Can Chase Elliott join his Hendrick teammates with a win at Richmond? (Photo: Ryan Daley | The Podium Finish)
After taking on the winding roads of Circuit of the Americas, the NASCAR Cup Series prepares for Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond, the first short track race of 2022.
At 0,75 miles in length, Richmond Raceway is a short track that behaves like an intermediate track. It’s not uncommon seeing three wide action from corner entry to exit, especially in the beginning of a stage or restart.
However, this track tests the resolve of drivers and the equipment to the core. Despite the rhythm that racers will get during green flag runs, it’s also not surprising when those brakes glow cherry red toward the halfway point of this race.
Unlike other short tracks, while the bump and run is used to battle for race wins, this race plays out like that at Phoenix or New Hampshire. In other words, look at folks like Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick to be in the mix, perhaps shaking up the recent run of rebellious youngsters winning this seaso.
This weekend, Ashley Hobbs, Cody Shoppe, Jasmine Sharpe, Kobe Lambeth, Luis Torres, Matt Sisoler, Michelle Raynor, Nathan Solomon, Taylor Kitchen and yours truly consider last lap protocol and those who can shake up the winning ways at Richmond.
Podium Preview: Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond
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Question 1
Has Ross Chastain opened the door for more aggressive last lap moves? (Photo: Ryan Daley | The Podium Finish)
When it comes to racing for the win on the final lap, is there a fine line with acceptable aggression, particularly with the track type and drivers battling for the victory as we saw last Sunday at COTA between Ross Chastain and AJ Allmendinger?
Kitchen : When racing for the win, there is a fine line with acceptable aggression. Sunday at COTA, we saw that acceptable level.
Allmendinger tried to bump Chastain out of the way in an earlier corner, prompting Chastain to do the same coming to the checkered flag. An eye for an eye.
It is also important to remember that the No. 16 was trophy hunting while the No. 1 team was racing for points and a championship.
The ‘fine line’ may not be so cut and dry in future situations. For instance, if someone is locked into the playoffs and you are not, are you justified bumping him out of the way coming to the checkered flag if he did not move you?
Got you thinking, huh?
All I can say is that if a guy moves you, you move him back. As for assessing other situations in the future… only time will tell. jo
Lambeth : I don’t think there was anything wrong with the move Ross Chastain put on AJ Allmendinger last Sunday at COTA. Chastain’s momentum was building entering the race weekend, due to Trackhouse Racing’s strong form in the races leading up to the road course in Austin, Texas. This team was bound to break through for its first NASCAR victory at some point. They were running too well for it not to happen sooner rather than later. But I don’t think Chastain wanted to wait another week. He wanted to win NOW and was willing to do anything to make sure he took home the checkered flag.
In regards to the move itself, I think Allmendinger put it best. He said if a driver can feel good about themselves knocking another competitor out of the way and sleep at night, then it’s basically an acceptable action at the end of the day. Both drivers appeared on NASCAR Race Hub earlier in the week and it appears they’ve both moved on from the final lap fiasco in Texas. However, Chastain should expect payback at some point down the road because Allmendinger has more Cup races remaining on his schedule with nothing to lose.
Solomon : In a sense, I think there is. You should never go into a final lap of a race with the intention of wrecking, which I don’t think Chastain did. He tried to move Allmendinger, which is OK, but Alex Bowman’s car happened to be on the outside of Allmendinger’s car.
If you try to move someone for the win, like what happened in Saturday’s Xfinity race with Ty Gibbs and John Hunter Nemechek, that’s fine. Just don’t try and end their race by putting them in the fence.
Tiongson : Remember when Tony Stewart said he’d wreck his mother to win a championship? Well, I’m sure drivers will do anything to win a Cup race. Whether or not it’s done cleanly or not, I think AJ Allmendinger sums it up perfectly when asked about his thoughts after the controversial last lap at COTA when he said, “At the end of the day, we all have to look ourselves in the mirror. If you are OK with it, you’re OK with it. Each person is different.”
Drivers don’t seek anything else but finishing first. Some prefer to save their deposits for a later withdrawal, as you may recall, with Denny Hamlin’s approach in 2018. Others will race each lap like a qualifying effort or final lap.
