Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota, Colombia) Chevrolet/Target 43 Aric Almirola (Tampa, FL) Ford/Smithfield 47 Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) Toyota/Bush's Beans 48 Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA) Chevrolet/Lowe's/Kobalt Tools 49 J.J. Yeley (Phoenix, AZ) Toyota/JPO Absorbents 51 Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Chevrolet/Phoenix Construction 55 Mark Martin (Batesville, AR) Toyota/Aaron's Best of the Best 56 Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, NJ) Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 74 Stacy Compton (Hurt, VA) Chevrolet/Turn One Racing 78 Regan Smith (Cato, NY) Chevrolet/Furniture Row 83 Landon Cassill (Cedar Rapids, IA) Toyota/Burger King/Dr. Pepper 87 Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) Toyota/AM FM Energy Wood Pellet 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Kannapolis, NC) Chevrolet/Diet Mt. Dew/Nat Guard 93 Travis Kvapil (Janesville, WI) Toyota/Dr. Pepper 95 Scott Speed (Manteca, CA) Ford/TWD Drywall 98 Michael McDowell (Glendale, AZ) Ford/Curb Records 99 Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) Ford/Fastenal * - Defending champion Leading Contenders (Finish the last nine years) Driver 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Matt Kenseth 6th 16th 18th 2nd 2nd 9th 5th 20th Won Clint Bowyer --- --- --- 19th 16th 10th 22nd 36th 2nd Carl Edwards --- --- 19th 36th 12th Won 10th 33rd 3rd Greg Biffle 28th 31st Won 42nd 6th 39th 3rd 10th 4th Paul Menard --- --- --- --- 15th 17th 13th 35th 5th Marcos Ambrose --- --- --- --- --- --- 41st 17th 6th Jimmie Johnson 8th 9th 3rd 11th 38th 2nd 2nd 2nd 8th Dale Earnhardt Jr 2nd 4th 9th 12th 36th 12th 20th 8th 9th Kurt Busch 9th 6th 7th 34th 11th 23rd 8th 4th 10th Jeff Burton 20th 27th 12th 6th Won 6th 9th 12th 11th Tony Stewart 34th 8th 31st 3rd 25th 7th 4th 32nd 12th Juan Pablo Montoya --- --- --- --- 8th 19th 7th 34th 13th Ryan Newman Won 39th 16th 40th 32nd 4th 15th 11th 14th Denny Hamlin --- --- --- 4th 9th 5th 12th Won 15th Kyle Busch --- --- 21st 15th 37th 3rd 18th 3rd 16th Brad Keselowski --- --- --- --- --- --- 23rd 14th 18th A.J. Allmendinger --- --- --- --- --- --- 34th 13th 19th Kevin Harvick 15th 13th 13th 5th 29th 11th 27th 7th 20th Kasey Kahne --- 2nd 35th Won 20th 25th 19th 5th 21st Jamie McMurray 10th 10th 2nd 37th 5th 14th 38th 30th 22nd Jeff Gordon 3rd 3rd 15th 22nd 4th 43rd Won 31st 23rd Joey Logano --- --- --- --- --- --- 30th 28th 24th Martin Truex Jr --- --- --- 8th 7th 36th 25th 9th 35th Mark Martin 5th 17th 20th 9th 3rd 8th 6th 6th 36th Mover of the Week A.J. Allmendinger - Started in the 27th position and finished 2nd Sports Network Selections Pick to Win - Carl Edwards Darkhorse - Jeff Gordon Last Week's Pick to Win (Kevin Harvick) - Finished 19th Last Week's Darkhorse (Dale Earnhardt Jr) - Finished 3rd NOTES: After a week off during the Easter holiday, the Sprint Cup returns to action at Texas Motor Speedway, as Matt Kenseth defends his 2011 title. Kenseth put an end to his 76-race winless streak in the Sprint Cup Series with a dominating performance last year, as he led 169 of 334 laps and crossed the finish line 8.3 seconds ahead of his closest competitor, Clint Bowyer, for his 19th career win, but his first since February 2009 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. His first Texas win came in 2002. Since then, he had finished second four times at the fast 1.5-mile track, including November, 2010. Overall, Kenseth has posted nine top-10 finishes in his last 10 races at TMS in the Sprint Cup. Starting from the 29th position, Denny Hamlin finagled his way to the top with just 12 laps remaining and hung on to clip Jimmie Johnson by less than a second for his 10th career Sprint Cup title in 2010. 