CP MOTORSPORTS - FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400; RICHMOND NOTEBOOK
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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK: LEAVE NO DOUBT
KENSETH ABSOLUTELY DOMINATES FIELD IN RICHMOND WIN - The gang of Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas have put together some dominant performances this summer but none more so than Matt Kenseth's overpowering victory in Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
Kenseth, who started in the second spot, led 352 of the race's 400 laps to cruise to his fourth victory of the season and 35th of his career. The win also locks Kenseth into the third seed on the Chase grid.
Kenseth's JGR teammate Kyle Busch brought home a runner up finish. It's his 15th top ten finish of the 2015 regular season in which he missed the first 11 races but still managed to win four times and clinch the second seed on the Chase grid.
Fast qualifier Joey Logano led 25 laps but finished in third place. Logano, who won the 2015 Daytona 500 champion goes into the Chase with 16 top five finishes this season, is locked into the fourth seed on the Chase grid.
Aric Almirola entered Saturday night's race needing extensive circumstances in order to clinch a spot in the Chase on points. Almirola restarted in third place on the race's final restart with 18 laps to go but could not improve and settled for a fourth place finish. While the finish is the best for Almirola and the iconic No. 43 car on the season, it wasn't enough for the team to clinch a spot upon the Chase grid.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr, struggled to find speed in qualifying and started the race in the 29th position made the best out of the race's long green flag runs and worked his way up to the front of the field. Earnhardt, Jr, walked away from Richmond with a fifth place finish and will enter the Chase with the sixth seed.
Denny Hamlin finished sixth place and is the 11th seed in the Chase. Jeff Gordon, who entered the race unsure of his Chase status, was able to take home a seventh place finish which locked down his 14th place seed on the Chase grid.
Brad Keselowski won the 2012 Sprint Cup championship and nabbed an eigth place finish. He locked himself into the ninth seed on the Chase grid. Jimmie Johnson finished in ninth place and will be the overall top seed on the Chase grid.
Clint Bowyer rounded out the top ten and also rounded out the Chase grid. Bowyer will start the Chase as the 16th and final seed on the grid.
Kevin Harvick is the Chase's fifth seed, Kurt Busch is the seventh seed, Carl Edwards is the eighth seed, Martin Truex, Jr, is the tenth seed.
Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman and Paul Menard also clinched their spots along the Chase grid.
Race Results
Richmond International Raceway
58th Annual Federated Auto Parts 400
UNOFFICIAL Provided by NASCAR Statistics Saturday, 9/12/2015 @ 11:17 PM Eastern UNOFFICIAL
Fin Str Car Driver Team Lap Pts BPts Status TLd LLd
1 2 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 400 48 5 Running 6 352
2 4 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Crispy/American Heritage Chocolate Toyota 400 43 1 Running 1 9
3 1 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 400 42 1 Running 5 25
4 24 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Foods/Waffle House Ford 400 40 Running
5 29 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 400 39 Running
6 25 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota 400 39 1 Running 2 14
7 23 24 Jeff Gordon 3M Chevrolet 400 37 Running
8 3 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 400 36 Running
9 9 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet 400 35 Running
10 26 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota 400 34 Running
11 7 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 400 33 Running
12 11 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet 400 32 Running
13 31 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet 399 31 Running
14 6 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet 399 30 Running
15 8 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 399 29 Running
16 19 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Cargill Ford 399 28 Running
17 5 55 David Ragan Aaron's Online Dream Machine Toyota 398 27 Running
18 20 5 Kasey Kahne HendrickRideAlong.com Chevrolet 398 26 Running
19 14 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 397 25 Running
20 13 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 397 24 Running
21 15 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 397 23 Running
22 17 33 Brian Scott(i) Shore Lodge Chevrolet 397 0 Running
23 28 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 397 21 Running
24 21 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger/Bush's Beans Chevrolet 397 20 Running
25 18 51 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet 397 19 Running
26 22 27 Paul Menard Libman/Menards Chevrolet 397 18 Running
27 12 3 Austin Dillon DOW Chevrolet 397 17 Running
28 32 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Go Bowling/Draft Kings Ford 397 16 Running
29 10 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 396 15 Running
30 35 40 Landon Cassill(i) Precon Marine/Interstate Moving Services Chevrolet 396 0 Running
31 38 16 Greg Biffle Cheez-It Ford 396 13 Running
32 16 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 394 12 Running
33 30 38 David Gilliland The Pete Store Ford 393 11 Running
34 43 26 JJ Yeley(i) Maxim Toyota 392 0 Running
35 37 34 Brett Moffitt # Dockside Ford 391 9 Running
36 33 83 Matt DiBenedetto # James Madison University Toyota 390 8 Running
37 36 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 390 7 Running
38 34 35 Cole Whitt MDS Ford 389 6 Running
39 41 23 Jeb Burton # Estes Toyota 387 5 Running
40 42 32 Jeffrey Earnhardt(i) BeerFrost.com/CorvetteParts.net Ford 387 0 Running
41 40 98 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Ford 335 3 Running
42 39 95 Michael McDowell Thrivent Financial Ford 287 2 Accident
43 27 46 Michael Annett Switch Hitch Chevrolet 145 1 Accident
# = Rookie, Fin = Finish, Str = Start, Pts = Total Points, BPs = Lap Leader Bns Pts, TLd = Times Led, LLd = Laps Led. (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Average Speed: 100.353 MPH Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 59 Mins, 22 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.951 Seconds
Lead Changes: 13 among 4 drivers Cautions: 6 for 47 laps
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK: COMMANDING THE ATTENTION
ELLIOTT GRABS WIN IN BIG NIGHT FOR JR MOTORSPORTS - Defending Xfinity series champion Chase Elliott entered Friday night's Virginia529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway with a 39-race winless streak, he also trailed points leader Chris Buescher by a sizeable margin.
