2015 AAA Texas 500
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 34 of 36 in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season | |||
 | |||
| Date | November 8, 2015 | ||
| Location | Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 334 laps, 501 mi (801.6 km) | ||
| Weather | Clear blue skies with a temperature of 64 °F (18 °C); wind out of the northeast at 8 mph (13 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 137.490 mph (221.269 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Team Penske | ||
| Time | 27.421 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | |
| Laps | 312 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
2.6/5 (Overnight)[9] 2.7/6 (Final)[10] 4.6 Million viewers[10] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | PRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Doug Rice, Mark Garrow and Wendy Venturini | ||
| Turn Announcers | Rob Albright (1 & 2) and Pat Patterson (3 & 4) | ||
The 2015 AAA Texas 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on November 8, 2015, at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Contested over 334 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) intermediate quad-oval, it was the 34th race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, eighth race of the Chase and second race of the Eliminator Round. Jimmie Johnson won the race, his fifth of the season. Brad Keselowski finished second. Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards rounded out the top-five.
Keselowski won the pole for the race and led a race high of 312 laps on his way to a runner-up finish. The race had 15 lead changes among eight different drivers, as well as nine caution flag periods for 47 laps.
This was the 75th career victory for Johnson, fifth of the season, sixth at Texas Motor Speedway and eighth at the track for Hendrick Motorsports. The win moved him up to 12th in the points standings. Chevrolet left Texas with a 63–point lead over Toyota in the manufacturer standings.
The AAA Texas 500 was carried by NBC Sports on the broadcast NBC network for the American television audience. The radio broadcast for the race was carried by the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
Report
Background
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns, and is of the oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track layout is similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway). The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the same company that owns Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedways, as well as the short-track Bristol Motor Speedway.
Jeff Gordon entered with an eight–point over Kyle Busch and Martin Truex, Jr.[11] Kevin Harvick entered fourth 10–points back.[12] Carl Edwards entered fifth 17–points back.[13] Brad Keselowski entered sixth 34–points back.[14] Kurt Busch entered seventh 36–points back.[15] Joey Logano entered eighth 38–points back.[16]
Driver suspension
On the Tuesday after the 2015 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500, NASCAR suspended Matt Kenseth for two races for his role in the incident that took out Joey Logano.[17] According to NASCAR Executive Vice-President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell, Kenseth "eliminated the No. 22 car’s opportunity to continue to compete in the race. Additionally, we factored aspects of safety into our decision, and also the fact that the new Chase elimination format puts a premium on each and every race. These actions have no place in NASCAR.”[18] Shortly after the announcement, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that they would appeal the decision and "challenge the severity of the penalty which is believed to be inconsistent with previous penalties for similar on-track incidents. There will be no further comments from JGR personnel during the appeal process."[19]
On the Thursday before this weekend's race, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel upheld the original penalty levied by NASCAR.[20] Later that day, National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer Bryan Moss upheld the two race suspension, but amended the probation penalty to conclude on December 31 instead of in six months.[21]
Erik Jones drove in place of Kenseth this weekend.[22] He said that being "part of that next wave that people think [of] is pretty cool and a pretty big honor. I never thought I’d be in that position. A few years ago, I kind of wondered where is my opportunity going to come from, where is my spot going to be in the sport? But everything works out at the end of the day, and it’s working out more and more every day.”[23]
Hauler fire
