This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series are at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off until September 16 at Chicagoland Speedway. This weekend’s storylines follow… The Race: Federated Auto Parts 400 The Place: Richmond International Raceway The Date: Saturday, Sept. 10 The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 5 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 300 miles (400 laps) One More Shot For Drivers To Make NASCAR’s Playoffs One more race remains until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, meaning drivers have one more chance to get into NASCAR’s playoffs – Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN). As the Chase grid stands, Chase Elliott (39 points ahead of Ryan Newman on the cutoff line), Austin Dillon (+31) and Jamie McMurray (+22) own the final three Chase spots on points. Below are the clinch scenarios for every driver not currently locked in or eliminated from the Chase. Possible to Clinch: Chris Buescher (1 Win, 358 Points, +11 Points Ahead of 31st) – Would Clinch a Top 30 spot on his own with 34 Points (7th and no laps led, 8th and led at least one lap, 9th and led most laps), which would clinch him a spot in the Chase. Chase Elliott (0 Wins, 659 Points, +312 Points Ahead of 31st) – Would clinch on points with 24 Points (17th and no laps led, 18th and led at least one lap, 19th and led most laps), if there is a new winner. If there is a repeat winner (or a new winner and Chris Buescher falls out of the Top 30) and 2 Points (39th and no laps led, 40th and led at least one lap). If there is a repeat winner and Chris Buescher falls out of the Top 30, he clinches on points, regardless of finish. With a win, he would clinch a Chase spot on wins. Austin Dillon (0 Wins, 651 Points, +304 Points Ahead of 31st) – Would clinch on Points with 33 Points (8th and no laps led, 9th and led at least one lap, 10th and led most laps) and a new winner. If there is a repeat winner (or win by Chase Elliott or a new winner and Chris Buescher falls out of the Top 30) and Dillon would clinch with 11 Points (30th and no laps led, 31st and led at least one lap, 32nd and led most laps). If there is a repeat winner and Chris Buescher falls out of the Top 30, he would clinch on points regardless of finish. With a win, they would clinch a Chase spot on wins. Jamie McMurray (0 Wins, 642 Points, +295 Points Ahead of 31st) – Would clinch on points with a repeat winner (or win by Chase Elliott or Austin Dillon or a new winner and Chris Buescher falls out of the Top 30) and 20 points (21st and no laps led, 22nd and led at least one lap, 23rd and led most laps). If there is a repeat winner and Chris Buescher falls out of the Top 30, McMurray would clinch on points, regardless of finish. With a win, he would clinch a Chase spot on wins. Could clinch on points with a new winner and help (cannot lose more than six points to Newman as Newman would hold the tie-breaker). Ryan Newman (0 Wins, 620 Points, +273 Points Ahead of 31st) – With a win, he would clinch a Chase spot on wins. Could clinch on Points with help (would need to outpoint two of the following if there is a new winner, or one of the following if there is a repeat winner (or win by one of these drivers), McMurray by 22 or more points, Dillon by 32 or more points, Elliott by 40 or more points). If there is a repeat winner (or win by Elliott, Dillon, McMurray) and Chris Buescher falls out of the Top 30, he would need 20 points (21st and no laps led, 22nd and led at least one lap, 23rd and led most laps) to clinch on points. Kasey Kahne (0 Wins, 598 Points, +251 Points Ahead of 31st) – With a win, Kahne would clinch a Chase spot on wins. Could clinch on points with a repeat winner (or win by Elliott, Dillon or McMurray) and Chris Buescher falling outside of the Top 30 and help (would need to outpoint Newman by 22 or 23 points, depending on tie-breaker). The following need a win to clinch a Chase spot: Ryan Blaney (0 Wins, 573 Points, +226 Points Ahead of 31st) AJ Allmendinger (0 Wins, 562 Points, +215 Points Ahead of 31st) Trevor Bayne (0 Wins, 559 Points, +212 Points Ahead of 31st) Ricky Stenhouse Jr (0 Wins, 551 Points, +204 Points Ahead of 31st) Paul Menard (0 Wins, 479 Points, +132 Points Ahead of 31st) Greg Biffle (0 Wins, 477 Points, +130 Points Ahead of 31st) Danica Patrick (0 Wins, 467 Points, +120 Points Ahead of 31st) Aric Almirola (0 Wins, 431 Points, +84 Points Ahead of 31st) Clint Bowyer (0 Wins, 427 Points, +80 Points Ahead of 31st) Casey Mears (0 Wins, 410 Points, +63 Points Ahead of 31st) Landon Cassill (0 Wins, 368 Points, +21 Points Ahead of 31st) The following need a win and help (to get inside the Top 30) in order to make