Elliott ended the drought and put a dent into Buescher's lead by leading 83 laps and cruising to victory after the race's final round of pit stops saw him beat everyone off of pit road. He believes the win wouldn't have been possible without crew chief Ernie Cope and his pit crew.
"He (Ernie Cope) made the right calls and got our car working exactly how I wanted it," Elliott said. "I can't say enough about our pit crew tonight, I really feel like they're the ones who gave us the chance to go win this race. I mean the pit stops were by far the best they had been all season. They just did a killer job so I'm happy for those guys. I'm looking forward to getting on to Chicago."
Kyle Busch, who won this race last season while leading every lap, led just 78 laps and had to settle for a runner-up finish.
Busch believed he just didn't have enough to take home a victory.
"I wasn't good enough all race long," Busch said. "In practice we were really good, we had good short run speed. I don't know where the long run speed went."
Brian Scott led the field for 63 laps but like Busch had to settle behind Elliott with a third place finish. Joey Logano, who has won at Richmond in Sprint Cup competition, finished in fourth place.
Erik Jones finished fifth with Regan Smith, Josh Berry, Ty Dillon, Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher rounding out the top ten.
While Elliott's win may take all the headlines, Josh Berry's seventh place finish in just his third start in Xfinity competition became the feel good story of the weekend. Berry, who drives JR Motorsports No. 88 late model stock car in the CARS tour and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series competition, took a huge step into becoming a full time driver in the Xfinity series.
Berry, who ran in the top ten for majority of the night, couldn't help but think of his future plans in the sport.
"I'm really proud of the team," Berry said. "They did a great job. They brought a great car here this weekend, obviously it made my learning curve a lot faster and I really just have to thank everyone at JRM and Speedco for giving me the opportunity. We're trying to do full time next year. We're trying to find partners to make that happen so hopefully tonight did some good for that."
With the victory Elliott cut Buescher's stranglehold in the Xfinity Series points standings to 21 points. Ty Dillon is just 27 points back in third place.
NASCAR XFINITY Series Race Number 25
Unofficial Race Results for the 35Th Annual Virginia529 College Savings
250 - Friday, September 11, 2015
Richmond International Raceway - Richmond, VA - .75 Mile Paved
Total Race Length - 250 Laps - 187.5 Miles - Purse: $1,218,001
Leader
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Driver Rating Winnings Status Tms Laps
1 6 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 250 48 5 141.7 $54,278 Running 1 83
2 1 54 Kyle Busch(i) Monster Energy Toyota 250 0 121.9 $40,826 Running 3 78
3 3 2 Brian Scott Shore Lodge Chevrolet 250 42 1 128.9 $33,048 Running 2 63
4 2 22 Joey Logano(i) Hertz Ford 250 0 113.0 $24,511 Running
5 7 20 Erik Jones(i) GameStop/Lego Dimensions Toyota 250 0 99.5 $29,478 Running
6 4 7 Regan Smith TaxSlayer Bowl Chevrolet 250 39 1 111.0 $27,258 Running 1 20
7 5 88 Josh Berry Speedco Chevrolet 250 37 109.1 $26,739 Running
8 9 3 Ty Dillon Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet 250 36 99.2 $26,497 Running
9 8 33 Austin Dillon(i) Ruud Chevrolet 250 0 98.9 $20,249 Running
10 13 60 Chris Buescher AdvoCare Ford 250 34 89.5 $29,072 Running
11 16 42 Brennan Poole DC Solar Chevrolet 250 33 88.6 $25,946 Running
12 10 18 Daniel Suarez # ARRIS Toyota 250 32 85.7 $26,870 Running
13 14 16 Ryan Reed Lilly/American Diabetes Association Ford 250 31 77.0 $25,820 Running
14 32 6 Darrell Wallace Jr. # Roush Performance Products Ford 250 30 79.5 $25,769 Running
15 19 4 Ross Chastain # teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet 250 30 1 80.9 $26,318 Running 1 4
16 11 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Chevrolet 249 28 83.8 $25,642 Running
17 17 39 Ryan Sieg RSS Racing Chevrolet 249 27 72.3 $25,567 Running
18 21 01 Landon Cassill Valvoline Chevrolet 248 26 64.8 $25,516 Running
19 20 8 Blake Koch LeafFilter Gutter Protection Toyota 248 25 60.5 $25,466 Running
20 33 28 JJ Yeley JGL Racing Toyota 248 24 65.8 $25,915 Running
21 18 43 Dakoda Armstrong WinField Ford 247 23 64.9 $25,364 Running
22 22 14 Cale Conley # IAVA Toyota 247 22 59.8 $25,233 Running
23 36 0 Harrison Rhodes # teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet 247 21 55.0 $25,147 Running
24 12 1 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Ford 246 20 65.7 $25,005 Running
25 34 97 Dylan Kwasniewski Vroom Brands Chevrolet 245 19 52.5 $25,105 Running
26 25 24 Eric McClure Reynolds Wrap Toyota 243 18 48.0 $24,854 Running
27 29 52 Joey Gase Donate Life Virginia/DB Sales Chevrolet 243 17 43.7 $24,803 Running
28 40 13 Josh Reaume # Braille Battery/Grafoid Toyota 242 16 43.7 $18,652 Running
29 39 74 Mike Harmon Dodge 236 15 40.3 $18,602 Running
30 28 25 John Wes Townley(i) Zaxby's Chevrolet 234 0 38.7 $24,800 Running
31 15 98 Ryan Truex Carroll Shelby Engine Company Ford 216 13 69.8 $24,445 Accident
32 23 26 Hermie Sadler Virginia Lottery Toyota 159 12 47.2 $24,358 Electrical
33 37 70 Matt Waltz Acredale Vending Chevrolet 135 11 36.8 $18,293 Electrical
34 27 51 Jeremy Clements AllSouthElectric.com/RepairableVehicles.com Chev 133 10 53.0 $24,257 Accident
35 35 15 Ryan Ellis(i) Bubba Burger/BYB Chevrolet 56 0 39.0 $18,184 Vibration 1 2
36 38 40 Carl Long Braille Battery/Grafoid Dodge 38 8 32.0 $16,431 Suspension
37 26 44 David Starr Zachry Toyota 16 7 31.9 $21,431 Accident
38 24 66 Benny Gordon SomersetRegionalWaterResources/VSIRacing Toyota 3 6 26.7 $14,431 Accident
39 30 90 Jimmy Weller BYB Extreme Chevrolet 2 5 24.8 $19,431 Accident
40 31 19 Jeff Green Premier Barter Exchange Toyota 2 4 24.3 $12,431 Vibration
Race Comments: Chase Elliott won the Virginia529 College Savings 250, his fourth career NASCAR XFINITY Series victory. Prior to the start of the race, the following cars dropped to the rear of the field for the reasons indicated: No. 13, 28, 70 (unapproved adjustments).