2009 winner Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart dominated most of that race, as Gordon led for 124 laps and pole sitter Stewart 74, but it was Hamlin, who nineteen days earlier underwent surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, came out on top. Rain delayed until Monday, Hamlin took the lead for the first time when he stormed past Jeff Burton just after the last restart with 12 laps remaining. He then held off a furious charge from Jimmie Johnson in the final laps for the second of eight wins that season. With his win in the fall of that year, Hamlin became the second driver to post a season sweep at TMS, joining Carl Edwards (2008). Jeff Gordon was finally able to scratch Texas Motor Speedway off his bucket list, as he raced to victory in 2009. It took 17 tries, but Gordon was able to cross the finish line first, as he held off Jimmie Johnson for his 82nd career victory. Although out of the top-15 on the points list, Gordon added three more wins to his victory total, ranking third behind Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105). After three lackluster finishes in this race, Carl Edwards dominated the Samsung 500 in 2008, as he led three times for a race-high 123 laps for his 10th career checkered flag. Edwards regained the lead on lap 233 and led the rest of the way to defeat Jimmie Johnson by less than a second. Pole sitter Dale Earnhardt Jr placed 12th. Edwards posted nine wins that year and now owns 19 career Sprint Cup titles. In 2007, Jeff Burton overtook Matt Kenseth on the final lap to record his 19th career Sprint Cup title. Burton, who started second on the grid, led only one lap, as he edge Kenseth by 0.410 of a second. Jeff Gordon, who started on the front row, led for most of the race, leading 173 laps, but finished fourth. Only five of the 43 cars failed to finish the race, including Dale Earnhardt Jr, who led for 96 laps, but placed 36th due to engine problems. With the win, Burton became the first and only multiple champion of this race. When pole sitter Kasey Kahne raced to victory in 2006, he outdistanced Matt Kenseth for his third career Sprint Cup title. In all, Kahne led five times for 63 laps, including the final 37 as he posted a 5.229 seconds win over Kenseth. Tony Stewart, who placed third, led twice for a race-high 99 laps. Jimmie Johnson had his string of four straight top-10's at this race snapped, as he finished 11th. Kahne still remains as the lone pole sitter to ever win this race. In 2005, Greg Biffle overtook Casey Mears with just 24 laps remaining to take the lead for the seventh and final time, as he crossed the finish line over three seconds ahead of Jamie McMurray, collecting his second win of that season and fifth of his "Cup" career. Mears, who started in the 32nd position, finished fourth, while pole sitter Ryan Newman finished 16th. Construction on Texas Motor Speedway began in 1995, with the original configuration calling for an unusual dual banking system that had 24 degrees of banking for stock cars and eight degrees for open-wheel cars. The first NASCAR race at Texas was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on April 5, 1997. The first Sprint Cup race at Texas was held the following day. In 1998, Turn 4 at Texas was reshaped to ease the transition from the turns to the front straightaway. A second renovation started after the 1998 race which eliminated the dual banking and gave the track its current configuration. In all, there have been 22 Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway, one per season from 1997 through 2004 and two races per year since 2005. When Matt Kenseth started in the 31st position in 2002, it was the lowest starting position of a race winner at Texas. Jack Roush has posted eight victories at Texas, more than any other car owner. Carl Edwards has won three of those races (2005, 2008 spring and fall). 16 of the previous 22 races at TMS have been won from the top-10 positions, 13 of which have come from the top-5. When Hamlin doubled in 2010, he won from the 29th position in the spring and he started from the 30th spot in the fall. Four drivers have competed in all 22 Texas races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin. The next Sprint Cup Series race is the April 22 STP 400 at Kansas Speedway. Brad Keselowski won last year's race there. 04/10 13:46:37 ET As of April 10, 2012, at 01:46 PM ET