RACE RECAP
Two laps to go. Three Hendrick Chevrolets in the top 10. The race was Chase Elliott's to lose.
Driving the No. 9 Prime Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Elliott pulled away from Denny Hamlin coming off Turn 4 on the final restart of a double-overtime shootout, beat the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota cleanly through Turn 1, and held the lead through the closing two laps to win the WΓΌrth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Elliott led a race-high 87 laps, won Stage 2, and joined the short list of drivers with multiple wins at the 1.5-mile track. Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman finished P3 from a P9 start β the No. 48 quietly working into the top 5 all afternoon β capping a Hendrick 1-3 day on a track where the chassis package looked unbeatable on long-run pace.
Pole-sitter Carson Hocevar (No. 77 Spire Motorsports) led the field to green and ran the high line through the opening 80-lap stage, holding off Hamlin in a back-and-forth that established the No. 77 as the early class of the field. Hocevar led 40 laps in the opening stage and finished Stage 1 second behind Erik Jones β a quiet stage-winning run for the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota from a P21 start.
Stage 2 belonged to Elliott. The No. 9 worked through traffic from a P14 start, took the lead late in the second stage, and won the segment outright. Brent Heim's No. 35 23XI Racing entry led 69 laps in his first start at Texas β an impressive showing that ended early when contact with the wall brought out the final caution and set up the overtime restart that defined the finish.
BY THE NUMBERS
KEY TAKEAWAYS
VALUE PICKS
BUSTS
PERFECT LINEUP
Optimal 5-driver roster for this race
| Group | Driver | Salary | Finish | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A | $13 | 1 | 133.40 2 Γ 66.70 | |
B | $12 | 7 | 87.50 1.75 Γ 50.00 | |
C | $14 | 4 | 72.00 1.5 Γ 48.00 | |
D | $7 | 12 | 50.38 1.25 Γ 40.30 | |
E | $4 | 11 | 33.10 1 Γ 33.10 |