Failed to Qualify: (1) 89 Morgan Shepherd.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 04 Mins, 54 Secs. Average Speed: 90.072 MPH Margin of Victory: 1.308 Seconds
Caution Flags: 6 for 48 laps: Laps: 2-8 (#66, 52, 40, 25, 44, 90 accident turn 1 [None]); 19-24 (#44 accident turn 3 [None]); 45-53 (Debris turns 1 and 2 [74]); 136-144 (#51 accident turn 4 [98]); 161-168 (#26 spin frontstretch [6]); 217-225 (#98 accident turn 3 [16]).
Lead Changes: 8 among 6 drivers: K. Busch(i) 1-49; R. Ellis(i) 50-51; K. Busch(i) 52-53; B. Scott 54; K. Busch(i) 55-81; B. Scott 82-143; R. Smith 144-163; R. Chastain # 164-167; C. Elliott 168-250.
Top 10 Driver Points: (1) C. Buescher 908;(2) C. Elliott 887;(3) T. Dillon 881;(4) R. Smith 859;(5) E. Sadler 803;(6) B. Scott 797;(7) D. Wallace Jr. # 796;(8) D. Suarez # 791;(9) B. Gaughan 764;(10) R. Reed 683.
3M Lap Leader : Chase Elliott, #9 83 Laps Coors Light Pole Award : Kyle Busch, #54 122.073 mph
Duralast Brakes "Brake in the Race" : Kyle Busch, #54 Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race : Hendrick Engines, #9
Mobil 1 Driver of the Race : Chris Buescher, #60 Sunoco Rookie of the Race : Daniel Suarez, #18
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Next Race: Sep. 19, 2015 - Chicagoland Speedway
NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications @ P.O. Box 2875, Daytona Beach, FL 32120-2875
LOGANO FASTEST IN QUALIFYING...AGAIN - Ever since coming over to Team Penske from Joe Gibbs Racing back in 2013, Joey Logano has been fast. Qualifying for Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400 was no exception to the rule.
Logano survived three rounds of elimination qualifying to lay down a lap of 21.349 seconds at an average pace of 126.470 mph and win his fifth pole award of the season.
The driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford was unsure about qualifying after underperforming in practice.
"We weren't able to put down a fast lap in practice, but I felt like as we kept working on it that we were a little better at the end of practice," Logano said. "But we didn't have another set of tires to put back on. It was a little bit of an unknown going into qualifying and I didn't know where we would stack up."
Matt Kenseth's final round lap of 21.368 seconds at 126.357 mph will put him on the front row with Logano at the drop of the green flag. Brad Keselowski qualified third just ahead of Kyle Busch and David Ragan in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Ragan, who needs a win to clinch a Chase berth, says his strategy was cut and dry.
"We showed up here with one goal in mind and that's to win the race and put ourselves in position," Ragan said. "We weren't that great in qualifying trim so I didn't know what to expect, but obviously we have a good car."
Kevin Harvick was the fastest of all Chevrolet drivers and grabbed the sixth starting spot and last week's winner at Darlington, Carl Edwards, qualified in seventh place.
Kurt Busch was eigth fastest with Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart rounding out the top ten.
A couple of Hendrick Motorsports drivers struggled in qualifying. Jeff Gordon qualified in 23rd and Dale Earnhardt, Jr, qualified 29th.
Earnhardt, Jr, believes his lack of speed in qualifying is more of trend than a fluke.
"We have been struggling all year in qualifying," Earnhardt, Jr, said. "It just doesn't look like it is getting much better. I'm just real frustrated."
Timmy Hill and Josh Wise both failed to qualify for Saturday's race.
