2021 Richmond Raceway, Toyota Owners 400

Congratulations to Martin Truex Jr. who became the first repeat winner of the 2021 season on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway after the race was halted on Saturday night for rain and had to be continued the following day. Two tough weeks in a row for race fans with races being pushed back. Not to mention what it means to the drivers and their teams.

TOYOTA OWNERS 400

This week the series heads to the Richmond Raceway for the running of the Toyota Owners 400. Once again we are on a flat track that is relatively short, but not as short as Martinsville. We should see some of the same type of racing this week.

Martin Truex Jr.: I have to stick with Martin to win back to back races this week. In his last four Richmond starts, Martin has two wins, a runner-up finish and a third place finish. He will be the odds on favorite to win once again this weekend and there’s no reason to think he won’t run up front most of the day.

Kyle Busch: This might be the time to take a chance on Kyle if you are behind and know the leaders are going to take other drivers. In his last ten starts at this track Kyle has two wins, three runner-up finishes and has only finished outside the top ten once during that stretch. He could pull out a win this weekend.

Brad Keselowski: After a rough weekend at Martinsville, Brad and his team will be looking for a little better conclusion to this week’s race. Brad won the race here last fall and hasn’t finished outside the top eleven in his last ten starts at Richmond. He should fair much better this week than last.

Chase Elliott: Chase came close to winning last weekend and all of the Hendrick teams have been running well this year for the most part. I think Chase has a good chance to pick up his first win at this track where his previous best was a second place finish. I think he’ll be in the mix once again this weekend.

Denny Hamlin: Denny dominated the early parts of the race last weekend at Martinsville before being overtaken late in the race by both Martin and Chase. He has eight top six finishes in his last ten starts here and should have some confidence following last weeks strong start.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin is looking for his first win at Richmond since the 2013 season. However he has still finished in the top five in eight of his last twelve starts and has been very consistent here throughout his career. He should be a contender once again this week.

Joey Logano: Joey also had a pretty good run at Martinsville last week and has been very consistent over the long haul at Richmond. In fact, Joey has finished in the top ten here in eleven of his last thirteen starts. This is going to be a great race to watch with so many drivers who are consistently good.

Kyle Larson: Kyle has been having a great season so far and this is another week where he should run well. He won here back in the 2017 season and has finished in the top ten in four of his last five starts. It seems that he has been running even better with his new team than he has throughout his early career.

Austin Dillon: Austin didn’t run very well here in his early years, but lately he has figured something out. He finished fourth here last year and has finished in the top six in three of his last four starts. He’s my dark horse this weekend.

DRIVER GROUP GAME FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR RICHMOND RACEWAY

Driver Group Game Group A

• Martin Truex Jr.

Driver Group Game Group B

• Kyle Busch
• Austin Dillon

Driver Group Game Group C

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT RICHMOND RACEWAY

1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Chase Elliott
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Brad Keselowski
5. Kyle Busch

Dark Horse: Austin Dillon

Stay Away From: Erik Jones

Big 18: Martin Truex Jr.