Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Richmond Raceway

  • Brennan Poole to make 100th Xfinity career start at Richmond

    Brennan Poole to make 100th Xfinity career start at Richmond

    Competing in his fifth season with at least one start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Brennan Poole is within reach of a milestone start. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Richmond Raceway, the driver of the No. 6 Chevrolet Camaro will reach 100 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.

    A native of The Woodlands, Texas, and the 2011 UARA-Stars champion, Poole made his inaugural presence in the NASCAR Xfinity circuit during the 2015 season when he joined HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi to pilot the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro for 15 events. By then, he had made a total of 35 starts in the ARCA Menards Series while garnering six victories. Making his debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, Poole started 16th and finished ninth, which would be his best result of the season. He went on to make a total of 17 starts throughout the 2015 Xfinity season, where he notched another top-10 result at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July by finishing 10th. He also achieved 10 top-15 results and an average-finishing result of 12.4.

    In 2016, Poole campaigned in the Xfinity circuit on a full-time basis behind the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro for Chip Ganassi Racing. Commencing his rookie season by finishing 27th at Daytona International Speedway in February, Poole notched two 10th-place results during the first eight events on the schedule. Then at Talladega Superspeedway in April, he dodged a last lap carnage involving leaders Joey Logano and Elliott Sadler to edge Justin Allgaier in a photo finish and notch what would have been his first career victory in NASCAR. Poole, however, was relegated back to third place in the final running order after NASCAR awarded the win to Sadler by virtue of being in first place when the caution for the final lap wreck was displayed and since Poole had assumed the lead after the caution was displayed. Despite falling short of winning at Talladega, the Texan notched another third-place run at Road America in August along with an additional three top-five results and nine top-10 results during the final 17 regular-season events on the schedule before claiming a spot to the inaugural 2016 Xfinity Series Playoffs. With his title hopes evaporating despite claiming three consecutive top-20 results during the Round of 12, Poole earned three top-11 results during the final four events on the schedule before finishing in eighth place in the final standings. Overall, he achieved four top-five results, 17 top-10 results, 11 laps led and an average-finishing result of 12.4 during his first Xfinity season.

    Remaining at CGR for the 2017 season, Poole’s sophomore season commenced with a 26th-place run at Daytona after being involved in a late wreck. He rallied by posting four eighth-place runs during the following nine events. At Daytona in July, Poole notched his first career pole in the series and was running towards the front until he was bumped by William Byron and wrecked with Ty Dillon on the fronstretch. He rallied by finishing seventh. Throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, Poole’s highest on-track result was a fourth-place run at Iowa Speedway in July as he recorded 12 top-10 results before making his second consecutive appearance in the Xfinity Playoffs. During the Playoff opener at Kentucky Speedway in September, the Texan notched a career-best runner-up result after finishing 14.5 seconds behind teammate Tyler Reddick. He then claimed back-to-back fifth-place results before transferring to the Round of 8. Following two consecutive top-12 results during the Round of 8, Poole entered the round’s finale at Phoenix Raceway in November with a five-point advantage over the fourth and final transfer spot to the Championship 4 finale. During the 23rd lap at Phoenix, however, Poole’s hopes of transferring to the finale evaporated after he collided with Caesar Bacarella in Turn 1, which sent Poole’s No. 48 Chevrolet into the outside wall with a blown right-front tire and significant damage that terminated his run. He went on to finish sixth in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and in a career-best sixth place in the final championship standings. Ironically, Poole achieved the exact number of top-five runs (four) and top-10 results (17) from his rookie season while capping off the season with 14 laps led and an average-finishing result of 13.5.

    The following season, Poole lost his ride at CGR, but sued the team in June and alleged that the organization along with agency Spire Sports + Entertainment breached his contract by moving his sponsor DC Solar to sponsor CGR’s NASCAR Cup Series operations. With the settlement between all three parties being disputed out-of-court at the conclusion of the season, Poole proceeded by making a total of 27 starts in the NASCAR Truck Series from 2018 to 2021. He also campaigned in his first full-time season during the 2020 Cup season, where he finished 32nd in the final standings while competing for Premium Motorsports.

