NASCAR Cup Series: What to watch for in the 2018 AAA Texas 500

The NASCAR Cup Series is scheduled race this Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in the AAA Texas 500, which is race number two of the round of 8.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is set to travel to Texas Motor Speedway for race number two of the round of 8 this weekend. Tensions are running hot-headed into this race with a lot on the line for many of the playoff drivers. This week, thee will be high speeds and little room for error.

Last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, it was Joey Logano fighting his way across the finish line first in controversial fashion. For several laps in the closing of the First Data 500, Martin Truex Jr. was following Logano so closely that he could smell Logano’s cologne.

Truex Jr. took over the lead as the two combatants crossed the line with the white flag being displayed. But he found himself running in third place behind Logano at the finish line when it was all said and done.

Fortunately for Truex Jr., he has two more races before the Championship 4 and a nice cushion above the Championship 4 cut line. Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick are tied in points and both 25 points ahead of the fifth place driver, Kurt Busch. For the drivers sitting in fifth through eighth, this is a crucial weekend to run strong in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Here is what to watch for in this Sunday’s AAA Texas 500.

What to watch for

Driving desperate

With the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs formatted the way they are, drivers in fifth through eighth place now sit 25 or more points behind the final Championship 4 position at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Kurt Busch and Chase Elliott are both somewhat in striking distance of being able to catch either Kevin Harvick or Martin Truex Jr. for that position with solid races on Sunday. However, for Clint Bowyer, who sits 42 points below the Championship 4 cut line, and Aric Almirola, who sits 50 points behind it, we may see some desperate driving. Driving somewhat recklessly may be in their favor and it may pay off, but it may come with torn up race cars and diminished playoff hopes.

Aric Almirola’s playoff hopes are numbered

The rebirth of sorts of Aric Almirola’s career has been fun to watch through the first 33 races of the 2018 season. I, for one, didn’t see it coming, but I have been very pleased with his season and him not winning the championship would not mean that this year wasn’t a great year for him.

With that said, I predict that Almirola’s playoff chances will come to an end this Sunday following Texas. A total of 50 points is just way too much to make up in two races. He was involved in a wreck at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this season and I can’t see him winning next Sunday’s race at ISM Raceway. Regardless, there is a lot to be happy about at Stewart-Haas Racing with the progress that Almirola has made in his first season driving for the team.

Fire ignited in Martin Truex Jr.

Have you ever upset someone or seen someone so mad that you tell yourself “yeah…I am just going to stay out of his/her way”? I’d have to guess that this will be on the minds of several drivers this weekend.

This is especially the case if you’re Joey Logano. Martin Truex Jr. seemed none to happy with how the end of the race played out this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Look for Truex Jr. to drive like a man possessed this weekend en route to earning his fifth win of 2018.

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What will you be watching for this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in the AAA Texas 500? Tune into NBC Sports Network at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 4 for the live broadcast of the race.

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