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  • Weekend schedule for Richmond

    Weekend schedule for Richmond

    NASCAR heads to Richmond Raceway this weekend for the Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 Sunday afternoon and the Camping World Truck Series is back after a two-week break on Saturday for the ToyotaCare 250.

    The Xfinity Series will return to competition on April 24 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    Kyle Busch has the series-best driver rating (110.6) and the most wins of any active driver with six. Richmond could potentially provide the best opportunity for Busch to grab his first victory this season.

    But don’t discount Martin Truex Jr. who has won two of the past three races at the 0.75-mile track. Brad Keselowski, who won in 2020, will also be one to watch. And don’t forget Denny Hamlin. Richmond is one of Hamlin’s best tracks. In 28 Cup Series starts he has three poles, three wins, 13 top fives and 17 top 10s.   

    There have only been 12 Truck Series races at Richmond. Last year was the first series race since 2005 and was won by Grant Enfinger. This weekend, Enfinger, who is running a part-time schedule, will be wheeling a ThorSport Racing entry. Starting third, he hopes to become the first repeat winner since Tony Stewart in 2002-2003.

    There will be no practice or qualifying sessions due to COVID-19 protocols established by NASCAR.

    The starting lineups are determined by the following metrics formula:
    • 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
    • 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

    All times are Eastern.

    Saturday – April 17

    1:10 p.m.: Truck Series Driver Intros (Drivers standing by their trucks)
    1:30 p.m.: Truck Series ToyotaCare 250 (Stages 70/140/250 Laps=187.5 Miles)
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Ben Rhodes

    Sunday – April 18

    2:45 p.m.: Cup Series Driver Intros Drivers Standing by their cars)
    3 p.m.: Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 (Stages 80/235/400 Laps=300 Miles)
    FOX/MRN/TSN/Sirius XM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Martin Truex Jr.

    Richmond Raceway Data

    Season Race #: 9 of 36 (04-18-21)
    Track Size: 0.75-miles
    Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 14 degrees
    Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 14 degrees
    Banking/Frontstretch: 8 degrees
    Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees
    Frontstretch Length:  1,290 feet
    Backstretch Length:  860 feet
    Race Length: 400 laps / 300 miles
    Stage 1 Length: 80 laps
    Stage 2 Length: 155 laps
    Final Stage Length: 165 laps

    Richmond Raceway Qualifying Information:

    Track Qualifying Record: Jeff Gordon at 130.599 mph (20.674 secs) on September 4, 2013.
    2020 pole winner: None – The Spring 2020 race was moved due to the pandemic and the NCS only competed at the track once in September 2020.

    • Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active drivers in the NCS in starts with 39 each.
    • Kyle Larson leads all active drivers with an average starting position of 9.0, followed by Denny Hamlin at 9.9.
    • Hamlin leads all active pole winners with three poles (2006, 2008 and 2016).
    • Joey Logano is the only active driver that have won consecutive poles (2015 sweep).
    • Only three active drivers have been able to win from the pole: Kyle Busch (2010), Brad Keselowski (2014) and Hamlin (2016).

    Richmond Raceway Race Information:

    Track Race Record: Dale Jarrett at 109.047 mph (02:45:04) on September 6, 1997.
    2020 Playoff Race Winner: Brad Keselowski 101.868 mph (02:56:42) on September 12, 2020.

    • Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in wins with six victories (spring 2009, spring 2010, spring 2011, spring 2012, 2018 sweep).
    • A total of 27 different starting positions have led to wins, but the first starting position is the most proficient starting position than any other starting position with 24 wins.
    • Joe Gibbs Racing(JGR) leads in victories with 16 wins.  Tony Stewart (1999, 2001, 2002), Hamlin (2009, 2010, 2016), Busch (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2018 sweep), Matt Kenseth (2015), Carl Edwards (2016), and Martin Truex Jr. (2019 sweep).
    • A total of nine different manufacturers have won at Richmond Raceway.  Chevrolet leads in wins with 38 victories, followed by Ford (33), Dodge (17), Toyota (14), Pontiac (11) Plymouth (10), Buick (two), Oldsmobile (two) and Chrysler (one).
    • Busch leads all active drivers in average finishing position at 6.9 in 27 series starts.
    • Hamlin leads all active drivers in laps led with 1,704 laps led in 28 starts.