    This past season, Poole returned to the Xfinity circuit with the intention of competing in the series’ three West Coast events for Mike Harmon Racing. He failed to qualify at Auto Club Speedway in February and at Phoenix in March, but managed to compete at Las Vegas in March, where he finished 37th following an early engine failure. Ultimately, Poole attempted to compete in 21 additional events with MHR, Jimmy Means Racing and JD Motorsports throughout the season, but successfully qualified for nine, beginning at Richmond Raceway in April and concluding at Phoenix in November. In a total of 10 starts, his best on-track result was a 14th-place run at Homestead with JD Motorsports in October.

    Through 99 previous Xfinity starts, Poole has achieved a pole, eight top-five results, 36 top-10 results, 31 laps led and an average-finishing result of 16.7 while he continues to pursue his first victory across NASCAR’s top three national touring series. He has racked up an average-finishing result of 27.7 through the first six Xfinity events on this year’s schedule, with his best on-track result being a 13th-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway two races ago, and is ranked in 27th place in the driver’s standings.

    Poole is scheduled to make his 100th career start in the Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, April 1, with the event’s coverage scheduled slated to occur at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Tales from the beat: A deer in headlights

    Tales from the beat: A deer in headlights

    On Aug. 25, 2013, HBO aired an episode of “The Newsroom,” titled “Red Team III.” In its third act, Will McAvoy recounts to the team of Atlantis Cable News’ defense attorneys about various historical figures and events: Claudette Colvin, Guiseppe Zangara and the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. He caps off each tale with “what if” scenarios revolving around how if one or a few tiny variables changed, then it would have a colossal knock-on effect on the trajectory of the United States.

    I mention this, because I sometimes ponder the night of Sept. 9, 2017, and how a misplaced headset, a Sheetz cup of coffee, drowsiness and a Virginia state trooper prevented me from smashing into either a deer or guardrails.

    One night in Virginia

    About an hour earlier, I wrapped up my coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway. Kyle Larson took the checkered flag and set the field for the playoffs. That was after, of course, I went back up to the press box to retrieve a Racing Electronic headset that I accidentally left up there, came back down and found the door to the infield pedestrian tunnel padlocked. Thus, I walked around the Turns 1 and 2 grandstands to the infield vehicle tunnel on the backstretch.

    At this point, I’m roughly 30 minutes from the interchange where Interstate 64 merges with I-81. At this point, I’ve been awake for almost 24 hours straight and had another two hours of driving to get to my Airbnb in Roanoke, Virginia. My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim (can you tell I like “Hotel California?”). So I stopped at a Sheetz for coffee.

    Fast forward roughly 20 minutes later, I cruise down I-64, barely awake. A woman in a white jeep flashes her brights to signal she wants to pass. So I shift over to the outer lane and she speeds by me.

    Now if you’ve ever driven down I-64 going to or from Richmond, you’ll know how the Virginia State Police loves to hide its cars in between the giant trees that separate I-64’s east and westbound lanes. Sure enough, out of the corner of my eye, I spot a black-hooded Ford Taurus. A few seconds later, I see red and blue lights flash in my rear-view mirror. Thinking it’s for me, I flip my turn signal and prepare to pull over. As my foot hovers over the brake pedal, however, it zooms by my car and pulls over the white jeep.

    I breathed a sigh of relief and kept driving. Thankful I wouldn’t have to call my parents in the middle of the night to explain why I was pulled over and got a ticket in Central Virginia.

    Shake hands with danger

    Roughly a minute later, I’m about a mile from the interchange. As I round a turn, I spot a deer in the middle of the road. My eyes widen and I scream, “Oh shit!” I yank the wheel to the right and avoided the deer, but now my 2013 Ford Fusion’s pointed at a guardrail. So I jerk the wheel to the left and spin out. All the while, thinking, “Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!”

    Eventually, my car stops.

