Federated Auto Parts 400 Betting News and Notes

Richmond - Driver Tale of the Tape

Clint Bowyer (No. 15 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Two wins, four top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.333, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.838, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 95.7, fifth-best
· 214 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.897, eighth-fastest
· 6222 Laps in the Top 15 (73.9), fourth-most
· 538 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· Four wins, 15 top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 6.864, series-best
· Average Running Position of 7.828, second-best
· Driver Rating of 111.1, series-best
· 633 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.322, series-fastest
· 7732 Laps in the Top 15 (87.7), second-most
· 643 Quality Passes, third-most

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS)

· Two wins, six top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.783, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.311, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.7, sixth-best
· 456 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.008, fifth-fastest
· 5792 Laps in the Top 15 (62.8 ), eighth-most
· 523 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Carl Edwards (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· Two wins, five top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.783, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.570, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 90.7, ninth-best
· 377 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.839, 13th-fastest
· 5440 Laps in the Top 15 (59.0), 12th-most
· 522 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Two wins, 18 top fives, 30 top 10s; six poles
· Average finish of 13.409, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 12.488, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 99.3, fourth-best
· 473 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.065, fourth-fastest
· 6011 Laps in the Top 15 (68.2), seventh-most
· 525 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 10.550, third-best
· Average Running Position of 8.046, third-best
· Driver Rating of 108.5, third-best
· 650 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.248, third-fastest
· 6673 Laps in the Top 15 (83.3), third-most
· 512 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS)

· Three wins, ten top fives, 19 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 8.435, second-best
· Average Running Position of 7.318, series-best
· Driver Rating of 110.6, second-best
· 641 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.283, second-fastest
· 8610 Laps in the Top 15 (93.4), series-most
· 724 Quality Passes, series-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Three wins, seven top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 15.565, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.619, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.3, eighth-best
· 336 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.902, seventh-fastest
· 5762 Laps in the Top 15 (62.5), ninth-most
· 506 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· One win, five top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.913, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.584, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.5, 13th-best
· 400 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.878, 10th-fastest
· 5261 Laps in the Top 15 (57.1), 13th-most
· 534 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· Two wins, six top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.652, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.368, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.2, 12th-best
· 289 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.851, 12th-fastest
· 5749 Laps in the Top 15 (62.4), 10th-most
· 545 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion)

· One win, two top fives, five top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.857, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 12.291, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.8, seventh-best
· 282 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.888, ninth-fastest
· 3851 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7), sixth-most
· 326 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Ryan Newman (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet SS)

· One win, six top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.609, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.059, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 90.5, 10th-best
· 143 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.877, 11th-fastest
· 6673 Laps in the Top 15 (72.4), fifth-most
· 681 Quality Passes, second-most

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS)

· Three wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.591, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.959, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 90.0, 11th-best
· 285 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.955, sixth-fastest
· 5352 Laps in the Top 15 (60.7), 11th-most
· 515 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Federated Auto Parts 400
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway will be the last chance for a few drivers to dance as the race ends the 26-race regular season before the 10-race Chase, or playoffs start. Think of it in terms like the college basketball conference tournaments where lesser teams can play their way into the NCAA Tournament by simply winning out.

Four drivers are vying for the three open positions and up to 17 drivers are eligible to qualify if they win which is going to make for some intense racing on the flat 3/4-mile layout throughout the field.

"The second Richmond race each year is especially intense just because you know that there’s a lot on the line," said three-time Richmond winner Kevin Harvick, who leads the series in points and qualified for the Chase a long time ago. "There are a lot of people racing for different things. It’s the end of our regular season. If you’re not in the Chase, it’s your last chance to win a race. There are some guys who will probably be fighting for points spots as you go in there, but Richmond is kind of your perfect short track. It has good speed, a short-track feel to it, and the tires wear out. That’s kind of what we all grew up racing on. It’s got a little bit of everything and that makes it a fun place to race."

Some drivers like Chase Elliott, who sits comfortably in the 14th slot with a 25-point cushion on 17th-place Ryan Newman, will play it safe and just look to finish well and stay out of trouble. He would love to get his first career win this week, but making the playoffs is more important at this juncture.

Austin Dillon, sitting 15th, only has a 16-point lead over Newman and knows he could be in jeopardy of falling back just because of his track history where he's averaged a 24.2 finish in five career starts, including his career-best of 20th in the April race.

"Our mindset and our goal is to just do whatever it takes to make it into the Chase for the Sprint Cup," said Dillon. "It would be huge to make it. It’s a big boost of confidence and that’s what we all do it for." Newman has a 2003 Richmond win to his credit along with 16 top-10s and an 11.7 average finish over 29 starts. That's some pretty strong stuff over time while driving for three different teams. He's currently 100/1 odds at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook to win the Sprint Cup and in 2014 he was a few laps from winning it all without even winning a race that season. His consistency makes him a candidate to do well in the Chase format.

