Toyota Owners 400 Betting News and Notes

Richmond Driver Tale of the Tape

Clint Bowyer (No. 15 AAA Insurance Toyota)

· Two wins, four top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.5
· Average Running Position of 10.5, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 99.6, fourth-best
· 210 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.176 mph, sixth-fastest
· 5,632 Laps in the Top 15 (78.0%), fifth-most
· 499 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)

· One win, five top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 17.1
· Average Running Position of 14.4, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.5, ninth-best
· 379 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.156 mph, seventh-fastest
· 4,779 Laps in the Top 15 (59.6%), eighth-most
· 477 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet)

· Three wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.5
· Average Running Position of 14.5, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.9, 12th-best
· 347 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 1,026 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· 4,515 Laps in the Top 15 (56.3%), 12th-most
· 454 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Carl Edwards (No. 19 ARRIS Toyota)

· One win, four top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.9
· Average Running Position of 15.1, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.1, 10th-best
· 299 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 1,031 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.026 mph, 11th-fastest
· 4,634 Laps in the Top 15 (57.8%), 10th-most
· 472 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet)

· Two wins, 18 top fives, 28 top 10s; six poles
· Average finish of 13.6
· Average Running Position of 12.8, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 99.3, fifth-best
· 461 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.237 mph, fourth-fastest
· 5,283 Laps in the Top 15 (65.9%), sixth-most
· 470 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)

· Two wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 10.4
· Average Running Position of 7.5, second-best
· Series-best Driver Rating of 110.7
· Series-high 598 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 116.498 mph
· 5,821 Laps in the Top 15 (85.5%), fourth-most
· 448 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Jimmy John's/Budweiser Chevrolet)

· Three wins, eight top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.0
· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.5
· Driver Rating of 110.3, second-best
· 511 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 903 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.466 mph, third-fastest
· Series-high 7,415 Laps in the Top 15 (92.5%)
· Series-high 657 Quality Passes

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Pro Services Chevrolet)

· Three wins, five top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 17.5
· Average Running Position of 15.7, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.8, 11th-best
· 291 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.030 mph, 10th-fastest
· 4,662 Laps in the Top 15 (58.2%), ninth-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford)

· One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.9
· Average Running Position of 13.6, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.6, eighth-best
· 252 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.016 mph, 12th-fastest

Ryan Newman (No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet)

· One win, six top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.2
· Average Running Position of 11.4, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.5, seventh-best
· 1,017 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.118 mph, eighth-fastest
· 6,137 Laps in the Top 15 (76.6%), third-most
· 625 Quality Passes, second-most

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet)

· Three wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.2
· Average Running Position of 12.8, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.0, sixth-best
· 281 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 945 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.224 mph, fifth-fastest
· 5,067 Laps in the Top 15 (66.5%), seventh-most
· 492 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Toyota Owners 400
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Man is this going to be fun!

There's nothing quite like a cool spring evening of NASCAR racing under the stars of the old Capital of the Confederacy on Richmond’s flat ¾-mile layout where speeds are just fast enough to wow while also slow enough to make the drivers feel comfortable about sending messages to their competitors.

I have several tracks I like equally, but I must say this is my favorite track in the Sprint Cup series because it is so unique and creates drama. It used to be Bristol, but that track certainly isn’t the same as the thousands of empty seats verified on Sunday.

Your best bet to finding the winner in Saturday night’s race is look back at what happened in the March 15 race at Phoenix, a track that requires a very similar set-up. Who dominated, who led the second and third most laps and then you might want to look at some recent history. That has generally been the recipe for success at the trio of flat tracks at Richmond, Phoenix and New Hampshire over recent years.

Kevin Harvick led 224 of the 312 laps and won for the fourth straight time at Phoenix. Brad Keselowski led 52 laps and finished sixth. Joey Logano led twice for 35 laps and ended up eighth while Jamie McMurray started third and finished second and led the only other lap. Kurt Busch finished fifth. That’s right, only four drivers led and Harvick led way by a bunch, again.