    Top 12 Driver Ratings at Richmond
    Kyle Busch – 110.6
    Kevin Harvick – 110.3
    Denny Hamlin – 106.8
    Brad Keselowski – 100.9
    Kurt Busch – 94.2
    Martin Truex Jr – 92.2
    Joey Logano – 92.2
    Kyle Larson – 89.2
    Ryan Newman – 87.3
    Chase Elliott – 86.3
    Aric Almirola – 77.5
    Tyler Reddick – 76.5

    Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2020 races (31 total) among active drivers at Richmond Raceway.

  • Ty Gibbs’ full 2021 Xfinity schedule revealed

    Ty Gibbs’ full 2021 Xfinity schedule revealed

    Coming off an historic debut and victory at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, Ty Gibbs will return for an additional 14 NASCAR Xfinity Series races throughout the 2021 season for Joe Gibbs Racing.

    The 18-year-old grandson of NASCAR Hall of Famer and team owner, Joe Gibbs, from Charlotte, North Carolina, will make his second career start in the Xfinity circuit at Phoenix Raceway on March 13.

    He will then compete at Martinsville Speedway on April 9 followed by Darlington Raceway on May 8, Dover International Speedway on May 15, Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 29, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 5, Pocono Raceway on June 27, Road America on July 3, Watkins Glen International on August 7, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on August 14, Michigan International Speedway on August 21 and at Richmond Raceway on September 11. During the 2021 Xfinity Series Playoffs, he will also compete at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on October 9 and at Kansas Speedway on October 23.

    JGR took to social media to reveal the announcement and Ty Gibbs’ schedule.

    With Gibbs’ full part-time Xfinity schedule revealed, he will also continue to pilot Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 Toyota Supra led by crew chief Chris Gayle.

    Gibbs made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut last weekend at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, where he led 14 laps and outlasted the field through two overtime attempts to record his first victory across NASCAR’s top three national touring series. By winning at Daytona in his debut, he became the sixth competitor to win in their series debut but the first to do so without a prior Cup start. He also became the 165 different competitor to record an Xfinity Series win and the 18th to do so while driving for his grandfather’s organization.

    In addition to a part-time Xfinity schedule, Gibbs currently competes as a full-time competitor in the ARCA Menards Series for JGR and in the No. 18 Toyota Camry led by crew chief Mark McFarland.

    With Gibbs’ next event on the schedule at Phoenix in March, Ty Dillon will return for the following two NASCAR Xfinity Series races with JGR at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 27 and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 6.

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Richmond I and II

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Richmond I and II

    With just two races left prior to the 2020 Xfinity Series playoffs, many drivers who are currently in the playoffs by virtue of points were still seeking their first win of the season while some needed a good points day. 

    To no one’s surprise, Justin Allgaier had a dominating race car for the two Richmond races and swept the weekend. The Illinois native seems to be peaking at the right time as he has been on a tear for the last few races by not only sweeping Richmond, but also winning race one of Dover and finishing seventh in the second race. Should Allgaier keep this momentum going throughout the next 13 races, he easily could be a favorite for the Xfinity Series championship. 

    While Allgaier enjoyed success this past weekend at Richmond, Chase Briscoe, who has won six times this year, struggled to earn a top 10 finish. In fact, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver did not score a top 10 at all in either race which is quite uncharacteristic of the No. 98 team who seems to have the car to beat this year and has been dominant throughout the 2020 season.

    There were multiple drivers who had up and down days in the final Xfinity Series doubleheader of the year at Richmond. 

    Here are this week’s Power Rankings. 

