Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Federated Auto Parts 400
The Place: Richmond Raceway
The Date: Saturday, Sept. 9
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300 miles (400 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 100),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 200), Final Stage (Ends on lap 400)
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: Virginia529 College Savings 250
The Place: Richmond Raceway
The Date: Friday, Sept. 8
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 187.5 miles (250 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 75),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 150), Final Stage (Ends on lap 250)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Chicagoland 225
The Place: Chicagoland Speedway
The Date: Friday, Sept. 15
The Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 8 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 225 miles (150 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 35),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on lap 150)
Three’s A Crowd: A New Winner At Richmond Would Shake Up The Playoff Picture
The Playoffs are almost here as NASCAR
concludes its regular season with Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at
Richmond Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR
Radio).
Plenty of drama can unfold with the
potential of a new winner making the Playoffs as just three points
separate the trio of drivers currently holding on to the final
postseason slots.
If there is no new winner, Chase Elliott,
Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray would all make the playoffs on points.
But if there’s a fresh face in Victory Lane, all three are in danger of
missing the postseason. Elliott sits 14th on the playoff grid, a mere
two points ahead of Kenseth and three points ahead of McMurray.
Elliott has struggled at Richmond
throughout his young career. In four starts, he has a high finish of
12th and an average showing of 17.8.
Kenseth claims two wins, six top fives,
16 top 10s and a 16.1 average finish in 35 career starts at Richmond. He
won the September race in 2015.
In 29 starts at Richmond, McMurray has
posted three top fives, eight top 10s and a 19.2 average finish. He has
finished no lower than 16th in his last eight starts there. Included in
that stretch are three fourth-place finishes and five top-seven
showings.
Truex Captures Regular Season Title At Richmond
Following his performance at Darlington,
where he won the first two stages and finished eighth, Martin Truex Jr.
captured the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season
championship. He’ll be formally crowned champion following Saturday’s
race at Richmond.
Truex leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series in points (107 more than second-place Kyle Busch), wins (4, Kyle
Larson and Jimmie Johnson are second with 3), stage wins (17, Kyle
Busch is second with 10) top 10s (17, Kevin Harvick is second with 16),
playoff points 37 (Kyle Busch is second with 20), average running
position (8.0, Kyle Busch is second with 8.7), driver rating (113.9,
Kyle Busch is second with 107.3), fastest laps run (892, 15.6%; Busch is
second with 727, 12.7%) and laps led (1,448, 20.7%; Busch is second
with 1,311, 18.7%).
"It’s an honor to win the regular-season
championship and a milestone for Martin and Furniture Row Racing," said
Joe Garone, president of Furniture Row Racing. "At the end of the day,
though, our sights are set on the long term-goal which is winning the
championship at Homestead. We’ll use this regular season championship,
and the bad luck the 78 team had at the end of tonight’s race, as a
springboard to take us to that goal."
Logano A Favorite At Richmond?
Joey Logano’s lone win this season came
at Richmond in April. The victory was encumbered after Logano failed
inspection, so he must take the checkered flag in this weekend’s
Federated Auto Parts 400 at the Northern Virginia track to make NASCAR’s
Playoffs.
Logano has placed in the top 10 in his
last eight races at Richmond. In 17 starts there, he claims two wins,
six top fives, nine top 10s and a 12.5 average finish.
The No. 22 Ford driver has struggled since his April Richmond win. Since then, he’s registered only three top 10s in 16 starts.
The last driver to sweep Richmond was Jimmie Johnson in 2007.
Must-Win Race For Bowyer At Richmond
Clint Bowyer suffered an engine failure
early in the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway that’s forced
him out of Playoffs contention through points. He must win this weekend
at Richmond to make the postseason.
Fortunately for Bowyer, Richmond is one
of his top courses. In 23 starts at the .75-mile short track, he owns
two wins, four top fives, 12 top 10s and a 12.9 average finish.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gets Last Chance To Make Playoffs In Final Season
For Dale Earnhardt Jr. to make the
Playoffs in his final season, he’ll have to win Saturday Richmond – a
feat he’s achieved three times in his career (2000, 2004 and 2006),
Still, it’s been 11 years since he last won at the .75-mile short track.
In addition to his three wins, Earnhardt has 10 top fives, 14 top 10s and a 13.7 average finish at Richmond.
The No. 88 Chevrolet driver enjoys running at Richmond because it has a
similar setup to Myrtle Beach Speedway where he raced often growing up.
Denny The Defender: Hamlin Goes For Back-To-Back Wins
On Saturday, Denny Hamlin will not only
try for his second consecutive win after taking the checkered flag last
weekend at Darlington, he’ll attempt to visit Victory Lane in
consecutive September Richmond races.
The Chesterfield, Virginia, native claims
three wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s and a 9.8 average finish at the
.75-mile track. He has finished sixth or better in the last four races
there. His 110.3 driver rating at Richmond ranks second among active
drivers.
