With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series in Texas this weekend and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heading to Rockingham, this weekend marks the first split schedule between the three series and the first night races of the season at Texas.
Sprint Cup Series
After a rough and tumble day for the Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville last week, the series heads back to a 1.5 mile track at Texas for their first trip of the season there and the first night race of the year in the NRA 500 on Saturday night. Given the two great outings the Gen6 car has had at the two previous 1.5 mile or larger tracks at Las Vegas and California, this race should provide more of the same, especially with the track surface at Texas Motor Speedway having a good amount of age and wear on it.
| Driver | Races | Win | Top 5 | Top 10 | Pole | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| Matt Kenseth | 21 | 2 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 772 | 15.8 | 8.3 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 19 | 2 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 443 | 8.8 | 9.3 |
| Kevin Harvick | 20 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 20.8 | 12.5 |
| Tony Stewart | 22 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 727 | 18.2 | 12.7 |
| Clint Bowyer | 14 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 84 | 12.7 | 12.8 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr | 21 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 448 | 11.8 | 13.6 |
| Mark Martin | 24 | 1 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 208 | 15.1 | 13.9 |
| Kurt Busch | 20 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 235 | 16.4 | 14.1 |
| Kyle Busch | 15 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 521 | 15.3 | 14.9 |
| Carl Edwards | 16 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 493 | 14.4 | 15.1 |
Who To Watch: Matt Kenseth has made 21 starts at Texas and has collected two wins, 12 top fives, 15 top tens, and has an average finish of 8.3. With those kind of stats and the great start Kenseth has had in 2013 in his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, the No. 20 should be one of the drivers to keep an eye on this weekend. Others who run well at Texas include: Jimmie Johnson, who has two wins in 19 starts and an average finish of 9.3; Kevin Harvick, who despite having no wins in 20 starts, has three top fives, 10 top tens, and an average finish of 12.5; Tony Stewart, with two wins in 22 starts and an average finish of 12.7.
Nationwide Series
After two weekends off since the Nationwide Series last race in late March at Auto Club Speedway, the Nationwide Series heads to Texas to take on the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 on Friday Night. With the Nationwide Series running a companion weekend with the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide regulars will have their hands full facing off against a slew of Cup regulars that will be running in this race as well.
| Driver | Races | Win | Top 5 | Top 10 | Pole | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| Austin Dillon | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 4.0 | 5.5 |
| Kyle Busch | 14 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 1252 | 7.8 | 6.9 |
| Matt Kenseth | 15 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 317 | 11.5 | 7.3 |
| Kevin Harvick | 14 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 654 | 7.2 | 8.6 |
| Kevin Swindell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 | 9.0 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 13.4 | 10.4 |
| Trevor Bayne | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 11.0 | 10.6 |
| Justin Allgaier | 9 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 | 12.8 |
| Brad Keselowski | 12 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 25 | 16.6 | 13.1 |
| Reed Sorenson | 9 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 31 | 16.0 | 13.8 |
Who To Watch: Austin Dillon leads the Nationwide regulars in stats at Texas with one top five and two top tens in two starts at the track. However, right on Dillon’s heels are Sprint Cup regulars Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Kevin Harvick, who have a combined 12 wins between them and average finishes of 6.9, 7.3, and 8.6, respectively. Newcomer Kevin Swindell had a great outing in his first run at Texas last year with a top ten finish and looks to back it up this go around. Others to keep an eye on include Dale Earnhardt Jr, Trevor Bayne, Justin Allgaier, Brad Keselowski, and Reed Sorenson, who is driving the No. 43 in relief of Michael Annett who was injured at Daytona.
Camping World Truck Series
The Camping World Truck Series makes its second appearance at Rockingham Speedway after its inaugural race last year. Many of the drivers who ran well last year, including winner Kasey Kahne and Nelson Piquet Jr, who led numerous laps, are not running this year’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200, so the race will be a good chance for the drivers who have a great 2013 season to continue their momentum and for drivers who aren’t having such a great year to get things turned around before getting too far into the season.
| Driver | Races | Win | Top 5 | Top 10 | Pole | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| James Buescher | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 | 2.0 |
| Matt Crafton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 8.0 | 3.0 |
| Johnny Sauter | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 | 4.0 |
| Timothy Peters | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| Joey Coulter | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 | 6.0 |
| Ty Dillon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 8.0 |
| Jeb Burton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.0 | 11.0 |
| Ron Hornaday Jr | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 | 12.0 |
| David Starr | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21.0 | 13.0 |
| Dakoda Armstrong | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 14.0 |
Who To Watch: Since the Trucks have only run at Rockingham once, we will look at the top finishers from last year to get an idea of who will be up front on Sunday. the top five finishers from last year including James Buescher, Matt Crafton, and Johnny Sauter, who is two for two so far in races in 2013 should be strong this weekend. Throw in other frontrunners such as Timothy Peters, Joey Coulter, and Ty Dillon and the race win could go to any of these guys.
