What to Watch For: Texas Motor Speedway

CONCORD, N.C. – On Sunday, the Eliminator Round heads to Texas Motor Speedway.

Before the green flag waves for the second race of the round, which will be televised on ESPN at 3 p.m., here are some notes to keep an eye on.

POINTS LEADER: Following a second-place finish to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, Jeff Gordon moved back into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points lead and is seven points ahead of fifth place with two races remaining in the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. After the Phoenix International Raceway event on Nov. 9, the field will be reduced to the four drivers that will battle for the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16.

HENDRICK AT TEXAS: In 27 races (109 starts) at Texas, Hendrick Motorsports has five wins, 27 top-five finishes and 47 top-10s. Jimmie Johnson most recently went to Victory Lane for the organization in November 2013 after starting third. Johnson ranks tied for first among drivers all-time with three wins and his 16 top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile oval rank him second. Johnson’s average finish of 9.5 ranks second behind Matt Kenseth (8.2). Gordon and Earnhardt rank tied for first all-time with two pole positions.

APPROACHING 200: This weekend, Hendrick Motorsports could reach yet another milestone. With one more Sprint Cup Series pole position, the organization will have earned 200 in its 30-year history. Currently, Hendrick Motorsports sits at 199 poles, with Gordon and Johnson combining for three so far in the 2014 season.

KAHNE AT TEXAS: Kasey Kahne went to Victory Lane at Texas on April 9, 2006, after starting from the pole position and leading 63 laps. Three of the 27 (11.1 percent) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway have been won from the pole position, which includes Kahne (2006). The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet SS has five top-five finishes and six top-10s and has led a total of 218 laps in 20 Cup starts at the Fort Worth, Texas, oval. A year ago in this race, Kahne scored a fifth-place result. Most recently, he started 32nd and finished 11th.

GORDON ONE AWAY FROM MARTIN: During his 22-year Sprint Cup career, the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS has collected 452 top-10s. Gordon is third all-time in that statistical category, one behind Mark Martin (453) and 260 behind Richard Petty (712). Gordon has collected 21 this season, which is tied for the series-best. In 11 of the 33 races (33 percent) so far this season, Gordon has finished first or second.

GORDON AT TEXAS: Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS, has one win, two pole positions, nine top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in 27 Sprint Cup starts at Texas Motor Speedway. The 43-year-old driver is the only individual to compete in every Sprint Cup event at Texas.

RED VEST TRIBUTE CAR: This weekend, the No. 48 Lowe's Chevy will be donning the famous red and blue colors to celebrate Lowe's employees who perform like champions every day. A staple across all Lowe's stores, the red vest symbolizes Lowe's commitment to its customers and the service which employees provide. Johnson and the team will be sporting their red vests in tribute to the 260,000-plus Lowe’s employees.

JOHNSON AT TEXAS: Johnson has three wins, 10 top five-finishes, 16 top 10s and one pole at Texas. In the last 19 races at the track, he has a series-high 522 fastest laps run and the second-best average driver rating of 103.6. Johnson is the defending winner of this race, having started third and leading 255 laps en route to the win a year ago. He leads the series in runner-up finishes at Texas Motor Speedway with five and also leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with an average starting position at Texas Motor Speedway of 8.818. Johnson is the only active driver with an average starting position at Texas in the top 10.

EARNHARDT AT TEXAS: In 24 Sprint Cup starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Earnhardt has scored one win, two pole positions, four top-five finishes and 13 top-10s. He has an average starting position of 11.6, which is his second-best at all tracks. He has led at least one lap in 13 of those starts for a total of 448 laps. His first career Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series wins came at Texas Motor Speedway. His two pole positions at Texas are tied for first as a career-best for the 40-year-old driver.