The 2019 NASCAR Playoffs go under the lights Saturday night this week in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway.
Racing on a short track takes the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series back to the roots of stock car racing. It also gives the drivers and teams a serious challenge. If anybody in the equation does not rise to the challenge the results are seldom good and often disastrous.
Martin Truex Jr. took some of the pressure off himself and his team by winning last week. That earned an automatic advance to the next round of the post-season. Other playoff drivers had the pressure increased due to either being caught up in on track incidents and/or poor performance.
We saw last week in the first playoff race that the non-playoff drivers are going to compete hard for the win no matter who is next to them on the track. It created drama and excitement for fans to watch. The short track will likely amplify the drama and excitement this week. Here is a look at the data for the track and race that both playoff and non-playoff drivers will be facing.
Richmond Raceway Data
Track Size: 0.75-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 14 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 14 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 8 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 1,290 feet
Backstretch Length: 860 feet
Federated Auto Parts 400 Data
Season Race #: 28 of 36 (09-21-19)
Race Length: 400 laps / 300 miles
Stage 1 and 2 Length: 100 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 200 laps
The active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers that have performed the best at the track during their careers are:
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Richmond
Kevin Harvick ………………………… 110.4
Kyle Busch ……………………………. 110.2
Denny Hamlin ………………………… 107.2
Brad Keselowski ………………………. 98.2
Kurt Busch ………………………………. 95.3
Clint Bowyer ……………………………. 93.9
Joey Logano ……………………………. 91.9
Martin Truex Jr. ………………………… 89.7
Jimmie Johnson ………………………. 89.1
Kyle Larson …………………………….. 88.7
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2019 races (29 total) among active drivers at Richmond Raceway. Driver names in RED above are currently in the playoffs.
There are 11 active drivers that have scored at least one win in NSACAR’s top division at Richmond Raceway.
Kyle Busch – 6 Wins (including this race in 2018)
Denny Hamlin – 3 Wins
Jimmie Johnson – 3 Wins
Kevin Harvick – 3 Wins
Clint Bowyer – 2 Wins
Joey Logano – 2 Wins
Kurt Busch – 2 Wins
Brad Keselowski – 1 Win
Kyle Larson – 1 Win
Martin Truex Jr. – 1 Win (April 2019 race)
Ryan Newman – 1 Win
Note: Driver names in RED above are currently in the playoffs.
Will Jimmie Johnson break his long streak without a win in his first season ever not in the playoffs?
Will another driver lock his spot in the next round of the post-season?
Can Martin Truex Jr. apply maximum pressure to the other 15 playoff drivers by winning back-to-back races?
Can another non-playoff driver play spoiler and score a win?
We will find out which scenario ultimately turns out to be true when NASCAR runs under the lights Saturday night, September 21st at Richmond Raceway in the Federated Auto Parts 400 starting at 6:30 PM central time (7:30 PM eastern time).
By: Buck Stevens