Starting Line Up by Row
Richmond International Raceway
58th Annual Federated Auto Parts 400
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, September 11, 2015 @ 06:59 PM Eastern
Driver Date Time Speed
Track Race Record: Dale Jarrett 09/06/97 02:45:04 109.047
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
Row 1: 1 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 21.349 126.470
2 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 21.368 126.357
Row 2: 3 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 21.369 126.351
4 18 Kyle Busch M&MsCrispy/AmericanHrtgChclt Toyota 21.437 125.950
Row 3: 5 55 David Ragan Aaron's Online Dream Machine Toyota 21.458 125.827
6 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet 21.463 125.798
Row 4: 7 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 21.474 125.733
8 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 21.516 125.488
Row 5: 9 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet 21.530 125.406
10 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 21.552 125.278
Row 6: 11 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet 21.560 125.232
12 3 Austin Dillon DOW Chevrolet 21.570 125.174
Row 7: 13 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 21.372 126.334
14 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 21.376 126.310
Row 8: 15 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 21.395 126.198
16 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 21.406 126.133
Row 9: 17 33 Brian Scott(i) Shore Lodge Chevrolet 21.424 126.027
18 51 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet 21.439 125.939
Row 10: 19 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Cargill Ford 21.449 125.880
20 5 Kasey Kahne HendrickRideAlong.com Chevrolet 21.456 125.839
Row 11: 21 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger/Bush's Beans Chevrolet 21.465 125.786
22 27 Paul Menard Libman/Menards Chevrolet 21.478 125.710
Row 12: 23 24 Jeff Gordon 3M Chevrolet 21.497 125.599
24 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Foods/Waffle House Ford 21.509 125.529
Row 13: 25 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota 21.243 127.101
26 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota 21.244 127.095
Row 14: 27 46 Michael Annett Switch Hitch Chevrolet 21.244 127.095
28 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 21.250 127.059
Row 15: 29 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 21.290 126.820
30 38 David Gilliland The Pete Store Ford 21.296 126.784
Row 16: 31 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet 21.345 126.493
32 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Go Bowling/Draft Kings Ford 21.381 126.280
Row 17: 33 83 Matt DiBenedetto # James Madison University Toyota 21.381 126.280
34 35 Cole Whitt MDS Ford 21.430 125.992
Row 18: 35 40 Landon Cassill(i) PreconMarine/InterstateMovingServices Chev 21.443 125.915
36 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 21.445 125.903
Row 19: 37 34 Brett Moffitt # Dockside Ford Owner Points
38 16 Greg Biffle Cheez-It Ford Owner Points
Row 20: 39 95 Michael McDowell Thrivent Financial Ford Owner Points
40 98 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Ford Owner Points
Row 21: 41 23 Jeb Burton # Estes Toyota Owner Points
42 32 Jeffrey Earnhardt(i) BeerFrost.com/CorvetteParts.net Ford Owner Points
Row 22: 43 26 JJ Yeley(i) Maxim Toyota Owner Points
Did Not Qualify: # 30 Josh Wise; # 62 Timmy Hill(i).
Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs
Chevrolet 21 2 Toyota 9 0
Ford 13 0
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
KEVIN HARVICK SHOWING MUSCLE IN FINAL PRACTICE - Kevin Harvick topped the final practice speed charts for Saturday's Sprint Cup race at Richmond. Harvick laid down a fast lap 21.526 seconds at an average speed of 125.430 mph.
Kyle Busch was the session's second fastest driver. Busch ran 52 laps but his fast lap came on lap 50 when he ran a 21.540 second lap and carried an average speed of 125.348 mph.
Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch rounded out the session's top five.
NSCS Final Practice
Richmond International Raceway
58th Annual Federated Auto Parts 400
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, September 11, 2015 @ 02:27 PM Eastern
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
1 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet 21.526 125.430 42 43 ---.--- ---.---
2 18 Kyle Busch M&MsCrispy/AmericanHrtgChclt Toyota 21.540 125.348 50 52 -0.014 -0.014
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet 21.553 125.273 40 41 -0.027 -0.013
4 5 Kasey Kahne HendrickRideAlong.com Chevrolet 21.561 125.226 48 52 -0.035 -0.008
5 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 21.610 124.942 52 52 -0.084 -0.049
6 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 21.613 124.925 34 35 -0.087 -0.003
7 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 21.620 124.884 33 34 -0.094 -0.007
8 24 Jeff Gordon 3M Chevrolet 21.647 124.729 33 34 -0.121 -0.027
9 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 21.656 124.677 67 67 -0.130 -0.009
