Action during the 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. [Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images]
By Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann
After 25 races, it has all come down to this…the final shot to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship as the Richmond International Raceway hosts the Federated Auto Parts 400 Saturday night under the lights.
Federated Auto Parts 400 Richmond International Raceway 300 miles (400 laps) Sat., Sept. 6 7:30 pm ET ABC, 7 pm ET
MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
Fourteen of the sixteen available Chase slots have been filled leaving just two left for a myriad of drivers with multiple scenarios to qualify for a chance at the Sprint Cup. For many of those not already locked in, the path to the playoffs is simple…win and you are in while only a select few of those not already qualified have the luxury of their points position to fall back on.
The field for the Federated Auto Parts 400 can be broken down into two categories, those already in seeking bonus points, and those currently on the outside looking in who will gamble and take any chance they can to find victory lane and punch their ticket to the Chase. Here are some drivers and storylines to watch on Saturday night in Richmond as the Chase for the Sprint Cup field is set.
Brad Keselowski
(Dan Margetta): Brad Keselowski comes into Richmond as a 6-1 favorite to win his fourth race of the season. Although he has yet to find victory lane here, Keselowski has fared the best at similar type tracks on the circuit this year. He was in the mix at Richmond back in the Spring and while he didn’t win the race, he factored heavily in the outcome as after leading 114 laps, his door slamming battle with Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon late in the race allowed teammate Joey Logano to win. Keselowski’s fourth place Richmond finish coupled with his win at New Hampshire and third place at Phoenix should mean he will be in the mix once again on Saturday night. Brad Keselowski is already in the Chase so that pressure is off this team and his only concern Saturday night is to collect another victory and the all important bonus points as the Chase begins next week.
Clint Bowyer
(John Wiedemann): This is the place that I believe messed up the rest of the season for Clint Bowyer last year and had a hangover affect on the entire Michael Waltrip Racing team this season. The stunts pulled by MWR to try and make sure Bowyer’s teammate Martin Truex Jr made the Chase last season backfired and cost Truex his ride, MWR a major sponsor and cast a spell on the team that still seems to exist. What a place for Bowyer to break out and make the Chase with a win this weekend. Will it happen? Probably not. Whatever the reason, MWR just doesn’t have the spark that they had the last two seasons. The team was on the rise to compete with the top teams and one spin at Richmond by Bowyer last season seems to have derailed the entire effort. Bowyer is a driver I’m going to be watching at Richmond to see if he can drive his way into the Chase.
Matt Kenseth
DM: Still seeking his first victory of the season this late in the game, Matt Kenseth would have already achieved that win here at Richmond back in April until his late race battle with Brad Keselowski angered Keselowski so much, he made sure Kenseth wasn’t going to win courtesy of a late race rap in the bumper. Kenseth has already locked himself in a Chase position via his point total but realistically really needs to start the Chase off with a victory. He comes in at 8-1 odds this weekend and the horsepower issues his Toyota team has faced shouldn’t make as much of a difference at Richmond. That along with the now not so secret impact wrench technology the team has used to pull off lightening quick pit stops, should put Kenseth in a good spot track position wise to finally close out that elusive first victory of the season.
Martin Truex Jr.
JW: Either there is a dark cloud following Martin Truex Jr. around from the previously mentioned MWR race at Richmond last season or he is just not fitting in at Furniture Row Racing. All of the effort, strides forward and success that the team built with Kurt Busch as their driver last season has seemed to disappear. Issues like Truex’s run-in with Kyle Busch last week have plagued the team and ruined any shot at the solid finishes that Busch was able to deliver last year. But this year is different. An entire season of disappointment can be wiped away with one win at Richmond. Truex is a driver that can win. Furniture Row Racing is an organization that can win. The question is, together are they a team that can win? So far, the answer is not positive, but a Richmond victory can get them in the Chase and restart their season.
Jeff Gordon
DM: Jeff Gordon is also listed as a favorite this weekend for Richmond at 6-1 odds despite not winning at Richmond in fourteen years. Gordon has seen a sharp increase in performance this season and he finished a close second at Richmond earlier in the year after leading a race high 173 laps. Gordon has had strong races at Richmond in the last four events he raced here with finishes including two second place results and a worse finish of 11th. Jeff Gordon has dealt with the championship pressure before and shouldn’t get rattled as he is comfortably in the Chase with three victories already this season. Look for Jeff Gordon to be very focused on Saturday night and he’s a strong candidate to win his fourth race of the season.
Ryan Newman
JW: Ryan Newman is a pretty safe bet to make the Chase. Newman hasn’t locked up a spot but he has a pretty good hold on one. Should a first-time-this-season-winner grab the victory at Richmond, Newman has a 19 point advantage over Greg Biffle for the final spot in the Chase. That means that Biffle would have to beat Newman by approximately 19 positions when the checkers wave. A top twenty finish should get Newman in the Chase. So the driver that should have won last year’s race, but was foiled by Clint Bowyer’s spin, looks to be in a good position. I’m expecting a solid top ten from the Richard Childress Racing driver and a Chase driver at the end of the night from Newman.
Kevin Harvick
DM: There’s no doubt Kevin Harvick has driven the fastest car on the speedway in most of the races conducted so far this season, yet he only has two wins to show for his efforts. He has captured the pole starting position in the last two races and has raced extremely strong until bad luck and other misfortune derailed his chances at another victory. Harvick is listed as a 6-1 odds favorite for the Richmond race this weekend and we all know the car will be fast. The question is, has the bad luck cloud that has been followed this team lately finally move on to somewhere else? Harvick has won at Richmond three times in his career and this team has been threatening to break out from the pack all season long. If they could put it all together and do it now, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect as they would make a strong statement as the Chase begins next weekend.
Kyle Larson
JW: A strong contender and solid top ten points driver all season, Kyle Larson has fallen flat in the heat of the summer. Now, the only way that Larson can grab a Chase berth is to win Richmond. Well, mathematically he can make the Chase if he beats Greg Biffle by about 24 places, beats Clint Bowyer by a couple spots and there is not a first time winner. So, you’re telling me there is a chance. Larson, the pole sitter at the spring Richmond race finished 16th in his only Sprint Cup Series start at the track. Can the kid do it? I believe he can, or at least he will make it exciting as he puts it all on the line to drive to the front. Larson can be one of the most exciting drivers in the series and I think we will see that spirit come out on Saturday night.
Kyle Busch
DM: It’s crunch time for Kyle Busch and the #18 team as they need a strong run to make sure they are not forgotten as the Chase begins to heat up. He owns the best average finish at Richmond and has four victories to his credit while his second place finish at New Hampshire and third place result here at Richmond in April show that he likes to compete at this style of race track. What this team doesn’t need is any more distractions as bickering over the radio and pushing and shoving both on and off the track with Martin Truex Jr. the last few weeks have seriously hurt their results. Kyle Busch is listed at 8-1 odds for Richmond and this could be the place Busch returns to victory lane for the first time since California in March. If Kyle Busch and the #18 team want to be considered serious Sprint Cup contenders they need to prove they are of championship caliber with a strong solid race Saturday night at Richmond.
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