Because of Phoenix and also what Harvick has been doing all season, he comes in as the easy favorite again which is a weekly theme now on any type of track. He may have finally finished outside of the top-10 with his 38th-place finish at Bristol, but he still led a race high six times for 184 laps. He's not a machine, and finally showed some human tendencies and got bit by some bad luck. Still, six top-two finishes in eight starts isn’t bad.

Twice over Harvick’s career, he has won at both Richmond and Phoenix in the same season. In 2006 and 2013 he swept Phoenix and then won at Richmond in each. He’s a three-time winner in 28 starts compared to Phoenix where he’s won seven times. Obviously his edge is a little greater at Phoenix, but he’s still rated a notch above everyone else and then it drops to Keselowski, Logano and Kurt Busch.

Last season it was Keselowski winning in the spring at Richmond at Logano in the fall. The third and final flat track used as a comparison with Richmond and Phoenix is New Hampshire’s one-mile layout and the Penske boys won both of those too. Harvick won at all three in 2006. Throughout each of those track’s history, there have been several guys doing the double-double between the three tracks which is why we’re going to pay close attention to the Phoenix race. History routinely repeats itself here. If fast on one, surely they’ll be fast on the other.

Good long shots to maybe take a shot with this week are the Ganassi teammates McMurray and Kyle Larson. McMurray not only finished second at Phoenix, but he also finished fourth in two of the past three Richmond races.

Jeff Gordon hasn't won at Richmond since 2000, and only has two for his great career, but he was runner-up in both races last season, as well as in the fall of 2012. He should offer decent value in match-ups and could be worth a shot in odds to win at 14/1.

Even though Harvick has won only twice in eight races this season, his dominance factor has scared me off odds to win wagers on a comparative level from years past. I used to regularly take five to six drivers with odds to win, but I also haven't had a driver rated this high against against everyone below him since Jeff Gordon in his magical 1998 season.

While Jimmie Johnson was winning lots of races and championships over the past decade, the gap between he and the his closest competitors wasn't nearly as great as it it with Harvick this year. And while I think Logano probably offers the best chance of someone else cashing other than Harvick, his odds aren't attractive enough to close the gap on Harvick's edge. So until I see some more teams step up their game and broaden the odds to win pool with some better prices, match-ups will continue to be my primary wagering activity in NASCAR.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #22 Joey Logano (7/1)
2) #4 Kevin Harvick (4/1)
3) #2 Brad Keselowski (6/1)
4) #5 Kasey Kahne (14/1)
5) #41 Kurt Busch (8/1)

Drivers to Watch - Richmond
By Sportsbook.ag

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Toyota Owners 400
Sunday, April 22nd – 1:00 p.m. EDT
Richmond International Raceway - Richmond, Virginia

NASCAR sets its sights on Richmond, Virginia this week for the Toyota Owners 400, a race that originated in 1953 and was first named the Richmond 200. The 300-mile race will take place on the 14-degree turns of Richmond International Raceway under the lights as the racers look to dominate the 0.75-mile, asphalt course.

Last year, it was Joey Logano that took the checkered flag after running the 300 miles in 3:20:47, the slowest winning mark since 2003, as he saw an average speed of just 91.369 MPH. In the past, this was Kyle Busch’s race to win as he did so in four consecutive attempts between 2009 and 2012. Before him, both Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000, 2004, 2006) and Tony Stewart (2001, 2002) were multiple victors at this race who are still active drivers.

The Sprint Cup Series is coming off an exciting showing in Bristol where four different racers led for at least 45 laps on a rain-soaked track with Matt Kenseth getting the win.

Let’s scour through the entrants this week and find some who could be in the victory lane on Sunday.