    1. Justin Haley – Haley earned a runner-up finish in Friday’s race and a sixth-place finish in Saturday’s event. Haley most likely could have won Friday’s race after leading 51 laps but had to settle for a second-place finish. In Friday’s event, Haley placed a respectable fourth and third in both stages. Meanwhile, in Saturday’s race, he didn’t lead any laps but finished third in Stage 1 and second in the final stage. In the end, Haley gained his eighth top-five and 16th top 10 finishes of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    2. Justin Allgaier – Allgaier swept both Richmond races and led a combined 213 out of 500 laps; that’s a combined 42.6% total, nearly 50% of the laps. He finished fifth in Stage 1 and won Stage 2 in Friday’s outing, while he won Stage 1 and placed eighth in Stage 2 for Saturday. In the end, the Stage 2 finish was somewhat irrelevant as Allgaier took the lead on Lap 172 and led for the final 79 laps.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    3. Ross Chastain – Overall, it was a solid weekend for Chastain and the No. 10 Kaulig Racing team, with finishes of fifth and third, respectively in both races. In addition to the finishes, Chastain led 39 laps in Friday’s race and 58 laps in Saturday’s outing. Despite missing out on two checkered flags, the Floridan clinched a spot in the playoffs based on his points in the standings and his finishes throughout the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    4. Austin Cindric – It was a mix of two different races for Cindric, who finished fourth and 10th on the doubleheader weekend. Looking back, Cindric will probably want at least the Friday race back and another chance at a victory, after he led 64 laps and won Stage 1. Saturday’s race was a different story as Cindric could only manage a Stage 2 finish of sixth before earning his 20th top 10 of the year.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    5. Harrison Burton – Despite finishing 16th, one lap down in Friday’s race, Saturday’s performance where he finished fourth and fifth in both stages was enough to keep Burton in the Power Rankings this week. Though the inconsistency of finishes will be something the No. 20 team needs to work on as the season winds down with Burton finishing both outside the top 10 or inside the top 10 every other week.

      Previous Week Ranking –  Third 

    Fell Out

    1. Ryan Sieg – What a difference a week made for Sieg after having a great run at Darlington the week before. While he did have a respectable finish of 11th in Friday’s race, Sieg finished 15th, the first car one lap down, in Saturday’s outing. The Georgian never placed in either stage in Friday’s race and only finished ninth in Stage 1 on Saturday.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    2. Chase Briscoe – Richmond was definitely a forgettable race weekend in the No. 98 camp. The Indiana native did not manage a top 10 finish in either race, despite leading a combined 20 laps. However, with how strong the team can be on certain race weekends, it would not be shocking to find them back in victory lane at some point in the playoffs.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    3. Brandon Jones – With no stage finishes inside the top 10 in both races and only one finish inside the top 10 of eighth in Saturday’s race, it was not the weekend Jones was looking for.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth 
  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick overcame a commitment line penalty to finish seventh at Richmond.

    “My win at Darlington already advanced me to the next round,” Harvick said. “So I was racing at Richmond with no pressure. Trust me, it’s not often you can say ‘I was loose all day’ and it means a good thing.”

    2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski won Stage 2 at Richmond and controlled the race thereafter, taking the win in the Federated Auto Parts 400 and a spot in the next round of the playoffs.

    “I made it look easy,” Keselowski said. “But looks can be deceiving. Not in this case though, because it was easy.”

    3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won Stage 1 at Richmond, but was nabbed for speeding on pit road during subsequent pit stops. He scrapped his way back to a 12th place finish.

    “Despite that,” Hamlin said, “I still qualified for the next playoff round. That means I can go to Bristol and gun for the win. I can’t wait to get there. But I have to make sure I don’t get ahead of myself. In other words, ‘not so fast.’”

    4. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished fifth in the Federated Auto Parts 400, posting his 11th top five of the year.

    “Except for competition cautions,” Elliott said, “the entire race was caution-free. My standing in the points is such that I can race at Bristol ‘caution-free.’”

    5. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex battled up front all night at Richmond and came home with the runner-up finish.

    “I’ve finished fourth or better in nine of the last 10 races,” Truex said. “That’s a losing streak most, if not all, drivers would love to have.”

    6. Joey Logano: Logano finished third at Richmond as Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski secured a dominating win.

    “Brad all but predicted a win,” Logano said. “That’s called ‘reverse psychology,’ because he ‘backed it up.’”

    7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished a disappointing 19th at Richmond, and now likely needs a win at Bristol to advance to Round 2 of the playoffs.

    “I had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel during Stage 1,” Blaney said. “I’ll tell you what else is ‘not secure’—–the job of one of my tire changers.”

    8. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished ninth at Richmond and is eighth in the points standings, 27 points ahead of 13th.

    “Jimmie Johnson is headed to Indy Car next year,” Byron said. “Jimmie’s been looking for more speed all year; apparently, he had to leave the sport of NASCAR to find it.”

    9. Kyle Busch: Busch finished sixth at Richmond and is in solid position to advance to the Round Of 12.

    “I’m happy with the result,” Busch said, “considering we started at the back after failing two inspections. Apparently, as long as the No. 18 car is moving, it earns a passing grade.”