On the Thursday before the race, the hauler carrying the primary and backup cars for HScott Motorsports's Michael Annett caught fire on Interstate 20 west of Longview, Texas.[24] A team spokesperson said nobody was injured and the team sent a spare hauler from their shop in Spartanburg, South Carolina.[25] However, it was unable to make it to the track prior to the garage opening at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time Friday, so Annett used the backup car of teammate Justin Allgaier to race this weekend.[25] The spare cars served as both drivers' backups.[25]
Entry list
The entry list for the AAA Texas 500 was released on Monday, November 2 at 12:21 p.m. Eastern time. Forty-five cars were entered for the race. All but Ryan Blaney and Michael McDowell were entered in the previous week's race at Martinsville. Joey Gase returned to the seat of the No. 32 Go FAS Racing Ford. Brian Scott returned to the seat of the No. 33 Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet. Reed Sorenson drove the No. 62 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet. With Kenseth being parked by NASCAR, Erik Jones made his second career Sprint Cup Series start in the No. 20 Toyota.[26]
First practice
Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the first and only practice session with a time of 27.403 and a speed of 197.059 mph (317.136 km/h).[27] The other two practice sessions scheduled on Saturday were cancelled because NASCAR had difficulties drying the track due to a combination of overnight rain, high humidity and weepers (water seeping out of the surface of the track which happens largely at tracks with older asphalt surfaces).[28]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 27.403 | 197.059 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 27.492 | 196.421 |
| 3 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.516 | 196.249 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Brad Keselowski won the pole with a time of 27.421 196.929 mph (316.927 km/h).[29] He said that his "Wurth Ford Fusion has been really good since we unloaded. Very similar to where we were at Kansas - really fast in practice and really fast in qualifying. But we just need that to stay with us in the race and we didn't get that in Kansas."[30] He also joked that his team will "have the first pit stall and we get to keep it this time. We are really excited about the race Sunday.”[30] Kevin Harvick, who qualified second, said that he practically "ran the same speed in all three rounds there. Didn’t quite have the raw speed in the first round, but this is a racetrack where you want the car to keep going as long as you can. Felt like we had a good start to our race trim practice today and going to have a good spot to start on Sunday.”[30] Kyle Busch, who qualified third, said that while his team doesn't "need to win...we would love to win. I feel like this is a good opportunity for us to have a really good day and for us to score a victory. We come to every race trying to win and this one’s no different. I hope that Texas will bode well for us and we can score that win. If not, a solid top-five finish is exactly what we need. That’s where we need to be at the end of the day and carry on that momentum and go into Phoenix and hope for another solid day there.”[30] Joey Logano, who qualified fourth, said while he doesn't "think we are bad in race trim...I do think we have a little bit of work to do there, so I am anxious to get at that tomorrow and get to work on it and find a little bit more speed for Sunday."[30] Erik Jones, who qualified sixth driving in place of the suspended Matt Kenseth, said that his qualifying run was "a really good effort for us. We made the final round at Kansas as well so it’s cool to make the final round in both our starts. We’ll see where it goes from here, obviously we’ve got a long ways to go yet for Sunday – 500 miles. This definitely helps everybody’s confidence a little bit for that.”[30] Martin Truex, Jr., who qualified 23rd, said that his car "never really clicked in qualifying trim today and that's why we're starting in the middle of the pack. But we've been there before and fought our way to the front. As I keep on saying this team never quits. We're always working hard to find the right combination and I am hopeful that our car will perform better in race trim during tomorrow's two practice sessions."[30]
Qualifying results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 | R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 27.234 | 27.348 | 27.421 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 27.526 | 27.475 | 27.552 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.395 | 27.540 | 27.591 |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 27.375 | 27.457 | 27.633 |
| 5 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 27.418 | 27.601 | 27.644 |
| 6 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.492 | 27.613 | 27.650 |
| 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 27.377 | 27.530 | 27.694 |
| 8 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.494 | 27.571 | 27.708 |
| 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.416 | 27.593 | 27.740 |
