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| Jamie McMurray should have an interesting race full of drama Saturday. |
Next 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)
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next 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)
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
The Chase Is Coming: 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)
Win-And-In: 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.
Virginia’s Finest: 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.
- NASCAR
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