And then there was one! Congratulation to Kasey Kahne on winning his first race of the season and qualifying for the Chase. Fourteen of the Chase spots have been locked in, but two are still open. Right now Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle sit in those spots with one to go. Clint Bowyer and Kyle Larson are close enough in points to overtake either of those drivers by points, but we could still get another new winner on the season at Richmond which will eliminate another spot unless the driver is Matt Kenseth. Ryan has the best chance of making the Chase on points as of now, with a nineteen point lead on Greg, forty-two over Bowyer, and forty-three over Larson. One of these four drivers will get in on points no matter who wins the race and two of them can make it with a repeat winner or a Kenseth win. It looks like it will be another no holds barred race at Richmond this Saturday night.
FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile D-shaped oval asphalt racetrack that is considered quite flat by NASCAR standards. Jeff Gordon set a track record here last year with a qualifying lap of 130.599 mph and I think that record might fall this weekend. This could be one of the most exciting races of the season, so try not to miss it.
Jeff Gordon: I am picking Jeff to win this week at Richmond. He has two career wins here and has finished in the top ten in well over half of his starts at this track. This team has been solid all season and would like to get that extra bonus point for wins heading into the Chase next week. Jeff lead the most laps in the spring race here on his way to a second place finish, which I think he will improve on this weekend.
Brad Keselowski: This is Brad’s type of track to race on. He loves the short, flat tracks and would like to build some momentum heading into the Chase. He has lead a lot of laps in the last two races at this track, so I think he has a good idea on how to make it around here quickly. If he can stay out of trouble early he should be in contention at the end of the race.
Kyle Busch: Kyle has won four races at this track, has finished in the top five in thirteen of his nineteen starts, and finished third this spring here. He is by far the most consistent driver at this track and I would have picked him for the win, but lately he has been way too hot headed on the track. He needs to control his emotions if he really wants to have a chance at winning a championship. He is a great pick if you are trying to make a move in your fantasy league.
Kevin Harvick: Kevin has three career wins at Richmond and dominated the race at Atlanta last weekend until he was involved in a crash on a green/white/checker restart at the end of the race. This team has brought a car capable of winning every week this season and Kevin is my odds on favorite to win the championship this season. He has finished in the top ten in sixteen of his twenty-seven starts here and lead twenty-three laps in the spring race.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale has also won three races at this track with the last of those coming back in 2006. He hasn’t been real consistent here throughout his career, but the way he has run this season, we can throw out what he was like in the past. This team has a legitimate shot at winning the title this season and another win this weekend would make the other Chase drivers see what this team is capable of.
Denny Hamlin: Denny has two career wins here and looked very good at Atlanta last weekend. We don’t really know if the teams that qualified for the Chase early in the year were doing some experimenting once they were in, or if they just weren’t on the same page. We are going to find out starting this weekend if this team might have been laying in the weeds and are now ready to try and win a championship. Denny has always been good on the flat tracks and we will see if they are going to be a serious contender this weekend.
Clint Bowyer: Clint has won two races at Richmond during his career and a win this weekend is his best shot a making the Chase. This team knows that and is going to come with an all or nothing attitude. They will take every chance they can as the race progresses to put themselves in a position to win this race and take one of the last two spots in the Chase. Don’t count him out yet.
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has three career wins at this track and they all came during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. This team is another team that had struggled after winning three races in a short stretch earlier this season. Once again, were they doing some testing after that, or did they just struggle to find handling and speed? They have run much better this past month and I think they will be fine once the Chase starts.
Carl Edwards: Carl won this race last season and this team has looked better lately. They seem to have found some speed on the intermediate tracks and have been good on the short tracks all year. I think they have a good shot at winning the race this weekend and grabbing some momentum as the Chase looms. Even though this is Carl’s last season at Roush/Fenway Racing, I think they will do everything in their power to make Carl a contender.
Matt Kenseth: Matt is locked into the Chase, but is still looking for his first win of the season. He would like nothing better than to get it this weekend just so he can get a bonus point at the start of the Chase. He has never won a race at Richmond, but has finished in the top seven here in each of the last four races. They have looked very good over the past month and just need to make that one last correct adjustment late in the race and have the cautions fall right for them to get their first win on the season.
YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
Yahoo Driver Group A
- Jeff Gordon
- Kyle Busch
Yahoo Driver Group B
- Brad Keselowski
- Carl Edwards
- Ryan Newman
- Denny Hamlin
Yahoo Driver Group C
- Kyle Larson
- Austin Dillon
MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
- Jeff Gordon
- Kyle Busch
- Brad Keselowski
- Kevin Harvick
- Carl Edwards
Dark Horse: Tony Stewart
Stay Away From: Kurt Busch