Drivers to Bet

Kevin Harvick (7/2) - Harvick is a threat to win each and every week, but got into some trouble at Bristol and posted a 38th finish after spending 43 laps in the garage for repairs. Before that, he was the leader for 184 laps and looked well on his way to another victory. He is the current Sprint Cup Series leader with a top-eight showing in every other race on the year which included back-to-back victories in Las Vegas and Phoenix. He has won three times with 17 top-10s and an average finish of 11.0 in his 28 attempts at Richmond International Raceway. Harvick has the second-best driver rating (110.3) on this course and has a series-best average running position (7.5), laps in the top-15 (7,415, 92.5%) and quality passes (657). He should maintain his hold on the top of the standings with another top-five this weekend.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8/1) - Earnhardt Jr. is an all-or-nothing type of racer when on this track and while his driver rating (86.9, 12th-best) and laps in the top-15 (4,515, 56.3%, 12th-most) aren’t all that impressive, he has earned three victories here in the past. This season he has managed five top-six showings in his eight starts, but always has a chance of putting up a dud as he did last week in Bristol when he placed 16th and had finishes worse than 36th in two of the previous four weeks before that. Earnhardt Jr. has not led in a race since Las Vegas (Mar. 8th), but should be able to regain some momentum on a track which has treated him well in the past.

Denny Hamlin (12/1) - Hamlin owns the best driver rating (110.7) amongst his peers at Richmond International Raceway as he has earned two wins, seven top-fives and nine top-10s here over just 17 career attempts. After all that, his average finish has been 10.4, but he has not won in this particular race. He has gone a series-best 598 laps as the fastest driver when here and is second-best with an average running position of 7.5. Overall Hamlin hasn’t had the best of seasons, sprinkling in a win at Martinsville and a top-five at both Las Vegas and Daytona with four other starts where he ended worse than 20th. Hamlin should be able to get it done this week and easily finish towards the top of the leaderboard.

Danica Patrick (500/1) - Patrick is having the best season of her career and currently sits in 13th in the Sprint Cup Standings due to a top-20 finish in each of the past four races. In those, she improved on her starting position and placed ninth last week after starting in 26th; her lowest beginning spot of the year. In just four starts at Richmond, Patrick has a poor average finish of 27.3, but both of her top-10 finishes this year have come on short tracks and with this one being less than a mile as well, there is a good chance that she shows up for another stellar performance.

David Ragan (Field: 250/1) - Ragan is currently just on the outside looking in on the chase and followed up three straight top-20 finishes with a 41st at Bristol after a wreck, but should be able to get back to form if he can keep his car intact. He has run on this track 16 times in his career with a not all that

Sportsbook.ag - Odds to win Toyota Owners 400

Kevin Harvick 9/2
Brad Keselowski 6/1
Joey Logano 6/1
Kurt Busch 7/1
Jimmie Johnson 8/1
Jeff Gordon 10/1
Matt Kenseth 10/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12/1
Denny Hamlin 12/1
Carl Edwards 15/1
Kasey Kahne 20/1
Kyle Larson 20/1
Martin Truex Jr. 25/1
Jamie McMurray 30/1
Ryan Newman 50/1
Clint Bowyer 60/1
David Ragan 60/1
Tony Stewart 60/1
Aric Almirola 100/1
Austin Dillon 100/1
Chase Elliott 100/1
Greg Biffle 100/1
Paul Menard 100/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 100/1
AJ Allmendinger 300/1
Danica Patrick 300/1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 300/1
Casey Mears 500/1
Sam Hornish Jr. 500/1
Trevor Bayne 500/1

