Wurth 400 Presented by LIQUI MOLY
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Course: Texas Motor Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Laps: 267
Wurth 400 Preview
After winning his first NASCAR Cup Series race last weekend at Talladega, Carson Hocevar and the rest of the championship contenders head to Texas Motor Speedway for a unique 1.5-mile oval challenge. Once a typical intermediate oval, Texas now stands apart from other circuits with its distinctively banked corners and bumpy surface. These characteristics have posed a challenge for drivers and teams over the past several years, and recent races have been no exception. Joey Logano and Chase Elliott won the last two races at this circuit, both of which were filled with cautions. Those frequent yellow flags opened the door for different strategies, which, when coupled with the challenge of the circuit itself, have made for an unpredictable race. One thing is certain, though: Tyler Reddick will leave this weekend's race still atop the championship standings. The 23XI Racing driver's multiple wins this season have put him more than 100 points ahead of second place, while the battle behind him is beginning to tighten up, especially around the cut line. Only four points separate Austin Cindric from Chase Briscoe in the fight to claim one of the championship positions, and the potential chaos Texas can bring might shake up the standings once more as the season continues to pick up momentum.
Key Stats at Texas Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 45
- Winners from pole: 5
- Winners from top-5 starters: 25
- Winners from top-10 starters: 33
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 7
- Fastest race: 160.577 mph
Previous 10 Texas Winners
2025 - Joey Logano
2024 - Chase Elliott
2023 - William Byron
2022 - Tyler Reddick
2021 - Kyle Larson
2020 fall - Kyle Busch
2020 spring - Austin Dillon
2019 fall - Kevin Harvick
2019 spring - Denny Hamlin
2018 fall - Kevin Harvick
Texas Motor Speedway was reprofiled in 2017, reducing the banking and widening the racing surface in turns 1 and 2. These changes made the track stand apart from NASCAR's other intermediate ovals and serve up a unique challenge to teams and drivers. Recently, this circuit has become known for its chaotic races. The last two events produced a total of 28 caution periods, and the winners both started outside the top 20. Frequent yellow flags give teams starting deeper in the field opportunities to improve their cars with adjustments on pit road and to try different strategies. No-stop, two-tire, and no-fuel gambles are all more likely as cautions pile up, and those wagers can pay dividends as everything converges in the final miles. To get there, though, drivers must master the track. The varying banking and bumpy surface make things tricky, and even small mistakes can ruin otherwise promising days. Drivers and teams have to be on top of their game and make the right calls to be in position to race for the win at the finish on this track.
RotoWire NASCAR Cup Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Wurth 400
Based on Standard $50k Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Tyler Reddick - $10,700
Kyle Larson - $10,500
Ryan Blaney - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Christopher Bell - $9,700
Chase Elliott - $9,500
Joey Logano - $9,200
Chase Briscoe - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Ty Gibbs - $8,700
Carson Hocevar - $8,500
Bubba Wallace - $8,300
Brad Keselowski - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Ross Chastain - $7,800
Austin Cindric - $7,200
Josh Berry - $6,900
Austin Dillon - $6,500
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the Wurth 400
Kyle Larson - $10,500
Ty Gibbs - $8,700
Bubba Wallace - $8,300
Brad Keselowski - $8,000
Ross Chastain - $7,800
Austin Dillon - $6,500
A stop at Texas Motor Speedway, a place Chevrolet has won five of the last seven races, could be good news for Kyle Larson (DK $10,500, FD $13,500). While he and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates have not equaled the streaking Toyotas so far, Larson has been showing signs of improvement with almost 400 laps led in the last five races. Specifically at Texas, Larson won in 2021 and led laps in his last five visits. The combination of a track Chevrolet has been successful at, coupled with Larson's recent competitiveness, makes this an opportune week for him to grab his first victory of the 2026 season.
Ty Gibbs (DK $8,700, FD $8,500) has zero top-10 finishes at Texas from his four series starts. That doesn't mean he is off the pace, though. His average starting spot in those four races is 7.0. He just hasn't carried that positive starting position through an entire race distance yet. He started in the top three rows in the last three races at this track and led five laps from a front-row start in 2024 no his way to his best Texas finish of 13th. With his breakthrough win at Bristol and seven top-10 finishes from the first 10 races, Gibbs could be poised to score his best Texas finish this week.
