The NASCAR Sprint Cup series hits another short track as the drivers battle at Richmond under the lights Saturday night in the Toyota Owners 400.
Last week was tough on some of the drivers at the top of the standings in the Sprint Cup series on the 0.533-mile short track of Bristol. Those drivers will not get a break from short trackin’ as NASCAR will race at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75-mile track, this Saturday.
For those few drivers with at least one win already the pressure is not as intense. However, in this era of “win and you’re in” for the Chase Grid, the drivers that have yet to win will feel the pressure even more week after week.
The three-quarter-mile track will be a challenge for the drivers and teams both. The race will begin in the daytime and end under the lights. That means the track will change and the handling of the cars will change through the 300 mile race. The driver and team will need to communicate well for the 400 laps to make sure any adjustments that are needed are done to perfection almost to have a chance at the win.
Any mistake on adjustments could create a situation where the driver wrecks the car on track. The teams will also need to be mistake free in pit stops to avoid losing positions that can be very hard to get back for their drivers.
As always when NASCAR hits the short track, a driver with a good car and chance to win can also be taken out of contention by another car that is not handling well or a mistake by another driver. Beatin’, bangin’, dodgin’ and drivin’ will be the name of the game in Richmond for the Sprint Cup drivers Saturday night.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 in driver rating at Richmond for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.
#1 – Denny Hamlin: 110.7 driver rating – 2 wins
#2 – Kevin Harvick: 110.3 driver rating – 3 wins
#3 – Kyle Busch: 109.8 driver rating – 4 wins
#4 – Clint Bowyer: 99.6 driver rating – 2 wins
#5 – Jeff Gordon: 99.3 driver rating – 2 wins
#6 – Tony Stewart: 94.0 driver rating – 3 wins
#7 – Ryan Newman: 92.5 driver rating – 1 win
#8 – Brad Keselowski: 91.6 driver rating – 1 win
#9 – Kurt Busch: 91.5 driver rating – 1 win
#10 – Carl Edwards: 89.1 driver rating – 1 win
Kyle Busch is the active driver with the most wins at Richmond. However, since he is still recovering and won’t be racing this week it opens the door for another driver to possibly pull even with him in the overall wins at the track.
Obviously this year Kevin Harvick has been a contender at the start of every race and a factor in almost every race at the end. He has to be a favorite heading into the race again this week. Denny Hamlin is in the top spot for driver rating above Kevin, but with one less win at the track. Denny too should be considered a threat to win Saturday.
Brad Keselowski is in the top ten in driver rating while his teammate Joey Logano is not. However, the two are the most recent winners at Richmond as Joey won this race last year and Brad the second race of the year at the track. Those are the only wins the two have at Richmond. If they can avoid taking each other out of the race as they did last week at Bristol they could challenge for another win.
I am picking Dale Earnhardt Jr. as my “dark horse” for this week’s race at Richmond. He is just outside the top 10 in driver ratings at the track at #12 with an 86.9. However, he is also one the drivers who have won at the track three times during his Sprint Cup career. With nine top five finishes and 13 top 10s, Dale Jr. knows how to stay near the front at Richmond and could be the one to cross the finish line first under the lights Saturday night.
It should be another exciting race for the fans as NASCAR goes short trackin’ under the lights this Saturday night, April 25th starting at 6pm central time from Richmond International Raceway in the Toyota Owners 400.
By: Buck Stevens
