NASCAR: Texas Proves 1.5 Mile Chase Tracks Are Most Important

Brad Keselowski’s second-place finish at Texas proved that 1.5-mile tracks are the most important Chase tracks in the NASCAR circuit.

It was a race that Brad Keselowski dominated from the drop of the green flag all the way until there was 4 laps left. He led a total of 312 out of the 334 laps at Texas Motor Speedway. However, Jimmie Johnson, who has dominated Texas in recent years, made a late pass to win the race.

Keselowski went into Texas facing a 20+ point hole after being involved in a wreck at Martinsville. He knew that he would most likely need a win in the next two weeks to advance to the Championship round and he did everything he could and more to make that happen.

He started on the pole and repeatedly owned pit road and re-starts but that continued dominance caught up to him late in the day and he ended up missing a golden opportunity to clinch a spot at Homestead. He will now go into Phoenix in a 19-point hole and will be looking for a win to save his season.

Texas Motor Speedway is the fourth out of five total 1.5-mile tracks in the Chase. The previous three (Chicagoland, Charlotte, Kansas) have all had major implications of success and have given momentum to the drivers who have pulled off victories. There is at least one 1.5-mile track in every round which means in it VERY important to take care of business there.

At Chicagoland, the first race of the Chase, Denny Hamlin pulled off the victory, which propelled him into round two. After that, he finished 4th and 2nd at Charlotte and Kansas respectively and was in perfect position to move on if not for early trouble at Talladega.

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Joey Logano finished 6th at Chicagoland, which gave him some momentum for the rest of the first round. After that, he went to Charlotte and Kansas and won both of them, getting him to the third round. Then, his blown tire at Texas set him up for a must-win situation at Phoenix. Brad Keselowski, as mentioned above, couldn’t take care of business in the Lone Star State, which ended up forcing him into a must-win too. The difference between first and second at Texas ended up being the difference between a spot in the Championship 4 and fighting for his season in Phoenix.

Drivers like Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard and Clint Bowyer struggled at Chicagoland while Ryan Newman failed to get a top-10 finish at Charlotte and Kansas. All of these situations set up the listed drivers to be eliminated in the round they were competing in. Certain drivers like Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards have been in the top-10 in most 1.5-mile races during the Chase, which is the reason why they still find themselves fighting for a spot at Homestead.

The reason it’s necessary to look at all of these finishes and results is because it shows you just how important 1.5-mile tracks are in the Chase since they account for half of NASCAR’s postseason. To win a Championship, drivers have to go to Homestead, another 1.5-mile track, so a driver’s season basically comes down to his ability to stay competitive at one of these tracks.

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Overall, you can look at the schedule and say “Well, there are drivers that were involved in wrecks or had bad finishes at these tracks.” However, all of the drivers left in the Chase have capitalized at the other 1.5-mile tracks to make up for it, either with wins or top-5 finishes.

If a driver is going to win the Championship, he has to be able to put together solid races at the 1.5-mile tracks.