    My hands trembled and I was breathing heavily. Once it occurred to me the car was motionless, I breathed another sigh of relief. Then my relief turned to terror when I realized I was on the road, sideways. With the driver’s side facing the direction of oncoming traffic. So then I slowly turned towards the window.

    Not another car in sight.

    Promptly, I pulled off the road and onto the shoulder, hopped out and circled the car. I spotted no damage and no flat spots on the tires. Satisfied nothing was wrong, I got back in and drove away.

    Piecing the puzzle

    It wasn’t until a year or two ago that I thought back on the night and realized the chain of events that both put me in and avoided a greater mess. The time I lost retrieving my headset, the cup of Sheetz coffee, the woman in the white jeep and the happenstance of the presence of a state trooper.

    All of it coalesced into placing me in that exact moment of spacetime.

    Change any one of these variables even slightly, and I’m either not in that position at all, or I or the white jeep plow into a deer or guardrail.

    Maybe it’s only interesting to me, but those kind of minute details fascinate me.

    Talk about tales from the beat.

  • NASCAR reveals 2023 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash, Triple Truck Challenge schedules

    NASCAR reveals 2023 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash, Triple Truck Challenge schedules

    With the 2023 NASCAR season nearing its commencement, the Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash and the Craftsman Truck Series’ Triple Truck Challenge programs will also be returning and featured in the early portions of the upcoming racing schedule.

    For the Xfinity Series, the Dash 4 Cash program will launch its 15th consecutive season by hosting its qualifying event at Circuit of the Americas for a second consecutive season on March 25, where the top-four highest-finishing Xfinity regulars in the final running order will contend for the first round of bonus money. The Dash 4 Cash program will then commence at Richmond Raceway on April 1 before returning for the following three consecutive events at Martinsville Speedway on April 15, Talladega Superspeedway on April 22 and Dover Motor Speedway on April 29. The highest-finishing Xfinity competitor in each event will receive the cash-winning prize, with opportunities for the cash-winning prize to increase should a competitor achieve the bonus more than once.

    This past season, Sam Mayer commenced the Dash 4 Cash program by winning the first bonus round at Richmond. Veteran AJ Allmendinger claimed the following two bonuses at Martinsville and Talladega before Noah Gragson claimed the fourth and final bonus at Dover. While Allmendinger and Gragson have moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series for this upcoming season, Mayer returns to the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports as he will contend for another round of bonus money.

    For the Craftsman Truck Series, which has been renamed from the Camping World Truck Series, the Triple Truck Challenge will occupy three events for a fifth consecutive season and offer Truck regulars three opportunities to earn bonus money for themselves. The program will launch at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26 before returning at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 3 and at Nashville Superspeedway on June 23.

    A year ago, Corey Heim claimed the first Triple Truck Challenge bonus after winning at World Wide Technology Raceway in Gateway. Ryan Preece went on to claim the second bonus after winning at Nashville before Parker Kligerman capped off the program by winning both the race and the bonus at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. While Preece and Kligerman have moved up to the Cup and Xfinity Series respectively, Heim will receive additional opportunities to compete for additional cash as he returns to the Truck Series as a full-time competitor for TRICON Garage.

    Photo by Simon Scoggins for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    For both initiatives, drivers who are competing for championship points in their respective series will only be eligible to compete in their respective cash-winning events (Xfinity for Dash 4 Cash and Truck for Triple Truck Challenge), thus making the Cup Series competitors ineligible for both program events.

    As part of the restriction process that will not allow competitors competing in additional national touring series events in major events, drivers who are not competing for Xfinity Series points will be ineligible to compete in the series’ Playoff events, elimination races and the inaugural Xfinity event at the Chicago Street Race that is scheduled to occur on July 1. In addition, Xfinity regulars will not be allowed to compete in the Truck season finale event at Phoenix Raceway on November 3 while Cup regulars are ineligible to compete in the Truck’s Playoff schedule. Cup regulars, however, are permitted to compete in a maximum of five Xfinity and Truck events that do not involve the major bonus, Playoff or championship events.

