Now that the first short-track race of the season is in the books, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the running of Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX (pre-race coverage starts on FS1 at 11:30 a.m. ET).
And this week, we’re back to a 40-car field. Here’s the entire preliminary entry list.
LAT Photographic Russell LaBounty
Jamie McMurray
Off to a strong start, McMurray will look to bounce back from a last-place finish at Martinsville.
Brad Keselowski
The only two-time winner so far this year, Keselowski is riding a wave of five straight top-five finishes, including wins at Atlanta and Martinsville.
Michael Thomas Shroyer Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports
Austin Dillon
The elder Dillon scored his first top-five finish of 2017 at Martinsville.
Kevin Harvick
The 2014 champ is in something of a mini-slump, with two finishes of 20th or worse in the last three races.
Kasey Kahne
So far, Kahne is running better than he did last year but not up front regularly yet.
Trevor Bayne
Although they still have a ways to go, Roush Fenway Racing has definitely improved this year.
, LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Matthew T. Thacker
Danica Patrick
Stuck at 29th in points, Patrick will hope for progress in Texas.
Denny Hamlin
The five-time Martinsville winner had a tough time on Sunday and will be ready to run better this weekend.
Ty Dillon
For being with a single-car team, Dillon’s done a good job so far this season in the Germain Racing Chevrolet.
Clint Bowyer
Is there another driver who’s enjoying 2017 as much as Bowyer is? Doubtful.
Reed Sorenson
In four of the five races he’s competed in this year, Sorenson has finished 30th or 31st.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Fresh off a wild 10th-place run at Martinsville, Stenhouse will be searching for speed in his Roush Fenway Racing Ford.
Kyle Busch
A two-time Texas winner, Busch has top-three finishes in two of the last three races this season.
Daniel Suarez
After a couple of solid runs, Suarez had a rough weekend at Martinsville, just like a lot of rookies do.
Matt Kenseth
Kenseth had to be pleased to come away from Martinsville with a top-10 finish.
Ryan Blaney
Although he’s still been up and down, there’s no question that Blaney has improved in 2017. So have the Wood Brothers team.
Joey Logano
With five finishes of sixth or better so far this year, it’s just a matter of time until Logano finds Victory Lane.
Gray Gaulding
Another new track for the rookie BK Racing driver.
Chase Elliott
The second-year Hendrick Motorsports pilot trails fellow young gun Kyle Larson by just four points in the Cup points standings.
© Russell LaBounty/LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Russell LaBounty
Paul Menard
Since finishing fifth in the season opening Daytona 500, Menard has not finished better than 19th in any race.
Ryan Newman
A huge upset victory at Phoenix broke a 127-race winless streak for Newman and a 112-race winless streak for Richard Childress Racing.
© Matthew T. Thacker/LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Matthew T. Thacker
Matt DiBenedetto
The best finish of the year so far for DiBenedetto was ninth in the season-opening Daytona 500.
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Earnhardt soldiers on for another week in a car that hasn’t shown much speed so far this season.
Landon Cassill
Fact is stranger than fiction: Cassill has qualified 27th three times in six races and finished 27th three times as well.
Chris Buescher
An 11th-place finish at Martinsville was the best of the season so far for Buescher, who is in his first year with JTG Daugherty Racing.
David Ragan
A two-time race winner, Ragan hasn’t finished better than 23rd this year.
Kurt Busch
The best of times/worst of times: Busch won the Daytona 500 to start the year and has had an average finish of 29.00 in the past four races.
Kyle Larson
The winner at Auto Club Speedway, Larson marches into Texas with a narrow points lead over Chase Elliott.
, LAT Images www.latimages.co.uk Nigel Kinrade
Aric Almirola
The driver of the iconic No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford has one top-10 and five top-20 finishes at Texas.
Michael Thomas Shroyer Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports
AJ Allmendinger
After some rough weeks, Allmendinger is coming off a solid outing at Martinsville.
Jimmie Johnson
A six-time Texas winner, Johnson is the only active driver to have won more than two races at the 1.5-mile track.
© Nigel Kinrade/LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk AP
Timmy Hill
Hill returns to the cockpit of the Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet.
Derrike Cope
After a one-week absence, the veteran Cope returns for the big Texas race.
Cole Whitt
Whitt has had some solid runs this season.
Erik Jones
So far, Jones has had a nice rookie season in the new Furniture Row Racing second car.
© Nigel Kinrade/LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Nigel Kinrade
Martin Truex Jr.
Last year’s breakout star is off to a strong start in 2017, with a Las Vegas victory already in the bank.
Corey LaJoie
That LaJoie’s rookie season has been challenging has not been unexpected.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The season has to turn around sooner or later for NASCAR’s 14-time most-popular driver. Right?
© Russell LaBounty/LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Russell LaBounty
Michael McDowell
McDowell will probably always be remembered for the spectacular crash he had in qualifying at Texas when he drove for Michael Waltrip.
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