Personally, it’s a bit of a fair game situation if someone uses the chrome horn on the final lap. Then again, it’s a situation where if the old bump and run or bump and slide occurs, expect it back for the next race or opportunity in the following weeks.
Shoppe : It is absolutely fair game to me. As long as you have the understanding that it is a two way street! I think what fans and drivers both take issue with his they hypocrisy some show when they move a guy for a win but it can’t be done to them.
We all know the guy on the receiving end of a bump and run will say it wasn’t cool but it take yesterday’s Xfinity race for example. John hunter Nemecheck said he won’t forget and Ty Gibbs says he knows ones coming his way. It will keep us staying tuned for sure!
Sharpe : The amount of times we’ve seen this within the sport has become a common tradition. Of course with the latest incident, there are those questioning what the limit is. I think back to Terry Labonte and Dale Earnhardt. If knocking someone doesn’t cause injury (like in the case of Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin back in 2013), I believe it’s fine. Yet, when possibility of injury or death is possible that is when caution should be applied.
Question 2
Will Martin Truex Jr. bring Toyota to victory lane on Sunday? (Photo: Molly Gastineau | The Podium Finish)
We’re heading to the short track season of the schedule these next three weekends. Which driver stands the best chance of going on a hot streak starting at Richmond on Sunday?
Sisoler : There are a plethora of drivers to choose from for this answer. The most recent winner, Ross Chastain, has to be up there given his aggressive style of racing on short tracks. All four of the drivers at both Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing do as well, the latter of which being due to Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. having a certain knack for running well at the following tracks and the fact that all of their cars are strong this year.
Whoever takes the checkered flag at Richmond will have the momentum to start this stretch of short track action before NASCAR goes to the largest oval track on its schedule in Talladega on April 24. If I have to pick one, well, I refer you back to who I mentioned earlier, the driver of the No. 1, Ross Chastain.
Torres : William Byron is the one guy that’ll stand out more on the short tracks. He’s yet to break through in victory lane in those tracks. But as long as Byron doesn’t get rotten luck, he’ll be a threat for a strong result and build on his win at Atlanta a few weeks ago.
Hobbs : There are a few drivers who are quite good at short tracks – and a good chunk of them have yet to step into victory lane this year.
Kyle Busch is the first one that comes to mind, with Richmond being a race he’s probably been looking forward to as he is the best driver here.
Joey Logano is also looking for a checkered flag this season and he knows his way around a short track.
Then, there is Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr. – all have double digit wins on short tracks, yet have not found victory lane this season. Spring is here, weather is warming, and I look for these veterans to get a spring in their step on these short tracks.
Raynor : In the past, I would say Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. are about to go on a hot streak. But so far this year, they haven’t been great. The new car has brought some surprises this year and the JGR teams are still playing catch up. With that being said, I still think Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. will run well the next few races. I would also say Kevin Harvick is one to watch for.
Two laps around Richmond Raceway has us considering a shot at the win! Before we consider winning time, let’s rewind to last Sunday afternoon at Circuit of the Americas with our points and race reports from the EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix!
Jasmine was sharp with her Ross Chastain pick.
Taylor continues leading the way early in the season.
Next, Ashley Hobbs crunches the numbers for Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway!
Let’s consider how your favorite team fares in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond.
Since 2004, the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond winner has an average starting spot of 11.1, led an average of 107 laps, started within the top-five 52.94% of the time and started within the top 10 58.82% of the time.
Clearly, it’s a Kyle Busch kind of track.
Here, let’s consider the trends for the past 10 spring races at Richmond between 2011 to 2019 and 2021.
Next, here’s the trends in the past five spring Richmond races from 2016 to 2019 and 2021.
The machine has a great choice.
Now, let’s consider the top 10 starters for Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway!
Row 1
Ryan Blaney and William Byron (Photo: Molly Gastineau | The Podium Finish)
Row 2
Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe (Photo: Ryan Daley | The Podium Finish)
Row 3
Erik Jones and Martin Truex Jr. (Photo: Molly Gastineau | The Podium Finish)
Row 4
Kevin Harvick and Ross Chastain (Photo: Ryan Daley | The Podium Finish)
Row 5
Christopher Bell and Aric Almirola (Photo: Molly Gastineau and Ryan Daley | The Podium Finish)
Lastly, here’s our picks for Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway!