Hamlin has been one of the top-performing
drivers in NASCAR this summer. Since the June Michigan race, he has
finished fourth or better in eight of 11 races. Included in that stretch
are two wins.
Jones Hits Groove, Will Try To Make Last-Ditch Playoff Push
Sunoco Rookie of the Year frontrunner
Erik Jones has hit his groove recently. The 21-year-old Michigan native
boasts five consecutive top-10 finishes and three straight top-five
showings.
Jones will try to win his way into the
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Richmond where he finished
38th due to a wreck in April. In four NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at
the Virginia track, he has two top fives, including a runner-up
performance this spring.
On the season, Jones claims four top
fives, 10 top 10s and a 16.3 average finish. He leads Daniel Suarez by
12 points in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Two Races To Go And Plenty Of XFINITY Playoff Spots To Fight For
Following the 24th race of the 2017
NASCAR XFINITY Series season at Darlington Raceway, six drivers –
William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Reed, Elliott Sadler, Brennan Poole
and Daniel Hemric - have all clinched a spot in the postseason on
either wins or points.
Though Jeremy Clements has a win, he has
not yet clinched a Playoffs spot because he hasn’t clinched a top 20
spot in the standings. Clements is currently 18th in the standings, 101
points ahead of 21st, and can still possibly fall out of top 20 in the
next two races. If Clements was to fall out of the top 20 in the
standings, even though he has a win, he would be ineligible for the
postseason. Clements can lock himself into the top 20 and the playoffs
with 17 points this weekend.
|
Rank
|
Driver
|
Race Wins
|
Playoff Pts
|
Pts
|
Pts from Cutoff
|
|
1
|
William Byron
|
3
|
17
|
|
|
2
|
Justin Allgaier
|
1
|
8
|
|
3
|
Ryan Reed
|
1
|
5
|
|
4
|
Jeremy Clements
|
1
|
5
|
|
5
|
Elliott Sadler
|
0
|
5
|
|
6
|
Brennan Poole
|
0
|
0
|
|
7
|
Daniel Hemric
|
0
|
2
|
|
8
|
Cole Custer
|
0
|
0
|
590
|
123
|
|
9
|
Matt Tifft
|
0
|
0
|
558
|
91
|
|
10
|
Blake Koch
|
0
|
2
|
511
|
44
|
|
11
|
Michael Annett
|
0
|
0
|
490
|
23
|
|
12
|
Brendan Gaughan
|
0
|
1
|
487
|
20
|
|
13
|
Dakoda Armstrong
|
0
|
0
|
467
|
-20
|
|
14
|
Ross Chastain
|
0
|
0
|
432
|
-55
|
|
15
|
JJ Yeley
|
0
|
0
|
429
|
-58
|
|
16
|
Ryan Sieg
|
0
|
0
|
413
|
-74
|
|
17
|
Brandon Jones
|
0
|
0
|
388
|
-99
|
With two races to go and several NASCAR
XFINITY Series playoff spots still up for grabs in Friday night’s
Virginia529 College Savings 250 at Richmond Raceway (on NBCSN, MRN and
SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 7:30 p.m. ET) here are the clinch scenarios for
this weekend.
Cole Custer (0 Wins, 590 Points, +316 Points Ahead of 21st)
– Custer can clinch on points with 11 points and a new winner. If
there is a repeat winner, he would then clinch on points with eight
points. He can also clinch a playoff spot with a win.
Custer has made two series starts at Richmond, posting one top 10 and an average finish of 9.5.
Matt Tifft (0 Wins, 558 Points, +284 Points Ahead of 21st)
– Tifft can clinch on points with 43 points and a new winner. If there
is a repeat winner, he would then clinch on points with 40 points. He
can also clinch a playoff spot with a win.
Tifft has made two series starts at Richmond, posting a best finish of 14th earlier this season. His average finish at RIR is 23.5.
Blake Koch (0 Wins, 511 Points, +237 Points Ahead of 21st) – Koch can clinch a spot with a win. He could also clinch on points, but would need help.
Koch has made 12 career starts at Richmond posting one top 10 and an average finish of 24.2.
Michael Annett (0 Wins, 490 Points, +216 Points Ahead of 21st) – Annett can clinch a spot in the playoffs with a win. He can also clinch on points with a repeat winner and help.
Annett has made 10 series starts at Richmond posting one top five, three top 10s and an average finish of 16.6.
Brendan Gaughan (0 Wins, 487 Points, +213 Points Ahead of 21st) – Gaughan can only clinch a spot in the playoffs this weekend with a win.
Gaughan has made 11 series starts at Richmond posting two top 10s and an average finish of 18.0.
