He will line up 15th for Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400. So, we just need to think about it, I guess, and try to go to work tonight.
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The ‘Who’s Your Driver?’ NASCAR race weekend continues tomorrow night with the Federated Auto Parts 400.
The intensity ramps up at Richmond this Saturday night and here are some drivers to watch…
Kevin Harvick has been on a roll lately as the Chase is about to begin.
“I thought for sure we had too many laps on our tires”, said Hamlin, who qualified in the top 10 for the 24th consecutive race. Look for Jones to be a top contender in this race as well. “Previous year I didn’t really get what a big deal it is, but now I really want to be a part of it again”.
“It’s nice to finally win one”, Hamlin said after taking the pole.
Buescher also can stay in the top 30 if he finishes 10 spots ahead of Landon Cassill, his teammate. He was followed by Truex, Hamlin, Larson and Kyle Busch. In other words, almost 70% of the time he finishes in the top five at Richmond.
“We ran good at a two-mile track at MI. If Larson doesn’t win, look for another top five from the 42 auto”.
This is it for Kasey Kahne. We could have a first-time victor, but I don’t expect me to outrun [Newman] by 20 positions or vice versa.
Those drivers expected to enter the season contending for a Chase berth.
Now? They face the very real possibility that won’t happen this year. But most of the rest of the season has been filled with poor showings for the driver who has yet to lead a lap this season. Richmond is one of the better tracks for Kahne who seems to have skills matched up to racing on the “D” shaped ovals. He got lapped by Busch just past the midpoint and later got a stop-and-go penalty for speeding on pit road. That means he either needs to finish seventh without leading a lap, eighth with leading a lap or ninth with leading the most laps. So I’m not going to race any differently until it’s over.
For several top drivers, Saturday night is a make-or-break race. Bowyer has the fifth-best driver rating (95.7) and average finish at Richmond (12.3). Regan Smith posted the 20th-fastest speed – the first time the Tommy Baldwin Racing team has advanced out of the first round all season.
On the bubble is where Jamie McMurray is sitting right now. Assuming that no one gets their first victory of the season, other than McMurray, he is pretty safe. And, obviously, running that fast for that many laps tells us we have a really good vehicle for the long runs. To be completely safe, McMurray could win the race or finish about ten spots higher than Austin Dillon. The bad news is that it’s a awful starting spot; but the good news is that it’s a long race tomorrow night.
Coming out of Sunday night’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the gap was just seven points, but Newman was penalized 15 points by NASCAR on Wednesday because his vehicle failed the postrace laser inspection. “Hopefully we can pull out a strong result Saturday night and maybe even contend for a win”. It will be a tough task as Newman hasn’t found victory lane since the Brickyard 400 in 2013. He holds the fourth best average finishing position here at 11.6 and he does have a victory to go along with six top five finishes and sixteen top ten results. It’s for that reason I am making him my long shot pick this week. “I don’t know what our problem is”. But it would make for some interesting discussion.
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THE OTHER EARNHARDT: Dale Earnhardt Jr., isn’t racing this weekend, or for the rest of the season, while he recovers from a concussion, but Jeffrey Earnhardt will be in the field. Suarez is a good candidate to steal a win with a little luck. I said good shot, not great shot.