This is not a boy band or some 2000’s alternative rock band supergroup. (Photo: Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images)
Hobbs : Joey Logano wants to put COTA behind him and get back to his consistent and winning ways. As we hunt for a seventh different winner this season, I think we will find it in Logano who is very consistent at Richmond Raceway.
Tiongson : If there’s a track where Kyle Busch and his No. 18 team can make noise, it’s Richmond Raceway. After all, a Toyota winning the Toyota Owners 400 seems logical. Busch has six wins, 18 top fives and 25 top 10 results in his past 32 starts, averaging a finish of 6.9. Quite nice, I’ll say.
TPF Stats : If any driver needs something to go right for him this season, it is Kyle Busch. Yes, I know the numbers have tagged him for a few wins already, but this is Richmond and Kyle Busch owns this track!
Torres : If there’s a race Toyota will have any sliver of hope to win in 2022, Richmond is the track it’ll happen. The man to get it done will be Martin Truex Jr., the defending fall winner.
He’s had a rather quiet year, but this is the race where he’ll make some noise over the young guns. Sunday will be the changing of the guard as the sub-30 year old racers won’t visit victory lane.
Raynor : Truex has become a great short track racer and qualified well.
Shoppe : Yes, I know Kevin Harvick has been nowhere near winning form for a while now. But the No. 4 team continues to get better throughout each race and quietly finish well. After an encouraging run in Phoenix a few weeks ago, I’m going with the closer to break his winless streak!
Kitchen : We have no clue how these drivers are going to do in the Gen 7 on a short track. So, picking a winner is going to be tough! I do not feel confident enough to pick a Toyota driver yet so I will look towards another manufacturer.
A team that has had a lot of momentum is Trackhouse Racing and for me, I think Daniel Suárez may have a good shot to win this weekend. He was able to be in the booth Saturday for the XFINITY race, so I am hoping he learned enough to get the win on Sunday.
Lambeth : William Byron is really starting to come into his own as a NASCAR Cup Series driver, so I expect him to start contending for wins more often at NASCAR’s top level. With short track racing being a part of his roots, don’t be surprised if Byron takes home the checkered flag at Richmond Raceway.
Sisoler : Going in the same vein as Ross Chastain’s victory at COTA last week, I’m going to pick another team that was expected to take a step forward, but has so far exceeded expectations. This car has shown really good pace so far this year and has, at least for me, far surpassed what I thought they would be able to do this year.
The flagship car of Petty-GMS, Car 43 as Ken Squier used to call it, is going to go to victory lane Sunday with ‘That Jones Boy’ Erik Jones behind the wheel, marking the first time since, I believe, 1975 that a Petty No. 43 has been to victory lane at Richmond, the first time since 2014 that the No. 43 has won a points-paying race (Aric Almirola at Daytona) and the first win for Petty-GMS as a team.
Solomon : Three of Hendrick Motorsports’ four drivers have visited victory lane this season with the new car. The one exception: Chase Elliott. Despite a winless start to 2022, he’s the points leader. Elliott is destined for a win at Richmond on Sunday.
Sharpe : Tyler Reddick has made several impressive runs thus year, only to fail due to uncontrollable issues like flat tires and engine issues. He is passionate and fights every week to do his best. I think this week is his time to shine.
We’re ready for some racing. How about you? What do you think are the biggest storylines heading into the race? Who are your favorites to win? Tweet us now @ThePodiumFinish and tell us now!
Thanks as always to the TPF team for their amazing efforts this week! Stay safe and wash your hands often. Help yourself, your family and friends by getting the COVID-19 vaccine!
The opinions and thoughts expressed in Podium Preview are solely of the authors. They do not reflect any organizations affiliated with the participants and author outside of TPF. This weekly feature is strictly for entertainment purposes. Ultimately, they are not indicative of TPF, the organization and its staff.
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