Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing was one of the main contenders to win in another race at a 1.5-mile Intermediate track this season; this time being the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Hamlin showcased his race-winning speed after starting the race from fourth as he went ahead and took the lead from Chase Briscoe midway through the first stage before his first pit stop. Through the rest of the first stage, Hamlin went on to battle with Christopher Bell until a late race caution shuffled Hamlin back as he returned to pit road while others stayed out. He then worked back up to 10th by the end of the first stage, scoring one stage point. In the second stage, Hamlin continued his ascent through the pack until he reached second behind Chase Elliott. When another caution occurred near the end of the stage, Hamlin went to pit road, but fell behind Brad Keselowski and Ryan Preece, who stayed out and also behind Elliott. After the final restart of stage two, Hamlin finished the stage in fourth behind Keselowski, Elliott, and Tyler Reddick, who passed the No. 11 Toyota driver. In the final stage, Hamlin competed for the lead alongside Elliott and Reddick until the very end, and despite his best efforts, he was unable to pass Elliott through the entire stage. Hamlin settled for his third top-2 finish on a 1.5-mile Intermediate oval track of the season, but is now second in the regular-season standings after 11 Cup races this year behind Reddick.

Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports won the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway while being the most dominant driver of the race. Elliott began the race from 14th, but spent the whole first stage gaining track position, even through pit stops. By the end of the first stage, Elliott made it up to eighth and earned three stage points. In the second stage, Elliott took advantage of cautions and pit stops to cycle out to the lead after others headed to pit road over the course of the green flag. Despite one more caution at the end of the second stage, where Elliott went to pit road while Brad Keselowski and Ryan Preece stayed out, Elliott was able to pass both drivers for the second stage victory and 10 stage points on the ensuing restart. In the final stage, Elliott dominated the stage outside of pit stops despite some competition from Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick. After the final caution occurred with eight laps to go, Elliott stayed on track instead of pitting and competed with Hamlin for the win. Elliott successfully held off Hamlin to score his second victory of the 2026 season as well as his second Texas win. As a result of winning, Elliott is now third in the regular-season standings after 11 races.

RFK Racing's Chris Buescher finished in the fifth position in Sunday's Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Buescher began the race from the third position, and although he ran in the top five through the first half of the first stage, he fell back to 11th in the second half after pit stops and restarts shuffled the field. This left Buescher with no stage points at the end of the first stage. In the second stage, he made his way back up to the top five after making moves on track and having clean pit stops. Due to other drivers staying out and not getting the best restart at the end of the stage on stage two's final restart, he fell to seventh and earned four stage points. In the final stage, Buescher continued to make a run at the top five and made it back there in the closing laps. On the final restart of the race, Buescher restarted around sixth and made his way up to fifth to collect his first career top-5 finish at his home track at Texas. With his second top-5 finish of the season, Buescher now moves to fifth in the Cup Series standings after 11 races.

Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing placed fourth at the end of the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. The No. 45 Toyota driver started the race from the eighth position and ran inside the top 10 through most of the stage. After pit stops and cautions, Reddick got shuffled further back into the pack and ended the first stage in 20th, leaving him with no stage points. Reddick recovered his track position in the second stage thanks to a fast car that allowed him to make moves on track and through well-executed pit stops. This allowed Reddick to compete for the stage win, but he finished second at the end of the second stage to Chase Elliott and gained nine stage points. In the final stage, Reddick ran mostly in the top five and competed for the lead at times with Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin. Before the last restart of the race, Reddick led a bunch of drivers into pit road, got fresher tires while others stayed out. Reddick restarted in 10th and then made it back up to fourth by the checkered flag, falling short of grabbing the win from Elliott. After Texas, Reddick remains the points leader of the Cup Series standings with 11 races completed, thanks to his seventh top-5 result of the season.