the Chase: David Ragan (0 Wins, 347 Points, 11 Points Behind of 30th) Regan Smith (0 Wins, 330 Points, 28 Points Behind of 30th) Three Winless Drivers Look for Repeat Success, Chase Berth at Richmond A victory at Richmond automatically earns a winless driver who’s in the top 30 in points a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Ryan Newman (17th on the Chase Grid), Kasey Kahne (18th) and Clint Bowyer (28th) are the only winless drivers in the field who have previously won at the .75-mile track. Newman won at Richmond in 2003, Kahne in 2005, and Bowyer in 2008 and 2012. Bowyer has the fifth-best driver rating (95.7) and average finish at Richmond (12.3). He also has the fourth-best average running position (11.838). Bowyer and Chase Elliott (14th on the Chase Grid) are the only winless drivers in the field with a NASCAR XFINITY Series victory at Richmond. McMurray, Newman Ready To Battle For Final Chase Spot Twenty-two points separate Jamie McMurray, who owns the final spot on the Chase Grid, from Ryan Newman, who has one last opportunity to take McMurray’s spot on the Chase Grid in Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. McMurray finished 16th at Richmond in the spring, while Newman placed 18th. Last fall, the No. 1 Chevrolet driver took home 13th, while Newman produced a 20th-place showing. Overall, McMurray owns three top fives, six top 10s and an average finish of 20.1 in 27 starts at the .75-mile track. He boasts three fourth-place finishes in his last six starts at Richmond. In 29 Richmond starts, Newman claims one win (2003), six top fives, 16 top 10s and an average finish of 11.7. In his last five starts of 2016, McMurray has three top-10 finishes and an average finish of 11.5. Over the same time span, Newman has posted one top-10 finish (eighth last week at Darlington) and an average finish of 16.2. On a related note, McMurray and Greg Biffle will both be making their 500th career starts on Saturday, becoming the 38th and 39th drivers to achieve the feat. Truex Becomes Fifth Toyota Driver With Multiple Wins Martin Truex Jr. visited Victory Lane in Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 for his second win of the season. The triumph marked the first multi-win campaign of Truex’s career and made him the fifth Toyota driver this season to log at least two victories. This season is shaping up to be even better than Truex’s career year in 2015 when he registered one win, eight top fives, 22 top 10s and 567 laps led. In addition to his two wins, four top fives and 11 top 10s this season, Truex boasts some of the best loop data stats in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, ranking third in average running position (9.5), driver rating (103.3) and laps led (1,041), and second in fastest laps run (605). Harvick Heating Up Look out. Kevin Harvick put on another display of speed, leading 214 laps on his way to a second-place finish at Darlington. He boasts three straight top fives, including his win at Bristol. The No. 4 Chevrolet driver ranks first in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in top fives (12), top 10s (20), average running position (8.1), driver rating (110.9) and fastest laps run (828). He is second to Kyle Busch in laps led (1,244). Harvick is searching for his second career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship (2014) after finishing runner-up in the Chase last year. Larson Looks Dangerous With Chase Looming One week after winning his first NASCAR national series race, Kyle Larson challenged for the victory again at Darlington, leading 45 laps before finishing third. In his last six races, Larson claims four top-six finishes: fifth at Indianapolis; sixth at Pocono; first at Michigan and third at Darlington. Over that stretch, he was running third at Watkins Glen before he wrecked out of the race on the last lap. He was also running in the top 10 at Bristol before sustaining damage to his car that hurt his finishing position. Hamlin Hunts For Another Win In The Old Dominion State Denny Hamlin – the winningest driver from Virginia in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history with 28 victories – goes for his eighth triumph in the Old Dominion State on Sunday at Richmond International Raceway. The list of drivers from Virginia includes NASCAR Hall of Famers Joe Weatherly, Curtis Turner, Glen Wood and Wendell Scott, as well as former NASCAR iron man Ricky Rudd. Of his seven wins in Virginia, two have occurred at Richmond, located less than a half hour drive from Hamlin’s hometown of Chesterfield. He also has seven top fives, 11 top 10s and a 10.6 average finish there. Furthermore, the No. 11 Toyota driver ranks third among active drivers in average