    10. Aric Almirola: Almirola finished eighth at Richmond as Stewart-Haas Racing placed three cars in the top 10.

    “I’m seven points above the playoff cut-off line,” Almirola said. “That’s an uncomfortable margin, mostly because it’s too close for comfort.”

  • NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Richmond

    NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Richmond

    For the first time since 2005, the NASCAR Truck Series returned to Richmond International Raceway for the last race of the regular season, before the playoffs began. 

    Grant Enfinger was once again back on top with the checkered flag passing teammate Matt Crafton after Crafton dominated late in the race. By earning the victory, the Alabaman gained five playoff points headed to the first race for the Round of 10 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday. 

    However, there were also a few notables that happened throughout the Toyota Care 250 at Richmond, and we’ll take a look at them with this week’s Power Rankings. 

    1. Ben Rhodes – While it wasn’t another win as he had hoped, Ben Rhodes had a solid outing at Richmond, but one he might look back on as the playoffs start to get down to the wire. The Kentucky native started second, led 25 laps, and won Stage 2 before coming home to a third-place finish. The top five finish marked Rhodes’s seventh of the season and placed him sixth on the playoff grid, 12 points back from first.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    2. Austin Hill – An atta boy effort in Hill’s camp as they clinched the regular-season title after Hill’s Stage 2 efforts and gained an additional 15 points for the playoffs. Before clinching the title, Hill led early on and seemingly had the truck to beat. Though as the night wore on, his truck somewhat fell off the pace and never could contend for the win after being strong through the first 65 laps. Despite the uncharacteristic-like finish, Hill finished third in both stages and continued his streak of top 10 finishes.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
    3. Grant Enfinger – Right place, right time for Enfinger when his teammate and then race leader Crafton caught lap traffic at the wrong time with five laps to go. Enfinger made the pass for the eventual win and took home his third checkered flag of the season. Enfinger led three times for 18 laps and finished second in both stages respectively.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    4. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt led 32 laps before coming home in the fourth position. Had he not been passed by Crafton for the lead late, there’s no telling if the Iowan would have held on for the win in what would have been his first victory of the year. With the top-five finish, Moffitt is fifth on the playoff grid, 11 points back from first. Though I’m sure Moffitt wishes he could have the race back in terms of a victory.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
    5. Todd Gilliland – After the unfortunate circumstance the week prior at Gateway after contact with Sheldon Creed that took him out of the win, Gilliland bounced back for a 17th place finish and locked himself into the playoffs for his efforts. The Front Row Motorsports driver is ninth on the grid, 23 points back from first.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth 

    Fell Out 
    Sheldon Creed – It was somewhat of a disappointing outing for Creed who never really contended for the victory and came home in the 13th position, one lap down, and could only salvage a Stage 2 finish of eighth. However, Creed will start the playoffs as the points leader with 2,026 points. It will be interesting to see if Creed can carry his mid-season momentum throughout the playoffs and if he makes the Championship 4 at Phoenix.

    Previous Week Ranking – Second

  • Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Race at Richmond

    Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Race at Richmond

    The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series visited Richmond International Raceway this past Thursday night for the first time in 15 years. 

    Race No. 16 of the season was the last race before the playoffs start this week at Bristol. While Grant Enfinger zipped on by teammate Matt Crafton for the race victory, there were some stories that you may have missed and we’d like to recall from the Toyota Care 250. 

    Here are this week’s Four Takeaways from the Truck Series race at Richmond. 

    1. ThorSport Scores 1-2-3 Finish – It’s the first time ever in Truck Series history that ThorSport Racing swept the top three spots with Enfinger, Crafton and Rhodes collecting the spots. Unfortunately for Sauter, his 2020 season struggles continued with an ill-handling truck and he was credited with a 27th place finish for his efforts, missing the playoffs for the first time in his career. Despite the Sauter outing, it was still a special night by claiming the top three spots.
    2. Rohrbaugh Gets Best Finish Since Daytona – The 2020 season has been up and down for Codie Rohrbaugh and his No. 9 team, who took the last couple of weeks off to regroup and look forward to Richmond. When Richmond rolled back around, the team came back fresh with a sixth-place finish, Rohrbaugh’s third top 10 finish of his Truck Series career.
    3. David Ragan Scores Eighth Place Finish – Even though David Ragan last competed at Richmond in the Cup Series in 2019, it was 15-years since he last competed in a Truck Series at Richmond. But Thursday night Ragan had a respectable finish of fourth in Stage 2, before capturing a seventh-place finish, his first top 10 in the Truck Series since ‘06 at Texas when driving for Jack Roush.
    4. Jimmy Hensley Back In Victory Lane – While Grant Enfinger was back in victory lane, his crew chief Jimmy Hensley, was also in the winner’s circle again as well. When the Truck Series last visited Richmond, Hensley was celebrating in victory lane in 2005 with former Truck Series driver Mike Skinner who took home the checkered flag that night, which was also on a Thursday night. 
  • Elliott, Bowman notch top-10 results; Byron struggles at Richmond

