NASCAR At Texas Motor Speedway: 2011 Start Time, Starting Lineup, TV/Radio Listings And More

It’s NASCAR race day at Texas Motor Speedway, and we’ve got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about the AAA Texas 500 for you below.

Start time: The command to start engines will be given by a representative from AAA Texas at 3:09 p.m. Eastern time. After a few pace laps, the green flag will wave at 3:18 p.m. Eastern. That’s an hour later than most of the Chase races so far. So if you want to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the race, flip on your TV set at 3:18.

Race name/distance: The AAA Texas 500 is a 334 laps around the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway for a total of 501 miles.

TV and radio: Today’s race will be televised on ESPN, as will the remaining Chase races. If you aren’t near a TV or can’t watch, the radio broadcast can be found on your local Performance Racing Network (PRN) affiliate. Click here to see a list of PRN stations where you can listen.

National anthem: Country music star Trace Adkins, who is doing a pre-race concert, will sing the national anthem. We have a feeling Adkins’ version will go over very well in Texas.

Tickets: There are still tickets available for today’s race if you want to make a last-minute trip.

Weather: According to our unofficial NASCAR weatherman, fans at Texas should expect cool temperatures in the low-to-mid 60s and very windy conditions during the 500-mile event today.

Last time: Matt Kenseth dominated the spring race at Texas Motor Speedway and figures to be strong again today. One year ago, Denny Hamlin won the race and crew chief Mike Ford infamously smack-talked Jimmie Johnson’s team after the Hendrick group swapped pit crews. It didn’t work out so well for Hamlin or Ford.

Starting lineup for today’s NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway (Chase drivers in bold):