running position (8.0) and driver rating (108.5) at the .75-mile track. Hamlin’s 1,405 laps led at Richmond lead active full-time drivers. Edwards Eyes Repeat At Richmond; Busch Goes For Redemption In one of the many dramatic finishes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season, Carl Edwards bumped leader Kyle Busch on the last lap and passed him to win the April Richmond race. Adding to the drama of the aggressive finish was the fact that Edwards and Busch are Joe Gibbs Racing teammates. “So, yeah, awesome win for us,” Edwards said after the race. “Like Coach (Joe Gibbs) said, I wish it was anybody but my teammate that we had to race like that with. Big picture to me, we both got wins (already) and we’re both in the Chase and it’s fun to race your teammate for the win.” The No. 19 Toyota driver will attempt to become the first Sprint Cup driver to sweep a track this season in Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. In 24 career starts at Richmond International Raceway, Edwards has two wins, five top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Busch, who counts Richmond among his top tracks will try to defeat his teammate this time. He leads active drivers at the Virginia short track in wins (4), top fives (16), average finish (6.9) and driver rating (111.1). His 7.83 average running position there ranks second. The Race: Virginia529 College Savings 250 The Place: Richmond International Raceway The Date: Friday, Sept. 9 The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 7 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 250 miles (187.5 laps) Two More Chances To Win Before The Playoffs The regular season for the NASCAR XFINITY Series is near its close, and with just two races left for drivers to secure a win before the playoffs, time is of the essence. Richmond International Raceway (Friday, Sept. 9 on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET) and Chicagoland Speedway (Saturday, Sept. 17 on NBC at 3:30 p.m. ET) are the next two venues hosting the series’ final two regular season events, and the two are quite different. Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 0.75-mile short track located in Richmond, Virginia. RIR has hosted 65 NASCAR XFINITY Series races (tied with Dover for third-most all-time) and has produced 32 different winners and 34 different pole winners since joining the schedule in 1982. Kevin Harvick leads the series in wins at Richmond with seven. None of the current drivers inside the top 12 in series points have won at Richmond. Following Richmond is Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5-mile intermediate track located in Joliet, Illinois. Chicagoland has hosted 20 NASCAR XFINITY Series races and has seen 14 different winners and 14 different poles winners since joining the schedule in 2001. Kyle Busch leads the series in wins at Chicago with four. Three Chase contenders this season are former Chicago winners – Erik Jones (2015), Elliott Sadler (2012) and Justin Allgaier (2011). More Names Added To The Chase List The 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase is starting to take shape with all but three drivers locking themselves into the first Round of 12. Erik Jones (Bristol, Dover and Iowa), Elliott Sadler (Talladega and Darlington) and Daniel Suárez (Michigan) all locked themselves into the Chase on wins this season. Justin Allgaier, Ty Dillon and Brendan Gaughan locked themselves into the Chase on points following the race at Road America. Three new drivers added their names to the locked-in Chase list following the race at Darlington this past weekend – Brennan Poole, Brendan Jones and Darrell Wallace Jr. – by accumulating enough points that no matter what happens these next two races they are in. As of right now, the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase will be represented by seven organizations (Joe Gibbs Racing, JR Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Kaulig Racing and RSS Racing) that could potentially field the 12-driver Chase. Three of the eligible Chase contenders this season are 2016 Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates: Erik Jones, Brennan Poole and Brendan Jones. Also, three of the eligible 12 Chase contenders are former NASCAR Next alumni: Erik Jones, Daniel Suárez and Darrell Wallace Jr. Suárez and Wallace are also Drive for Diversity graduates as well. Final XFINITY Chase Spots Still Up For Grabs With nine drivers locked into the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase, three spots remain up for grabs. Ryan Reed, Blake Koch and Ryan Sieg are currently inside the Chase bubble, but anything can happen these next two races. Of the three drivers inside the top 12 