| 10 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.399 | 27.630 | 27.767 |
| 11 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 27.555 | 27.640 | 27.934 |
| 12 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 27.561 | 27.632 | 28.361 |
| 13 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.581 | 27.644 | — |
| 14 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 27.418 | 27.646 | — |
| 15 | 55 | David Ragan | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 27.596 | 27.667 | — |
| 16 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.524 | 27.672 | — |
| 17 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 27.572 | 27.718 | — |
| 18 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.535 | 27.744 | — |
| 19 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.433 | 27.755 | — |
| 20 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.504 | 27.810 | — |
| 21 | 33 | Brian Scott (i) | Hillman-Circle Sport LLC | Chevrolet | 27.612 | 27.810 | — |
| 22 | 14 | Tony Stewart[N 1] | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 27.375 | 27.819 | — |
| 23 | 78 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 27.608 | 27.835 | — |
| 24 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 27.558 | 27.883 | — |
| 25 | 21 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 27.618 | — | — |
| 26 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.622 | — | — |
| 27 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 27.645 | — | — |
| 28 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 27.670 | — | — |
| 29 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 27.672 | — | — |
| 30 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 27.730 | — | — |
| 31 | 7 | Alex Bowman | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 27.743 | — | — |
| 32 | 9 | Sam Hornish, Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 27.746 | — | — |
| 33 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 27.911 | — | — |
| 34 | 26 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 27.988 | — | — |
| 35 | 34 | Brett Moffitt (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.030 | — | — |
| 36 | 40 | Landon Cassill (i) | Hillman-Circle Sport LLC | Chevrolet | 28.060 | — | — |
| 37 | 46 | Michael Annett | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.077 | — | — |
| 38 | 83 | Matt DiBenedetto (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 28.085 | — | — |
| 39 | 35 | Cole Whitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.185 | — | — |
| 40 | 23 | Jeb Burton (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 28.193 | — | — |
| 41 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.236 | — | — |
| 42 | 98 | Ryan Preece[N 2] | Premium Motorsports | Ford | 28.318 | — | — |
| 43 | 51 | Justin Allgaier | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.483 | — | — |
| Failed to qualify | |||||||
| 44 | 32 | Joey Gase (i) | Go FAS Racing | Ford | 28.329 | — | — |
| 45 | 62 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.744 | — | — |
| Official qualifying results | |||||||
Race
First half
Start
Under clear blue Texas skies, Brad Keselowski led the field to the green flag at 2:21 p.m. After the first 10 laps, he pulled to a second and a half lead over Kevin Harvick. The first caution of the race flew on lap 11 for a single–car wreck in turn 4. Halfway down the backstretch, the left-rear tire on Joey Logano's car went flat. He couldn't control the car rounding turn 3 and spun out.[33] The damage to his fender was significant and he went a number of laps down while his crew tried to repair it.[33] Eventually, crew chief Todd Gordon told him to take the car to the garage.[33] Logano said afterwards that the left-rear tire "just blew apart off of Turn 2. [It] came apart and shredded everything inside the car. It did a lot more damage than just the tire blowing apart."[34] He also said that this race "was a must-win situation as well. If we finished second today we would be in the same boat going into Phoenix. I feel great about our chances at Phoenix. It has been a great race track for us in the past. I felt like this track was a great one for us as well. It is unfortunate that we finished how we did.”[35]
The race restarted on lap 18. Harvick and Keselowski dragged raced down the front stretch with the former take the lead on lap 19. The second caution of the race flew on lap 25 for a single-car wreck in turn 1. Ryan Blaney suffered a right-front tire blowout and slammed the wall in turn 1 and would go on to finish 43rd.[36] Because this happened a lap before the scheduled competition caution, NASCAR race control decided to treat this as the competition caution. This meant teams could refuel the cars. Matt DiBenedetto opted not to pit and assumed the lead. He pitted the next lap and handed the lead back to Keselowski. A. J. Allmendinger was tagged for an uncontrolled tire and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field. Aric Almirola was tagged for having too many crew members over the wall and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field. Denny Hamlin took his car to the garage for issues with his fuel pump.[37]