10 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 21.659 124.659 33 36 -0.133 -0.003
11 3 Austin Dillon DOW Chevrolet 21.663 124.636 34 37 -0.137 -0.004
12 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 21.678 124.550 36 36 -0.152 -0.015
13 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger/Bush's Beans Chevrolet 21.679 124.544 25 27 -0.153 -0.001
14 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 21.691 124.476 44 51 -0.165 -0.012
15 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 21.704 124.401 26 30 -0.178 -0.013
16 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 21.731 124.246 44 45 -0.205 -0.027
17 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet 21.734 124.229 68 68 -0.208 -0.003
18 51 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet 21.737 124.212 44 45 -0.211 -0.003
19 27 Paul Menard Libman/Menards Chevrolet 21.740 124.195 2 34 -0.214 -0.003
20 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota 21.743 124.178 48 48 -0.217 -0.003
21 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 21.755 124.109 39 42 -0.229 -0.012
22 34 Brett Moffitt # Dockside Ford 21.764 124.058 35 37 -0.238 -0.009
23 38 David Gilliland The Pete Store Ford 21.776 123.990 30 30 -0.250 -0.012
24 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Cargill Ford 21.781 123.961 26 30 -0.255 -0.005
25 55 David Ragan Aaron's Online Dream Machine Toyota 21.816 123.762 38 38 -0.290 -0.035
26 35 Cole Whitt MDS Ford 21.828 123.694 15 16 -0.302 -0.012
27 40 Landon Cassill(i) PreconMarine/InterstateMovingServices Chev 21.834 123.660 36 40 -0.308 -0.006
28 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet 21.835 123.655 28 33 -0.309 -0.001
29 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Foods/Waffle House Ford 21.838 123.638 39 42 -0.312 -0.003
30 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Go Bowling/Draft Kings Ford 21.838 123.638 55 59 -0.312 -0.000
31 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 21.860 123.513 2 43 -0.334 -0.022
32 46 Michael Annett Switch Hitch Chevrolet 21.882 123.389 17 18 -0.356 -0.022
33 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 21.888 123.355 30 34 -0.362 -0.006
34 95 Michael McDowell Thrivent Financial Ford 21.915 123.203 12 15 -0.389 -0.027
35 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 21.996 122.750 42 43 -0.470 -0.081
36 33 Brian Scott(i) Shore Lodge Chevrolet 22.068 122.349 31 32 -0.542 -0.072
37 30 Josh Wise Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet 22.106 122.139 12 14 -0.580 -0.038
38 83 Matt DiBenedetto # James Madison University Toyota 22.134 121.984 2 18 -0.608 -0.028
39 32 Jeffrey Earnhardt(i) BeerFrost.com/CorvetteParts.net Ford 22.138 121.962 29 30 -0.612 -0.004
40 26 JJ Yeley(i) Maxim Toyota 22.148 121.907 17 25 -0.622 -0.010
41 16 Greg Biffle Cheez-It Ford 22.153 121.880 8 33 -0.627 -0.005
42 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota 22.207 121.583 47 64 -0.681 -0.054
43 98 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Ford 22.270 121.239 13 13 -0.744 -0.063
44 23 Jeb Burton # Estes Toyota 22.422 120.417 23 27 -0.896 -0.152
45 62 Timmy Hill(i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 22.558 119.691 3 11 -1.032 -0.136
*Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
Pos Car Driver From Lap To Lap Avg Speed
1 2 Brad Keselowski 1 10 122.138
2 20 Matt Kenseth 1 10 121.911
3 19 Carl Edwards 28 37 121.906
4 4 Kevin Harvick 2 11 121.655
5 42 Kyle Larson 1 10 121.572
6 41 Kurt Busch 1 10 121.523
7 27 Paul Menard 1 10 121.366
8 3 Austin Dillon 1 10 121.213
9 18 Kyle Busch 32 41 121.102
10 1 Jamie McMurray 1 10 121.076
11 22 Joey Logano 1 10 121.057
12 55 David Ragan 1 10 120.995
13 48 Jimmie Johnson 2 11 120.975
14 11 Denny Hamlin 42 51 120.896
15 5 Kasey Kahne 23 32 120.420
16 51 Justin Allgaier 6 15 120.311
17 13 Casey Mears 5 14 120.023
18 24 Jeff Gordon 2 11 119.740
19 14 Tony Stewart 9 18 119.679
20 9 Sam Hornish Jr. 1 10 119.647
21 15 Clint Bowyer 31 40 119.404
22 7 Alex Bowman 1 10 119.274
23 47 AJ Allmendinger 11 20 119.223
24 43 Aric Almirola 2 11 118.984
25 83 Matt DiBenedetto # 8 17 118.967
26 38 David Gilliland 10 19 118.045
27 33 Brian Scott(i) 18 27 117.833
28 34 Brett Moffitt # 14 23 117.269
* Car must run 10 consecutive laps on the track to be included in the above chart.
*Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
KYLE LARSON LOOKING TO MAKE CHASE; PACES OPENING PRACTICE SESSION - Kyle Larson won a pole at Richmond last season by being the fastest in the final practice session. Well, Larson was the fastest in Friday's opening practice session.
Larson ran a lap of 21.508 seconds at 125.535 mph to lead the session. Larson, who ran 50 laps in the session, recorded his fast lap on just lap three of his run.
Casey Mears was second fastest of the practice session with a lap of 21.529 seconds at 125.412 mph.
Brad Keselowski, who this race last season, was third fastest in the session with Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch rounding out the top five.
Jimmie Johnson was the fastest of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers in 13th place.