    Elliott, Bowman notch top-10 results; Byron struggles at Richmond

    For Hendrick Motorsports’ three competitors contending in the Playoffs, it was a night of mixed results for Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and William Byron at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12. When the checkered flag flew, Elliott capped off a consistent, quiet run towards the front in the top five and Bowman capped off a strong night in the top 10 as both are in position to transfer to the second round of the postseason. Byron, on the other hand, finished outside the top 20 following a long night mired with tight-handling issues and is scored outside of the cutline approaching next weekend’s first round of eliminations at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE led by crew chief Alan Gustafson rolled off the grid in 12th place. Following the first five laps of the race, however, Elliott was mired outside the top 10 along with a number of Playoff contenders. After the competition caution period on Lap 30 and a pit stop, he was able to work his way inside the top 10.

    Nearly the Lap 40 mark, Elliott was scored in ninth place and he was one of 13 Playoff contenders running inside the top 15. Twenty laps later, on Lap 60, Elliott was still back in ninth place. While engaged in a series of on-track battles with Playoff contenders that included Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, Cole Custer and Aric Almirola, Elliott was able to keep his No. 9 Chevrolet in the hunt and well inside the top 10. By the time first stage concluded on Lap 80, Elliott was able to finish in eighth place as he collected a handful of stage points.

    Starting in seventh place for the start of the second stage, Elliott continued to run inside the top 10, but he was hungry for more. By Lap 110, Elliott was scored in fifth place after passing teammate Alex Bowman for position. Running as high as fourth place past the Lap 140 mark, he dropped back when he made a scheduled green flag pit stop. Nonetheless, he returned to the track and was able to work his way back into the top 10. At the halfway mark, Lap 200, the Georgia native was scored in seventh place. When the second stage concluded on Lap 235, however, Elliott was able to march his way back into fifth place and collect more stage points.

    Restarting in fourth place for the final stage, Elliott kept himself well inside the top 10. Following a pit stop with less than 60 laps remaining under green, he was back in ninth place. He was able to carve his way through the field and cross the finish line in fifth place, the highest-finishing Hendrick Motorsports competitor on the track.

    The fifth-place result marked Elliott’s 11th top-five result of the season and a strong rebound from a late incident last weekend at Darlington Raceway with Martin Truex Jr. that cost him a shot at winning the race. With his top-five result, Elliott is in seventh place in the Playoff standings and is 28 points above the top-12 cutline approaching next weekend’s Cup Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway, where the bottom four contenders in the standings will be eliminated.

    “First off, we were way better than we’ve been here, probably ever, so I thought that was a big improvement for us,” Elliott said on NBCSN. “We really needed it here. This has been a really, really tough track for us. I thought we got our NAPA Camaro good, especially through the middle portion. Just got a little behind, I think, as the race went on to roll the center as good as we needed to late in a run. But dang, we were way, way better than we’ve ever been here I feel like before. And consistently all night, too. I thought that was a pretty big step for us at a track that we’ve really struggled at. Just trying to pick apart those fine details. I think we hit on a few of them, certainly not the best but way better than we’ve been here before. I think that’s a big deal for us.”

    For Bowman, his night started in fourth place. At the drop of the green flag, Bowman stabilized himself in sixth place. He retained the spot in his No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE when the competition caution flew on Lap 30. Restarting inside the top five, Bowman settled in sixth place and was the highest-running Hendrick Motorsports competitor on the track. When the first stage concluded on Lap 80, Bowman was scored in sixth place as he collected a handful of stage points.