The race restarted on lap 30. The third caution of the race flew on lap 36 for a single-car incident in turn 1. Rounding the front stretch, Harvick's left-rear tire went down and he dove down onto the apron.[38] After the race, crew chief Rodney Childers said that the car "had that left-rear go down and automatically you panic and think it was self-inflicted like maybe we didn’t have enough air in it, that kind of thing. As soon as I got down off the (pit) box, I saw a piece cut right in the tread. It was probably out of one of the cars that was tore up earlier."[39]
The race restarted on lap 42. Kyle Busch edged Keselowski for the lead the next lap, but he lost it to the No. 2 car the next lap. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made an unscheduled stop for a flat right-front tire. The fourth caution of the race flew on lap 51 for a single-car spin on the front stretch. Exiting turn 4, Tony Stewart got loose and spun out into the grass. Keselowski exited pit road with the lead. Almirola was tagged again for having too many crew members over the wall and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field.[37]
The race restarted on lap 58. Debris on the front stretch brought out the fifth caution of the race on lap 100. The debris was a shredded left-rear tire from Kyle Larson's car.[37]
Second quarter
The race restarted on lap 107. Ryan Newman made an unscheduled stop at lap 146 after cutting down his left-rear tire exiting turn 2. This left debris on the backstretch and brought out the sixth caution of the race on lap 149. Kasey Kahne was tagged for speeding on pit road and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field.[37]
The race restarted on lap 155. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. tagged the wall with his right-rear corner. This affected the handling of his car and he began to fall back through the field. He spun in the turn 3 apron and brought out the seventh caution of the race on lap 167.[40] A. J. Allmendinger was tagged for an uncontrolled tire and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field.[37]
Second half
Halfway
The race restarted on lap 173. Debris in turn 2 brought out the eighth caution of the race on lap 196. The debris came from the shredded right-rear tire of Trevor Bayne's car. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was tagged for having too many crew members over the wall and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field. Joey Logano was tagged for speeding on pit road and restarted the race from the tail-end of the field.[37]
The race restarted on lap 204. Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards kicked off a cycle of green flag stops with 84 laps to go. Brad Keselowski pitted with 83 laps to go and handed the lead to Jimmie Johnson. He pitted the next lap and the lead cycled back to Keselowski.[37]
Fourth quarter
Kevin Harvick made an unscheduled stop with 53 laps to go for a flat right-rear tire. He fell to 20th–place in the running order and down a lap. Carl Edwards kicked off the final cycle of pit stops with 38 laps to go. Keselowski hit pit road with 37 laps to go and the lead cycled to Harvick. Denny Hamlin was tagged for speeding on pit road and was forced to serve a drive-through penalty. On 16-lap older tires, he was no match for Keselowski as he was passed with ease with 35 laps to go.[37]
Debris in turn 2 brought out the ninth caution of the race with 24 laps to go. The debris was a shredded right front tire from Erik Jones.[37]
The race restarted with 18 laps to go. Martin Truex, Jr. edged out Keselowski to take the lead with 17 to go, but Keselowski took it back the next lap. Jimmie Johnson kept the pressure on him for the next 12 laps. He took the lead with three laps to go and scored his 75th career win.[41]
Post-race
Driver comments
After the race, Johnson said that he "just kept pressure on him (Keselowski). I could see that he was really tight and that was the first I had seen him that vulnerable all day. I just kept the pressure on him, kept searching for line. He saw me coming on the top and protected it. I just kept trying to put pressure on him hoping for a mistake. He got real loose off of Turn 2 and I had a big run down the backstretch and drove it in really far into Turn 3 hoping to hear clear. Once I did I knew I was home free.”[42]
Keselowski said that Johnson's "car had mega turn that last run and I couldn’t keep the turn and it kept pushing real bad. I did everything I could to hold him off but he was way faster that last run."[43] Despite sitting 19–points out of the fourth–place Chase cutoff, he said he wasn't "sure exactly how to feel about it at the moment. The 48 car had so much speed them last 10 laps. Maybe I'll change my mind [but] I don't know what I would have done differently or could have done differently. There's always something you can do better. But not knowing what that might be at this moment makes it a little bit easier to digest."[44]
