NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series driers will get their first crack at Texas Motor Speedway on Thursday, as practice begins for both the 2012 Samsung Mobile 500 and the 2012 O'Reilly Auto Parts 300.

Fans will be able to get into Texas Motor Speedway to watch the practice laps at 4:00 p.m. CT, when gates three, four and five open up. The entire Thursday schedule is as follows>

Thursday, April 12
7:00am	NNS Haulers Enter
9:00am - 7:30pm	Texas Motor Speedway Credentials Office Hours
10:00am	NSCS Haulers Enter
11:00am - 6:00pm	NSCS Registration Hours
11:30am - 7:30pm	NSCS Garage Hours
12:30pm - 6:00pm	NNS Registration Hours
1:00pm - 9:00pm	NNS Garage Hours
4:00pm	Gates 3, 4 & 5 Open
4:00pm	Pit Road Open
4:00pm	Luxury Suites and Victory Lane Club Opens
4:00pm	NSCS HOT PASS IN EFFECT
4:30pm- 6:30pm	NSCS Practice
6:40pm - 8:00pm	NNS Practice

The practice laps are the calm before the storm, as Friday will have the qualifying laps for both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, as well as the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 later at night.

For more on NASCAR, be sure to check out SB Nation's NASCAR hub.