>> to make it happen, not typically running in front. hoping for 7, 8 laps, a caution will come out. they will pit with tires, gain track position when everybody else pit as well. >> rick: dakota armstrong up front. this is a bright spot for this team. they actually had a hauler incident on the way to texas, the rig pulling the hauler got in an accident. they had to get another rig to be able to pull that. we see the race lead going back to kyle larson. not seeing as much white smoke behind the 42 this time, a little as they exit turns. kyle larson and that tire rub may have gone away early this run. >> steve: manage the way he is driving the car. we talked about he had to follow corner. puts tremendous force into the tires. that made him rub the quarter

panel that much harder. he is running by himself, doesn't have to push. let the car go where it wants. doesn't have to pinch it off like he does when they're alongside. >> steve: they work at that strategy, gain some distance back. kevin harvick trying to stay close enough to attack with 30 laps to go. >> rick: kyle larson's best finish at texas is third. one of the things we talked about with young drivers moved up to the cup early, kyle larson that. kyle larson in the xfinity series, kyle larson has only one two races, and already now one of the cup superstars. still yet to find a win in the cup series, was he moved up too soon. >> jeff: when you have a sponsor ready to move a young driver, how do you tell them no, temper as long as everybody says this is a process, he has to learn how to win.

we have to give him time. as long as everybody signs up for that, it is all good. but i think long term interest, give these drivers a chance to breathe, to learn, to not get in the fish bowl with a cup series. this is so difficult there. i think long term it is better. >> steve: now a cat and mouse game through traffic. what line are you going to run. where do you catch the lap car. see kyle larson in the middle. kevin harvick against the white line, down the front stretch. two and three more slower cars in front of them. this could come down to how you get through lap traffic. >> rick: kevin harvick running second. we mentioned guys forced into cup series maybe a little before they were expecting to. kevin harvick another perfect example of that with dale ernhardt killed at daytona, it was kevin harvick that was the

driver that took over for dale ernhardt. he made a great career in the dup series. now trying to catch up to kyle larson. looking for his first texas win, only his third career win, if he can hold off the field at texas motor speedway. kevin harvick, half second back. little wiggle.

v this ultimate chicken sandwich is so great. i mean, you saw it on nascar nonstop. the race leader, around he goes, caution comes out. >> jeff: talking about that left rear tire rub the entire race. seemed like it wasn't that bad. obviously the car went down. >> rick: out of turn four, you can see the tire had gone down. he was trying to hang onto it. >> jeff: car wiggled, now he straight. left rear comes apart. nothing he can do.

all you can do is lock it down. >> rick: and hang on. they had been fighting tire rub issue on the left rear the entire race. had just come to pit road. >> jeff: it is flat there obviously. watch when it comes apart, blows the sheet metal out from the car, car literally explodes. unbelievable what that sounds like. it would scare you when that marty? >> funny, he was flying sideways, said left rear is going, he knew exactly what was going on. kyle thought the car might have been on fire. you see him driving slowly, he was going to get out, had to rebuckle. left rear came off last time on the 42 car looked maybe the worst tire taken off all day. cording on the inside. talked about this earlier. tire rub has been there all day long.

they knew it was an issue. they worked on it on every stop, trying to pull away that left rear quarter panel. obviously got this final one. >> rick: they come to pit road. field lines up behind pace car. now with pit strategy coming into play, 22 laps to go. kevin harvick in front of brad keselowski. do we see these teams come to pit road after we have just been on pit road. kevin harvick was there on lap 160. so 18 laps, will they all be on pit road again? >> jeff: i think you pit, do four tires. remember, this track is hard on tires. you lose a lot of speed from first to tenth lap. i think everybody pits. >> steve: i agree. >> rick: driver and crew chief agreeing once again. >> steve: doesn't happen often, but we did it. >> rick: nascar playoffs

series racing, presented by nexium. will it be a nonchaser gets the win in texas? >> jeff: no way to pretend to predict the chaos we could see. the pressure so high. seven guys that understand. jeff gordon is it. available. what are they going to do. what opportunity will they create for themselves to guarantee a spot at homestead. >> rick: who will have the best opportunity, guys that are already in a hole, having to dig out of that hole. curt kurt busch. >> jeff: pit road was not open. >> rick: the 42 of kyle larson

did come onto pit road, but serve the penalty. they needed to make sure to get on pit road with the left rear tire that had gone down and work they're having to do. one of the things that happens, not only does sheet metal get blown apart, brake lines, a lot of things take place when a tire blows out. >> jeff: they want to turn the car around going to homestead. became difficult. see the interior metal, wheel well. this is a lot of work to fix on top of body damage. body damage we can't see as well. turning this car around will be a lot of work. >> rick: entire race we have been watching the 42, paying close attention to tire smoke. not the most recent stop but the stop before, this is what we were seeing out of the back of that car. a lot of tire smoke. >> steve: you can see the left rear tire making contact with that quarter panel. not only rubbing the tire, but