Following a third–place finish, Harvick said that his team has "had to overcome things week after week after week. I guess those are character-building moments as you go through those weekend, but we’ve managed to survive and advance and that’s what we’ve got to do next week.”[45] With the next race being Phoenix, he also said that the track is "definitely a good place for us to go. It’s been very successful but that doesn’t mean we’re going to go there and run good this time. We’ve got to go and try and have our ducks in a row. We’ve done a good job managing the Chase so far with all the adversity we’ve had. We’ve only really had one smooth weekend, so we’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing and hopefully the smooth weekend is the next week and the week after.”[46]
Kyle Busch said of his fourth–place finish that it ended up being "a really good day for us. Obviously, just being able to run our own race and to perform the way we did, I felt like it was pretty good. I wish we had a little bit faster car on the short runs for sure. I think that was kind of where we lost most of our time here today. Once things got single filed out, spread out, our car was a little better on the long runs. At least we did have some speed in our car on one side of the run where we could make up some ground and maintain our position on the racetrack. Can’t say enough on Adam Stevens, everyone on the team did a great job. Our Toyota Camry was awesome. TRD did a great job with the engines. Look forward to Phoenix next week, maintaining our position. If we can go out there and win, sure, we’d love to win.”[47]
After finishing seventh, Kurt Busch said that his race "was good, hard fought battle with limited practice. We had to go with our best effort to get the set-up. We battled through it. It just wasn’t the winning car we needed to try to advance. The way that we had been running we knew we could get close to fifth. We got seventh today so we will take it.”[48]
Following an eighth–place finish, Martin Truex, Jr. said that he "thought we had a shot at it (the win) and the right-front wheel started shaking real bad and got tight. It's a damn shame. It's a good run. ... We had a really good race car."[49] Sitting fourth in the standings six–points back of the lead, he said it certainly helped that "[t]he 2 didn't win the race...I was cheering for Jimmie Johnson pretty hard. We did what we needed to do. It would have been nice to have those five or six spots -- that's five or six points next week. It could be the difference. But we'll just have to wait and see and we'll go race hard again."[49]
Speaking on a ninth–place finish, Jeff Gordon – who's locked into the championship race following his win at Martinsville the week before – said he "thought we learned a lot this weekend. I think we certainly know that our cars are fast because our teammate won. Congrats to him. I think that's awesome he beat the No. 2 (Brad Keselowski). That is spectacular, I'm going to give him a big hug for that. At the same time I think that we were here to execute and push hard, try to win, but also to just learn what we could. I thought we learned some stuff."[50]
Following a 12th–place finish in only his second career Sprint Cup Series start, Erik Jones – who also finished fourth in the Xfinity Series race the previous day and won the Camping World Truck Series race two days prior – said that he was "ready to take the day off. I don’t think I’ve ever run more than two races – a Truck and Xfinity race – in more than one weekend. At this point, I’m feeling fine, but I can definitely feeling it coming on. I’ll be worn out tonight.”[51] He also said that he wished his car "could have been a little stronger there at the end. We had that right front go down and it tore the nose up pretty good, so kind of took us out of a shot at a top-10. To still come home 12th is a good day for us. We worked hard all day to really keep the thing balanced and good and strong.”[51]
Race results
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 47 |
| 2 | 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 334 | 44 |
| 3 | 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 42 |
| 4 | 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 41 |
| 5 | 13 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 39 |
| 6 | 10 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 38 |
| 7 | 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 37 |
| 8 | 23 | 78 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 37 |
| 9 | 18 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 35 |
| 10 | 27 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 34 |
| 11 | 26 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 33 |