Check out more NASCAR Odds and Props at Sportsbook.ag

Chassis Selections
Jayski.com

#3-Austin Dillon: will pilot Chassis No. 475 in the Richmond 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Dillon recently participated in a NASCAR-sanctioned open test with this Chevrolet SS at RIR and earned a 15th-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway in March 2015. In 2014, Dillon raced this Chevrolet SS to a 21st-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in November, an eighth-place finish at Kansas Speedway in October and a 15th-place finish at Pocono Raceway in August. He also utilized this Chevrolet SS at Michigan International Speedway in June, where he ran in the top 10 for a majority of the event before making two unscheduled pit stops in the closing laps of the event, resulting in a 30th-place finish.
#4-Kevin Harvick: will pilot the No. 4 Jimmy John's/Budweiser Chevrolet SS built on Chassis No. 4-841 in the Richmond 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Saturday at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Built in 2014, Chassis No. 4-841 served as an unused backup for 19 races last season, and never saw racing action of any kind. Chassis No. 4-841 finally made its Sprint Cup debut this past March at Phoenix International Raceway, where it scored a dominant win from the pole and led 224 laps to score Harvick's second win of the 2015 season.
#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Keith Rodden has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-897 for Saturday evening's race at Richmond. Kahne raced with this chassis at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September 2014, where he finished 23rd.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-735: This car debuted in the 2012 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Stewart qualified 28th and rallied to score a top-10 finish. Chassis No. 14-735 made its second career start in October 2012 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. It was impressive as Stewart used it to overcome a 33rdplace starting spot, a botched pit stop, an incident with Jeff Burton and a lap-166 spin to finish fifth. The car made its third career start in the 2012 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. There, it rallied to a top-20 finish after starting 35th and dealing with handling issues throughout the 267-lap race. Stewart's milestone 500th career Sprint Cup start also came at Homestead in Chassis No. 14-735. With 2013 Chevrolet SS bodywork covering it, Chassis No. 14-735 returned to action in May for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. It rallied again, coming from 25th in the field to lead six laps before finishing seventh. The car's fifth career start and second of 2013 was slated to come in June at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, but a crash in the opening minutes of the weekend's first practice session sidelined the car. Rebuilt, Chassis No. 14-735 returned to Michigan in August with interim driver Austin Dillon, qualifying 27th and finishing 14th. The car sat idle until this past May when Stewart drove it at Kansas. He qualified eighth and finished 20th after giving up valuable track position for a late-race fuel stop. Its next start came in late June at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, where Stewart rallied it to an 11th-place finish after having to start 42nd due to a transmission change prior to the race. It then tested Sept. 2-3 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon in preparation for the series' race there on Sept. 21. However, it was a rocky run for Chassis No. 14-735 in the Granite State, as it qualified 28th and finished 30th. The car returned to a flat track when it made its final start of 2014 at Phoenix International Raceway. It qualified 29th and finished 20th as a loose-handling condition persisted. New Chevrolet SS sheetmetal adorns Chassis No. 14-735 and it saw action during a Goodyear Tire Test at Richmond April 7-8. It returns to Richmond for this weekend's race and its 10th career start.
#15-Clint Bowyer: Chassis No. 805 serves as Bowyer's primary chassis for Richmond. The chassis was tested at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway this year. Chassis No. 809 serves as back up at Richmond. It also served as back up at Phoenix in March.
#24-Jeff Gordon: Crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-881 for this Sunday's race. The chassis has been raced twice previously to a pair of 26th-place finishes at New Hampshire in 2014. During the July event, Gordon ran out of fuel while running third when the race ran past its scheduled distance. In September, he cut a tire and hit the wall in Turn 1 while running sixth with less than 10 laps to go.
#27-Paul Menard: will utilize chassis No. 485 during Saturday night's 400-lap event at Richmond International Raceway. This Chevrolet SS was utilized earlier this year at Phoenix International Raceway where Menard started 21st and finished 14th.
#31-Ryan Newman: will drive chassis No. 462 at Richmond International Raceway. This No. 31 Chevrolet competed for the first time this season at Phoenix International Raceway. Newman qualified fifth and finished third.
#32-Joey Gase: Crew Chief Clinton Cram will be bringing chassis GGR-755 to serve as the primary car. This chassis last raced at Phoenix in March with Mike Bliss finishing 33rd. Chassis GGR-289 will serve as the backup car.
#41-Kurt Busch: will pilot Chassis No. 839 in Saturday night's Richmond 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. It was previously a No. 10 chassis for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Danica Patrick. Chassis No. 839 was used in May 2014 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, where Patrick started fourth, but an engine failure caused her to finish 39th in the Coca-Cola 600. The No. 10 team then raced Chassis No. 839 at both events at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where Patrick finished 17th and 18th, respectively. Chassis No. 839 next raced at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, where Patrick finished 19th. Busch first raced Chassis No. 839 last November at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, where he started fourth and finished eighth. Chassis No. 839 underwent updates and saw its first laps of 2015 in March at Phoenix International Raceway, where Busch started eighth and finished fifth.
#48-Jimmie Johnson: For this weekend's event, crew chief Chad Knaus has selected chassis No. 48-804, with which Johnson finished eighth at Richmond last fall. The backup car is 48-749, which last raced in Martinsville in the spring of 2014.
#55-Brett Moffitt: Primary: 803 - Brian Vickers finished 41st at Phoenix in 2015. In 2014, Vickers finished fourth at Texas in April, eighth in All-Star Race, 19th at Indy and 24th at Chicago. Backup: 813 - Clint Bowyer drove chassis to 17th at Charlotte in May,10th and sixth at Michigan and ninth at Dover in September.
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: This weekend, crew chief Greg Ives will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-932. This is a brand new chassis that has not been raced.

