This is your cue to turn on Wild Wild West tunes. After NASCAR’s dramatic visit to Talladega, the sport is gearing up for a return to a 28-year-old track. Texas Motor Speedway is up next on the schedule, with all three NASCAR national series heading to the 1.5-miler. With the sport’s visit to this Cowboy town being the only one this season, the expectations are ramped up. Most of the attention turns to the Cup Series, which will have exciting features.

From Carl Edwards’ nail-biting fuel mileage win in 2008 to Kyle Larson’s playoff victory in 2021, many memorable moments have unfolded at Texas. The 2025 season has a special flavor, with notable stars gearing up to grace the already electrifying WÜRTH 400 race.

NASCAR welcoming glitterati at Texas

Well, Texas Motor Speedway has been a seat of excellence. Going a year back in NASCAR’s timeline, Chase Elliott had clinched a breathtaking victory in April 2024. Leading for 39 laps, including the final 17 in a thrilling overtime period, Elliott snapped a 42-race winless streak. This was only the latest of a string of historical moments at the track. Dale Earnhardt Jr. captured his first Cup Series victory in Texas in 2000. Then the Speedway has witnessed intense driver battles like those between Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth or those between Elliott and Denny Hamlin. Keeping alive this trend of creating sensational moments, Texas will welcome some special guests for the 2025 WÜRTH 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY.

Journalist Bob Pockrass updated about the star-studded guest appearance on X: “For Cup race Sunday at Texas: Invocation: Former NFL running back Spencer Tillman…National Anthem: World War II Iwo Jima survivor Don Graves (who is 100 years old)… Command: actor Shea Whigham… Honorary pace-car driver: Kasey Kahne.”

Football champion running back Spencer Tillman will provide the pre-race invocation. Having played for the Houston Oilers and San Francisco 49ers, Tillman is currently a college football game analyst for FOX Sports. Then, National Anthem singer Don Graves, soon to be 100 years old, took part in the successful invasion of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during World War II. Then the Grand Marshall of the event is probably the mighty attraction – film and television actor Shea Whigham. He is best known for his standout roles in acclaimed projects such as “Boardwalk Empire,” “True Detective,” “Joker” and “American Hustle.”

And of course, we are well familiar with Kasey Kahne. The Texas Honorary Pace Car driver is an 18-time Cup Series race winner. He was part of the closest NCS finish in Texas Motor Speedway history. He was edged by Elliott Sadler by 0.028 seconds in 2004. Then Kahne clinched his victory two years later in the same spring race. Kahne most recently made his comeback to NASCAR at Rockingham, rebounding from early-race damage to secure a 14th-place finish.

The NCS WÜRTH 400 will be live on Sunday, May 4, at 3:30 PM ET on FS1/PRN Sirius XM NASCAR (All times Eastern). Featuring 267 laps, its stages will end on laps 80, 165, and 267. Additionally, two open entries will be a part of the 400-mile race. Jesse Love will make his second Cup Series start of the year with Beard Motorsports in the No. 62 Chevrolet. Then, Chad Finchum is gearing up for his first Cup Series start of the year and his 10th career start. He will pilot Carl Long’s Garage 66 No. 66 entry.

With such a jam-packed session scheduled for Texas Motor Speedway, the excitement is unabated. But wait till you hear about an iconic rivalry between two Cup Series stars.

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Aligning NASCAR and football dreams

Well, we already have a glittering NFL star booked for Texas, Spencer Tillman. However, the football fever does not end there, as some college football rivalry action will unfold in Texas. Chris Buescher, the RFK Racing No. 17 Ford driver, and Christopher Bell, the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota driver, have rarely locked horns on the track. But they will get a chance to do so this weekend.

Buescher, a Prosper, Texas native, is a Texas Longhorns fan. Bell, a native of Norman, Oklahoma, is a fan of the hometown Oklahoma Sooners. And football fans know very well about one of the most historic rivalries between the Longhorns and the Sooners. The teams play annually at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas during the Texas State Fair – the Cotton Bowl already took place this year, in January. Now, fans of the NASCAR Cup Series drivers will have the opportunity to support their teams in a premium suite showdown.

To gear up for this off-track rivalry, Christopher Bell may be preparing his college football fanboy appearance. However, in case an on-track rivalry breaks out, Bell has solid support. Interstate Batteries will sponsor Bell’s No. 20 Toyota Camry XSE for the WÜRTH 400. He will sport the vibrant green colors of the longtime motorsports supporter and leading replacement battery brand in the United States. Bell’s six prior starts in Texas have featured three finishes of 4th or better. On his 7th start, however, Bell is prepared to go all the way. “This is a big deal,” Bell said. “It’s a big race weekend for myself, my family, and for Interstate Batteries. I would love nothing more than to get that first Texas Cup Series victory.”

Evidently, the game is on for the NASCAR Cup Series visit to Texas Motor Speedway. All we need to do is wait with our buckets of popcorn for an exhilarating experience.