| 12 | 6 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 0 |
| 13 | 20 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 31 |
| 14 | 21 | 33 | Brian Scott (i) | Hillman-Circle Sport LLC | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 |
| 15 | 14 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 334 | 29 |
| 16 | 11 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 28 |
| 17 | 30 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 27 |
| 18 | 24 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 334 | 26 |
| 19 | 12 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 333 | 25 |
| 20 | 16 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 333 | 24 |
| 21 | 28 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 333 | 23 |
| 22 | 19 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 333 | 22 |
| 23 | 15 | 55 | David Ragan | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 333 | 21 |
| 24 | 32 | 9 | Sam Hornish, Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 332 | 20 |
| 25 | 36 | 40 | Landon Cassill (i) | Hillman-Circle Sport LLC | Chevrolet | 331 | 0 |
| 26 | 17 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 330 | 18 |
| 27 | 39 | 35 | Cole Whitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 330 | 17 |
| 28 | 43 | 51 | Justin Allgaier | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 330 | 16 |
| 29 | 41 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 329 | 16 |
| 30 | 35 | 34 | Brett Moffitt (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 329 | 14 |
| 31 | 37 | 46 | Michael Annett | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 329 | 13 |
| 32 | 40 | 23 | Jeb Burton (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 329 | 12 |
| 33 | 34 | 26 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 329 | 0 |
| 34 | 33 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 328 | 10 |
| 35 | 38 | 83 | Matt DiBenedetto (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 328 | 9 |
| 36 | 42 | 98 | Ryan Preece | Premium Motorsports | Ford | 326 | 8 |
| 37 | 5 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 304 | 7 |
| 38 | 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 304 | 6 |
| 39 | 29 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 296 | 5 |
| 40 | 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 268 | 4 |
| 41 | 31 | 7 | Alex Bowman | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 236 | 3 |
| 42 | 22 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 52 | 2 |
| 43 | 25 | 21 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 26 | 0 |
| Official AAA Texas 500 results | |||||||
Race statistics
- 15 lead changes among 8 different drivers
- 9 cautions for 47 laps
- Time of race: 3 hours, 38 minutes, 38 seconds
- Average speed: 137.490 mph (221.269 km/h)
- Jimmie Johnson took home $462,976 in winnings
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Race awards
- Coors Light Pole Award: Brad Keselowski (27.421, 196.929 mph (316.927 km/h)
- 3M Lap Leader: Brad Keselowski (312 laps)
- American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Brad Keselowski
- Duralast Brakes "Bake In The Race" Award: Brad Keselowski
- Freescale "Wide Open": Carl Edwards
- Ingersoll Rand Power Move: Kurt Busch (5 positions)
- MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Roush-Yates Engines, #2
- Mobil 1 Driver of the Race: Brad Keselowski (145.0 driver rating)
- Moog Steering and Suspension Problem Solver of The Race: Jamie McMurray (crew chief Matt McCall (0.164 seconds))
- NASCAR Sprint Cup Leader Bonus: No winner: rolls over to $20,000 at next event
- Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap: Kyle Busch (Lap 2, 28.097, 192.191 mph (309.301 km/h))
- Sunoco Rookie of The Race: Brett Moffitt
Media
Television
NBC covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, two–time Texas winner Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast handled pit road on the television side.
| NBC | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte | Dave Burns Mike Massaro Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
Radio
PRN had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice, Mark Garrow and Wendy Venturini called the race from the booth when the field was racing down the frontstretch. Rob Albright called the race from atop the turn 2 condo when the field was racing through turns 1 and 2. Pat Patterson called the race from atop the turn 4 suites when the field was racing through turns 3 and 4. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan, Jim Noble and Steve Richards handled pit road on the radio side.
| PRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice[52] Announcer: Mark Garrow[52] Announcer: Wendy Venturini[52] | Turns 1 & 2: Rob Albright[52] Turns 3 & 4: Pat Patterson[52] | Brad Gillie[52] Brett McMillan[52] Jim Noble[52] Steve Richards[52] |
Standings after the race
|
 Jeff Gordon left Texas with a two–point lead over Kyle Busch.