NSCS Practice 1
Richmond International Raceway
58th Annual Federated Auto Parts 400
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, September 11, 2015 @ 11:59 AM Eastern
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
1 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet 21.508 125.535 3 50 ---.--- ---.---
2 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 21.529 125.412 3 54 -0.021 -0.021
3 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 21.590 125.058 5 67 -0.082 -0.061
4 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet 21.632 124.815 5 33 -0.124 -0.042
5 18 Kyle Busch M&MsCrispy/AmericanHrtgChclt Toyota 21.653 124.694 5 59 -0.145 -0.021
6 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger/Bush's Beans Chevrolet 21.666 124.619 4 55 -0.158 -0.013
7 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 21.669 124.602 5 38 -0.161 -0.003
8 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 21.675 124.567 5 67 -0.167 -0.006
9 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 21.681 124.533 2 63 -0.173 -0.006
10 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 21.698 124.435 4 77 -0.190 -0.017
11 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 21.742 124.184 4 61 -0.234 -0.044
12 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 21.761 124.075 4 68 -0.253 -0.019
13 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet 21.764 124.058 4 76 -0.256 -0.003
14 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 21.773 124.007 5 75 -0.265 -0.009
15 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 21.786 123.933 7 78 -0.278 -0.013
16 3 Austin Dillon DOW Chevrolet 21.787 123.927 4 68 -0.279 -0.001
17 27 Paul Menard Libman/Menards Chevrolet 21.837 123.643 5 89 -0.329 -0.050
18 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota 21.845 123.598 5 49 -0.337 -0.008
19 55 David Ragan Aaron's Online Dream Machine Toyota 21.850 123.570 5 71 -0.342 -0.005
20 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota 21.856 123.536 8 40 -0.348 -0.006
21 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Foods/Waffle House Ford 21.857 123.530 5 52 -0.349 -0.001
22 51 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet 21.872 123.446 2 76 -0.364 -0.015
23 24 Jeff Gordon 3M Chevrolet 21.903 123.271 3 68 -0.395 -0.031
24 5 Kasey Kahne HendrickRideAlong.com Chevrolet 21.916 123.198 4 68 -0.408 -0.013
25 33 Brian Scott(i) Shore Lodge Chevrolet 21.929 123.125 3 54 -0.421 -0.013
26 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Go Bowling/Draft Kings Ford 21.969 122.900 3 54 -0.461 -0.040
27 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 21.988 122.794 12 71 -0.480 -0.019
28 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet 22.010 122.672 4 81 -0.502 -0.022
29 30 Josh Wise Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet 22.011 122.666 3 31 -0.503 -0.001
30 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Cargill Ford 22.015 122.644 8 84 -0.507 -0.004
31 38 David Gilliland The Pete Store Ford 22.028 122.571 3 53 -0.520 -0.013
32 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 22.057 122.410 6 63 -0.549 -0.029
33 95 Michael McDowell Thrivent Financial Ford 22.062 122.382 5 59 -0.554 -0.005
34 16 Greg Biffle Cheez-It Ford 22.067 122.355 4 63 -0.559 -0.005
35 46 Michael Annett Switch Hitch Chevrolet 22.079 122.288 5 48 -0.571 -0.012
36 35 Cole Whitt MDS Ford 22.085 122.255 3 45 -0.577 -0.006
37 83 Matt DiBenedetto # James Madison University Toyota 22.085 122.255 5 35 -0.577 -0.000
38 34 Brett Moffitt # Dockside Ford 22.118 122.073 7 44 -0.610 -0.033
39 40 Landon Cassill(i) Precon Marine/Interstate Moving Services Chev 22.165 121.814 5 60 -0.657 -0.047
40 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 22.207 121.583 5 40 -0.699 -0.042
41 26 JJ Yeley(i) Maxim Toyota 22.288 121.141 7 71 -0.780 -0.081
42 23 Jeb Burton # Estes Toyota 22.303 121.060 3 46 -0.795 -0.015
43 32 Jeffrey Earnhardt(i) BeerFrost.com/CorvetteParts.net Ford 22.465 120.187 40 40 -0.957 -0.162
44 98 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Ford 22.471 120.155 6 42 -0.963 -0.006
45 62 Timmy Hill(i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 23.032 117.228 1 8 -1.524 -0.561
*Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
Pos Car Driver From Lap To Lap Avg Speed
1 51 Justin Allgaier 2 11 122.600
2 4 Kevin Harvick 9 18 121.702
3 18 Kyle Busch 49 58 121.644
4 10 Danica Patrick 40 49 121.591
5 47 AJ Allmendinger 36 45 121.509
6 6 Trevor Bayne 1 10 121.483
7 46 Michael Annett 3 12 121.394
8 31 Ryan Newman 40 49 121.254
9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 49 58 120.902
10 41 Kurt Busch 53 62 120.721
11 24 Jeff Gordon 46 55 120.563
12 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 49 58 120.453
13 27 Paul Menard 54 63 120.404
14 1 Jamie McMurray 41 50 120.343
15 5 Kasey Kahne 46 55 120.290
16 33 Brian Scott(i) 34 43 119.990
17 16 Greg Biffle 36 45 119.962
18 55 David Ragan 49 58 119.883
19 3 Austin Dillon 41 50 119.837
20 13 Casey Mears 31 40 119.588
21 14 Tony Stewart 29 38 118.537
22 32 Jeffrey Earnhardt(i) 1 10 118.516
23 43 Aric Almirola 26 35 118.411
24 22 Joey Logano 68 77 117.669
25 95 Michael McDowell 45 54 117.543
26 2 Brad Keselowski 52 61 117.374
27 48 Jimmie Johnson 54 63 116.465
28 26 JJ Yeley(i) 62 71 113.072
29 40 Landon Cassill(i) 49 58 112.177
* Car must run 10 consecutive laps on the track to be included in the above chart.
*Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
EVENT PREVIEW NOTEBOOK - SIZING UP THE COMPETITION FOR RICHMOND
TRUEX: "IT'S A NICE FEELING" - Martin Truex, Jr, hasn't always been safe and sound going into the last week of the NASCAR regular season but this year he is set. Truex, who won earlier this season at Pocono, has already punched his ticket into the Chase. Richmond is just a chance to put himself in better position.
The driver of the No. 78 Chevrolet for Furniture Row Racing admits it's a welcome change to not carry any stress into Richmond.
"It's a nice feeling going to Richmond knowing the race is the final tune-up before the Chase and not the final race to make the Chase," Truex said. "Though we don't have the pressure of making the Chase, we're still going to approach Richmond with the same energy to win as we did in the first 25 races of the season. Taking another three points into the Chase is what we’ll be after in Richmond.”
