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Previewing the NASCAR Cup Series Wurth 400 at Texas

Originally posted on Racing America on SI | By Zach Evans | Last updated May 1, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Fort Worth, Texas this weekend for the Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY at Texas Motor Speedway. The 1.5-mile oval is a unique challenge for the series which will test drivers and teams for 400 miles on Sunday, May 4.

Fast Facts: Wurth 400 at Texas

Date: May 4, 2025
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, Texas)
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Stages: 80/165/267
Defending Winner: Chase Elliott

Wurth 400 Schedule

VIEWING GUIDE: How to Watch the Wurth 400 at Texas

A Unique Layout Awaits

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Ahead of the 2017 season, Texas Motor Speedway was repaved and reconfigured slightly. While it maintained its shape and 1.5-mile distance, During that process, the banking in turns one and two was lowered from 24 to 20 degrees, and the racing surface was expanded from 60 to 80 feet.

This proves challenging for drivers and teams alike during races at Texas. For teams, it is difficult to find a setup that offers optimal performance on both ends of the track. Four degrees of banking may not seem like a lot on paper, but it can dramatically alter the amount of speed drivers carry through the corners and the geometry of the cars.

Similarly, it's a test for drivers as they look to find the right balance behind the wheel for both sets of corners. Turns one and two require more patience and finesse, but drivers have to be ready and comfortable to attack the faster turns three and four as well.

The Yellow Flags of Texas

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That challenge reflects in the number of cautions at Texas Motor Speedway since the Next Gen car was introduced in the 2022 season. Last year, the 16 cautions during the NASCAR Cup Series event at Texas were the most for any event during the 2024 season.

In total, there have been 43 cautions across three NASCAR Cup Series events since 2022 at Texas Motor Speedway. There hasn't been a green flag run longer than 50 laps during that span.

Tracks like Talladega Superspeedway carry a much stronger reputation of collecting race cars in massive multi-car incidents, but last week's Jack Link's 500 at Talladega was relatively clean. Will that trend continue this week, or will Texas continue to stymie even the best NASCAR has to offer?

Nine for Nine?

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When Chase Elliott won last year's NASCAR Cup Series event at Texas, he made the eighth different winner in the last eight races at the track.

You have to go back to 2018 to find the most recent Texas repeat winner. Kevin Harvick won Texas races in 2018 and 2019, during a time when the track hosted two NASCAR Cup Series events each year. Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick and William Byron have also won at Texas since then.

Can another new Texas winner keep the streak alive this weekend, or will we see a returning victor in the Wurth 400?