ANADELL PUTS TEXAS ON LOCK WITH DOMINANT RUN

Texas Motor Speedway is the kind of place that dares drivers to push just a little too far. Wide corners, big speed, and multiple lines—if you can balance aggression with patience, you can own the place. On this day, Morgan Anadell struck that balance better than anyone.

From the pole, the number 11 wasted no time taking command. Anadell led 76 of 80 laps and never really looked rattled, even when the lead briefly slipped away during a mid-race shuffle. Every time the field threatened, he answered with pace.

There were only three lead changes all race, but they packed plenty of intrigue. Sam Luebbers grabbed the top spot on lap 40, and not long after, David McSorley muscled his way forward to lead lap 42. For a moment, it looked like the race might open up.

Two laps later, it was over—at least in terms of control. Anadell took the lead back on lap 44 and drove off into clean air, where Texas becomes less about fighting and more about hitting your marks lap after lap.

Behind him, Luebbers kept things steady in second, staying within reach but never quite able to mount a serious challenge. McMillan followed up his recent strong run with another podium, quietly stacking results even while fighting through eight incidents over the course of the race.

The fastest lap of the day belonged to Anadell as well, a 29.971-second flyer on lap 43 that came right in the middle of the race’s most competitive stretch. It was a statement lap, and fittingly, it came just before he slammed the door on the field for good.

Further back, the race told a different story. Ryan Taylor racked up 13 incidents, the highest of the day, while Tom Smith wasn’t far behind with nine. Both drivers spent much of the race trying to manage handling and traffic rather than moving forward.

“The #3 car was actually pretty decent early,” Smith said. “But once the tires went, it was like driving on marbles. Every corner felt like a guess.”

Taylor had his own take after a long afternoon.

“We had something there at the start, but it just kept getting away from me,” he said. “Felt like every time I tried to hustle it, I’d burn the rear tires up and pay for it two laps later.”

There was also a bit of tension brewing between McMillan and McSorley during that mid-race exchange for track position. The two ran side-by-side through the middle groove, neither giving an inch. Afterward, McSorley joked, “I figured if I was gonna lead a lap, I’d at least make him earn watching it.”

McMillan laughed it off but added, “That’s Texas—you can race three-wide, but somebody’s gotta blink. I just wasn’t planning on it being me.”

McSorley’s fourth-place finish marked one of the stronger drives of the day, climbing from sixth and keeping his car relatively clean in a race where others struggled. Samuel Andersen added another solid top five, continuing to quietly build momentum in the standings.

Speaking of standings, Luebbers still holds the top spot, but Anadell’s fourth win of the season is starting to turn this into a two-driver conversation. McSorley remains second, while McMillan continues to close ground from fourth.

Next up, the series heads to Dover for the Dover 100. If Texas was about finding space, Dover will be about surviving without it—and after a race this controlled, the field might be due for something a little more unpredictable.