Washed Out Plans

September 5, 2008 7:40pm CDT

A Saturday night shoot-out at Richmond International Raceway to see who will make it to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup would have been fun, but it simply wasn’t in the cards. Hurricane Hanna wiped out qualification and forced NASCAR to reschedule the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 for Sunday afternoon.

Although the starting time may be different, the action will still be exciting. The biggest story is that three drivers—Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne and David Ragan—are vying for the final spot in the Chase standings and they will now start nose to tail. Meanwhile, two of the most entertaining rivals for the series title will be starting from the first and second positions. That will make for sparks on Sunday, even if the race is not under the lights.

There is some less-than-encouraging news to report. Joey Logano, the famed Joe Gibbs Racing rookie, likely will have to wait another week to make his Sprint Cup Series debut. There may still be a possibility he will compete. He is scheduled to race five times in the No. 96 Toyota for Hall of Fame Racing. That team made the show on points, and they just may put Logano in the driver’s seat a bit earlier than planned. If he doesn’t race, at least Sterling Marlin and Tony Raines will be there to keep him company on the sidelines.

Pole
#18 Kyle Busch

“Rowdy” will take them how ever he can get them. Maybe he didn’t get his third pole of the season in the most heroic fashion, but it is a pole all the same. This will be the first time he has ever rolled off the grid from the first position at Richmond. Not that it would have mattered where he starts. Although he has only started two of the last three Richmond races from the top-10, he has four top-fives in that span.

Outside Pole
#99 Carl Edwards

This should be interesting. The “bosom buddies” will be side-by-side to start what is now Sunday’s race, and don’t think either Busch or Edwards will give the other an inch. Busch, however, has the edge statistically. Although “Concrete Carl” has started four of the last five Richmond races from inside the top-10, including starting second in May 2007, he has just two top-10s during that time.

Third
#48 Jimmie Johnson

With Edwards and Busch combining for 14 wins this year, it is easy to forget about “J.J.” Fantasy owners will not want to make that mistake, though. He swept the 2007 events in Richmond after starting fourth that May and he won from the pole last September. He qualified 12th and finished 30th this past spring, but it is hard to imagine that he will not surpass that result this weekend.

Fourth
#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt has not been enjoying his trips to Richmond lately. Despite his three career wins on the Virginia track, he has not finished above 13th there in his last four starts. However, he started from 21st last September and had a great car before equipment trouble ushered him to a 30th. Now that he has more dependable gear, look for him to make a serious run for the win this weekend.

Fifth
#31 Jeff Burton

There is not much room for optimism in Burton’s pits this weekend. That is because he has just one top-10 in Richmond since 2003. On the plus side, he earned his ninth-place finish back in September 2006 on a day when he started from the outside pole. Starting up front is typically a good omen for him; he has six top-10s in nine starts from the top-10.

Sixth
#16 Greg Biffle

At Richmond, Biffle has not had a finish above 14th in two years, but don’t give up hope just yet. He had a streak of five straight top-10 results from September 2004 to September 2006. The best part is that they were all earned after starting from inside the top-10. Beginning his day near the top-five is good for him also, considering that in the three previous starts from the top-five, he has turned those into two top-five finishes.

Seventh
#29 Kevin Harvick

This is a good track for “Happy,” even though qualifying has been a bit of a challenge for him as of late. His last three attempts have seen him start each race outside the top 10. Despite that, he has managed a win (in the 2006 Rock & Roll 400) and seven consecutive top-10s there. That victory came after qualifying in the top 10, so there is another reason to want him on the roster this weekend.

Eighth
#20 Tony Stewart

“Smoke” has always enjoyed racing at Richmond. He won his first Sprint Cup Series race there in September 1999 and has since won two more races on the Virginia track. His starting position is usually a good indicator as to where he will finish. In the seven times he has qualified ninth or higher, he has earned five top-fives, including all three wins, and six top-10s. He was not very strong in practice, however.

Ninth
#17 Matt Kenseth

Mother Nature was a big help for Kenseth. He has been coming to Richmond for eight years now and only twice before Friday has he qualified inside the top 10. He has been able to turn both of those into top-10 finishes, which is the truly important stat. Kenseth has a win and nine top-10s at Richmond after starting as low as 29th, so it doesn’t matter where he starts.

10th
#24 Jeff Gordon

In the last three races, Gordon has proven that he can earn quality finishes at Richmond from just about anywhere in the field. In May 2007, he won the pole and finished fourth. Last September, he held the outside pole and went home fourth. He struggled in qualifying this spring, rolling off the grid 28th to start day, but he managed to claw his way to a ninth-place finish.

Starting Grid (Averages based on two or more starts)