|
Note
- ↑ Tony Stewart started from the rear of the field for missing driver introductions.[31]
- ↑ Ryan Preece started from the rear of the field after changing engines.[32]
References
- ↑ "2015 NASCAR Schedule" (PDF). NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 26, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ↑ "Texas Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ↑ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ↑ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ↑ "AAA Texas 500 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. November 8, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. NASCAR Statistics. November 8, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications. November 9, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ Paulsen (November 9, 2015). "NASCAR From Texas Scores Uptick in Overnights on NBC". SportsMediaWatch.com. Sports Media Watch. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- 1 2 Paulsen (November 13, 2015). "After Bump in Overnights, NASCAR From Texas Finishes With Decline". SportsMediaWatch.com. Sports Media Watch. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
- ↑ Scott, David (November 1, 2015). "Martinsville Rewind: Jeff Gordon punches his ticket to Chase finale". The Charlotte Observer. Ridgeway, Virginia: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ↑ Spencer, Lee (November 2, 2015). "Chase outlook: Several favorites leave Martinsville in a hole". Motorsport.com. Motorsport.com, Inc. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ↑ Pistone, Pete (November 1, 2015). "Edwards Salvages Good Finish". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ↑ Turner, Jared (November 2, 2015). "Keselowski, Wolfe remain upbeat after frustrating Martinsville finish". FoxSports.com. Ridgeway, Virginia: Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ↑ Morgan, David (November 3, 2015). "Chasing the Championship - Martinsville Madness Puts a Hurt on Chase Contenders". motorracingdigest.com. Motor Racing Digest. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ↑ Jensen, Tom (November 2, 2015). "The five biggest takeaways from Sunday's Chase race at Martinsville". FoxSports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ↑ Gluck, Jeff (November 3, 2015). "NASCAR suspends Matt Kenseth for two Sprint Cup races". USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ↑ Fryer, Jenna (November 3, 2015). "NASCAR suspends Kenseth for 2 races over Logano wreck". Fox News. Charlotte, North Carolina: FOX News Network, LLC. Associated Press. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ↑ Pockrass, Bob (November 3, 2015). "NASCAR parks Matt Kenseth 2 races for wrecking Joey Logano". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ↑ Fryer, Jenna (November 5, 2015). "Matt Kenseth appeals 2-race suspension by NASCAR". Associated Press. Charlotte, North Carolina: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
- ↑ Hembree, Mike (November 5, 2015). "Matt Kenseth loses final appeal; two-race suspension upheld". USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
- ↑ Scott, David (November 5, 2015). "Final appeals of NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth's 2-race suspension denied". The Charlotte Observer. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
- ↑ Davison, Drew (November 5, 2015). "NASCAR has fresh faces ready for stardom with icons retiring". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ↑ Simms, Gabby (November 5, 2015). "I-20 in Longview reopens after truck hauling NASCAR vehicles catches on fire". KLTV. Gregg County, Texas: KLTV/KTRE License Subsidiary, LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- 1 2 3 Pockrass, Bob (November 6, 2015). "Transporter for Michael Annett's race cars catches fire in Texas". ESPN.com. Fort Worth, Texas: ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ↑ Long, Dustin (November 5, 2015). "Matt Kenseth loses final appeal; will miss next two Sprint Cup races". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. Concord, North Carolina: NBC Sports. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
- ↑ McFadin, Daniel (November 6, 2015). "Keselowski tops chart in first Sprint Cup practice at Texas". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ↑ Utter, Jim (November 7, 2015). "'Weepers' bring NASCAR track action to a halt at Texas". Motorsport.com. Motorsport.com, Inc. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ↑ James, Brant (November 6, 2015). "Brad Keselowski wins pole at Texas". USA Today. Fort Worth, Texas: Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wackerlin, Jeff (November 6, 2015). "Keselowski Fastest in Texas". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- ↑ Bob Pockrass [bobpockrass] (November 8, 2015). "Stewart missed driver intros and will have to start at rear. #NASCAR." (Tweet). Retrieved November 8, 2015 – via Twitter.
