Where To Watch the Next NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race

After Denny Hamlin’s big win at Bristol capped off a dynamic first round of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, stock car racing’s top flight will cruise into the Lone Star State for the first race of the Round of 12.

Along with some new faces entering the fray, such as Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano made news by becoming the first defending Cup champion not to reach the Round of 12, and former Cup champ Kevin Harvick will also not be present as he failed to clinch a spot, effectively ending his storied career.

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Here's a look at everything you need to know before the Round of 12 gets underway:

What: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400

Consisting of 267 laps over 400.5 miles, the first Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 was run in 2005. Recently named to the honorary list of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers, 2007 NASCAR Busch Series champion Carl Edwards won the inaugural race. The event will be broken down into three stages on laps 80, 160 and 267. The purse is reported to be $8,955,060.

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, Toyota Camry Door Dash (23) before the Bank of America ROVAL 400 NASCAR Cup Series playoff race on October 10, 2021,at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. Photo: Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Where: Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas

Known for its sizzling food scene, world-class art and hip-shaking, boot-stomping country music, Fort Worth —a.k.a. Panther City or Cowtown — is the 12^th-largest city in the United States. And while it’s known for running the world’s only twice-daily cattle drive, Texas Motor Speedway is quickly shaping up to be another crown jewel in a city brimming with so many. Featuring 20 degrees of banking in Turn 1 and Turn 2 with 24 degrees of banking in Turns 3 and 4, the 1.5-mile oval asphalt track officially began hosting NASCAR events in 1997. To date, seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson owns the record for capturing the most checkered flags at the track with seven.

RELATED: Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick Make Early Exit from NASCAR Playoffs

Who’s Left in the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs?

1. William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – 3,036 Points
   
   Byron leads the NASCAR Cup Series field with five victories. With 200 Cup starts for HMS, Byron’s had one of the fastest cars all season and is a favorite to be podium-bound in Phoenix.
     
2. Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – 3,036 points
   
   Despite earning the title of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season champion, Martin Truex Jr. has struggled to find the right gear. That said, never discount a former Cup champion, a feat Truex managed in 2017.
    
3. Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – 3,032 points
   
   The new, self-anointed villain of NASCAR is riding a thrilling wave of confidence-revitalizing success after his dominant performance at Bristol. If you asked him, he’s the one to beat, and yes, keep negativity from the crowd going. Who needs gas when you’ve got boos?
   
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4. Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – 3,023 points
   
   The 2021 Cup Series champ finished runner-up to Hamlin at Bristol and has been fast all year, but he needs to execute better in Texas than he did last year, when he finished ninth.
    
5. Chris Buescher | RFK Racing, Ford – 3,021 points
   
   After an abysmal 27^th-place finish in Kansas, Chris Buescher flipped a switch, powering himself to a top-five finish in Bristol.
    
6. Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet – 3,019 points
   
   In his first year back with RCR, Kyle Busch has notched an impressive three wins in NASCAR’s top flight, including Talladega, the next playoff destination. But for that to happen, he’s got to lasso Texas, and Rowdy’s DNF last year doesn’t bode well for the veteran wheelman.
    
7. Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – 3,016 points
   
   Christopher Bell is in good shape after scoring a third-place finish in Bristol last week, but like Buescher, history has not been kind to Bell in Texas, a track he earned a DNF on in 2022.
    
8. Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing, Toyota – 3,014 points
   
   After beating the boss in Kansas during the Hollywood Casino 400, Denny Hamlin’s “employee” Tyler Reddick fell to a 15^th-place finish at Bristol. That said, if historical success offers a glimpse of what’s to come, Reddick could be poised for a top-five finish after winning in Texas last year.
    
9. Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet – 3,011 points
   
   What does the Watermelon Man have up his sleeve for the Lone Star State? Texas was a little tricky this time last year for No. 1, and he underwhelmed last week in Tennessee with a 23^rd-place finish.
    
10. Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing, Ford – 3,011 points
    
    Brad Keselowski has managed to stay quietly in the shadows most of the season, but he could be poised for a big bounce back at Texas where he has four straight top-10 finishes.
    

    Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Advance Auto Parts Ford, is congratulated for making the NASCAR playoff after the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 28, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
11. Ryan Blaney | Team Penske, Ford – 3,008 points
    
    With a win at the Roval, Ryan Blaney could easily find himself in the Round of 8, but consistency has been a problem for No. 12. According to NBC Sports, his past 14 races have produced 10 finishes of 12 or worse with two DNFs.
     
12. Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing, Toyota – 3,000 points
    
    After clawing back 19 points to avoid elimination, Bubba Wallace seems determined to fortify his first-ever run in the Cup Series Playoffs, but he often wears his emotions on his sleeves, which could be the undoing of his own success.