    The 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 17 with the event’s coverage to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is scheduled to occur the following day on February 18 with the event’s coverage to commence at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Harvick victorious at Richmond, Earns 60th career win

    Harvick victorious at Richmond, Earns 60th career win

    Kevin Harvick went to victory lane Sunday evening at Richmond Raceway, taking home the NASCAR Cup Series trophy in the Federated Auto Parts 400 for his 60th career win.

    It marked his second consecutive win after ending a 65-race winless drought at Michigan International Speedway last Sunday.

    After his triumph at Michigan, Harvick said, “Everybody who doubted us doesn’t know us.”

    This week he doubled down.

    When asked if he expected to win back-to-back, he said, in part, “You know, I didn’t know. It’s like I said last week, the cars have been running good week in and week out, and you see that we have a lot better understanding of what’s going on with how we adjusted on the car after the first run and were able to get our car handling a lot better. I think as it got dark, the racetrack really came to our Mobil 1 Ford Mustang.”

    Harvick is now tied with Kyle Busch on the all-time Cup Series wins list.

    He led 55 laps in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, holding off a hard-charging Christopher Bell, who finished second. Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott rounded out the top five finishers.

    When Bell was asked what he needed to catch Harvick who had 12-lap fresher tires, he said, “I don’t know, I got held up a little bit there on the front side, and I guess when you’re splitting hairs like that, that probably cost me the race. That’s two races in a row here at Richmond. At the beginning of the year we kind of had that same strategy and barely missed fifth coming to the line, and today it was the win.”

    He also acknowledged his pit crew, saying, “The pit crew really came through at the end there with some blazing stops and allowed us to get in front of the 11 (Hamlin) who was on the same strategy as us and get up there and contend.”

    Joey Logano, who led a race-high 222 laps, faded in the closing laps to finish sixth, was followed by Martin Truex Jr., Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney to round out the top 10.

    Elliott, the current point standings leader, was the only Chevrolet driver to finish in the top ten and acknowledged that the team needs to improve before the Playoffs begin.

    “Obviously we want to be better,” he said, “and Michigan was a big time struggle for us. This weekend was too all the way up until the last few runs. We will go to work and try to finish these last two weeks strong and get ready for Darlington.”

    With only one open spot left in the Playoffs and two races remaining, Blaney improved his position over Truex to a +26 points advantage after earning 11 stage points throughout the race.

    Tune in next week as the Cup Series heads to Watkins Glen International on Sunday, August 21 at 3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Results:

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished fifth at Richmond, posting his ninth top five of the year.

    “Short track racing is the best,” Elliott said. “There were a lot of cars making contact on the track, which I’m sure the fans love. But really, what the fans really want to see are drivers making contact, off the track.”

    2. Joey Logano: Logano powered to the Stage 2 win, but faded late and eventually finished sixth at Richmond.

    “We led a race-high 222 laps,” Logano said, “but once the sun went down, we struggled to find the right balance. That’s what’s known as the ‘NASCAR gods throwing shade’ at me.”

    3. Kevin Harvick: One week after winning at Michigan, Harvick surged late and held off Chris Buecher and Christopher Bell to win at Richmond.

    “It was Cup win number 60,” Harvick said. “That’s a number that some of these younger drivers have a hard time fathoming. They hear ‘Kevin Harvick’ and ’60’ and think, ‘I thought he was older.’”

    4. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished fourth at Richmond.

    “Kevin Harvick is the hottest driver in NASCAR right now,” Hamlin said. “Once the NASCAR playoffs start, I contend Harvick will be a ‘4’ to be reckoned with.”

    5. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex was clipped early by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who missed pit road and swerved into the path of Truex’s No. 19 Toyota. Truex fell a lap down but recovered to post a seventh at Richmond.

    “Stenhouse’s car was primarily sponsored by Kleenex,” Truex said. “That should come in handy for him because as I’m in a fight to make the playoffs, I don’t need a snot-nosed kid getting in my way.”

    6. Ryan Blaney: Blaney ran in the top 10 for the majority of the race on his way to a 10th in the Federated Auto Parts 400.

