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CUP: SPEED Crew Set For The Rumble At Richmond
The SPEED crew weighs in on the "Wild Card" battle brewing for Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway...
Richmond International Raceway hosts two annual Sprint Cup Series races. (Photo: Getty Images)
It’s down to one race to qualify for the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, and it will go down to the wire Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon desperately want a second win to secure the final “Wild Card” spot, while other drivers still are alive in their quest to make the Chase. Additionally, the 10 drivers already locked into the Chase are gunning for a few more bonus points to carry into the Chase.
Below, SPEED on-air personalities set the stage for what promises to be a wild night at Richmond:
Q: With Denny Hamlin winning back-to-back races and peaking at just the right time, is he the early favorite for the championship?
“That’s a very good question. Three weeks ago, everybody was talking about Joe Gibbs Racing being in total disarray, but now everyone is talking about Denny Hamlin being the potential favorite for the championship. He clearly is peaking now, but the events of the year have shown how quickly things can turn.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
“Those two wins are so huge for Hamlin and hold so much momentum for him because in the eight races leading into Bristol, he had four DNFs and five finishes outside the top 20. I think Hamlin and his team know what not to do after living through the 2010 Chase, and new crew chief Darian Grubb knows what to do after winning the championship with Tony Stewart last season. Marrying those two together truly creates a legitimate championship contender.”
--Larry McReynolds, SPEED analyst
“This year is so different for Hamlin versus two years ago. Hamlin already had peaked at this time in 2010, but he’s just now peaking at the right time. Plus, Darian Grubb isn’t afraid to make a gutsy pit call.”
--Kyle Petty, SPEED analyst
Q: With the Wild Card battle tightened up considerably after Atlanta, what do you expect at Richmond this weekend?
“You have to put Kyle Busch as the favorite for the final Wild Card spot. He won at Richmond in the spring and it is one of his best tracks. Plus, he holds a 12-point lead over Jeff Gordon. It would take an unusual set of circumstances for Busch not to emerge from Richmond with the second Wild Card spot.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
“The Wild Card got blown all to pieces at Atlanta. I don’t care what anyone says; it’s down to just Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon fighting for that single position.”
--Kyle Petty, SPEED analyst
“It’s going to be crazy. Jeff Gordon said he made a mistake at Atlanta by not trying to move Denny Hamlin out of his way for the win. He’s not going to make that same mistake twice. If he’s in second place on the final lap at Richmond and has the chance to get to the back bumper of someone, he’s going to move him out of the way.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter
“Heading into Atlanta, five drivers were fighting for the Wild Card, but now it’s down to Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon to either win at Richmond or outrun each other. But for everyone else, it’s about winning. The top-10 guys want the bonus points and the Wild Card drivers with one win want another to get into the Chase.”
--Larry McReynolds, SPEED analyst
“It’s going to come down to what we saw at Atlanta – the race off of pit road. That last round of pit stops put the pressure on the pit crew and then let the drivers race it out. Also, Kyle Busch has marked Jeff Gordon as the guy he has to beat. If he can just beat him, he’ll make the Chase.”
--Matt Clark, SPEED analyst
Q: Kevin Harvick led laps at Atlanta for the first time since the Coca-Cola 600 in May. Will the addition of Gil Martin be what Harvick needed or is it too little, too late for his championship hopes?
“I think it’s too early to gauge. He has one bad run with Gil Martin (Bristol) and one good run with Gil (Atlanta). Their body of work needs to be fleshed out more this season before we can make a judgment.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
“In the two races since Gil Martin jumped back on the No. 29 team, they’ve had a 15th-place run at Bristol and a top-five finish at Atlanta. Atlanta was just Harvick’s second top-10 finish in the last 10 races. I think that team has turned things around and Harvick is feeling much better about his chances in the Chase. Martin is like a shot of adrenaline for this team and I think they’ll contend for the title.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter
Q: It looked like Martin Truex Jr. was going to break his winless streak at Atlanta. Can he move past the disappointment of losing that race and channel that momentum into his Chase performance?
“Truex, Jr. has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season and I expect Michael Waltrip Racing to be strong in the Chase, although I don’t think they’re championship material yet. They’re probably a year or two away from that.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
“He and Kevin Harvick are the only two drivers in the top 10 who haven’t been to Victory Lane, and Truex’s winless streak now sits at 192 races. But he should be so proud of what he and the No. 56 team have accomplished. MWR never before has had a driver in the Chase. They’ve got to put Atlanta behind them, though, as it’s all about moving ahead now.”
--Larry McReynolds, SPEED analyst
Q: Denny Hamlin’s pit crew got him off of pit road first in the final round of pit stops at Atlanta and put him in position to win the race. How significant will clutch performances such as that by pit crews be at Richmond?
