Race Day With NASCAR At Texas Motor Speedway

The Drive is spending the weekend with NASCAR at Texas Motor Speedway covering the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500.

By Rip Shaub

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www.thedrive.com

Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway brought the Weekend’s feature. The O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 got underway early in the afternoon as Kevin Harvick led the pack from the pole position.  A little over 4 hours later Jimmie Johnson would win for the 7th time at TMS, his 6th win in the last 10 races there. 

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Fans sign the finish line before the Start of Sunday’s 500 mile race., © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the overwhelming fan favorite at Texas Motor Speedway. His car sits, clean and ready, for the race start., © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Behind the scenes, crews and track workers get pre-race massages. Unfortunately, track side photographers do not qualify., © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Martin Truex’s car gets measured during pre-race inspection. , © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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The driver and crew chief’s meeting is a crowded affair. The public is also allowed to attend, which fills the entire (now empty) XFINITY Series garage. , © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Matt DiBenedetto brought his cowboy hat for the Texas race. , © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Danica is all business (and diamonds) during driver introductions., © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Racing gets underway at Texas Motor Speedway. , © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Daniel Suarez’ car sports some upgraded body work less than 10 minutes into Sunday’s race. , © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Kevin Harvick sets a quick pace before dropping into third. He’d spend a healthy amount of time there before the field began to shuffle. , © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Eventual race winner Jimmie Johnson had no issues with the reconfigured turn 2., © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Ryan Newman exits turn 1 early in Sunday’s race., © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Michael Waltrip’s car appears to have its skirt blow up by the 30 mph winds that swirled around the track on Sunday., © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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TMS is built for speed, and the drivers mostly stuck to the established lines throughout the day., © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Cole Whitt stays low after re-entering from pit row, framing a nice view from a photographer’s hole in the fence. , © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Ryan Newman, again. this time being passed on the inside by Saturday’s XFINITY Series winner Erik Jones., © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Kyle Busch’s, car now completely repaired, chases Brad Keselowski through turn 2., © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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A heavy crowd passes through turn 1 after a restart., © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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A panoramic view of Texas Motor Stadium. Grandstands on the left, an office/condo complex at far right and Big Hoss, the 10-story TV screen, looming just right of center. , © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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TMS isn’t the easiest track for shooters. The fences are heavily skewed toward safety over sight lines. Photographers have to work for their shots. , © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Turn 2 is conspicuously absent of a flag station. , © Rip Shaub. All Rights Reserved.
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Drivers were fairly conservative with the newly reconfigured turn 2. Few outside passing attempts were made, althout Earnhardt did take the gamble to big success. Here, Denny Hamlin tests the waters. , © Rip Shaub. All rights reserved.
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The pit stall markers with LEDs are starting to give pit row the appearance of the Vegas Strip. , © Rip Shaub. All rights reserved.
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Race winner Jimmie Johnson, again, leading the charge through turn 4 nearly 2/3 into the race. , © Rip Shaub. All rights reserved.
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Gray Gaulding’s Toyota sports an ugly wound during Sunday’s race. , © Rip Shaub. All rights reserved.
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Suarez’ duct tape repairs look much the worse for wear late in the race. , © Rip Shaub. All rights reserved.
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The main flag stand readies to warn a slower car of an impending passer. , © Rip Shaub. All rights reserved.
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Jimmie Johnson crosses the finish line under the checkered flag to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. , © Rip Shaub. All rights reserved.
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Fans line the fence, cameras in hand, for Johnson’s celebratory burnout after his victory Sunday. , © Rip Shaub. All rights reserved.
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After a 4-spin burnout followed by a second straight-line burnout, Johnson eventually blows the tire and rides the flat into Victory Lane. , © Rip Shaub. All rights reserved.
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Johnson celebrates as he arrives in Victory Lane. , © Rip Shaub. All rights reserved.
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You win in Texas and you get the cowboy hat and the six shooters full of blanks to fire off in Victory Lane. , © Rip Shaub. All rights reserved.