- ↑ Jay Pennell [jaywpennell] (November 8, 2015). ".@RyanPreece_ to the rear with an engine change. @TonyStewart to the rear for missing driver intros. #NASCAR" (Tweet). Retrieved November 8, 2015 – via Twitter.
- 1 2 3 Pennell, Jay (November 8, 2015). "Joey Logano suffers early setback as tire blows at Texas". FoxSports.com. Fort Worth, Texas: Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ↑ Wackerlin, Jeff (November 8, 2015). "Tough Day for Logano at Texas". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ James, Brant (November 8, 2015). "James: Once Chase favorite, Joey Logano must win at Phoenix". USA Today. Fort Worth, Texas: Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ Beard, Brock (November 8, 2015). "CUP: Ryan Blaney Last As Tire Issues Fill Texas Bottom Five". brock.lastcar.info. LASTCAR.info. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "AAA Texas 500". Sprint Cup Series. Season 67. Fort Worth, Texas. November 8, 2015. Event occurs at 2:21 p.m. NBC Sports. NBC. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
- ↑ Pennell, Jay (November 8, 2015). "Kevin Harvick survives major scare after cut tire in AAA Texas 500". FoxSports.com. Fort Worth, Texas: Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ↑ Utter, Jim (November 8, 2015). "The harder the road, the further Kevin Harvick goes". Motorsport.com. Motorsport.com, Inc. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ Bonkowski, Jerry (November 8, 2015). "Brad Keselowski leads halfway at Texas, Joey Logano has big problems". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ↑ Hawking, Stephen (November 8, 2015). "Johnson passes Keselowski late to win 4th straight at Texas". Associated Press. Fort Worth, Texas: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 9, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ↑ Pistone, Pete (November 8, 2015). "Johnson Gets Sixth Texas Win". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ↑ Bromberg, Nick (November 8, 2015). "Brad Keselowski dominates, but Jimmie Johnson wins at Texas". sports.yahoo.com. Fort Worth, Texas: NBC Sports Network, Stats LLC, Opta. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ Pockrass, Bob (November 9, 2015). "Desperate Brad Keselowski falls short to Jimmie Johnson in return to normalcy". ESPN.com. Fort Worth, Texas: ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ Pistone, Pete (November 8, 2015). "Eventful Day For Harvick". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ↑ James, Brant (November 8, 2015). "Kevin Harvick keeps overcoming obstacles in title defense". USA Today. Fort Worth, Texas: Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ↑ McCubbin, Ashley (November 8, 2015). "Kyle Busch Keeps Good Finishes Rolling With A Fourth". SpeedwayMedia.com. USA Today Sports Digital Properties. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ↑ McCubbin, Ashley (November 8, 2015). "Kurt Busch Posts Solid Seventh Place Finish In Texas". SpeedwayMedia.com. USA Today Sports Digital Properties. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- 1 2 Pockrass, Bob (November 9, 2015). "Monday Rundown: Martin Truex Jr. keeps making Chase progress". ESPN.com. Fort Worth, Texas: ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ↑ Jensen, Tom (November 9, 2015). "Jeff Gordon uses race at Texas as Chase learning experience". FoxSports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- 1 2 McFadin, Daniel (November 8, 2015). "Erik Jones completes three-race weekend with 12th in Sprint Cup race". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. Fort Worth, Texas: NBC Sports. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Performance Racing Network [PRNlive] (November 8, 2015). "@Nascarking3 Booth: Doug, Mark & Wendy Pits: Jim Noble, Steve Richards, Brett McMillan, Brad Gillie. Turns: Pat Patterson, Rob Albright" (Tweet). Retrieved November 8, 2015 – via Twitter.
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