Driver Handicaps: Richmond
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

MRN.com's Jeff Wackerlin helps you set your fantasy racing lineup for Saturday night's Toyota Owners 400 with detailed driver notes and stats for Richmond International Raceway.

Who's HOT at Richmond

• Jeff Gordon led a race-high 173 laps in this event last year, and finished second in both races in 2014.
• Joey Logano has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four races, including a win in this event last year.
• Brad Keselowski won the September race last season and has combined to lead 639 laps in the last three races.
• Kevin Harvick has posted a 7.6 average finish in the last five races, including a win in this event in 2013.
• Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth each have finished in the top 10 in four of the last five races.
• Clint Bowyer (only top 10 this season came at Daytona) has finished third or better in three of the last five races, including a win in 2012.
• Carl Edwards, who will make his first track start with Joe Gibbs Racing, has finished ninth or better in three of his last four starts, including a win in September 2013.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Richmond

• Denny Hamlin has finished 18th or worse in his last four Richmond starts, but the two-time track winner will look to get things turned back around after participating in the Goodyear Tire test and open test earlier this month. Crew chief Dave Rogers is a three-time Richmond winner with Kyle Busch.
• Along with Hamlin, Keselowski, AJ Allmendinger and Tony Stewart took part in the Goodyear and open Richmond test.
• Bowyer, Kyle Larson (13.5 average finish in two starts), Austin Dillon, Trevor Bayne, Aric Almirola (Finished 10th last September), Casey Mears and Martin Truex Jr. (Finished 10th in this event last year) attended the open test at Richmond.
• Jimmie Johnson will be back in the same car that he finished eighth with last September at Richmond - his first top 10 in his last five starts there.
• Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted respective average finishes of 8.5 and 9.5 last year at Richmond. Both have new crew chiefs this time around with McMurray's (Keith Rodden) now with Kasey Kahne.
• Kurt Busch, who finished seventh in the last Richmond race, will be back in the same car that he finished fifth with at Phoenix International Raceway.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Brad Keselowski
Pete Pistone: Kevin Harvick
John Singler: Jeff Gordon

Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish (More than one start) in Last Five Races at Richmond

Stats are for Richmond unless noted

Jeff Gordon: Finished second in both races last season and led 173 laps in this event. Gordon has finished eighth or better in four of the last five races, including three runner-up finishes. Gordon, a six-time pole and two-time Richmond race winner, participated in the NASCAR open test at the track on April 8. This weekend, Gordon will return in the same car (chassis No. 881) that he finished 26th with in both races at New Hampshire last year.

Kevin Harvick: Posted an 8.0 average finish in his two track starts with Stewart-Haas Racing, which includes a fifth-place run last September. Harvick's last of three wins - all coming with Richard Childress Racing - came in this event in 2013.

Ryan Newman: Has finished ninth or better in his last three starts. Newman posted an average finish of 8.5 in his first two track starts with Richard Childress Racing. Newman, who does have one Richmond win back in 2003 with Team Penske, will return in the same car (chassis No. 462) that he finished third with at Phoenix International Raceway.

Carl Edwards: Has finished ninth or better in three of his last four starts, including a win in the 2013 September race. This weekend, Edwards will make his first track start with Joe Gibbs Racing after leading 86 laps last weekend.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Has finished 14th or better in his last six starts. Earnhardt's last three spring starts have resulted in an average finish of 6.3, including a seventh-place run last year and a runner-up in 2012. His last of two wins, both coming with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., came in this event in 2006. This weekend, Earnhardt will debut a new Hendrick Motorsports chassis (No. 932) in the Toyota Owners 400.

