Federated Auto Parts 400
Richmond International Raceway
By Richard Tix
Everything comes down to this. One. Last. Race. Thirteen drivers are going to arrive at Richmond and take one huge breath of fresh air remembering they don't have any extra pressure on them until race 27. Meanwhile, the rest of the teams are scrambling, waking up from nightmares, and trying to prepare as best they can for one last shot at a win.
Thirteen drivers did what was needed in the first 25 races so they could get to this point and not stress over where they stand before Chicagoland. Those thirteen will focus on winning, like they do every week, without the pressure of behind a bystander in the Chase. With the exception of Chris Buescher, all thirteen are locked in (Chris just needs to stay top 30).
What this leaves us is three spots open with a wildcard fourth spot if Buescher has early trouble, finishes 40th, and drops out of the top 30 in points.
The only way the rest of the drivers know for sure on the last lap if they're in, is if they win. So, can guys like Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Austin Dillon, Kasey Kahne, Trevor Bayne, Paul Menard, or Ryan Blaney get it done? One thing is for sure, only three (maybe four) will be in the Chase from that group above.
The Sprint Cup Chase not only adds excitement to the last ten races of the season, but it also adds another dimension in during the closing races of the regular season, as any popular sport in America does.
Thirteen drivers did what was needed in the first 25 races so they could get to this point and not stress over where they stand before Chicagoland. Those thirteen will focus on winning, like they do every week, without the pressure of behind a bystander in the Chase. With the exception of Chris Buescher, all thirteen are locked in (Chris just needs to stay top 30).
What this leaves us is three spots open with a wildcard fourth spot if Buescher has early trouble, finishes 40th, and drops out of the top 30 in points.
The only way the rest of the drivers know for sure on the last lap if they're in, is if they win. So, can guys like Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Austin Dillon, Kasey Kahne, Trevor Bayne, Paul Menard, or Ryan Blaney get it done? One thing is for sure, only three (maybe four) will be in the Chase from that group above.
The Sprint Cup Chase not only adds excitement to the last ten races of the season, but it also adds another dimension in during the closing races of the regular season, as any popular sport in America does.
So get ready fans, Richmond should be a fun weekend!
**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**
The Good
- Kyle Busch- A 6.9 average finish position over a 22 race career should say it all for Rowdy. If not, four career wins should say the rest (which is the most active wins at RIR). The last two RIR races he finished runner up so he has a good chance to end up in VL.
- Kevin Harvick- Three career wins, ten top 5's, and 19 top 10's. Harvick knows how to get it done at RIR. Earlier this year he took the pole and finished 5th after leading 63 laps.
- Joey Logano- JoLo has five straight top 10's at RIR which all started with a win in 2014. RIR is a track he slowly came around to, but now can consitently be found at the front.
The Middle
- Ryan Newman- Newman is going to need more then just a top 15 finish this weekend to make the Chase. However his last and only RIR win was in 2003.
The Bad
- Greg Biffle- For a driver who has had as good a career as Biffle has, six top 10's in 28 career RIR starts is not something to be proud of. In fact, he hasn't cracked the top 10 in seven straight races.
- Martin Truex Jr- In 21 career RIR starts Truex has one top 5 and six top 10's. Worse yet, only nine times has he finshed in the top 20.
- Austin Dillon- 27th, 20th, 27th, 27th, and 20th. Sound like a ton of great finishes? Nope, not really. It's a very short sample, but so far it hasn't gone AD's way.
About the Track: Richmond
Track Stats
- Richard Petty once won 7 RIR races in a row, 9 of 10, and 12 of 17. All were from 1967 to 1975
- In 2013 Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards won from the 17th and 26th positions. Joey Logano won in 2014 (Spring) from the 17th position as well.
- In 2009 and 2010 Kyle Busch won both early season races and Denny Hamlin won both late season. Kyle also won the early season RIR race in 2011 and 2012 making it 5 straight Toyota wins and 6 in 7 (actually 7 of 8 because Bowyer won late in 2012).
- Richard Petty has the most career RIR wins with 13.
- Of current drivers Kyle Busch has the most total wins with 4.
- Richard Petty also has the most career top 5's (34), top 10's (41), and Poles (tied with Bobby Allison with 8).
Track Info
- Surface
- Asphalt
- Length
- 0.75 miles
- Banking
- Turns: 14 degrees
- Frontstretch: 8 degrees
- Backstretch: 2 degrees
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