While Truex is locked into the Chase grid, he could benefit from another win as he currently sits 10th on the Chase grid. But the Sprint Cup veteran knows a Richmond win won't be easy, it will have to be earned.
"“Even though we all like competing at Richmond, it is always a tough place to do well at," Truex said.. “It’s a unique short track and also one of the hardest to make your car do what you want it to do. The car is usually tight in the middle of the corner and loose off. We had a top-10 finish (10th) at the first race in Richmond this year and feel we can improve upon that result.”
This will Truex's 20th career start at the Virginia short track and he has just one top-five finish and carries an average finish of 21.4.
BOWYER IS A REAL CONTENDER AT RICHMOND - Richmond is a place Clint Bowyer knows well. He's become acquainted with the track on his way to a pair of victories at the track.
Bowyer won back in 2008 after Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt, Jr, got tangled up in front of him and he also went to victory lane in 2012, his debut season at Michael Waltrip Racing.
Bowyer could really use a win at Richmond in his last season at MWR and he feels like there's no better place than where he's at this weekend.
"Richmond is one of those tracks that I've always had a lot of confidence in," Bowyer said. "She's been good to me. We've gone there and raced our way in there before and we've gone there and been locked in and won the thing on a fuel mileage deal. It's a fun racetrack, challenging. The second time around when the money's on the line, if you are on that bubble in the Chase, it's a pressure cooker for sure and pretty intense."
The driver of the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota knows having success there is pretty cut and dry.
"The key to Richmond is what it's always been," Bowyer said. "Have a fast race car and a good group of guys around you and certainly we have that. It's such a fun race track -- perfect size. Everybody always asks what's one of the best race tracks and I really do believe for the speed we go, the tires we're on and the things we are asking for out of these race cars, that a 3/4-mile track like Richmond is certainly up there."
BERRY SET TO MAKE ANOTHER START FOR JR MOTORSPORTS - If you follow short track late model racing then you know the name Josh Berry. The guy is a winner on the late model stock car scene, including a couple of wins on the CARS tour this season.
Friday night is a whole different ball game because he's going to strap in to Dale Earnhardt, Jr's No. 88 Xfinity series ride for just the third time in his career.
Berry, who ran at Richmond in the K&N Pro Series East last season, will carry the banner of his late model team's primary sponsor, Speedco.
"I'm really excited to see the Speedco paint scheme from our late model on an Xfinity car," Berry said. "I ran twice last year in the Xfinity Series and wasn't sure I'd have the opportunity to do it again, but luckily Speedco came on board for this race."
Berry believes his experience at Richmond and at short tracks in general can translate to success on Friday night.
"I've been to Richmond before," Berry said. "I've run a K&N Series East race there, so at least it's a track I've been to and hopefully we can find some success. I'm just really excited to have another opportunity to move up. We've had a really good season so far in the late model car and I can't wait to get to the track this weekend."
NUMBERS ARE ON THE SIDE OF TEAM PENSKE - The duo of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano aren't losing any sleep about Richmond. Both are locked into the Chase and did so early in the season. The pair should be content with this week's trip to Richmond since they swept the races there last season.
Keslowski has led 648 laps in his career at the track including a record 383 in last season's victory.
Logano, who will make the start in the No. 22 Xfinity Series ride, hasn't grabbed a NXS victory at the track but won in Sprint Cup competition last season. Logano has won in Sprint Cup and Xfinity competition at five tracks and is looking to make Richmond one of them this weekend.
HAMLIN SUFFERS OFF-TRACK INJURY - Joe Gibbs Racing announced veteran driver Denny Hamlin suffered a torn ACL while playing basketball earlier this week. Hamlin won't miss any time out of his No. 11 FedEx Toyota but will have to undergo surgery to repair the ligament following the season.
Stay tuned to CircleTrackPlus for notes and quotes from Hamlin's scheduled Friday press conference.
ALLGAIER AMONGST THOSE IN NEED OF A WIN - Richmond sets this scenario up almost every year since the Chase format began -- win or you're not going to have a chance for a Championship. For Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 51 Brandt Chevrolet, the same old storybook applies to his situation in the regular season finale.
Allgaier, who will serve as the in-car reporter during MRN's broadcast of the race, is coming off a 27th place finish at Darlington and knows the scenario for him is simple.
"There's a lot on the line at Richmond this weekend," Allgaier said. "If you aren't already locked in the Chase, it's your last chance. It's our last chance to get in and the same for several other drivers. We're all aggressive by nature, and guys will do things they normally wouldn't because there's so much on the line. I've always enjoyed driving at Richmond. The shorter the track and the more unique the track is, the more I seem to like it. We were doing really well in the spring race, but didn't get the finish to show for it."
Allgaier's crew chief Steve Addington draws quite a bit of confidence from their strong run at Richmond earlier this season.
"We had a good weekend at Richmond earlier this year, and I hope to repeat the same this weekend and get the finish to show for it," Addington said. "Justin does really well at the short tracks and I think we'll see a lot of different strategies for the drivers who are trying to make the Chase. Biggest factor this weekend looks like it's going to be the weather."
EDWARDS, JGR READY FOR CHASE - Matt Kenseth made a serious splash in the NASCAR world during the 2013 season, his first season after leaving Roush-Fenway Racing for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Kenseth's former Roush-Fenway teammate Carl Edwards is making a similar splash with JGR this season. With his two wins coming in a pair of NASCAR's "crown jewel" events, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500.
But Edwards, who was a tiebreaker away from a championship back in 2011, is solely focused on finishing out the regular season strong at Richmond.