    “My car sported the ‘Body Armor’ paint scheme,” Blaney said. “And in today’s racing climate, I can’t stress enough the importance of having Body Armor. ‘Body armor’ is practically a must-have, especially with Ross Chastain on the track.”

    7. Christopher Bell: Bell charged late at Richmond, but couldn’t catch Kevin Harvick and settled for the runner-up finish in the Federated Auto Parts 400.

    “I tried my best to catch Kevin Harvick there at the end,” Bell said. “But I just couldn’t get closer to the ‘Closer.’

    “But congratulations to Harvick on his 60th win. That’s 58 more Cup wins that I have, and 59 more facial hairs than I have.’

    8. Kyle Larson: Larson started on the pole at Richmond and finished 14th, one lap down, in the Federated Auto Parts 400.

    “We just couldn’t get the car dialed in,” Larson said. “So it was a frustrating day for me. But I’ve learned that when I’m frustrated, I should keep my head down and keep my mouth shut, with special priority on the ‘keep my mouth shut’ part.”

    “But answer me this. Is there a valid reason the Federated Auto Parts 400 is not abbreviated the ‘FAP 400?’ I’m guessing there is”.

    9. Kyle Busch: Busch finished ninth in the Federated Auto Parts 400.

    “I made contact with Ross Chastain at one point during the race,” Busch said. “But then again, who hasn’t?

    “Kevin Harvick tied me with his 60th Cup series win. That does not make me ‘Happy.’ And it may be the first time I’ve been on the same ‘page’ with Harvick.”

    10. Ross Chastain: Chastain won Stage 1 and finished 18th at Richmond.

    “Another day,” Chastain said, “another wreck that was my fault. I’m pretty sure I’ve set a record this year, for most apologies in one season. My No. 1 Chevy had ‘Be A Moose’ on it; maybe it should have read ‘Be At Fault.’”

  • Chandler Smith Wins Truck Series race at Richmond, Advances to Round 2 of Playoffs

    Chandler Smith Wins Truck Series race at Richmond, Advances to Round 2 of Playoffs

    Chandler Smith won the Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond Raceway Saturday night after leading 176 laps of the 250-lap event.

    Smith joins Grant Enfinger, who won at Indianapolis Raceway Park, to advance to the Round of 8 in the Playoffs. It was Smith’s third win of the season and the fifth of his Truck Series career.

    Kyle Busch Motorsports entries were dominant throughout the race, finishing first, second (John Hunter Nemechek) and fifth (Corey Heim). ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski finished third and Grant Enfinger was fourth in his GMS Racing Chevrolet.

    Taylor Gray, Matt Crafton, Christian Eckes, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar rounded out the top 10.

    There was only one caution during the race (excluding the stage breaks) after contact between Nick Leitz and Carson Hocevar on Lap 215.

    Majeski had the dominant truck at the beginning of the race leading 73 laps and winning the first stage. However, there was an incident during the stage break pit stop as his jackman fell in front of the truck, resulting in a slow stop. The jackman appeared to be unharmed as Majeski was able to stop quickly with only slight contact.

    The final race of Round 1 in the Truck Series Playoffs is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at Kansas Speedway and will be broadcast on FS1 with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Notes: Post-race inspection is complete and Chandler Smith has been confirmed as the winner; Smith had one unsecured lug nut.

    Driver Points:

  • Kyle Larson scores Busch Light Pole Award at Richmond

    Kyle Larson scores Busch Light Pole Award at Richmond

    Kyle Larson won the Busch Light Pole award at Richmond Raceway Saturday evening with a 117.177 mph lap in his Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet.

    It’s his third NASCAR Cup Series pole of the season and the 13th of his career.

    Larson was the final driver to qualify in the second round and he described how he thought he gained enough speed to outpace Ross Chastain for the pole.

