2017 NASCAR Week 9: Richmond

Toyota Owners 400

Richmond International Raceway

By Richard Tix

This week we are heading right into the normal weekly contend of Good, Middle, Bad. It's been a busy stretch and next week I am off to Mexico for a full weeks vacation so in order to get it all in some things will be short and sweet,

On top of that Dale Earnhardt Junior broke his retirement news which has taken some of my free time to soak that all in. So, let's move along with the rest of the weekly content below.

**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- Rowdy hasn't won here since 2012, but he still has the most wins at RIR of current drivers (four). He does have three straight top tens which include two runner up finishes.
• Denny Hamlin- DH won here last fall and also has three straight top ten finishes at RIR, the other two being a pair of 6th place finishes.
• Kevin Harvick- Harvick has four top fives in his last five starts here at RIR. He has three wins, 20 top tens, and an average finish of 10.5 in 32 career starts here.

The Middle

• Kyle Larson- 16th, 11th, 12th, 12th, 15th, and 2nd almost say it all for his "middle" spot this week. I'd expect him to be closer to that 2nd spot then the 16th this weekend.

The Bad

• Ryan Blaney- Really small sample size (two races), but those two races resulted in a 28th and 39th place finish.
• Paul Menard- 20 career starts and only one top ten (a top five) says it all for Paul.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr- Ricky has one top ten in eight career RIR starts. What's bad is that that tenth place finish is also his only top 15 as well.

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).
• Toyota has won three straight

Track Info

• Surface - Asphalt
• Length - 0.75 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 14 degrees
• Frontstretch: 8 degrees
• Backstretch: 2 degrees

2017 NASCAR Schedule: Richmond

Toyota Owners 400

By Richard Tix

All Times are Eastern Timezone (ET)

Friday April 28th, 2017

• 11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- FS1
• 1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice- FS1
• 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- FS1
• 4:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- FS1

Saturday April 29th, 2017

• 9-9:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- FS1
• 10:05 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- FS1
• 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice- FS1
• 1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series ToyotaCare 250 (250 laps)- FS1

Sunday April 30th, 2017

• 2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 (400 laps)- FOX

2016 Week 26 Pit Road: Richmond

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Richmond International Raceway

By Richard Tix

It's time to reset. 26 races down and 10 to go to crown the 2016 Sprint Cup Champion. The first 26 races were a blast but I guarantee the next ten will be even better as the heat ramps up. It may not always be the best "clean" racing, but it is sure to provide some enjoyment. 

As always, Behind the Wall will go into the Chase with a clean slate in the Power Rankings. It is time to reset them completely. This week the rankings will start as a mix between how hot they're coming into the Chase and how much of a chance I think they have at winning. Remember, it is a mix of the two aspect's (cough cough, Rowdy fans). I think Kyle is higher then a top seven contender, but he isn't coming into the Chase setting the world on fire.

For the first three races we will have 16 drivers ranked and they will all come from the Chase field. Once NASCAR cuts the field to 12 so will Behind the Wall (again, all Chase drivers). Once we cut to 8 drivers I will still rank the top 12, but the top 8 will be only drivers left in the Chase and the remaining four can be anyone (previous Chase drivers OR someone who was never in the Chase). This type format will continue all the way down to the final (so in the end the Champion will be number one and the other eleven can be anyone in the Sprint Cup. 

Let the fun begin!

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 26 (Week 25)

1. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Four straight top fives from a guy who has navigated this Chase format before, yup I'm all in with Harvick as a safe No. 1. Some pit crew worries have held up the excitement of a second title in three years. 
2. Denny Hamlin (LW-2)- He had seven straight top 10's BEFORE RIR's win. Two wins, five top 5's, and eight top 10's in his last eight means Hamlin has turned it on at the right time. 
3. Brad Keselowsi (LW-4)- The No. 2 team qualified poorly for RIR, but managed to salvage the night. That is what BK and Paul Wolfe have done all year; use strategy to compete week in and week out. Those saving strategies could be the difference in a Champion or an exit.
4. Martin Truex Jr (LW-8)- MTJ and the No. 78 love 1.5 mile tracks and the Chase has a bunch of them. Truex followed up his Darlington win with a 3rd place run at RIR after leading 193 laps.
5. Joey Logano (LW-3)- For a guy who has ten top 5's and 18 top 10's in 26 races, JoLo's season has been quiet. I think most of that has to do with his one win, but don't count out his consistency to get him to Miami.
6. Kyle Larson (LW-6)- Ask me two months ago where Larson would be in the rankings at this time and I would have said something like "either 15th or missing the Chase." He has turned his youth promise into reality. A win at MIS got him in, but his last three races have all been top 3 finishes. 
7. Kyle Busch (LW-11)- I like this Kyle's odds of winning a Championship more then the one above, but the Chase is a funny thing now. You have to get hot at the right time and avoid the bad luck. Rowdy has been fast all year and if he is during the next ten races he has a shot to go back to back.
8. Carl Edwards (LW-5)- Carl started 2016 on fire, but it hasn't gone very smooth as of late. JGR isn't what it was in the first half so maybe other teams have a shot to take them down.
9. Jimmie Johnson (LW-12)- This is not typical Johnson, but this is also not typical Hendrick. It's been awhile since Team Hendrick has lost this much on the track, so it will be interesting to see JJ and Chase fight through it.
10. Chase Elliott (LW-7)- Speaking of Chase, Elliott has had one heck of a rookie season. I'm not sure he can make a legit push at a Championship this year, but at the very least he has shown it should be in his future.
11. Matt Kenseth (LW-9)- I'm not sure what to think of Kenseth. He sure hasn't run well as of late, but they have the speed. Plus, he is a veteran that you can't count out of it. Anything is possible, but inconsistency could be the No. 20's downfall this year.
12. Kurt Busch (LW-NR)- Where has Kurt gone? He finishes 8th on Saturday, but it is a lone bright spot as of late. He started the season as a title contender with a great start, but now he might be bounced by the round of eight.
13. Jamie McMurray (LW-11)- It's been fun watching CGR get a win at MIS (Larson) and JMac pointing his way in with four top 10's in the last five races. 
14. Tony Stewart (LW-NR)- Rules are rules so Smoke is in the Chase, but his last four races have been terrible. He did turn it on for awhile this season, but can he get that back and have one final run at another Championship?
15. Austin Dillon (LW-NR)- AD took a step this year and it paid off by making the Chase. A career high in top 10's (10), he has already doubled his previous high (5). 
16. Chris Buescher (LW-NR)- I think more people are mad Beuscher got in then Smoke, yet Chris won a race and ran all of the races... You can't fault a guy for playing by the rules and using strategy to get here. Plus, who in the final four spots really has a legit shot to win anyways? If you want to argue, argue that we have too many Chase spots. Congrats Chris!

2016 NASCAR Week 26 Preview: Richmond

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. 

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

2016 Richmond NASCAR Schedule

Federated Auto Parts 400

By Richard Tix

All Times are Eastern Tiem Zone (ET)

Friday September 9, 2016

• 8-9:55 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice- NBCSN
• 10-10:55 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice- NBCSN
• 12-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice- NBCSN
• 4:15 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN
• 5:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN
• 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Virginia529 College Savings 250 (250 laps)- NBCSN

Saturday September 10, 2016

• 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 (400 laps)- NBCSN

2016 NASCAR Pit Road Week 9: Richmond

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Toyota Owners 400

Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports  

By Richard Tix

Lady's and Gentlemen, Sunday was fun. We will get to the finish later, but from start to finish I was thoroughly entertained. Restarts were a blast with guys trying to make up ground early which resulted in some great racing.

Cars entering and exiting turns one and two were a blast to watch specifically. The racing was fantastic leaving turn two with three, sometimes four wide coming out. Plenty of lanes were opening up which was all due to a good tire with fantastic fall off that drivers had to manage. 

You know it's good racing when we have fun and different strategies across the board, cars coming and going, great tire fall off that helps the racing action and the coming and going, and plenty of passing from front to back.

Battles were constant all race long which was directly related to the package combined with a soft tire that fell off depending on how well you took care of them (which wasn't easy). 

None of that mentions the fantastic finish we got. With Kyle Busch out front on a late restart Carl Edwards was in a position to run him down. Edwards drove every corner hard and once he reached him it looked as if he pushed too hard while Kyle was saving.

However, on the last lap Carl drove in once again getting his nose below Kyle's and gave him a big enough nudge to get him loose and take the checkers. It was good ole fashion racing and it was short track racing at it's best all wrapped up into one.

