2019 AAA Texas 500
# 2019 AAA Texas 500

The 2019 AAA Texas 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on November 3, 2019, at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Contested over 334 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) intermediate quad-oval, it was the 34th race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, eighth race of the Playoffs, and second race of the Round of 8.

## Report

### Background

Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns, and is of the oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track layout is similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway). The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the same company that owns Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedways, as well as the short-track Bristol Motor Speedway.

**Entry list**

* (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Joe Nemechek (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 36 | John Hunter Nemechek (i) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 52 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 53 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 77 | Quin Houff | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota |
| 96 | Parker Kligerman | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice

### First practice

Clint Bowyer was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 28.620 seconds and a speed of 188.679 mph (303.649 km/h).

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.620 | 188.679 |
| 2 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.636 | 188.574 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.674 | 188.324 |
| Official first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

Aric Almirola was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 28.638 seconds and a speed of 188.561 mph (303.460 km/h).

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.638 | 188.561 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.670 | 188.350 |
| 3 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.684 | 188.258 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Kevin Harvick scored the pole for the race with a time of 28.465 and a speed of 189.707 mph (305.304 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.465 |
| 2 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.588 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.615 |
| 4 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.657 |
| 5 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.669 |
| 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.675 |
| 7 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.723 |
| 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 28.727 |
| 9 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.734 |
| 10 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 28.740 |
| 11 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 28.755 |
| 12 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.764 |
| 13 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.782 |
| 14 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.817 |
| 15 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 28.841 |
| 16 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.846 |
| 17 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.863 |
| 18 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.901 |
| 19 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 28.901 |
| 20 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 28.914 |
| 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.915 |
| 22 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.931 |
| 23 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.936 |
| 24 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.938 |
| 25 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.951 |
| 26 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.983 |
| 27 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.004 |
| 28 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 29.018 |
| 29 | 36 | John Hunter Nemechek (i) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.097 |
| 30 | 96 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 29.123 |
| 31 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.135 |
| 32 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 29.194 |
| 33 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 29.311 |
| 34 | 53 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 29.534 |
| 35 | 27 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.633 |
| 36 | 52 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 29.830 |
| 37 | 77 | Quin Houff | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.831 |
| 38 | 15 | Joe Nemechek (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.025 |
| 39 | 51 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 30.278 |
| 40 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 30.647 |
| Official qualifying results ||||||

## Race

### Stage results

Stage One Laps: 85

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||

Stage Two Laps: 85

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final stage results

Stage Three Laps: 164

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 334 | 55 |
| 2 | 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 334 | 45 |
| 3 | 7 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 334 | 37 |
| 4 | 11 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 334 | 39 |
| 5 | 5 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 43 |
| 6 | 17 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 31 |
| 7 | 12 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 38 |
| 8 | 15 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 334 | 31 |
| 9 | 4 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 32 |
| 10 | 2 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 36 |
| 11 | 22 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 334 | 35 |
| 12 | 13 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 40 |
| 13 | 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 29 |
| 14 | 10 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 334 | 23 |
| 15 | 25 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 333 | 22 |
| 16 | 16 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 333 | 22 |
| 17 | 18 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 333 | 21 |
| 18 | 19 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 333 | 19 |
| 19 | 20 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 333 | 18 |
| 20 | 31 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 333 | 17 |
| 21 | 29 | 36 | John Hunter Nemechek (i) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 333 | 0 |
| 22 | 30 | 96 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 332 | 0 |
| 23 | 28 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 331 | 17 |
| 24 | 22 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 331 | 13 |
| 25 | 27 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 329 | 12 |
| 26 | 34 | 53 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 329 | 0 |
| 27 | 32 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 328 | 0 |
| 28 | 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 328 | 9 |
| 29 | 38 | 15 | Joe Nemechek (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 327 | 0 |
| 30 | 39 | 51 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 323 | 0 |
| 31 | 35 | 27 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 319 | 0 |
| 32 | 14 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 5 |
| 33 | 37 | 77 | Quin Houff | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 202 | 4 |
| 34 | 23 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 11 |
| 35 | 26 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 189 | 2 |
| 36 | 36 | 52 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 |
| 37 | 40 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 156 | 0 |
| 38 | 33 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 67 | 1 |
| 39 | 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 52 | 1 |
| 40 | 9 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 52 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 26 among 11 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 11 for 56
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 3 hours, 44 minutes and 44 seconds
* Average speed: 133.759 miles per hour (215.264 km/h)

## Media

### Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Two–time Texas winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and 2000 Texas winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.

NBCSN :

| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| - | - |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dave Burns Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |

### Radio

PRN covered their final 2019 broadcast, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice & Mark Garrow covered the action for PRN when the field raced down the front straightaway. Doug Turnbull covered the action for PRN from a platform outside of Turns 1 &2, & Pat Patterson covered the action from a platform outside of Turns 3 &4 for PRN. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan, Wendy Venturini and Heather DeBeaux had the call from pit lane for PRN.

PRN :

| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| - | - | - |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Mark Garrow | Turns 1 & 2: Doug Turnbull Turns 3 & 4: Pat Patterson | Brad Gillie Brett McMillan Wendy Venturini Heather DeBeaux |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 4,133 |
| 3 | 2 | Kevin Harvick | 4,113 (–20) |
| | 3 | Kyle Busch | 4,113 (–20) |
| | 4 | Joey Logano | 4,111 (–20) |
| 3 | 5 | Denny Hamlin | 4,091 (–20) |
| | 6 | Ryan Blaney | 4,088 (–23) |
| | 7 | Kyle Larson | 4,088 (–23) |
| | 8 | Chase Elliott | 4,033 (–78) |
| | 9 | Brad Keselowski | 2,265 (–1,868) |
| | 10 | William Byron | 2,247 (–1,886) |
| | 11 | Clint Bowyer | 2,225 (–1,908) |
| | 12 | Alex Bowman | 2,215 (–1,918) |
| 1 | 13 | Aric Almirola | 2,204 (–1,929) |
| 1 | 14 | Kurt Busch | 2,193 (–1,940) |
| | 15 | Ryan Newman | 2,170 (–1,963) |
| | 16 | Erik Jones | 2,127 (–2,006) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Toyota | 1,238 |
| 2 | Ford | 1,201 (–37) |
| 3 | Chevrolet | 1,160 (–78) |
