It took eight races, but we finally have our first multi-race winner of the season. Congratulations to Kevin Harvick, who dominated most of the night at Darlington and then fought his way back to the lead with just over one lap left, passing Dale Earnhardt Jr. and taking the checkered flag for the second time this season. It seemed like a long time between wins for this team because of all the mechanical issues they have faced so far this season and now they should be really locked into the Chase.
TOYOTA OWNERS 400
The series will take a week off to observe the Easter holiday weekend and then they will be back to short tracking as they head to Richmond, VA for the running of the Toyota Owners 400. Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile D-shaped asphalt race track. Once again there will be a narrow pit road with stalls all the way around the track. Pit stops here can be just as exciting as the racing itself.
Kyle Busch: Kyle has won four of the past five spring races at Richmond and that is why I am picking him to get his second win of the season. He has lead 586 laps during the past five spring races and has finished in the top five in eight of his nine spring starts at this track. Way too consistent to not have him on your team for this race.
Jeff Gordon: Jeff has had a very good season so far, but he is still looking for his first win of the year. He has always been very good at Richmond and has finished in the top ten here in ten of his last fourteen starts. This team is going to break into the win column very soon and this might be the race where they get the job done.
Denny Hamlin: Denny has lead 1,390 laps at Richmond in his fifteen career starts there. He looked very good at the beginning of this season, but lately the team hasn’t made the correct adjustments to the car to keep up with the track and Denny has been caught for speeding on pit road each of the past two races. You can’t make mistakes like these when you are racing against the best drivers in the world.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale continues to impress this season, having great runs at tracks he never excelled at in the past. This team looks like a championship contender for the first time in many years. Dale has also been very good at Richmond during his career with three wins to his credit. Look for Junior to come away with another great finish from this track.
Tony Stewart: Tony has had his ups and downs this season and Richmond might be the cure for what is ailing this team. Tony has three wins and four runner-up finishes at this track including four top ten finishes in his last five starts here. I think there is a lot of pressure on Tony being a part owner of four Sprint Cup cars and he is still recovering from the broken leg he sustained last season. When all is said and done this team will win more than one race before the Chase.
Kevin Harvick: Kevin won this race last season and has won three races overall at this track during his career. If this team can stay away from the mechanical issues they had early this season, I think they will be contenders on a weekly basis and will win more races before the start of the Chase. Right now I think they are the team to beat this year, but it is early yet.
Ryan Newman: Ryan has been very impressive this year in his own right. He has one win at this track and has finished in the top ten in more than half of his starts here. They are not afraid to take a gamble with two tire stops and it has improved their track position all year and given them chances to win races. I think he is on a team where he can use his engineering degree to help them get better every week.
Carl Edwards: Carl really struggled last weekend at Darlington, but they already have a win under their belt this year and might just be trying some different things with their setups now. He also got his first win at this track last fall and should be a contender once again in this race. Another win on a short track is very possible for this team.
Clint Bowyer: Clint has won at this track twice during his career and always seems to run well on the short, flat tracks. He finished second in this race last season and has lead a bunch of laps in each of his last three starts here. This team is looking for a lot of improvement so they can get back to where they were two years ago when Clint finished second in the standings.
Matt Kenseth: Matt sat on the pole for this race last year and lead 140 laps during the race before settling for a seventh place finish. This team is still looking for their first win of the season and would like it to come soon so they don’t have to worry about making the Chase. After this next race we will be 1/3 of the way to the start of the Chase and teams don’t want to have to worry about getting a win as we close in on race #26 on the season.
YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
Yahoo Driver Group A
- Kyle Busch
- Jeff Gordon
Yahoo Driver Group B
- Denny Hamlin
- Ryan Newman
- Tony Stewart
- Carl Edwards
Yahoo Driver Group C
- Austin Dillon
- Justin Allgaier
MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
- Kyle Busch
- Jeff Gordon
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Kevin Harvick
- Clint Bowyer
Dark Horse: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Stay Away From: Brain Vickers