Chase Elliott edges Denny Hamlin to win NASCAR race at Texas: Highlights

Chase Elliott triumphed in a late-race shootout Sunday, May 3 in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, appropriate for a track where the winner traditionally celebrates in victory lane with a cowboy hat and a pair of six-shooters.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver edged Denny Hamlin by 0.407 seconds following a restart with four laps remaining in the Würth 400 for his second win of the season and the 23rd of his Cup career. One month ago at Martinsville Speedway, Elliott also topped Hamlin to capture his first victory of 2026.

Elliott has now won multiple races at eight different Cup Series tracks; he won this same race at Texas two years ago.

“I have not been a huge fan of this place, and I’ve made that very obvious,” Elliott said during a post-race interview with Fox Sports. “But you know, we continue to work hard, and I really think this is a testament to the whole team, but not just the 9 team, but everybody at Hendrick Motorsports.

“You know, to say as much as we struggled out here to have won two races here now in the last few years is pretty wild. So just super grateful for all the people that helped make this possible.”

Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, led five times Sunday for a race-high 87 laps on the 1.5-mile Texas oval and joined Tyler Reddick as the only driver to win multiple races this season. Reddick, who finished fourth, has a commanding points lead after winning five of the first 11 races this season, though Hamlin and Elliott sit second and third in the standings, respectively.

The drivers had to regroup for the restart in the closing laps following a spin by Corey Heim, who hit the wall with 10 laps remaining to bring out the caution flag. Elliott was leading Hamlin by nearly a second when the caution flag waved and got the jump on the Joe Gibbs Racing driver on the restart, holding Hamlin off to take the checkered flag.

Alex Bowman finished third to give Hendrick Motorsports two of the top three finishers.

“I wasn’t really sure whether to go top or bottom,” Elliott said about the restart. "You know, the bottom had been winning out on a lot of the restarts. I felt like, man, if I didn’t get clear off of two, I was going to be in a lot of trouble. Fortunately, Alex gave me a great push. Was able to execute Turns 1 and 2, get clear, and then just kind of manage the last few laps.”

NASCAR at Texas results: Top 10 finishers

Here are the top 10 finishers from the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway:

1. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet
2. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
3. Alex Bowman, No. 88 Chevrolet
4. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota
5. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford
6. Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Chevrolet
7. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet
8. William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet
9. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
10. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford

Click here for full results from the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

NASCAR at Texas: Extended highlights from Würth 400

Chase Elliott wins NASCAR Texas race

Chase Elliott outdueled Denny Hamlin in a shootout following a late-race restart to win the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway for his 23rd career NASCAR Cup Series victory and his second win of the 2026 season.

Chase Elliott wins Stage 2 in NASCAR Texas race

Chase Elliott won the second segment in a one-lap shootout following a caution for Kyle Larson with five laps remaining in the stage after the Hendrick Motorsports driver and reigning series champion spun and hit the outside wall in Turn 2. The vast majority of the field came down pit road for fuel and tires, but RFK Racing teammates Brad Keselowski and Ryan Preece elected to stay out. They led the restart but were unable to hold off Chase Elliott and Tyler Reddick and their fresh tires.

Some big names have had issues at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth oval, including three-time series champion Joey Logano, and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs.

Here are the top 10 finishers in Stage 2 of the Würth 400:

1. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet
2. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota
3. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford
4. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
5. Ryan Preece, No. 6 Ford
6. Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Chevrolet
7. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford
8. Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota
9. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet
10. Alex Bowman, No. 88 Chevrolet

Erik Jones wins Stage 1 in NASCAR Texas race

Erik Jones scored his first career NASCAR Cup Series stage win with a strategy play following a late caution. The Legacy Motor Club driver was among a handful of drivers to stay out on the track, while most of the field came in for fresh tires and fuel. That strategy allowed Jones to restart on the front row on Lap 74, and he held that position through the end of the 80-lap segment. Pole winner Carson Hocevar, who took two tires on the late pit stop, moved through the field to finish second.

Toward the end of the first stage, Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell was battling with teammate Denny Hamlin for the lead on Lap 68, but Todd Gilliland spun coming off Turn 4 and clipped Bell's No. 20 Toyota seconds after Bell had repassed Hamlin for the lead. The impact sent Bell into the outside wall with damage after he had led 22 laps and ended his race.

Here are the top 10 finishers in Stage 1 of the Würth 400:

1. Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota
2. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet
3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet
4. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota
5. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota
6. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet
7. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet
8. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet
9. William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet
10. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota

What time does the NASCAR race at Texas start?

The Würth 400 starts at 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. local) at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Texas race on?

FS1 is broadcasting the Würth 400 and has a pre-race show beginning at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local).

Is there live stream of the NASCAR race at Texas?

The Würth 400 can be live streamed on the Fox Sports website (by signing in with your TV or satellite provider), Fox One (free seven day trial) and the Fox Sports app. Viewers can also stream the race on HBO Max and Fubo.

How many laps is the NASCAR Texas race?

The Würth 400 features 267 laps around a 1.5-mile oval track for a total of 400.5 miles. The race will have three stages (laps per stage) — Stage 1: Lap 80 (80 laps); Stage 2: Lap 165 (85 laps); Stage 3: Lap 267 (102 laps).

What is the lineup for the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway?

Car number in parentheses

1. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
2. (7) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
3. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
4. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
5. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
6. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
7. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
8. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
9. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
10. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
11. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
12. (88) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet
13. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
14. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
15. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
16. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
17. (67) Corey Heim, Toyota
18. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
19. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
20. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford
21. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
22. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
23. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
24. (21) Josh Berry, Ford
25. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
26. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
27. (41) Cole Custer, Chevrolet
28. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford
29. (51) Cody Ware, Chevrolet
30. (97) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
31. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
32. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
33. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
34. (38) Zane Smith, Ford
35. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
36. (66) Chad Finchum, Ford
37. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
38. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet