Richmond Hosting Sprint Cup’s Final Race Before the Chase This Weekend

During the past five seasons, eight drivers have won the nine races, with Carl Edwards being the only two-time victor in that span. Toyota has celebrated four times in victory lane during that period, compared to three for Ford and two for Chevrolet.

Even drivers who have already qualified for the Chase admitted they are following the intrigue over the cutoff for 16th with interest. The three drivers now in position to make the Chase are Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon and McMurray.

He and fellow Chevrolet driver Ryan Newman are battling for the 16th and final entry into the 2016 Chase, assuming there’s not a new victor, with McMurray holding a relatively comfortable 22-point advantage.

Gordon is expected to return to the vehicle for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Sunday, Sept. 4, at Darlington Raceway in SC. It was Truex’s second win of the season. What made his crash stand out is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. emerged with a concussion that shortly thereafter ended his season and put his career in jeopardy.

Matt Kenseth will start third, Jamie McMurray fourth and Kurt Busch – who was fastest in the first two rounds – will line up fifth. Kevin Harvick (840 points) remains atop the Sprint Cup points standings. After the imposition of the 15-point penalty on Wednesday, Newman likely needs a McMurray disaster to advance to the Chase.

Preece will drive the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller No. 01 Chevrolet in Friday’s Virginia529 College Savings 250 at RIR.

Race: 7:30 p.m.

Then and now: Saturday will mark the 66th time the Xfinity Series has raced at Richmond.

If Newman wins the race tomorrow night, he automatically is in the Chase field. The last time the Sprint Cup drivers showed up at Richmond they provided some very exciting racing and were able to pass in multiple grooves on the normally one-groove track. Elliott Sadler (815 points) remains No. 1 in the Xfinity Series points standings. I said good shot, not great shot. (630) and Ryan Reed (596). Next race: Drive for Safety 300, September 17, Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Illinois. Just watch the Ricky Bobby-style ending of last week’s truck race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. Or, he needs to finish 11 spots better behind David Ragan, who is 31st in points. Regan Smith posted the 20th-fastest speed – the first time the Tommy Baldwin Racing team has advanced out of the first round all season. It’s all but a two-driver battle for the championship with Sonoma looming.

With that in the rearview mirror, the Xfinity points leader has been able to concentrate exclusively on trying to win the championship. Next race: Singapore Grand Prix, Sept. 18, Singapore.

Last Event: Nico Rosberg won the Italian Grand Prix in Monza Sunday. Furthermore, the two drivers can do it on points without capturing a victory. Next race: American Ethanol E15 225, September 16, Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Illinois.

Newman was seven points out of the final qualifying spot for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Tony Schumacher won the Traxxas Shootout for Top Fuel racers, while Courtney Force won the Traxxas Shootout for Funny Cars.

Both days will have highs in the 90s and it could feel like temperatures near 100.

Larson is the first Sprint Cup race victor who is a graduate of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity and Next Program, which encourages drivers from minorities, women and those with links to other countries. The round was moved to Indianapolis for completion. Doug Kalitta 2,080; 3.

With high temperatures and speeds decreasing with tire falloff through the three-round qualifying session, Hamlin’s third round average speed at 122.344 miles per hour was good enough to earn the pole for Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400.

Holland Speedway: Crash-A-Rama, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

-Rockford Speedway will hold its Whelen Night of Champions with Late Model, Sportsman, Short Tracker and Roadrunner features as well as an outhouse race starting at 7 p.m. Saturday.

As usual, whether for the good of the series or for the bad, NASCAR Sprint Cup racers will be competing for the win this weekend.