    “Even though I got into (turn) one too hard and a little bit sideways, I am imagining that is where I made up my time,” he said. “Just getting in really deep and I think getting it under control before I got to the exit is probably where I made up the lap time. I don’t know though, it could be three and four. Who knows? But I felt like I got in deep, too deep for sure, but it worked out.“

    TrackHouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, who was fastest during practice, will start beside Larson on the front row after posting a lap at 116.883 mph. Denny Hamlin (116.485 mph) was third fastest in qualifying in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron (116.470 mph) and Alex Bowman (116.384 mph) rounding out the top five starters.

    Martin Truex Jr. will begin the Federated Auto Parts 400 race in sixth followed by Cole Custer, Brad Keselowski, Erik Jones and Ryan Blaney to complete the top 10.

    With only three races remaining in the regular season, there have already been 15 different winners in the Cup Series. Two top contenders for the final spot in the Playoffs are Blaney and Truex, but neither driver has won this year. Blaney currently occupies the final place with a 19-point advantage over Truex. Truex, however, has three previous wins at Richmond.   

    Todd Gilliland, who was the fastest rookie in qualifying, will start in 16th place.

    The Federated Auto Parts 400 is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on the USA Network with radio coverage on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Starting Lineup:

  • Weekend schedule for Richmond

    Weekend schedule for Richmond

    The NASCAR Cup Series and the Camping World Truck Series head to Richmond Raceway this weekend while the Xfinity Series enjoys a week off from competition.

    So far, the regular season has produced 15 different Cup Series winners with only three races remaining. Seven drivers have officially clinched a spot in the Playoffs via wins and accumulated points. They include Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, William Byron, Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin.

    The Camping World Truck Series Playoffs continue at Richmond as the track hosts the second of three races in the Round of 10. Grant Enfinger went to victory lane last week at Indianapolis, securing his spot in the next round. That leaves nine drivers competing for their chance to advance to the Round of 8.

    Press Pass Live on NASCAR.com will be available throughout the weekend providing additional coverage.

    All times are Eastern.

    Saturday, August 13

    3:05 p.m.: Truck Series Practice (All Entries) FS1
    3:35 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle, 2 Laps, All Entries – FS1
    5:05 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – Groups A & B – USA/MRN/SiriusXM
    5:50 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound) (Groups A & B) Single Vehicle, 2 Laps, 2 Rounds) USA/MRN/SiriusXM

    8 p.m.: Truck Series Worldwide Express 250 for Carrier Appreciation
    Stages 70/140/250 Laps = 187.5 Miles
    The Purse: $744,951
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM

    Sunday, August 14

    3 p.m.: Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400
    Stages 70/230/400 Laps = 300 Miles
    The Purse: $1,159,436
    USA/MRN/SiriusXM

  • Ty Gibbs to substitute for Kurt Busch for a fourth consecutive Cup event at Richmond

    Ty Gibbs to substitute for Kurt Busch for a fourth consecutive Cup event at Richmond

    Ty Gibbs will remain as an interim driver of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota TRD Camry for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series event at Richmond Raceway, where he will be substituting for Kurt Busch.

    The news comes as Busch took to social media to announce that he has not received medical clearance to return to on-track competition. The 2004 Cup Series champion continues to recover from concussion-like symptoms he sustained following a qualifying wreck at Pocono Raceway on July 23, which sidelined him from the main event. In addition to Pocono, he has missed the previous two Cup events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and at Michigan International Speedway.

    Busch, who last competed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in mid-July, has already been granted a medical waiver to be eligible for the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs, where he is currently in contention to claim a postseason spot by virtue of winning at Kansas Speedway on May 15.

    With Busch out, Gibbs, who competes as a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for Joe Gibbs Racing and won the Xfinity event at Richmond in April, will be pulling double-duty between the Xfinity and Cup Series for a fourth consecutive weekend. The 19-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, is coming off a strong weekend at Michigan, where he claimed his fifth Xfinity victory of the season with JGR on Saturday, August 6, followed by his first top-10 career result in NASCAR’s premier series with 23XI after rallying from a late pit road penalty to finish 10th on Sunday, August 7.