The remaining drivers in contention to
make the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoffs can only clinch a spot in the
postseason this weekend with a win:
Dakoda Armstrong (0 Wins, 467 Points, +193 Points Ahead of 21st)
Ross Chastain (0 Wins, 432 Points, +158 Points Ahead of 21st)
JJ Yeley (0 Wins, 429 Points, +155 Points Ahead of 21st)
Ryan Sieg (0 Wins, 413 Points, +139 Points Ahead of 21st)
Brandon Jones (0 Wins, 388 Points, +114 Points Ahead of 21st)
Impossible to Clinch: Joey Gase (0 Wins, 274 Points, 13 Points Behind 20th In Points)
- Even with a win, he would not clinch a Top 20 spot, so he cannot
clinch a Playoff berth at Richmond. If he can't clinch a Top 20 with a
win, no driver below him in the standings could clinch either.
Outside Looking In: JGL Racing’s Dakoda Armstrong Has Two Races Left To Make The Playoffs
JR Motorsport’s Michael Annett and
Richard Childress Racing’s Brendan Gaughan have no room for mistakes in
the next two races as JGL Racing’s Dakoda Armstrong is within striking
distance of knocking one of two from the Playoffs in the upcoming final
two races of the regular season (Richmond and Chicago).
Armstrong is currently 13th in the series
driver standings, the first spot outside the Playoffs, a mere 23 points
back from Michael Annett and just 20 points behind Brendan Gaughan in
the final postseason spot heading into this weekend’s race the
Virginia529 College Savings 250 (Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN
and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Richmond Raceway.
Armstrong has made seven series starts at
Richmond, recording one top 10. Richmond is one of Armstrong’s better
tracks and battling for the final Playoff spot could get interesting
this weekend as all three drivers have fairly similar average finishes
at RIR – Annett (16.6), Armstrong (16.8) and Gaughan (18.0).
Virginian Elliott Sadler Comes Home To Lock-Up Regular Season Title
JR Motorsport’s Elliott Sadler, from
Emporia, Virginia, returns to his home state hoping to not only get his
first win of the 2017 season, but also lock up the NASCAR XFINITY Series
Regular Season championship this Friday at Richmond Raceway in the
Virginia529 College Savings 250. To clinch the regular season title,
Sadler will need a 61-point lead over second-place in the driver
standings following Richmond; he is currently 91 points ahead of second.
The NASCAR XFINITY Series Regular Season
championship is more than just an accomplishment with a title, it also
comes with 15 playoff points; which equals three wins’ worth of playoff
points to take to the postseason.
Though Sadler has yet to win in 2017, he
has been a dominant competitor on the track. Not only has he posted the
series-most in top fives (9) and top 10s (17), but he has also been the
points leader following every race but two this season.
Sadler is not only looking for his first
win of the season, but also his first win of his career at Richmond
Raceway. In 28 series career starts at Richmond, he has posted four top
fives, 13 top 10s and an average finish of 13.8. He finished seventh in
the spring race earlier this season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Leads A Cavalcade Of Stars Competing In The Virginia529 College Savings 250
The sport’s most popular driver, Dale
Earnhardt Jr., and five other Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
competitors - Paul Menard, Ty Dillon, Reed Sorenson, Kyle Busch and Brad
Keselowski – will be pulling double duty this weekend at Richmond
Raceway in the Virginia529 College Savings 250.
Earnhardt Jr. has been quite successful
at Richmond in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. In six series career starts,
he has four wins (2016 spring, ’02 fall, ’99 fall and ’98 fall), five
top fives and an average finish of 6.3. Among drivers with multiple
series wins at Richmond, Earnhardt Jr. has the highest winning
percentage at 66.7%; followed by Harry Gant with a 36.4% winning
percentage after winning four races in 11 starts at Richmond. Earnhardt
will be driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet with crew chief
Scott Radel.
Joining Earnhardt this weekend is the
series’ all-time winningest driver and defending Richmond Fall race
winner, Kyle Busch (91 wins), who returns to Richmond Raceway looking to
tie Kevin Harvick (seven victories) for the series-most wins at the
track. In 21 series starts at Richmond, Busch has posted six wins (2016
fall, 2014 fall, 2011 fall, 2009 spring, 2007 fall and 2004 spring), 15
top fives, 18 top 10s and an average finish of 5.5. Three of his six
wins came from the pole. He hasn’t finished worse than fourth in his
last seven series starts at Richmond.
Brad Keselowski is also a former Richmond
Raceway winner who will be pulling double duty this weekend. He has
made 16 starts at Richmond posting three wins (2013 sweep, 2010 Spring),
eight top fives and nine top 10s.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Austin Cindric Scores First Career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Win
NASCAR Sunoco Rookie of the Year
contender and Brad Keselowski Racing driver Austin Cindric won his first
career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race with the Chevrolet
Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.
