Earlier This Year: It was the Kevin Harvick show. And the year before that. And the year before that. The defending champ has four straight wins at the one miler, and his seven total victories in Avondale are more than any other driver. Ever. Things look like a lock for the No.4 driver, but just remember - folks were saying the same thing about Jimmie Johnnson heading into Dover.
Who To Watch: After dominating the Contender Round, things haven't gone as planned for Joey Logano's team during the first two legs of the Eliminator Round. Sitting 63 points behind Truex, his game plan is simple: win and get in. With four straight Top-10 showings at Phoenix, only Harvick and Keselowski have collected more points at the track during that span. Look for him to go after more than just points this time around.
Last Week: It took 33 races, but the Jeff Gordon swan song hit its highest note yet with a dramatic win in Martinsville. Leading 35 laps en route to his ninth grandfather clock, the future Hall of Famer described the victory “unlike anything he'd ever experienced.” But if we know Gordon, he's already turned his focus to the Great American Speedway. His lone Texas win came back in 2009, but he's nabbed two top-10's in his last three races at the Fort Worth track, so the odds of him building on his Chase momentum are strong.
Earlier This Year: Stop me if you've heard this before, but Kevin Harvick was certainly one to watch at the Duck Commander 500 earlier this year. While the No. 4 driver does have three wins on the year, it feels like he could have had a dozen. One of his twenty top-5 showings came back in April at Texas with a second place finish. While he has yet to find a win at there, his average finish is stronger than any other driver remaining in the Chase. This weekend is a good opportunity for the defending champ to secure a spot in the Championship Four and defend his title.
Who To Watch: There was a time earlier this season when it felt like Kyle Busch could run the table on the 2015 NASCAR Season. Momentum has slowed down a bit since the Joe Gibbs driver won four in a five race stretch back in June/July, but this weekend could be one where he kicks the tires and lights those Chase fires. With a win, eight top-5 finishes and a fourth place showing in last year's AAA Texas 500, he has a better Texas resume than any remaining Chase driver.
Earlier This Year: While it was Denny Hamlin who took home his fifth grandfather clock after winning the STP 500 back in March, it was actually Kevin Harvick who paced all drivers with 154 laps led. Gordon is the only remaining Chase driver with more top-10 finishes at Martinsville, and he's earned three in his last four contests at the track.
Who To Watch: The same guy eyes have been on all season long. Jeff Gordon. IIt's hard to find a track on the circuit at which the ol' 24 hasn’t had a long line of success… that history just hasn't translated into a 2015 win. But with eight wins, seven poles and more top-10 finishes than any other driver at the half-miler, maybe Jeff can punch his ticket to the Championship round with a win at one of his favorite tracks.
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| NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace shares his thoughts on Richmond's shift to a Sunday race. |
When I heard about the possibility of a Sunday race coming
back to Richmond, I got really excited about it.
It really brings back the history of Richmond. When I came
into NASCAR it was always Sundays; bright, sunny, everyone saw the cars
gleaming under the sunshine – it was a NASCAR tradition. I remember the days
when night racing started, and it was definitely dramatic. We'd
see flashes going off around the track when someone took the lead, and it was exciting,
it was really cool. But sometimes change is good, especially when we're
going back to tradition, and there's nothing wrong with
tradition.
I moved down from St. Louis, Missouri to chase my NASCAR
dreams, but my whole family would come out on Sunday afternoons to watch me
race. I remember people piling onto the tailgate of our truck and everyone
being there for the big event that day. There's just something about
being under the bright sunshine that seems right to me.
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| Wallace has six wins at RIR, three of those coming during the day. |
I won a lot of races on Sunday afternoons, and had a good
time doing it. I think it's going to be exciting and something
different to the fans of RIR.
Now, I know there might be some of you who have never seen a
scheduled day race at RIR. Let me tell you what to expect: you're
going to see more cautions, you're going to see more action
and more passing. I can say that because I know the track is going to be
slicker, it's going to be hotter, there's
not going to be nearly as much grip and it's going to be more
exciting- that's just all there is to it.
It's a win-win for fans at the track
and at home. The drivers and owners can bring more people out to the track now,
so I expect we'll see more going on around the
race, more entertaining and more fan festivities. Personally, I can see myself
coming into Richmond earlier and spending time with the fans on Saturday
nights.
For the fans at home, Sunday afternoons are when they have a
little time to sit down and spend some time watching some really good NASCAR
racing at Richmond. With this change there's going to be a lot more
eyeballs on the track on a Sunday afternoon.
I think it'll be fun and I think
there are a lot of positives ahead of us. We can't forget where the sport
came from, so I'm all for this change.
Earlier This Year: Few drivers have the kind of track success like Dale Earnhardt Jr does at Talladega. With six wins at the track, Junior is always one to watch when NASCAR rolls into Alabama. After a remarkable streak at the Lincoln track early in his career (a streak of seven races where he collected five wins and two second-place showings), Junior found himself back in 'Dega's winner's circle earlier this season. With his history at the track and the need for a big-time performance, he's certainly one to keep an eye on this week.
Who To Watch: This season's been one of hot streaks. Joe Gibbs Racing rattled off six wins in a row back in August and September, while the Hendrick crew took three of four races in May . With Joey Logano racking up The Chase wins, maybe Brad Keselowski decides to join the party. Without a win since March, look for the defending GEICO 500 champ to make some noise and advance to the Eliminator Round with his Penske teammate.
Also... if I told you a driver led 225 laps over the past two races, you'd think he'd be a lock to advance in the Chase, right? Unfortunately for Matt Kenseth, that's not the case. Banged up cars forced Kenseth out at Charlotte and into a 14th-place showing at Kansas, meaning he now sits on the outside looking in. But with how he's driven this season and in the Chase (plus a win and six Top-10's at 'Dega), he's not one to count out just yet.
Earlier This Year: It might have been Jimmie Johnson who took home that killer Spongebob trophy back in May, we all remember the one, Kevin Harvick had an equally impressive showing at Kansas earlier this season. The 56 laps led was just the latest in a string of strong performances in Kansas City. The defending champion has earned the pole in three of the last four races, with a win and a pair of second place finishes during that span.
Who To Watch: Remember Ryan Newman's 2014 run? Well Jeff Gordon is putting on a remarkably similar show. Even without a 2015 win, Gordon still sits inside the top-8 of the standings with several strong tracks on the horizon. Kansas is one such track, where Gordon has three wins and more top-10 finishes than any driver not named Jimmie Johnson. After a fourth place showing back in May, Gordon is one to keep an eye on if he can continue to build on that success.