    Prior to his 10th-place result at Michigan, Gibbs’ previous two finishes in NASCAR’s premier series were 16th and 17th at Pocono and at Indianapolis, respectively.

    Gibbs is set to make his fourth career start in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway on Sunday, August 14, with the event’s coverage to occur at 3:00 PM ET on USA Network.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Ryan Blaney: Blaney started on the pole at Richmond and finished seventh.

    “That’s two straight poles for me,” Blaney said, “and my third this season. I’m collecting Busch Light Pole Awards faster than I can get rid of them in yard sales.”

    2. Chase Elliott: Elliott started strong at Richmond but experienced handling issues in the final stage that kept him out of the top 10. He finished 14th and is tied with Ryan Blaney atop the points standings.

    “The No. 9 Chevy was just good,” Elliott said, “but not great. What my car needed was a shot of adrenaline, much like ‘A Shoc’ performance energy drink would provide for a person, or Brad Keselowski’s mechanic would provide for his engine.”

    3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex led 80 laps and won Stage 2 at Richmond on his way to a fourth-place finish, posting his first top-five of the season.

    “Just when you think you’ve heard it all in NASCAR,” Truex said, “the term ‘pit stop choreography’ became a thing at Richmond. Let’s be honest, footwork is an important part of all aspects of racing. For example, I’d like to take my right foot and work it towards the behind of my crew chief James Small, who screwed up our pit strategy at Richmond.”

    4. William Byron: Byron led 122 laps at Richmond but couldn’t hold off the fresh tires of Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota down the stretch. Byron held on for third and is fourth in the points standings.

    “If you’re on old tires at Richmond,” Byron said, “you’re a ‘sitting duck.’ If you can’t handle your alcohol and pass out in the bleachers without sunblock, you’re also a sitting duck. And you’ll likely leave with a sunburn and one less eyebrow.

    “I had the Liberty University paint scheme on my No. 24 Chevy. When that’s on your car and you’re leading, everybody’s watching, including Jerry Falwell, Jr.”

    5. Ross Chastain: Chastain, last week’s winner at COTA, recorded a 19th at Richmond, one lap down to the leaders.

    “It just wasn’t my day,” Chastain said. “I’m frustrated. But my day wasn’t altogether ‘fruitless,’ because, just as was the case a week ago at COTA, I smashed a watermelon. But this time, it was out of frustration.”

    6. Alex Bowman: Bowman came home eighth in the Toyota Owners 400 for his fourth top 10 of the year.

    “Congratulations to Denny Hamlin for winning the race,” Bowman said. “He had a slow start to the season, but Denny kept working hard knowing wins would come his way. You could say he ‘got what was coming to him,’ which is something Denny is dying to say about me.”

    7. Joey Logano: Logano finished 17th at Richmond, one lap down.

    “We’re off to Martinsville for a Saturday night race and the renowned half-mile track,” Logano said. “I always look forward to racing there, especially when I’m not looking behind me for Matt Kenseth.”

    8. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin passed William Byron with five laps remaining and held off Kevin Harvick to win the Toyota Owners 400 Richmond. It was Hamlin’s first win of the year as well as his first top 10 of the year.

    “You could say I got the ‘monkey’ off my back,” Hamlin said. “Unfortunately, that monkey was on the back of another larger monkey, which is still on my back. And has paid rent through mid-November.”

    9. Chase Briscoe: Briscoe finished 11th at Richmond.

    “As expected,” Briscoe said, “tire management was a big factor in the race. It’s one thing to ‘nurse’ your tires; it’s another thing to ‘doctor’ your tires, which is something you’d expect Brad Keselowski’s team to do.”

    10. Kevin Harvick: Harvick surged late and chased eventual race winner Denny Hamlin to the line at Richmond. Harvick settled for the runner-up spot, his best finish of the year.

    “I was hoping to get close enough to Hamlin to ‘take a swipe’ at him,” Harvick said. “Does that mean I was going to wreck him? Maybe, but really what I hoped to gain by saying ‘take a swipe’ was a sweet sponsorship deal with a credit card company.”