Cindric, who also won his first career
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole earlier in the day, was
aggressive in his last lap bump into fellow rookie and GMS Racing Kaz
Grala for his first win and a ticket to the Playoffs.
Cindric did not shy away from the incident or going after his win to get into the postseason.
"I’d say it’s an incredible week for this
entire 19 race team. Everyone has seen this race and from how it plays
out in the end. I don’t think I saw one highlight that didn’t show
someone getting into the back of another driver to win the race. I hate
for it to come down to that. I think I made an easy decision since Kaz
already had a win to get into the playoffs. For us, it gives us a
brighter light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully something for us
to chase after for the rest of the year."
You can find the rest of that post-race audio here.
With the win, Cindric became the sixth
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver to win this season joining
Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton and
Kaz Grala.
Cindric has had a very strong season,
winning once and scoring four top fives and nine top 10s. He’s led 66
laps this season and has seven consecutive top 10s.
Chase Briscoe Clinches NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs Berth
It was a strong week for Brad Keselowski
Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park as Austin Cindric won the
Chevrolet Silverado 250 and Chase Briscoe clinched a NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series Playoffs berth with his seventh-place finish.
Briscoe is currently the seventh seed on
the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs grid and still has a shot
to win his first career race with one regular season race remaining at
Chicagoland Speedway.
He’s had a strong Sunoco Rookie season
with five top fives and nine top 10s. Briscoe has never finished outside
the top-25 this season and has led 109 laps in the No. 29 Brad
Keselowski Racing Ford.
Top Four Finishers At Canadian Tire Under 20-Years-Old
The top four finishers in Sunday’s NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire
Motorsports Park have two things in common…they’re all under the age of
20 and are all in contention for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in
the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season.
Race winner Austin Cindric and
second-place finisher Noah Gragson are both 19, while third-place
finisher Kaz Grala and fourth-place finisher Justin Haley are both 18.
All four drivers have had strong Sunoco
Rookie campaigns as Cindric and Grala both have wins this season and
will be in the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs. Gragson
(11th) and Haley (12th) are both on the outside of the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series Playoffs bubble, but a win at Chicagoland Speedway
could change everything for either driver.
Speaking of young drivers, 17-year-old
NASCAR Next driver Todd Gilliland made his third career NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series start this season at Canadian Tire last Sunday. He
scored a career-best finish in the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota,
placing 11th after starting 13th.
2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs Final Countdown: 1 Race
With only one NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series regular season race remaining before the playoffs begin, below is
a look at the playoff picture following Canadian Tire Motorsports
Park:
Rank Driver Points Race Wins Playoff Points Pts from Cutoff
1 Christopher Bell 634 4 24 -
2 JH Nemechek 463 2 11 -
3 Johnny Sauter 604 1 10 -
4 Matt Crafton 574 1 7 -
5 Austin Cindric 447 1 6 -
6 Kaz Grala 373 1 5 -
7 Chase Briscoe 573 0 1 -
8 Ben Rhodes 505 0 1 7
9 Ryan Truex 498 0 2 -7
10 Grant Enfinger 474 0 0 -31
11 Noah Gragson 458 0 1 -47
12 Justin Haley 386 0 0 -119
Trucking Down Into The Windy City
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is
off this week – but picks back up next week at Chicagoland Speedway on
Friday, September 15 for the Chicagoland 225 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN
& SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Kyle Busch is the defending race winner,
while Christopher Bell (fourth), Johnny Sauter (fifth) and Grant
Enfinger (sixth) all finished inside the top-10.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Clinch Scenarios At Chicagoland
With a pair of Brad Keselowski Racing
drivers clinching two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs spots
in Austin Cindric (win) and Chase Briscoe (points) at Canadian Tire
Motorsports Park, there is only one Playoffs spot up for grabs at
Chicagoland Speedway.
ThorSport Racing driver Ben Rhodes, who
is currently in the eighth and final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Playoffs position could officially clinch that spot with a win at
Chicagoland or on points if he scores at least 49 points in the race.
The following drivers could clinch their
Playoffs berth with a win or on points based on a repeat winner and help
from other drivers:
Ryan Truex
Grant Enfinger
Noah Gragson
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Etc.:
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner Standings Update:
Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 4 Toyota Tundra retains a 30-point lead
over GMS Racing’s No. 21 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series owner standings after 15 races this season. ThorSport
Racing’s No. 88 Toyota Tundra (-60), Brad Keselowski Racing’s No. 29
Ford F-150 (-61) and ThorSport Racing’s No. 27 Toyota Tundra (-129)
round out the top five.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Manufacturer Standings Update: Through
15 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this season, Toyota leads
Chevrolet by 23 points in the manufacturer standings, 559-536. In third
place, Ford sits at 472 points and captured their first NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series win this season when Austin Cindric won at Canadian
Tire Motorsports Park.
