NASCAR At Texas Motor Speedway 2012: Greg Biffle Wins Uneventful Race

But despite several close calls – including two weeks ago at Martinsville when Johnson and Jeff Gordon combined to lead 443 of the 515 laps completed, but wrecked two laps from the finish – that monumental win has continued to elude NASCAR’s preeminent organization.

For much of Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway, it appeared like number 200 was a near-certainty, as Johnson led a race-high 156 laps and was in the lead with less than 40 laps to go.

As he does after nearly every race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. climbed from his car and plopped down on the back step of his No. 88 team’s transporter.

Crew chief Steve Letarte took a seat next to the driver to dissect the result – a 10th place finish on Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway – and then gave way to a group of reporters who gathered around.

Saving his equipment for the final green-flag run, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader Greg Biffle finally put a win on the board, cruising to a 3.235-second victory over Jimmie Johnson in Saturday night’s Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Biffle took the lead on Lap 304 of 334 and pulled away to win his first race since Oct. 3, 2010 (at Kansas), his second at Texas and the 17th of his career. Johnson, who led a race-high 156 laps, scraped the wall trying to run down Biffle in the late going.

Here are some storylines and favorites to watch heading into tonight’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway:

Carl Edwards looking to recapture last year’s form

The weather forecast for Saturday and Saturday night for the Sprint Cup Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway looks mostly dry with just a small threat of an isolated thunderstorm late into the evening.

From the Dallas-Fort Worth National Weather Service website:

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

What time does the race start tonight? Grand marshal Travis Pastrana – yes, that Travis Pastrana – will give the command to fire engines at 7:38 p.m. Eastern time (6:38 p.m. local time). Then, at 7:46 p.m., the green flag will wave and the race will get underway. So if you want to skip all the pre-race stuff and just tune in for the race itself, flip on your TV sets at 7:46 p.m.

The risk for a severe weather outbreak Saturday night during the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway continues to remain low.

My thinking and the local National Weather Service office in Dallas-Fort Worth seems to be on the same page. Here is what they have to say about the image above:

How concerned is Danica Patrick about the possibility of having to qualify on speed at Darlington?

Not enough to have considered a backup plan if the No. 10 Chevrolet she shares with David Reutimann remains outside the top 35 in owner points.

Before the season began, NASCAR senior vice president Steve O’Donnell told a small group of reporters the sanctioning body was looking at ways to make weekends more cost-effective for its race teams.

To accomplish that goal, NASCAR targeted several events in the first half of this year to try and tinker with a more effective schedule.

It’s the most-asked question in NASCAR. It’s asked of drivers, of the media and amongst fans: “When is Dale Earnhardt Jr. going to win again?”

That’s a question which has been continually raised ever since Earnhardt Jr. last visited the winner’s circle nearly four years ago, on Father’s Day weekend 2008.

The top question and comments I’ve received on Twitter this week from NASCAR fans has been about the potential threat of severe weather this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

This is very understandable, given what transpired back on April 3 around the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, when 17 confirmed tornadoes touched down.

Last fall was a memorable trip to Texas Motor Speedway for Trevor Bayne, as the then-20-year-old driver scored his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series win.

But when NASCAR’s junior series returns to the Lone Star State for its annual spring event this weekend, Bayne won’t get a chance to pull off the Texas two-step and win his second consecutive race on the 1.5-mile oval.