that it can get smaller, fold in, tire get in closer. you see when the tire let go, all of the debris coming off the 42. >> rick: that brings out the fourth caution. you look at the destroyed goodyear tire that came off the 42. and run an inner liner, so if the tire blows, they have something that will try to keep them pointed in the right direction, and not running on just rims. >> jeff: talk about this being a new car, that's a good sign. you go to a new car, shows improvement, shows you're better. it is a step forward for the team. i have a feeling they'll be like needing two new cars this winter. >> rick: kyle larson was pleased with the car, was running up front. leading the race when the tire goes down, putting window net back up. we will see kyle larson make his

he is already two laps down to race leader kevin harvick. >> steve: and we heard marty reported earlier the 33 of austin dillon, mentioned he didn't want to be good early, wanted to be good late. here we are. 20 laps to go. currently in third position. sun has set. you look at both ends of the track, sun may not be completely gone, a little here in turn three. the rest in the shade. works. will they have speed late in the race they hoped. >> jeff: seen them have trouble on pit road, earlier lost two spots on pit road, and had another problem, had to take tires off, fix something. are they going to be able to get on pit road with the lead and more importantly lead pit road. haven't seen it from this team. can they do it now. >> rick: see if positions are made up or lost on pit road. kevin harvick will lead the cars on to pit road and attention of the crew, looking for a great stop.

dave. >> 88 ran and burned off fuel making the front end heavier. in. slight air pressure adjustment and four tires. kelli. >> he said good source to run speed, something i can work with, give me four tire change. >> and tight on the takeoff, that car. austin dillon going with a no extra fuel strategy. tight on takeoff. four tires for him. >> as for chris buescher, he fired off on the last run pretty good, got three quickly. made an adjustment, went down two rounds, another tire change and fuel for buescher. >> rick: tight race off pit road. austin dillon making up a few spots. the reason for caution, kyle larson, left tire exploding. v this ultimate chicken sandwich is so great. i mean, this is the chicken sandwich that

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>> rick: welcome back to nascar xfinity series racing from texas, presented by honda power sports. beautiful view as the sun is setting on texas motor speedway. live from new york it is saturday night. tonight, the host is the donald. donald trump. joined by musical guest sia. all new "saturday night live" later tonight on nbc. now let's go track side to kelli stavast with kyle larson. >> back here in the garage, kyle from the lead, you lose that tire. any indication it was going to go? >> not at all. we had a tire up all race long, wondered why i didn't have smoke in the cockpit. i wasn't thinking about it.

we made it 170 some laps in the race. wasn't expecting that. hate it. this car, feel like we have been -- both series, some last a quarter race and don't finish. hate it for parker store, thought we would get them a win and not going to happen. thanks to everybody that helped out. >> going green, rick. >> rick: coming into the race, 27 point difference between chris buescher, points leader in xfinity series, second place chase elliott. that gap has not closed much. as chris buescher running fairly well, chase elliott close to him. green flag back in the air, austin dillon with a great restart, 33 on the inside. >> steve: kevin harvick trying to follow through and take over second position. brad keselowski will battle back.

>> rick: brad keselowski running higher. kevin harvick down on the bottom of the track, fighting for second now. 16 laps to go in texas. three wide for second. here comes erik jones on the bottom of the race track. erik jones won the truck series, will be racing all three series this weekend. erik jones, still in the top five, falls back, fighting for third now. brad keselowski, closing the gap between he and austin dillon. >> jeff: austin dillon said if i am in front, i can win this race. he did it. came out with the lead, now he has to execute. >> rick: a sprint to the finish. come by the start finish line, 14 laps to go in texas. here comes kevin harvick, looking to the inside. erik jones.

jones now running that higher line. right up against the wall. >> steve: so far to the corner, couldn't hold the line, had to lift off the gas, lose a few spots, at least one spot. >> rick: top three trying to separate themselves. regan smith moved up into fourth, trying to close the gap between he and kevin harvick. >> jeff: this is the type of run, he is good on the short run, falling off on the long run. help. he came in with the lead, came out third. that pit road wasn't terrible but not enough to keep the lead. >> steve: unlike the 7, 88 strength, he moved to middle of the top of the race track and found time. 12 to go. >> rick: austin dillon in the number one pit stall has taken advantage of that position as he was able to get out in front. now the challenge by the 22 of brad keselowski.

keselowski to bottom of the race track, trying to take the lead. >> steve: 33 tried to arch the corner. moved to the bottom of the race track for clean air snoof back in 2013, the fight is on for the lead. >> jeff: kevin harvick is going to the top of the race track, two cars in front of him side by side, helps his straight away speed. see if that will help. >> rick: 11 laps to go. kevin harvick, running to the high side. three wide for the lead. >> steve: 88 has to get off the top. you carry so much momentum. enough to clear the 33? looks like it will be. >> rick: brad keselowski out front, kevin harvick second, austin dillon trying to get back to second. gets by the 88. takes that second spot back. >> steve: that's what brad keselowski want to see. that's helping the 22 of brad

lead about a half second. >> jeff: 33 pulled in front, changed the air. >> rick: kevin harvick running third behind austin dillon in second. brad keselowski running middle of the track, holding on to the lead. inside of 10 to go. they come to the stripe. 9 laps remaining in texas. brad keselowski fighting his way to the front. 33 xfinity series wins. >> jeff: he has to decide what bottom. top. right now, he wants to run toward bottom of the race track. watch the guys behind him, they move up the race track and gain ground, he will move up.