“Track position is key since the introduction of the double-file restarts. Teams win or lose races in the pits and crews have to bring their A-game Saturday at Richmond.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
Below, SPEED on-air personalities set the stage for what promises to be a wild night at Richmond:
Q: With Denny Hamlin winning back-to-back races and peaking at just the right time, is he the early favorite for the championship?
“That’s a very good question. Three weeks ago, everybody was talking about Joe Gibbs Racing being in total disarray, but now everyone is talking about Denny Hamlin being the potential favorite for the championship. He clearly is peaking now, but the events of the year have shown how quickly things can turn.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
“Those two wins are so huge for Hamlin and hold so much momentum for him because in the eight races leading into Bristol, he had four DNFs and five finishes outside the top 20. I think Hamlin and his team know what not to do after living through the 2010 Chase, and new crew chief Darian Grubb knows what to do after winning the championship with Tony Stewart last season. Marrying those two together truly creates a legitimate championship contender.”
--Larry McReynolds, SPEED analyst
“This year is so different for Hamlin versus two years ago. Hamlin already had peaked at this time in 2010, but he’s just now peaking at the right time. Plus, Darian Grubb isn’t afraid to make a gutsy pit call.”
--Kyle Petty, SPEED analyst
Q: With the Wild Card battle tightened up considerably after Atlanta, what do you expect at Richmond this weekend?
“You have to put Kyle Busch as the favorite for the final Wild Card spot. He won at Richmond in the spring and it is one of his best tracks. Plus, he holds a 12-point lead over Jeff Gordon. It would take an unusual set of circumstances for Busch not to emerge from Richmond with the second Wild Card spot.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
“The Wild Card got blown all to pieces at Atlanta. I don’t care what anyone says; it’s down to just Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon fighting for that single position.”
--Kyle Petty, SPEED analyst
“It’s going to be crazy. Jeff Gordon said he made a mistake at Atlanta by not trying to move Denny Hamlin out of his way for the win. He’s not going to make that same mistake twice. If he’s in second place on the final lap at Richmond and has the chance to get to the back bumper of someone, he’s going to move him out of the way.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter
“Heading into Atlanta, five drivers were fighting for the Wild Card, but now it’s down to Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon to either win at Richmond or outrun each other. But for everyone else, it’s about winning. The top-10 guys want the bonus points and the Wild Card drivers with one win want another to get into the Chase.”
--Larry McReynolds, SPEED analyst
“It’s going to come down to what we saw at Atlanta – the race off of pit road. That last round of pit stops put the pressure on the pit crew and then let the drivers race it out. Also, Kyle Busch has marked Jeff Gordon as the guy he has to beat. If he can just beat him, he’ll make the Chase.”
--Matt Clark, SPEED analyst
Q: Kevin Harvick led laps at Atlanta for the first time since the Coca-Cola 600 in May. Will the addition of Gil Martin be what Harvick needed or is it too little, too late for his championship hopes?
“I think it’s too early to gauge. He has one bad run with Gil Martin (Bristol) and one good run with Gil (Atlanta). Their body of work needs to be fleshed out more this season before we can make a judgment.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
“In the two races since Gil Martin jumped back on the No. 29 team, they’ve had a 15th-place run at Bristol and a top-five finish at Atlanta. Atlanta was just Harvick’s second top-10 finish in the last 10 races. I think that team has turned things around and Harvick is feeling much better about his chances in the Chase. Martin is like a shot of adrenaline for this team and I think they’ll contend for the title.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter
Q: It looked like Martin Truex Jr. was going to break his winless streak at Atlanta. Can he move past the disappointment of losing that race and channel that momentum into his Chase performance?
“Truex, Jr. has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season and I expect Michael Waltrip Racing to be strong in the Chase, although I don’t think they’re championship material yet. They’re probably a year or two away from that.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
“He and Kevin Harvick are the only two drivers in the top 10 who haven’t been to Victory Lane, and Truex’s winless streak now sits at 192 races. But he should be so proud of what he and the No. 56 team have accomplished. MWR never before has had a driver in the Chase. They’ve got to put Atlanta behind them, though, as it’s all about moving ahead now.”
--Larry McReynolds, SPEED analyst
Q: Denny Hamlin’s pit crew got him off of pit road first in the final round of pit stops at Atlanta and put him in position to win the race. How significant will clutch performances such as that by pit crews be at Richmond?
“Track position is key since the introduction of the double-file restarts. Teams win or lose races in the pits and crews have to bring their A-game Saturday at Richmond.”
--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief
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