Both guys had already clinched a spot in the Chase with a win so it was free game for teammates to go for the victory. Carl didn't wreck him or put him in the wall which would have put him back even farther. Instead he just moved him enough to get what he wanted, a trip to victory lane.

In my opinion nothing is wrong with that. If you're not going for the win you're not racing hard enough. It's one thing to wreck someone but this was a perfect move to move him enough to win and race clean enough to not spin him out. As long as Carl know's the same will be done to him, then there is no issue at all and it was raced perfect. 

All and all it was another great race of 2016 which is adding to the already large list with the same label.

2016 Toyota Owners 400 Results

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 9 (Week 8)

1. Carl Edwards (LW-2)- Last week I gave Ky Busch the benefit of doubt because he had been so good to start the season but after two straight wins for Carl I can not deny the top spot. On top of those wins he has eight top 10's and five top 5's. After leading 151 laps this week, 276 last week, and 124 at Texas he now has led the most in 2016 (626 total). Finish: 1st
2. Kyle Busch (LW-1)- Tough way to lose first. Not only did he lose the top spot in the rankings but he was bumped out of the way for the win on the last lap. I'm not sure if it was because it was a teammate of because he has grown up a bit, but it was a calm and respectable reaction post race from Rowdy in a tough situation. Finish: 2nd
3. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- It's almost as Harvick has been overlooked this season. The JGR Toyota's have been so strong that people forget he is second in points with eight top 10's. Finish: 5th
4. Jimmie Johnson (LW-6)- Johnson started third and finished third. Just a typical day at the office for JJ on Sunday. His average running position was in the top five and he had his highest driver rating (116) since week 5 at Fontana which he won. Finish: 3rd
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-3)- The next three are the next best thing when it comes to "best drivers without a win so far in 2016." Junior gets the nudge but mostly because he was third last week and Ill give him a bit of a break on his slide down. It wasn't a great week but he ran in the top 10 most of the day. Finish: 13th
6. Joey Logano (LW-5)- If you look at the group of three drivers I spoke about above (Jr, JoLo, and Kurt) JoLo has probably finished the best weekly. However, the way he has done it has been unsettling to Penske fans. He was flat out terrible most of the day Sunday, but manage to fight back. The fight is a good thing, but the in race struggles are concerning. Finish: 8th
7. Kurt Busch (LW-7)- Kurt notched off another top 10 for his third straight but they just can't seem to figure it out late in the race. He now has four races where he led more than 30 laps but only two top 5's have come from it. Finish: 10th
8. Martin Truex Jr (LW-9)- It's time to start thinking about Truex having to make it in on points. Yes, the Chase is still a ways away, but he has not shown the same speed he did to start the season. He did get back into the top 10 for the second time in three races on Sunday. Finish: 9th
9. Denny Hamlin (LW-12)- DH is like Kenseth below, but with just a bit more luck. He has run better then his finishing position most races, but just found a way to waste it away (bad luck or penalties). However, I would say he has been the straggler of JGR despite what the points show. Finish: 6th
10. Brad Keselowski (LW-10)- It's been a strange trend for Team Penske early in 2016. The have been pretty good in qualifying, but nothing like last year. Penske has also not been as good during the race as 2015 either. Still, both drivers have been hanging around. Finish: 11th
11. Chase Elliott (LW-8)- Tough day for many including Chase Elliott. He was down a lap for the longest time but worked his way back and ended up with a top 15. He already has five top 10's so far this year with four of those coming in the last six races. Finish: 12th
12. Matt Kenseth (LW-NR)- Just one top 10 is enough to get Kenseth back in the top 12 mix. Why? Well because he has been better than his finishes show. He has led a lap in eight of the nine races so far and four of those have been 40 or more laps. Just look at the other JGR cars if you need evidence for why Kenseth just made the top 12. Finish: 7th

Dropped Out: Jamie McMurray (LW-11)