    Restarting in fourth place for the start of the second stage, Bowman had a great start as he utilized the outside lane to thunder past Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. for third place. Shortly after, he was overtaken by Truex. As the laps progressed, he was overtaken by a handful of competitors, including teammate Chase Elliott, and fell out of the top five. Pitting under green while running in the top 10 on Lap 158, Bowman was mired back in the top 15. Though he attempted to race his way back into the top 10, he concluded the second stage in 12th place.

    Restarting back in the top 10 for the start of the final stage, he dropped back inside the top 15. Though he continued to run inside the top 15 following two pit stops under green, Bowman carved his way back inside the top 10 with 50 laps remaining. For the remainder of the race, he gained one additional spot on the track and crossed the finish line in ninth place.

    With his 10th top-10 result of this season, first at Richmond and second in a row in the Playoffs, Bowman and the No. 88 team led by crew chief Greg Ives are in eighth place in the standings, with the Arizona native being 27 points above the top-12 cutline.

    “How about that? We ended up top 10 at Richmond,” Bowman said. “That is like a miracle. We had a really good car and definitely better than a ninth-place car. I made my fair share of mistakes and we had some issues getting on and off pit road. We lost some time there. I am pumped for Truck Hero and CHEVYGOODS.com. It is really weird to be this pumped about running ninth, especially when we had a much better car than ninth. Last time we were here we ran, I think, 24th. This is good momentum for us going into the cutoff race next week in Bristol.”

    For Byron, the race started off with high expectations as the Charlotte native was set to make his 100th Cup career start while his crew chief, Chad Knaus, was set to call his 700th Cup race. He was also coming off a strong start to this year’s Playoffs at Darlington Raceway, where he finished in fifth place and claimed his third consecutive top-five result in the previous three races, which included his first Cup career win at Daytona International Speedway in August.

    Starting in fifth place, Byron settled in seventh place through the first 30 laps of the race and when the competition caution flew. Restarting in seventh place, Byron appeared to have a car capable of recording a strong result until he started to fade. By Lap 70, he was mired back in 14th place. Not long after, he fell back to 16th place as he was dealing with tight conditions to his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Unable to regain the ground and the positions he lost, Byron settled in 16th place when the first stage concluded on Lap 80.

    Restarting at the bottom half of the top 20 for the second stage, Byron slowly worked his way up to the top 15 past the Lap 100 mark. Nearly 20 laps later, however, he was mired back in 21st place and he continued to endure difficulties with the tight handling of his car. Though a number of competitors pitted under green as the green flag run progressed, he too pitted and dropped out of the top 20. When the second stage concluded on Lap 235, Byron could only work his way up to 23rd place in the running order. By then, he was also a lap behind the leaders.

    Scored just outside the top 20 for the start of the final stage, Byron worked his way up as high as 18th place. He could not, however, overcome the difficulties with the handling of his No. 24 car. By the time the checkered flag flew, Byron was scored back in 21st place in the final order and was two laps behind the leaders. Byron’s 21st-place result marked his worst finish since finishing 28th in the first of two Cup Dover International Speedway races in August.

    With his result, Byron, who came into Richmond with a nine-point cushion, is three points below the top-12 cutline with the final transfer spot being occupied by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer, who finished in 10th place. In addition, Byron, Cole Custer, Matt DiBenedetto and Ryan Blaney are left on the outside entering next weekend’s Round of 16 finale at Bristol.

    “We knew pretty early on in the race that we were in trouble,” Byron said in a post-race video conference. “I think we lost 10 spots in 10 laps, it felt like. When you’re in that position, you just try to change it up as a driver, try to do different things, move your brake levers, stuff like that. I think going to Bristol, it’s a track that we can have a good setup at and I think we’ve ran decent there in the past. We can, hopefully, look at that.”

    Bowman, Byron and Elliott, along with their fellow Playoff contenders, will return for the next scheduled NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19, which will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Hamlin clinches spot in Playoff’s Round of 12 following Richmond

    Hamlin clinches spot in Playoff’s Round of 12 following Richmond

    The second Playoff race of the 2020 season at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, was a night that started off strong for Denny Hamlin before it went backwards for the remainder of the race. Though Hamlin was left out of contention for the win, a top-12 result along with the stage points and laps led he accomplished throughout Saturday’s race was more than enough for the Chesterfield, Virginia, native to clinched his spot for the second round of the Playoffs.