still looking to lock up a Chase spot, Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Reed has the largest cushion of points (+74) ahead of the Chase cutoff. Without any big mistakes, all indications are pointing to Reed making the Chase. Reed has seven starts at Richmond where he’s posted an average finish of 14.0, including an 11th-place showing at RIR earlier this season. Kaulig Racing’s Blake Koch is currently on the Chase Grid, sitting 22 points ahead of 13th-place Dakoda Armstrong heading into Richmond. Koch has made 10 starts at Richmond, posting an average finish of 26.5. Koch registered one his best finishes of the season at RIR back in April when he finished in the top 10 (eighth). The driver in the hottest water these next two weeks is RSS Racing driver Ryan Sieg. Sieg is currently 18 points ahead of 13th-place Dakoda Armstrong. Sieg has made five starts at Richmond, posting an average finish of 23.6. Armstrong And Clements Try To Catch Sieg The two drivers on the outside looking in with the best shot to still make the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase without a win are drivers Dakoda Armstrong (-18 points outside the Chase) and Jeremy Clements (-26 points outside the Chase). Both have pretty large margins to overcome to catch Ryan Sieg for the 12th and final Chase spot, but a DNF by one of the three drivers not locked in or two great finishes by Armstrong and Clements and they’re in the mix. JGL Racing’s Dakoda Armstrong is currently 13th in the championship standings, 18 points outside the Chase. Armstrong is having one of the best seasons of his NXS career. In 24 starts this season, he has posted one top five and an average finish of 19.2. Armstrong has made five series starts at RIR, posting one top five and an average finish of 17.2, including a 14th-place finish earlier this season. Jeremy Clements is currently 14th in the series standings, 26 points behind the Chase cutoff. In 24 starts this season, Clements has logged one top five, three top 10s and an average finish of 19.6. Clements has made 12 series starts at Richmond, posting an average finish of 25.3. Virginia Is For Lovers … And Drivers Too The state of Virginia has a slogan that says, “Virginia is for lovers,” but with how many competitive drivers that call Virginia home in NASCAR you could argue it’s for drivers too. A total of 176 drivers who have made at least one start in a NASCAR national series race have their home state recorded as Virginia. Of the 176 Virginian NASCAR drivers only 51 have competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series; led by Elton Sawyer with 392 starts. Of the 51 drivers from Virginia who have competed in the XFINITY Series, only 10 have won; led by Jeff Burton (South Boston) with 27 series victories. Of the 10 Virginian NASCAR XFINITY Series winners, six won in their home state – Tommy Ellis, Jimmy Hensley, Rick Mast, Jeff Burton, Ward Burton and Denny Hamlin. This season, nine Virginians have competed in at least one NASCAR XFINITY Series race: Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield), Elliott Sadler (Emporia), Jeb Burton (Halifax), Ryan Ellis (Ashburn), Brandon Gdovic (Yorktown), Matt Waltz (Newport News), Eric McClure (Chilhowie), Gray Gaulding (Colonial Heights) and Hermie Sadler (Emporia). NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.: NASCAR in Virginia – A total of 493 NASCAR national series races have been run in the state of Virginia (NSCS 292, NXS 152 and NCWTS 49). The very first NASCAR national series race in the state of Virginia was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sept. 25, 1949 at Martinsville Speedway – the race was won by Red Byron. The first NASCAR XFINITY Series race held in the state of Virginia was on Feb. 20, 1982 at Richmond International Raceway – the race was won by Tommy Houston. The NASCAR XFINITY Series has held 152 races among five tracks in the state of Virginia: Richmond International Raceway-65, South Boston Speedway-35, Martinsville Speedway-34, Langley Field Speedway-14 and New River Valley Speedway-four. Double Dipping – Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Matt DiBenedetto and Austin Dillon are the four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship contenders who will compete in the Virginia529 College Savings 250 this weekend at RIR. Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Austin Dillon are all currently eligible for the 2016 Chase. Next Race: American Ethanol E15 225 The Place: Chicagoland Speedway The Date: Friday, Sept. 16 The Time: 8:30 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 8 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 225 miles (150 laps) source – NASCAR communications
