Auto racing notebook: Drivers may get desperate in Texas

Jeff Gordon knows there could be some desperate drivers in Texas on Sunday trying to get what he already has – one of the four spots to race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship in the season finale.

With Matt Kenseth starting a two-race suspension after intentionally wrecking Chase contender Joey Logano last weekend at Martinsville, the big question with only two races and three championship spots left before Homestead is if drivers will change their approach if racing for a win in the late laps.

“Nobody should have to tell you what happened at Martinsville was wrong,” said Brad Keselowski, who has the pole at Texas.

Kenseth’s car was damaged in a wreck with Keselowski. Kenseth later returned to the track and was nine laps down when he drove race-leading Logano into the wall as retaliation for a crash between the two drivers three races earlier.

“Racing is racing. Guys have wrecked each other since racing started, OK? That’s not going to change,” said Martin Truex Jr., who is third in Chase points behind Gordon and Kyle Busch.

Gordon said the goal at Texas is having a solid performance. But he’d go for a win if he had a chance against another Chase contender to do it in a clean way – with one exception.

“If it is the No. 2 car (Keselowski), then that is going to be different,” Gordon said.

“To just go do that to whoever I’m racing in the Chase when I feel like a little more desperate or because they were blocking me, and I didn’t like that, I don’t know if that is worth that,” he said. “Because, in my opinion, that is going to come back to you in the next couple of weeks, possibly at Homestead. I don’t know if that risk is worth taking at this point of the game.”

Practice cancelled

Sprint Cup drivers never got on the track in Texas. After several hours of trying to dry the track following a period of steady rain overnight, NASCAR canceled both scheduled practice sessions.

The cancellation of on-track activities for Cup drivers was announced about 45 minutes before the scheduled green flag for the Xfinity Series race.

Patric unapologetic

Danica Patrick says she was doing what she felt she had to do when wrecking another driver in retaliation because there are times when drivers have to demand respect from somebody based on actions on the track.

She was fined $50,000 and docked 25 points but not suspended after intentionally wrecking David Gilliland last weekend at Martinsville. .

Keselowski wins

Brad Keselowski won the NASCAR Xfinity race at Texas, leading a race-high 62 of 200 laps and wrapping up a third consecutive owners’ championship for Roger Penske.

While Penske got a title, the Xfinity drivers’ championship is still undecided with two races left. Points leader Chris Buescher finished 11th and has a 24-lead over defending champion Chase Elliott, who finished eighth.