CONCORD, N.C. - There are only three races left in the 2015 season and this weekend the drivers are breaking out their boots and cowboy hats and heading to the Lone Star State.
Since Hendrick Motorsports began racing at Texas Motor Speedway in 1997, the organization has earned seven wins and six poles at the 1.5-mile track.
But before the cars start turning laps around The Great American Speedway, let’s take a look back at three very memorable moments from Texas.
April 2, 2000 – Texas Motor Speedway was still a newer track on the NASCAR schedule and just one year prior, Terry Labonte earned Hendrick Motorsports its first win at the 1.5-mile oval. When Labonte returned to the track in April, he posted a qualifying speed of over 192 miles per hour. That speed earned him the pole position to start the race. After he led the field to green, he stayed out front for the first three laps of the race and when the checkered flag waved he crossed the finish line eighth.
April 12, 2007 – The rain came down in Texas as the drivers were set to qualify, making for a rained-out qualifying session. But, based on driver points, Jeff Gordon earned the leading spot to start the race. When the green flag dropped, Gordon led 173 laps of the race and eventually crossed the finish line fourth. The driver of the No. 24 went on to win the next two races and finished the season with six wins and seven poles.
April 11, 2015 – Since 2012, Jimmie Johnson had won a race at Texas Motor Speedway once a year, and the spring race this season made it four years in a row. After the No. 48 Chevrolet SS rolled off of the grid fifth and led a race-high 128 laps, Johnson pulled into Victory Lane for the second time in the 2015 season. The 40-year-old driver holds the record for most wins (five), most top-10 finishes (18) and most laps led (1,017) at the Texas track.