Bubba Wallace (DK $8,300, FD $9,500) started showing his Texas potential in 2023. He qualified on pole that year and led 111 laps in a third-place finish. He then backed that up with five laps led in 2024 from the 10th starting spot with a seventh-place finish. Contrast that with his prior eight Texas visits when he had just one top-10 start and finish. Were it not for a crash last year, he might have been on course for another top-10 finish given he started that race ninth. This should be a track where Wallace can get right back to fighting for top-10 finishes after an early exit a week ago at Talladega.
Like Wallace, Brad Keselowski (DK $8,000, FD $8,000) crashed out of last year's Texas event. Fantasy players shouldn't have short memories about the veteran, though. Prior to that early exit, Keselowski had a run of six consecutive top-10 Texas finishes, stretching back to 2020. With RFK Racing's surge in performance this season, Keselowski could be a dark-horse candidate for a top-five or potential victory at this track.
Another driver that consistently finishes well at Texas is Ross Chastain (DK $7,800, FD $6,800). However, that wasn't always the case. This is a track where Chastain's fortunes have turned with this new car. Prior to 2022, his best Texas finish was 18th, but since then his finishes have been markedly better. Current season results haven't been there for this team yet, but that could change this week. Chastain was the runner up in two of the last three Texas races and led 33 laps before crashing out of the third. With the exception of that crash, Chastain has finished in the top 13 in all other Texas races in this generation of car.
A driver that should be capable of outperforming this week is Austin Dillon (DK $6,500, FD $5,500). The Richard Childress Racing veteran tends to punch above his weight at this track, winning in 2020 and finishing eighth and seventh the last two seasons. He has four top-10s in total from his 21 career starts, but has consistently been finishing in the top 15 here since 2017. The results haven't been there for him or the team yet this season, but if there is any week we get an outsized performance from them, it would be this one.
NASCAR Cup Series Betting Picks for the Wurth 400
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 6:00 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Kyle Larson +650
Top-Five Finish - Chase Elliott +185
Top-10 Finish - Ross Chastain +165
Driver Matchup - Denny Hamlin -135 vs Tyler Reddick +100
Kyle Larson's recent race pace is hinting at an impending victory, and this week's trip to Texas Motor Speedway, a track where Chevrolet has enjoyed plenty of success, could give him the advantage he needs to get the job done. Larson led 382 laps in the four races before Talladega and is poised to add to that impressive tally this week. He led 90 laps in this event last season and has been at the front in each of the last five Texas races. This could be the week that Larson finally drives his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into Victory Lane for the first time in 2026.
Another Chevrolet bet worth considering is Chase Elliott finishing in the top five. The former series champion has a knack for finding his way to the front of the field, no matter where he starts at this circuit. Over the last three Texas races, his average starting position has been 27.3, but his average finish during that span is an impressive 9.3. To boost his chances for a top-five finish on Sunday, fans will want him to secure a better starting spot than that average. Still, they can feel confident that he will likely work his way forward regardless of where he begins.
One of the most confident bets to consider this week is Ross Chastain grabbing a top-10 finish. The Trackhouse Racing driver hasn't yet reached his best in 2026, but this week's trip to Texas should help him take another step on that path. He finished second in two of the last three races here and led 33 laps in the race he wasn't the runner up. The last three Texas races have shown that Chastain has this track figured out, which should help propel him to a top-10 finish this week while giving wagerers attractive odds at the same time.
The matchup between Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick at Texas is also intriguing. While Hamlin has been narrowly missing out on multiple wins, Reddick seems to have everything going his way. Even at tracks the No. 45 doesn't have the strongest run of past success, Reddick has impressed. Texas is a track Reddick has success at, though. He won this race in 2022 and and has four top-10 finishes from seven tries. Hamlin is a three-time Texas winner, but his most recent triumph was back in 2019. He also finished 30th or worse in the last two Texas races. Since Reddick has all the momentum on his side, this could be a week to go with him over Hamlin in the matchups.
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