Where to Watch NASCAR's Texas Race This Weekend (September 25th, 2022)

Photo credit: Sean Gardner - Getty Images
Photo credit: Sean Gardner - Getty Images

NASCAR - Texas Motor Speedway
Sunday, September 25th - 3:30 p.m. ET - USA

NASCAR's playoffs are divided into four rounds, three of which are three races each. The first and third rounds are fairly straightforward, with a race on a short track, a race on a "cookie cutter" mile-and-a-half, and a race on a more technical intermediate. In between, in the Round of 12, the series has for some reason constantly opted for chaos since introducing this rule set. This year's Round of 12 opens with the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway, but follows up immediately with a pack race at Talladega and Charlotte's wild "roval" infield road course.

That means there are no guarantees here. By format, this second round is designed to pull middling entries out of the field before finally separating true contenders in the Round of 8. In practice, this group of races makes this round about watching contenders avoid catastrophe unfolding around them to survive to the next round opener at Las Vegas. With significantly less separation in the playoff points handed out over the course of the regular season than in previous years, leaders are less safe than ever and drivers not expected to contend could just as easily poach their spots with quiet top tens in the next three races.

That makes this event at Texas Motor Speedway, among the least exciting tracks in auto racing and long the source of complaints among NASCAR fans, an urgent race in its own right. This event is relatively predictable, and by rule its winner will be secured a spot in the next round of the playoffs. Win here and you can go to Talladega without a care in the world. It certainly is not a must win for anyone, but the sense of urgency is much higher here than at the average playoff race on an intermediate oval. A strong finish here makes a contender's life much easier, a win here guarantees their season continues to the battle for a spot in the championship race.

You Might Also Like