A Texas Motor Speedway Trophy is a special award given out at the end of each race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. The drivers who accumulate the most points throughout the season are then awarded the coveted TMS Trophy. If you’ve ever watched a race at Texas Motor Speedway, then you know exactly what this is about. This is a major event, with millions of dollars on the line, and the drivers are willing to do whatever it takes to be the first across the finish line. The weekend before the trophy is given out at the end of the season, there is usually a major point-paying race at the speedway. This is where the real competition is, and the drivers are willing to risk it all in the name of being the first across the line.
The competition is fierce, and anyone thinking about winning the TMS Trophy should probably start training now. The season starts in April and runs through to the end of October, with the races becoming more and more important as the season goes on. In fact, the last race of the season is the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, which is effectively a playoff race for the highest ranking drivers. This is when everything comes to a head, and the winner is determined on the spot. The season finale is usually a few weeks later, in November or December. The overall winner of the championship will then get to keep the trophy they’ve been training for all season, until the next year. This is the major reason why most top drivers have personal coaches, who work with them to get ready for the season. Without going into the science of how speedway racing works, here are some of the basic aspects that you need to know about the trophy and how you can bet on the races:
The Basics
A racing team can start building their arsenal for the season as soon as March, with the first race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series being held in Houston on the 19th. The next is the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in Phoenix two weeks later. Shortly after that, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Mexico for the first of two races, with the Corona Mexico Grand Prix being the first on the calendar. The season then jumps to Canada for the Toronto International Speedway race, with the Indianapolis 500 then following two weeks later. From there, the racing heads back to New England for two more races, before wrapping up in New York for the final two events of the season. The Indy 500 and the Belmont Stakes, which is a major horse-racing event held in New York each year, effectively mark the end of the season. The series then takes a small break before resuming in 2015 with another 29-race season. With such an intense racing schedule, it’s not surprising that most top drivers and teams build up their speedway experience by competing in multiple NASCAR series throughout the year, with each race paying a lot of money. This is one reason why the competition is so fierce, and why the TMS Trophy is worth so much.
The Money
The amount of money that is on the line at a single NASCAR race event, is huge. As mentioned before, the winner of the TMS Trophy gets to keep the hardware for the whole year, so it’s a pretty safe bet to make money on these guys. The overall winner of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series gets $100,000, while the drivers who place second, third, and fourth get paid $25,000, $15,000, and $10,000, respectively. To put these figures into perspective, these are more than the winners of some of NASCAR‘s biggest races will usually make in a whole year. These are just the prize money; the total amount of money that is on the line at a single race is usually in the millions. If you’ve watched a single race at Texas Motor Speedway, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.
The Teams
Most people who watch NASCAR have probably heard of multiple teams, with one of them being Joe Gibbs Racing. The owner of the team, Joe Gibbs, is also the owner of the restaurant chain, Joe Gibbs Trucking Company. If you’re a fan of NASCAR and are thinking about getting involved in the sport, then I’d advise you to become a part of a team. These are the guys who you can watch race, and most importantly, who you can learn from. Winning a race with Joe Gibbs Racing isn’t going to bring you anywhere but further down the track to victory lane. You’re better off joining a team where you can learn from the masters, and where you have a chance of winning, even if it is just in the minor leagues. In 2019, Mark (Junior) Smith and crew chief Todd Parr are likely to be looking for their first win of the season, having missed out on a chance to bring the trophy home last year. They have one of the top-rated cars in the garage, so it’ll be interesting to see what they can do this year.
The Drivers
Last but not least, we have the drivers. Every year, there is a certain group of drivers who are going to be right at the top of their game, in terms of performance, consistency, and winning. Last year, that group was comprised of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex, Jr. While there are others who can play a supporting role and still perform well, it’s rare for any of the top three to have a bad weekend, if they are within reach of the checkered flag at the end of every race. The 2019 season is going to be an interesting one, to say the least, and whoever is in the hunt for the TMS Trophy should probably start preparing for the season now. Stay tuned…