The NASCAR Cup Series will really test how durable the seventh version of the Next Gen car is this weekend short trackin’ at Richmond Raceway.

The Toyota Owners 400 will be the first points race on a short track for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. During the first six races of the season the new Next Gen car has proven to be very tough. Cars have survived incidents on the track that in the past would have seriously damaged the car in the past.

When NASCAR goes short trackin’, the drivers seem to beat and bang on each other more than at other tracks. The slower speeds on the shorter tracks allowed more contact with less damage. We have to wonder if the drivers will risk even more contact since the cars have seemed to already withstand more.

Here is the data for the track and race this weekend.

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

Toyota Owners 400 Data
Season Race #: 7 of 36 (04-03-22)
Race Length: 400 laps / 300 miles
Stage 1 Length: 70 laps
Stage 2 Length: 160 laps
Final Stage Length: 170 laps

These are the 10 active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with the best overall driver rating.

Kyle Busch – 109.9
Kevin Harvick – 109.3
Denny Hamlin – 108.9
Brad Keselowski – 99.9
Christopher Bell – 97.0
Martin Truex Jr. – 94.4
Joey Logano – 94.2
Kurt Busch – 92.2
Chase Elliott – 88.6
Kyle Larson – 88.5
* Based on last 33 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2005 – Present)

These active drivers have won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway.

Kyle Busch – 6 Wins (2018 sweep, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009)
Denny Hamlin – 3 Wins (2016, 2010, 2009)
Kevin Harvick – 3 Wins (2013, 2011, 2006)
Martin Truex Jr. – 3 Wins (2021, 2019 sweep)
Brad Keselowski – 2 Wins (2020, 2014)
Joey Logano – 2 Wins (2017, 2014)
Kurt Busch – 2 Wins (2015, 2005)
Alex Bowman – 1 Win (2021)
Kyle Larson – 1 Win (2017)

With six out of the 26 regular season races in the books for the season, there have been six winners. There are 16 drivers that make the NASCAR post-season. The phrase “Win and You’re In” began with this current format of racing for the NASCAR Cup Series. If a driver won a race, they were pretty much locked in the 10 race Playoffs in the past.

However, with the way the races have been unfolding this year people have been speculating if that will be true this year. If there are more than 10 new winners in the next 20 races there will be drivers with wins that will not make the post-season.

We will see if another step is taken toward more than 16 winners for the regular season this weekend. The green flag will start the race to get to that answer in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway Sunday, April 3rd at 2:30 p.m. Central Time (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time).

By: Buck Stevens