    For the first stage of the race, Hamlin and his No. 11 FedEx Cares Toyota Camry were competitive. Rolling off the grid in seventh place, Hamlin was able to crack the top five within the first 10 laps. By the time the competition caution flew on Lap 30, Hamlin was still in fifth place and slowly lurking his way to the lead.

    Following a pit stop and a restart on Lap 37, Hamlin muscled his way into second place and shortly after, he took the lead from Austin Dillon. From there, Hamlin was able to drive away from the field and claim the first stage win on Lap 80 over Dillon as he also collected valuable stage points. By then, he also led a total of 45 laps.

    It all went away, however, during the stage break when Hamlin was busted for speeding on pit road and was sent to the rear of the field. From the start of the second stage, Hamlin struggled in working his way back to the front as he was mired outside the top 20. He was able to work his way back to 14th place when the second stage concluded on Lap 235. 

    For the remainder of the race, however, he could never regain the early speed he exhibited on the track. Mired within the top 15 and a lap behind the leaders, Hamlin crossed the finish line in 12th place. 

    Despite a struggle of a night and a disappointing outcome, there was a silver lining for Hamlin and his No. 11 team. Based on their results, Hamlin racked up enough points to clinch a spot for the Round of 12 in the Playoffs, joining Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski, as he also kept his championship hopes for this season alive.

    “It just seemed like once the track rubbered up, we just weren’t any good,” Hamlin said. “We couldn’t get off the corner good, couldn’t get in the corner. Just nothing was really very good with it. I want to thank everyone from FedEx Cares for putting this car on the race track. This definitely means a lot to people I spoke to last week with the National Urban League, so thank you everyone. We will move on to the next round and go have some fun next week and see how we do.”

    Hamlin, along with his fellow Playoff contenders, will return for the next scheduled NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19, which will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Busch rallies from the rear for a top-10 result at Richmond

    Busch rallies from the rear for a top-10 result at Richmond

    From a disappointing outcome at Darlington Raceway to rallying under the lights at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, it has been an eventful week for Kyle Busch in his quest to defend his NASCAR Cup Series championship. Despite a rough start with an interim crew chief atop the pit box, Busch was able to methodically work his way through the field and emerge with a top-10 result.

    Coming into Saturday night’s race at Richmond, Busch was also coming off a seventh-place run at Darlington a week earlier and without his crew chief Adam Stevens, who was serving a one-race suspension as a result of two lug nuts discovered not safely secured on Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry during post-race inspection. As a result, Jacob Canter, a rookie crew chief for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series who achieved one victory with Busch earlier this season, served as an interim crew chief for Busch and his No. 18 Cup team. 

    Before the race started, Busch, who was scheduled to start in sixth place, was sent to the rear of the field since his No. 18 Toyota failed pre-race inspection twice. When the race started, Busch wasted no time methodically working his way to the front. Following the first 10 laps of the race, he was scored in 26th place. Another 10 laps later, he gained four additional spots in 22nd place. By the time the competition caution flew on Lap 30, Busch had made his way up to 21st place. 

    Pitting under caution to deal with tight conditions to his car, Busch proceeded to march his way inside the top 20 throughout the first stage. When the first stage concluded on Lap 80, Busch was scored in 13th place.

    Lining up in sixth place for the start of the second stage, Busch kept himself running inside the top 10. At one moment in the stage, Busch cracked the top five. When the second stage concluded on Lap 235, he settled in sixth place and collected a handful of stage points. 

    Restarting in sixth place again for the start of the final stage, Busch stabilized himself within the top 10 as he also made another appearance in the top five. With 57 laps remaining, Busch emerged with the lead and he led four laps before he made a green flag pit stop. 

    Returning back on the track inside the top 10, Busch was all to gain a handful of spots for the remainder of the race under green to finish in sixth place for his 15th top-10 result of the season. Busch’s top-10 result came a day after he finished in third place in his fifth and final Xfinity Series start of the season at Richmond. With his result and finishing ahead of Playoff contenders like Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, Alex Bowman and Clint Bowyer, Busch is in ninth place in the Cup Playoff standings and is 18 points above the top-12 cutline.

    “Kind of same as last night [in the Xfinity Series race],” Busch said on NBCSN. “Just not quite enough turn in the middle of the corner to keep wrapping on the long runs. The short runs it seemed like I was actually a little bit loose and then, it was starting to go a little bit tight and then, it was tight loose. Just not enough overall grip, I guess. Kind of been fighting that a little bit this year. The guys gave a great fight. Adam [Stevens] not being here and I thought Jacob [Canter] did a great job. We all know Adam was back at home. … Overall, that’s all we had. We fought hard with our M&M’s Camry and we came up short of a top-five. Good night for us.”