Jamie McMurray currently has a seven-point lead in 16th over Newman, and like Dillon, Richmond hasn't been his best track with a 20th-place average in 27 starts. However, he's finished fourth there three times in his last six starts. He also got a solid sixth-place finish at New Hampshire in July, which is relevant because of it being a flat one-mile track. You can throw Phoenix into that grouping as well with the thought process being if a driver is good one one of those tracks, they'll be good on the other because the set-ups are similar.

McMurray can look at his New Hampshire result and feel good that last years sixth-place finisher at New Hampshire in July, Matt Kenseth, won at Richmond in the same situation. This year, Carl Edwards finished second at Phoenix in March and then won the April race at Richmond. They're all correlated, and it's not to say Mcmurray will win -- I wouldn't bet him, but he should have confidence of finishing well.

In the meantime while Elliott, Dillon and McMurray are all paying attention to where everyone is at in points as the laps wind down -- playing it conservative, Newman is going to be on a mission and he's very tenacious when he wants to be. You're also going to see all the others outside looking in trying to shock the NASCAR world with a win, and going all-out to do so. There aren't any friends, teammates or time to be Mr. Nice Guy. This is their last shot to make it.

Greg Biffle is going to do all he can to make himself eligible and for him it's win or nothing. Another driver that is going to have to win is Kasey Kahne, who hasn't led a lap this season, but did have his best finish of the season at Richmond in April finishing fourth. In 2014, Kahne raced himself into the Chase with an Atlanta win in the 25th race of the regular season. He also won at Richmond in 2005. His car was much better in 2005 and 2014 than it is now -- his car this year has been the poster child for Hendrick Motorsports' 2016 decline with only two top-five finishes. But desperation and creative engineering might make him a driver at 50/1 odds or higher to waste $5 on. In NASCAR, if you're not cheating, you're not trying, and the Hendrick garage knows how be to real sneaky, so you've got that possibly going for you with a Kahne wager.

As for the real contenders to win Saturday night, once again you begin with Joe Gibbs Racing with Kyle Busch being a four-time Richmond winner and producing an amazing 6.86 average finish -- runner-up in his last two starts.

What exactly makes the team so good?

"I think a lot of it comes from Denny (Hamlin), being that it’s his home track," said Kyle Busch, who last won there in 2012. "I’ve been good there in Hendrick and JGR cars. But Denny and I really feed off each other an awful lot at Richmond. We use each other a ton there, just to be sure we can beat the rest of the competition, of course. We do like similar setups there, unlike some other places we run. Richmond is one of those places where we both know what it takes to get around and we’re both similar to one another in that we both run well. Matt (Kenseth) has only added to our information there and now, with Carl (Edwards) on board the last couple of years, he’s a guy who’s been very good over the years there, as well."

Hamlin has two wins and a 10.5 average and is currently riding a career-best seven race streak of top-10 finishes. Think his team is ready for the playoffs? Kenseth grabbed his second career win there last fall and Edwards got his second win there this spring. Yeah, those guys are all pretty good at Richmond -- the best -- and it's where all handicapping roads should begin with.

Jimmie Johnson and Harvick each have three wins at Richmond, Kurt Busch has two wins and the Team Penske duo of Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski each have a win when the swept the 2014 season. Harvick is the only driver to have top-five finishes this season at Phoenix (won), Richmond (fifth) and New Hampshire (fourth).

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #20 Matt Kenseth (7/1)
2) #18 Kyle Busch (6/1)
3) #4 Kevin Harvick (6/1)
4) #19 Carl Edwards (7/1)
5) #11 Denny Hamlin (10/1)

Richmond Fantasy Racing Preview
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

Detailed driver notes and statistics to help set your fantasy racing lineup for the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

Who's HOT at Richmond

• Joey Logano has finished eighth or better in his last five starts, including a win in the 2014 spring race.
• Kyle Busch leads all drivers in wins (4) and average finish (6.9).
• Matt Kenseth has finished seventh or better in seven of the last eight races, including a dominating win last September.
• Carl Edwards won the spring race and is the only multiple winner in the last six races.
• Brad Keselowski has combined to lead 654 laps in the last six races and has posted three top 10s in that span, including a win in this event in 2014.
• Kevin Harvick leads all drivers in average finish (7.9) that have competed in all of the last 10 races. He also has two wins in that span.
• Kurt Busch, winner of the 2015 spring race, has combined to lead 346 laps in the last three races.
• Jimmie Johnson has finished ninth or better in the last four races. His last of three wins came in this event in 2008.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Richmond

• Jeff Gordon, who will make his sixth start of the season in the No. 88 Chevrolet, has finished in the top 10 in his last five starts at Richmond.
• Denny Hamlin, a two-time Richmond winner, has turned his record back around as of late at the track with consecutive sixth-place finishes.
• Kasey Kahne's fourth-place finish in the spring at Richmond equaled his best finish of the season.
• Richmond is Martin Truex Jr.'s only short-track top 10 of the season.
• Kyle Larson and Ryan Newman each have a 13.2 average finish in the last five Richmond races.
• Chase Elliott (12.8 ), Austin Dillon (13.5), Greg Biffle (13.5), AJ Allmendinger (13.8 ) and Jamie McMurray (15.0) each rank in the top 10 in average finish in the four short-track races among all drivers that have competed in all of those races.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Kyle Busch
Pete Pistone: Kevin Harvick
Robbie Mays: Kyle Busch
John Singler: Kyle Busch

