Richmond Raceway hosts a two nights of NASCAR racing in the Playoffs this weekend with both the Xfinity Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in action.
For the first time in history, the .75-mile track will host playoff events with a pair of races slated Friday and Saturday night. The Xfinity Series kicks off its playoff schedule in Friday’s Go Bowling 250 (MRN, 7 p.m. ET) while Cup Series playoff race number two is set in Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 (MRN, 6:30 p.m. ET).
Go Bowling 250 Entry List | Federated Auto Parts 400 Entry List
Last week’s Cup Series playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a wild affair that saw more than half of the 16 playoff drivers endure some kind of problem or issue. Such was not the case for Brad Keselowski, who sped to his third straight victory and advanced to the second round of the playoffs by taking the checkered flag.
Richmond Race Winners | Richmond Pole Winners
The Team Penske driver comes to Richmond hoping to become the first to win four consecutive Cup races since Jimmie Johnson turned the trick in 2007. He’s been strong at Richmond in the past. He led a dominating 383 of 400 laps when he won from the pole position in 2014. He’s finished 11th or better in the last six races and was runner-up in the 2017 spring race after leading 110 laps.
Kyle Busch is the all-time winningest driver at Richmond with five victories. Win number seven of 2018 would give Busch a Richmond sweep this season after his April triumph.
“I love Richmond,’’ Busch said. “It’s one of my favorite racetracks and one of my best racetracks. I love being able to go there and, of course, we put on some pretty good races there. We won four spring races in a row and I would have loved to have made it five or more. It’s a neat racetrack and it’s certainly an excitement track and there is a lot of action that happens there.”
There may be a sense of desperation in the air among another group of drivers trying to stave off elimination next week when the first round ends at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones and Denny Hamlin are the bottom four in the playoff standings and looking to climb out of the basement Saturday night.
“Obviously Las Vegas ended in a disappointing finish, so I’m looking forward to returning to Richmond where I know I can be competitive,’’ said three-time Richmond winner Hamlin. “We’ve really got to work hard to collect playoff points this weekend to put us back in contention, and we’re going to keep going after that win to make sure we set ourselves up to advance.”
The playoff atmosphere begins Friday night with the first race of Round One for the Xfinity Series. Justin Allgaier won the regular season championship on the strength of his five wins and the JR Motorsports driver brings a great deal of optimism into Richmond.
“You got to keep racing these races the same way,” Allgaier said. “You got to go for wins, you got to go for stage wins. You got to get those bonus points because it is so challenging right now to keep the speed every week and execute.”
In addition to the eleven other playoff hopefuls that includes second seed Christopher Bell and last week’s Las Vegas winner Ross Chastain, who returns behind the wheel of the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42, Allgaier will have an additional foe. It happens to be his boss, JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will pilot a No. 88 Camaro out of the team’s stable.
“I am looking forward to it,” said the new television analyst Earnhardt Jr. “It’s going to be a fun day, and I’m trying to keep it from being a long day. I have some responsibilities and I’m going to keep those at a minimum. I want to drive the car and have fun.”
The weekend will also feature the debut of Richmond’s brand new renovation project. The $30 million plan features the new garage walkways and inspection viewing areas, other new attractions such as expansive Richmond infield social and engagement areas with concessions as part of the DC Solar FanGrounds. Gatorade Victory Lane will now be staged in closer view of the grandstands for fans to have a better experience celebrating with Richmond race winners. The location will provide new fan engagement opportunities for pre-race access, driver appearances, and entertainment programming.
New Richmond Infield Set for Debut
Along with the Xfinity and Monster Energy Cup Series races, Motor Racing Network will have live streaming of qualifying and the practice sessions for the Federated Auto Parts 400 at mrn.com on Friday.