    Busch, along with his fellow Playoff contenders, will return for the next scheduled NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19, which will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Dillon shines under the lights at Richmond

    Dillon shines under the lights at Richmond

    It was another stellar performance for Austin Dillon in the early stages of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, this time at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, as the Welcome, North Carolina, native continued his late surge for an opportunity to contend for this year’s championship. On a night where he was hit with two curveballs, both involving pit road, he rallied and was in position of collecting an upset victory before he settled inside the top five when the checkered flag flew.

    Starting in third place and coming off a strong runner-up result at Darlington Raceway to open this year’s Playoffs, Dillon had early speed to start the race at Richmond. By Lap 12, Dillon made his way into second place after passing Joey Logano. Nine laps later, Dillon muscled his way into the lead after passing Kevin Harvick. After taking over the top spot, Dillon started to pull away from the field and he was able to maintain his advantage through the competition caution on Lap 30. 

    Retaining the leader under caution and following a stellar pit stop from his crew, Dillon was able to launch ahead with the lead. A lap later, however, Dillon was overtaken by Denny Hamlin for the lead. By then, he had led his first 17 laps at Richmond. Despite battling loose conditions to his No. 3 Dow Norkool Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, Dillon kept himself in contention for the lead. When the second stage concluded on Lap 80, he was scored in second place and collected a multitude of stage points.

    During the pit stops under the stage break, however, Dillon was sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road, a situation that also affected Stage 1 winner Denny Hamlin. Restarting in 29th place for the start of the second stage, it took Dillon time to work his way back towards the front. 

    By Lap 100, he worked his way up to 29th place. Ten laps later, he moved up to 14th place. Another 11 laps later, he was scored in 11th place. With a fast race car on the long runs, Dillon and the No. 3 car emerged back with the lead on Lap 182. He went on to lead 36 laps before he was overtaken by Brad Keselowski. Dillon went on to finish in second place behind Keselowski in the second stage, which concluded on Lap 235, and collect more stage points.

    With 157 laps remaining, the final stage started with Austin Dillon still in contention for the win. Throughout the early portions of the final stage, Dillon struggled to keep pace with the leaders as he slipped back to the top 10. While the run progressed under green, Dillon’s car slowly came back to life as he marched his way back to the front. With 64 laps remaining, however, Dillon missed the entrance to pit road after having issues slowly his car down to enter pit road and with Kurt Busch closing in. To avoid a commitment line violation, Dillon cycled his way around the track and completed a successful pit stop, losing three seconds in the process and still having an opportunity to win. 

    Despite the late misfortune, Dillon battled his way back inside the top five and emerged with the lead with 48 laps remaining. He was overtaken, however, for good by Keselowski the following lap and he went on to post a strong fourth-place result, thus losing spots from Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano.

    By collecting his fourth top-five result of this season and racking up back-to-back top-five results for the first time in his Cup career, Dillon is in sixth place in the Playoff standings and is 36 points above the top-12 cutline approaching next weekend’s Round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway.  

    “It’s unfortunate,” Dillon said on NBCSN. “We had a speeding penalty, also. To come from the back to finish second in that stage, too, which is so awesome…This No. 3 team’s on fire right now and showing up when it matters. The biggest thing is when we came to pit road, we were trying to bring everybody down and The No. 1 car was in my mirror on tires. I overdrove that entry just a little bit thinking that I needed to avoid getting rear-ended, and then it was like ‘Oh no, I’m going to hit the red box’ so I had to make another lap around the track. That cost us three seconds. but anyways, great run and it’s a lot of fun out here. We’ll go to Bristol.”

    Dillon also took a shot at his skeptics and doubters as he sets his sights for next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway and the opportunity to stabilize his title hopes in 2020.

    “I hope they keep doubting us,” Dillon added. “We got a lot of work still. We’re putting ourselves in positions to win and you do that long enough, it pays off. We haven’t been here, we’re kind of new to this. We gotta keep running up here and those wins are gonna start clocking off. We need to make it happen when we got cars like this.” 

    Dillon, along with his fellow Playoff contenders, will return for the next scheduled NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19, which will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.