Just Missed: Kasey Kahne

2016 NASCAR Week 9 Stats: Richmond

Current Driver Averages at Richmond

By Richard Tix

Active NASCAR Cup Driver Statistics at Richmond International Raceway
#	Driver	Avg FN	Avg ST	Races	W	T5	T10	T20	Lap Led	Pole	DNF
1	Kyle Busch	7.10	12.70	21	4	14	15	20	940	1	0
2	Denny Hamlin	10.79	10.80	19	2	7	10	14	1,404	2	0
3	Kevin Harvick	10.83	15.00	30	3	9	18	27	987	1	0
4	Clint Bowyer	11.30	13.00	20	2	4	12	17	348	0	1
5	Ryan Newman	11.50	12.60	28	1	6	16	26	454	1	0
6	Tony Stewart	12.67	17.50	33	3	11	19	26	950	0	3
7	Kyle Larson	12.75	8.00	4	0	0	0	4	0	0	0
8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	13.24	16.80	33	3	10	14	27	501	1	1
9	Joey Logano	13.79	11.40	14	1	5	6	10	165	2	1
10	Carl Edwards	14.00	13.20	23	1	4	11	17	488	1	1
11	Matt Kenseth	15.53	18.90	32	2	6	15	22	755	0	1
12	Chase Elliott	16.00	16.00	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
13	Brad Keselowski	16.23	8.80	13	1	2	5	10	648	1	1
14	Aric Almirola	16.38	21.30	8	0	1	3	6	0	0	0
15	Kurt Busch	16.53	18.10	30	2	6	11	19	748	0	1
16	Jimmie Johnson	16.68	12.80	28	3	6	11	18	417	2	1
17	Kasey Kahne	17.25	14.30	24	1	4	8	15	281	1	2
18	Greg Biffle	17.67	19.80	27	0	2	6	19	77	1	1
19	Bobby Labonte	19.24	20.00	41	0	4	10	21	161	1	3
20	A.J. Allmendinger	19.71	18.00	17	0	0	3	9	1	0	1
21	Jamie McMurray	20.27	21.80	26	0	3	6	15	29	0	4
22	Martin Truex Jr.	21.95	16.00	20	0	1	5	8	48	0	3
23	Brian Scott	22.00	17.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
24	David Ragan	22.17	23.40	18	0	3	3	7	0	0	0
25	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	22.33	18.70	6	0	0	1	3	0	0	0
26	Mike Wallace	22.75	31.60	12	0	0	1	4	53	0	1
27	Justin Allgaier	23.00	24.50	4	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
28	Trevor Bayne	23.50	31.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	Paul Menard	23.67	24.40	18	0	1	1	6	4	0	0
30	Sam Hornish Jr.	23.67	29.40	9	0	0	2	3	0	0	1
31	Brian Vickers	24.00	17.60	18	0	0	3	7	53	2	2
32	David Reutimann	24.13	19.70	15	0	0	1	5	104	1	0
33	Casey Mears	24.42	22.80	26	0	0	1	8	6	0	2
34	Regan Smith	25.00	19.90	9	0	0	0	2	0	0	1
35	Michael Waltrip	25.07	24.10	45	0	0	2	15	82	0	11
36	Austin Dillon	25.25	21.80	4	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
37	Danica Patrick	25.50	24.80	6	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
38	Dave Blaney	25.88	25.20	26	0	1	2	9	12	0	5
39	Travis Kvapil	27.81	30.40	16	0	0	0	3	3	0	0
40	Landon Cassill	28.18	27.80	11	0	0	0	2	1	0	0
41	Reed Sorenson	29.06	30.80	16	0	0	0	4	0	0	4
42	David Gilliland	30.11	34.90	19	0	0	0	2	0	0	3
43	Johnny Sauter	30.13	31.50	8	0	1	1	2	0	0	1
44	J.J. Yeley	30.25	38.00	12	0	0	1	3	0	0	4
45	Brendan Gaughan	30.50	38.50	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
46	Brett Moffitt	32.00	25.50	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
47	David Stremme	33.69	25.80	16	0	0	0	1	0	0	6
48	Alex Bowman	33.75	31.50	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
49	Timmy Hill	34.00	42.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
50	Mike Bliss	34.33	33.50	12	0	1	1	2	0	0	8
51	Ryan Truex	36.00	29.70	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
52	Michael Annett	36.50	32.00	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
53	Matt DiBenedetto	36.50	35.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
54	Cole Whitt	37.00	36.60	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
55	Josh Wise	37.43	32.90	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
56	Jeb Burton	38.50	40.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
57	Michael McDowell	38.60	30.90	10	0	0	0	1	1	0	9
58	Alex Kennedy	39.00	42.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
59	Jeffrey Earnhardt	40.00	42.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
60	Joey Gase	43.00	35.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1