you can see now he is right on the bottom. >> steve: kevin harvick to the wall, looking for clean air, for an option. can't continue to follow tire tracks of 33. get to the top of the race track, get rhythm there and speed. no gain in one and two, may take a lap to get rhythm back. >> rick: top four. separated itself. erik jones holding on to fourth now. the 19-year-old trying to sweep the weekend, back in fourth with some pretty worthy opponents in front of him. brad keselowski, almost an eight-tenths second lead. austin dillon, kevin harvick back in second behind race leader keselowski. >> steve: has taken time, watch here, the momentum he will carry. has to get out of the row. will continue to catch 33 down

he entered the corner high against the wall. allows you to carry more momentum. >> rick: will that momentum help him get by? the 33 of austin dillon. will he have enough time to catch up to the 22 of keselowski? >> steve: beat him to the corner, this is where he gets a good run. will austin block. he does. takes momentum from harvick. >> rick: not able to keep the momentum up as he enters one. five laps to go. from austin dillon. >> steve: he is going to look ahead. win. kevin harvick and the 88 are not here for points, they're here for trophies. >> rick: little bobble for kevin harvick, he came up on lap traffic.

now with four laps to go, the gap between keselowski and harvick almost a second and a half. >> jeff: trying to run keselowski down. xfinity points, you can see where the guys are racing there for the championship. >> rick: 25 points separate chris buescher and chase elliott. they lead with that gap. just two races remain in the 2015 season to determine the champion. >> steve: they didn't need to gain points on chase elliott. >> jeff: if he is going to catch keselowski, he spreads it out. harvick off dillon, racing side by side, allows keselowski to move away from them. >> rick: erik jones holding on to fourth behind austin dillon. there's the gap between one and two.

brad keselowski, 1.6 seconds separating he and kevin harvick. austin dillon runs third, erik jones is fourth. keselowski fighting for points and the owner's championship. brad keselowski. looking for his 34th win in the xfinity series. the former champion of this series. champion in the cup series. brad keselowski coming in, starting on the front row. austin dillon was on the pole, started second. and brad keselowski, completing the pass to take over the lead from austin dillon as he comes

keselowski will win in texas. harvick holding on for second. >> decision getting to victory lane. >> rick: austin dillon, erik jones, ty dillon, rounding out the top five. >> good job, good job. >> rick: owners championship because brad keselowski and the situation, he can't earn points as a driver in the xfinity series, but they can for this car number earn points for the championship. brad keselowski adding to those numbers, and making a beeline for victory lane. we will be there when we return. breaking from the norm is never easy. doing your own thing, making your own way can be pretty, well, bold. rickie fowler is redefining what it means to be a golfer. quicken loans is doing the

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he won the xfinity series. erik jones, first noncup driver. >> steve: had a nice solid day. two competitors in front of him, no points lost in the championship battle. >> rick: back through the field. finished 25th. kyle larson, after the tire goes

championship standing with two races to go. chris buescher, 24 point lead over chase elliott. every point is worst a position on the track. >> steve: 24 points is reasonable distance, chris buescher can go to phoenix, do what he needs to do, can make homestead less stressful. >> jeff: look how tight it is. chase elliott, regan smith, within 7 points. chris has a problem, things get very tight. >> rick: ty dillon moves up a spot on regan smith, those two separated by one point in the championship standings. brad keselowski made his way to victory lane. it is very eventful when you get to victory lane at texas motor speedway. the track president. makes it well worth it to win at this track.

keselowski has won here before, been two years, back in 2013. last time he won in the xfinity series in texas. let's go down there now to kelli. >> you see brad keselowski climbing from the 22 car, getting sprayed with the miller lite. this is his second win at texas motor speedway. second win of the season here in the xfinity series. brad, take me back to that final restart. you got around the 33 and simultaneously held off the 88 of kevin harvick. >> today was one of those races, kept changing dimensions. felt like the start of the race 33 would run away with it, then 88 was blistering fast. 54 was doing good, had trouble. 88 looked fast, 42 came out of nowhere, took over the lead. he had issues. was kind of a funky race to be part of with everybody coming and going. we just stayed right there, running second or third pretty much the whole race. at the end were able to get out

front. austin dillon did a great job, heck of a battle for the win. that was fun. he is a heck of a racer, too. enjoyed racing with him. feels great to get the discount tire and ford victory lane. this is a big step for the series, proud of that. >> you'll be on the pole again tomorrow. rick? >> rick: owners championship, trying to grab that for penske. nascar playoffs continue tomorrow. race coverage begins 1:30 p.m. eastern on nbc. coming up tonight on nbc, at 8:00, 7:00 central, "dateline." and later, "saturday night live" with host donald trump. musical guest sia. the celebration will continue through the night for brad