Driver Notes - Ordered by Current Top 20 Driver Standings

Kevin Harvick has posted a 7.4 average finish in his five Richmond starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. He led 63 laps in the spring en route to a fifth-place finish for his 10th top five in 31 starts. Harvick, who won three times at Richmond with Richard Childress Racing, will return in the same car (chassis No. 899) that he's recorded three top-five finishes, five top 10s and led 686 laps through eight Sprint Cup starts. This season, Harvick has the second-best average finish (7.5) among all drivers that have competed in all four short-track races this season.

Brad Keselowski has combined to lead 654 laps in the last six races at Richmond, but has only led 15 in the last three races. Keselowski, who won the 2014 September race with a dominating performance, finished eighth in this event last year for his fifth top 10 in 14 starts.

Joey Logano is the only driver that has finished in the top 10 in all of the last five races at Richmond. His average finish in that span is 4.6, which leads all drivers. Logano won the 2014 spring race and has combined to lead 165 laps in the last five races. Logano, who participated in the Goodyear tire test before this year's spring race, finished eighth and failed to lead a lap in April. This season, Logano has the third-best average finish (9.8 ) among all drivers that have competed in all four short-track races this season.

Carl Edwards led 151 laps en route to the win in the spring at Richmond. It marked his first top 10 in three track starts with Joe Gibbs Racing and his second victory overall in 24 starts. This season, Edwards leads all drivers in wins (2) and average finish (3.5) in the four short-track races this season.

Denny Hamlin has finished sixth in his last two starts at Richmond. Overall, Hamlin has recorded 11 top 10s, which includes two wins, in 20 starts. Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in the last two short-track races to lower his average finish to 17.0 in the four overall races.

Kurt Busch led 55 laps and finished 10th after lengthy, late-race pit stop in the spring for his third top 10 in five Richmond starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch dominated the 2015 spring race, leading 291 laps en route to the win. This weekend, Busch will return in the same car (chassis No. 977) that he raced in the spring at Richmond and scored the win with at Pocono Raceway in June. This season, Busch ranks fifth in laps led (96) in the four races at short-tracks.

Kyle Busch has finished second in his last two starts at Richmond. Busch scored his last of four wins at Richmond in the 2012 spring race. This season, Busch has led the most laps at the short-track races with 686.

Martin Truex Jr. finished ninth in the spring for his third top 10 in five starts Richmond starts with Furniture Row Racing. His Richmond finish this season is his only top 10 in the four short-track races.

Matt Kenseth dominated this event last year, leading 352 laps en route to the win. Kenseth finished seventh in the spring for his sixth top 10 in seven Richmond starts with Joe Gibbs Racing. This season, Kenseth ranks fourth in laps led (189) in the four races at short-tracks.

Chase Elliott finished 12th in the spring for his best finish in two starts at Richmond. This season, Elliott has the fifth-best average finish (12.8 ) among all drivers that have competed in all four short-track races this season.

Jimmie Johnson has finished ninth or better in his last four Richmond starts, including a third-place finishes in both spring races. Johnson, who has finished in the top 10 in three of the four short-track races this season, scored his last of three Richmond wins in this event in 2008.

Austin Dillon has yet to finish inside the top 20 in five starts at Richmond. This weekend, Dillon will return in the same car (chassis No. 526) that he finished 13th with at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July.

Jamie McMurray, who currently holds the 16th and final Chase spot, finished 16th in the spring at Richmond. McMurray brings a 22-point advantage into Richmond over Ryan Newman for the 16th spot. McMurray's last of six top 10s at RIR came when he recorded two consecutive fourth-place finishes in this event in 2014 and then in the spring in 2015.

Ryan Newman has posted a 13.2 average finish in five Richmond starts with Richard Childress Racing. His only two top 10s at track with RCR came in both races in 2014. Newman currently trails the final spot in the Chase on points by 22 markers. This weekend, Newman will return in the same car (chassis No. 547) that he finished 10th with in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Kyle Larson has posted a 13.2 average finish in five starts at Richmond. His best finish came in this event in 2014, in 11th.

Kasey Kahne finished fourth in the spring for his third top 10 in nine Richmond starts with Hendrick Motorsports.

Ryan Blaney finished 28th in his first Richmond Sprint Cup start in the spring.

AJ Allmendinger has posted one top 10 (sixth) and an average finish of 17.7 in sixth Richmond starts with JTG Daugherty Racing. This season, Allmendinger has posted a 13.8 average finish in the four short-track races.

Trevor Bayne has yet to finish in the top 10 in three starts at Richmond. His average finish in 21.3.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. scored his only top 10 in seven Richmond starts in this event in 2013. He finished 26th in the spring and finished second in his last short-track start - Bristol.