Only three races are left for the top contenders in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver and owner championships to showcase their talents and seal the deal on the 2011 titles. The spectacle couldn’t get any bigger as the series heads to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. Four heavyweights and two significant bouts – driver standings leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. vs. second-place Elliott Sadler and owner standings leader Joe Gibbs Racing vs. second-place Roush Fenway Racing – headline the bill this weekend.
The scene has been set for an epic final three races.
Not since 2005 and the standoff between Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer has the driver championship been this close this late. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. holds a 15-point lead over second-place Elliott Sadler in the driver standings. Which Sadler has closed from a 22 point margin after Dover.
Stenhouse has made three starts at Texas posting an average finish of 16.0. His pre-race Driver Rating is 98.0. While Sadler has made seven starts at Texas posting an average finish of 15.3 and a pre-race Driver Rating of 87.0.
On the owner side, all-time series wins leader Kyle Busch returns to pilot the No. 18 and Joe Gibbs Racing is going for its record-breaking fourth consecutive series owner title and has a scant three-point lead over the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing team, led by 2007 series driver champion Carl Edwards. The No. 60 has gained 47 points on the No. 18 since being 50 points behind the leader following the August race at Bristol.
Busch had won five consecutive races at Texas before Edwards won this event last year. Edwards also won the spring event at Texas this season.
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