Fantasy Update: Hendrick shows up in qualifying at Richmond
Between Group A and Group B in Saturday‘s qualifying session at Richmond Raceway, there was a drastic shift in track conditions, allowing most cars in the second group to run quicker lap times. Ross Chastain said he never saw a change in lap times compared to that of Saturday. Hendrick Motorsports capitalized on the cooler track temperature, slotting three of its four cars inside the top five. Meanwhile, its fourth driver, Chase Elliott, will start the race from 23rd position.
Dustin Albino‘s race-day lineup:
Starter 1: Martin Truex Jr.
Starter 2: Denny Hamlin
Starter 3: Ross Chastain
Starter 4: Kyle Larson
Starter 5: Kevin Harvick
Garage pick: Kyle Busch
NEXT IN LINE: William Byron, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, Brad Keselowski
MORE: Starting lineup | Richmond schedule
RISING: When thinking of short tracks, specifically Richmond, Larson doesn‘t come to the top of mind, despite winning at the track in 2017. The No. 5 team enters Sunday‘s race with consecutive top-six finishes at the 0.75-mile track and will start from the pole for the third time in 2022 (Daytona and Sonoma).
As noted heavily over the past two months, Bowman has had very little to be blissful about. Last week at Michigan, the No. 48 scored its first top-10 result since the Coca-Cola 600 in May, but he has recent success at Richmond, which includes a win last April. His fifth-place starting position ties his best effort since starting on the front row in the Daytona 500.
FALLING: While starting 29th isn‘t ideal, Kyle Busch isn‘t worried. He said so while talking to NBC Sports following his qualifying effort. Still, the No. 18 team sits in my garage to start the race based on his six prior wins — and nine straight top 10s — at the track. There will, however, be heavy traffic directly in front of him at the start.
That Elliott was the lone Hendrick car to miss the final round of qualifying is a disappointment. More concerning for the No. 9 team is it‘s the team‘s third-worst starting position of the season. On paper, Elliott‘s track record at Richmond doesn‘t look bad, with an average finish of 11.5. Many of those the team overachieved. But historically, short, flat tracks are among his worst on the circuit, aside from Martinsville.
FEATURED MATCHUPS:
Kevin Harvick vs. Denny Hamlin
Combined, these two have seven wins at Richmond and finished 1-2 in the spring race. Snapping a 65-race winless streak, Harvick is bound to win another race sooner rather than later. But it won‘t be this week, because Hamlin is an elite short track racer at the Cup level. Advantage goes to the No. 11 team.
Kyle Busch vs. Martin Truex Jr.
Entering Sunday, Truex is in a foreign position for this time of the season: below the playoff cutline. While I do expect Busch to extend his top-10 streak to 10 races at Richmond, Truex might be my pick to win the race. The No. 19 team dominated at New Hampshire last month, a similar track layout to Richmond.
Ryan Blaney vs. Joey Logano
No driver wants to be in the position Blaney is. Though second in the championship standings, there‘s a real shot that he misses the postseason. So, does he chase points or go for the win? Given he has just two top-10 results in 12 Richmond races — the last two at that — one would think he will be points racing this weekend. And with Logano locked into the playoffs, Team Penske is likely putting all its eggs into the No. 12 team‘s basket.
Chase Elliott vs. Christopher Bell
Arguably, these two drivers had the most disappointing Saturday at Richmond. Elliott was third in practice on best 10-lap average, so it would be understandable to choose him with long green-flag runs expected. But Bell has proven to be stellar at tracks like Richmond and New Hampshire, so the No. 20 team will likely find a way to be in contention for a good result from its 21st starting position.