"Richmond is one of the most fun tracks we go to on the circuit," Edwards said. "It’s just big enough, it has high speeds, but it’s still small enough and it feels like a short track. You can really race close and slide the car around and have some fun. It’s the last race before the Chase starts, it’s an opportunity for our ARRIS team to have some fun and go for another win.
"Joe Gibbs Racing has been really strong and it has been an awesome roll we have been on. We had an awesome week last week with all of our sponsors at Darlington and we have ARRIS back on our Camry this week and it would be great to get them back in Victory Lane.”
DANICA IS READY FOR RICHMOND - Now would be the best time for Danica Patrick to prove she belongs and score a win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. The win would not only prove all her hardwork was worth it and break down barriers but it would clinch her spot in the Chase for the Championship.
Patrick admits Richmond is a track she enjoys.
"I’ve always enjoyed going to Richmond," Patrick said. "I had fun racing Indy cars there. I liked driving the Xfinity car there, as well. We didn’t have the greatest results, but it was still fun."
Richmond is a track for which Patrick has real experience. Earlier this season, she came home with a 16th place finish at the .75 mile Virginia track but in other short track competition she has fared well. Patrick grabbed a seventh place finish at Martinsville Speedway earlier this season and then willed her way to a ninth place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Patrick believes things may get a little testy Saturday night under the lights.
“I highly doubt it will be business as usual," Patrick admitted. "You want to get the most points possible because those spots are open and people are going to try like hell to win the race. There is always that last great push at the end and it will be interesting to see how it turns out.
"There might be a few yellows.”
WHO'S SAFE, WHO'S HOPING, WHO'S PRAYING: RICHMOND CHASE SCENARIOS - It's down to one race. The final chance for drivers who may have caught tough breaks or just flat out underperformed during the season to try and make NASCAR's Chase for the Championship.
There are four drivers who can make the Chase regardless of who wins Saturday night at Richmond -- others aren't so lucky.
Jamie McMurray just has to qualify for and start Saturday night's race at Richmond, and he has secured his spot in the Chase. Many outlets reported him being in but his clinch isn't official, merely due to formality. In all reality, McMurray along with Kyle Busch locked up their spots last Sunday at Darlington.
Ryan Newman made it all the way to the final round of last season's Chase for the Championship without even visiting victory lane. He can keep his hopes alive to match his success with a 31st place finish or better, a 32nd place finish with at least one lap led or a 33rd place finish if he leads the most lap.
Jeff Gordon, who's likely making his final career start at Richmond, clinches his spot with a finish of 17th or better, 18th with at least one lap led or19th with the most laps led. While Gordon hasn't won at Richmond since 2000, he also hasn't finished worse than 11th since 2012's spring race when he finished 23rd.
Paul Menard can clinch his spot by finishing ninth or better, 10th with at least one lap led or 11th with the most laps led.
If someone who has won already wins Saturday night then Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon clinch regardless of finishing position. This would also make it easier for Menard who would need just a finish of 38th or better, 39th with at least one lap led or 40th with the most laps led.
A repeat winner would also open the door for Clint Bowyer to make the Chase with a finishing 28th or better, 29th with at least one lap led or 30th with the most laps led. Bowyer has two wins and ten top ten finishes at the Virginia short track.
Aric Almirola and Kasey Kahne who both made the Chase last season do not have the best odds to repeat this season. Both will need basically everybody ahead of them to have poor finishes in order to clinch but both could put themselves in with a win. While Almirola hasn't won at Richmond, Kahne earned his first career Sprint Cup win at Richmond back in 2005.
But for some drivers, 12 to be exact, it's win or go home. Tony Stewart, who has multiple wins at the track, is in desperate need of a win to make the Chase. The Roush Fenway Racing trio of Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr, and Greg Biffle are in the same boat. Stewart's teammate Danica Patrick also needs a win.
Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, A.J. Allmendinger, Casey Mears, David Ragan, Sam Hornish, Jr, and Justin Allgaier are among the others who must win to earn a spot in the Chase.
To the casual race fan it may seem like algebra to a thousandth power but to many race fans they know these Chase scenarios will insure the drivers on the bubble will leave nothing to chance leaving Richmond late Saturday night.
KNOW YOUR RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY HISTORY - Richmond International Raceway, once known as the Virginia State Fairgrounds, is a .75 mile, D-shaped, asphalt race track which is just outside Richmond, Virginia.
The first Sprint Cup race ever held at RIR happened on April 19th, 1953 and Lee Petty emerged victorious. Petty Enterprises has the most wins as a team at the Virginia track with 15.
Like many other tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit, Richard Petty holds the record for most wins at the track with 13. David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip and Rusty Wallace are all tied for a distant second with six victories.
Richmond was the site of 3-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart's first career win back in 1999. RIR was also the host of Sprint Cup veteran Kasey Kahne's first trip to victory lane.
“It’s not one of my favorite tracks; it is my favorite track," Stewart said. "It’s the perfect-sized track for a Cup race. The other short tracks we run – Bristol and Martinsville – they’re cool in their own right, but there’s a lot of congestion at those two tracks. But at Richmond, it just seems like that extra quarter-mile, and that three-quarter-mile shape, and how wide the groove gets there, allows for good racing."
While Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 36 victories at RIR, Ford is not far behind with 31 victories. Ford also enters the weekend boasting a three race Richmond win streak including a sweep of last year's races by the Team Penske tandem of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano.
The deepest a driver has started in a Sprint Cup field of 43 and emerged victorious is 31st when Clint Bowyer scored a victory back in the Spring of 2008.