Brad Keselowski: Coming off a dominating victory after leading 383 laps last September. Keselowski's win was his second consecutive top five and he's combined to lead 639 laps in the last three races. Keselowski was part of the Goodyear Tire test earlier this month and also participated in the open test the following day.

Joey Logano: Is the defending race winner. Logano's win was his third finish of sixth or better in the last four races. The 46 laps he led en route to the win are his only laps led in 12 starts.

Matt Kenseth: Finished 41st last September to snap a streak of four consecutive finishes of seventh or better.

Kyle Larson: Started on the pole, based off practice speeds, and finished 16th in this event last season. Larson finished 11th last September to lower his average finish to 13.5 in two starts. Larson participated in the NASCAR open test at the track on April 8.

Kurt Busch: Is coming off third top 10 in last four starts. Busch's seventh-place run last September is best finish in two track starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. This weekend, Busch will be back in the same car (chassis No. 839) that he finished fifth with at Phoenix International Raceway.

Jamie McMurray: Has posted a 7.0 average finish in his last three starts, including two fourth-place finishes.

AJ Allmendinger: Finished sixth in this race last year for best finish, and third top 10, in 15 starts. Allmendinger, who participated in the Goodyear Tire test and the open test, has recorded an average finish of 14.7 in three track starts.

Clint Bowyer: Has finished seventh or better in four of his last six starts, including a win in the 2012 September race. This weekend, Bowyer will return in the same car (chassis No. 805) that he tested at Richmond and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Tony Stewart: Has finished 15th or worse in his last three starts. Stewart, who is coming off his first top 10 of the season, will look to get back on track at Richmond after participating in the Goodyear Tire test and open test at the track. He is a three-time winner and scored four straight top 10s before his last three starts.

Kasey Kahne: Has yet to finish in the top 10 in his last five starts. Kahne's lone top 10 with Hendrick Motorsports came in this event in 2012. Kahne, who won the 2005 spring race with Evernham Motorsports, will return in the same car (chassis No. 897) that he finished 23rd with at New Hampshire last September.

Martin Truex Jr.: Finished 10th in this race last year in first track start with Furniture Row Racing. Overall, Truex has posted four top 10s in 18 starts. He snapped his top-10 streak to open the 2015 season last weekend at Bristol.

Aric Almirola: Coming off second top 10 in six starts. Almirola participated in the NASCAR open test at Richmond on April 8.

Paul Menard: Only top 10 in 16 starts came in the 2013 September race, fifth place. This weekend, Menard will return in the same car (chassis No. 485) that he finished 14th with at Phoenix International Raceway.

Greg Biffle: Last of six top 10s in 25 starts came in the 2012 September race. Last year, Biffle recorded an average finish of 16.0 in the two races.

Denny Hamlin: Has finished 18th or worse in his last five starts. Hamlin, a two-time winner, will look to get back on track at Richmond after participating in the Goodyear Tire test and NASCAR open test earlier this month. His last of seven top fives came in this race in 2012.

Penske Drivers to chase Harvick at Richmond
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

LAS VEGAS -- There’s that No. 4 car again at the top of our list as the driver to beat in Saturday night’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway (7:14 p.m. ET, Fox). His edge isn’t as pronounced as it’s been in weeks past, but after showing fast laps on both long and short runs during the two practice sessions, coupled with his dominance at the similar flat Phoenix track, no one is rated higher.

Harvick had the fastest 10-consecutive lap average during the final practice session on Friday, while also laying down the third-fastest lap in the early session. Already rated as the driver to beat prior to practices, Harvick was upgraded when the team revealed he was going to use the same chassis that led 224 of the 312 laps at Phoenix.

Neither of the practice sessions are comparable to the conditions the drivers will see at night, so it is quite possible for someone who didn’t fare well Friday have the conditions come to them, or vice-versa, where a driver who was set-up perfectly Friday have the conditions move away from them.

This race might not even get in Saturday night because rain is expected right about the time the race is supposed to start. Hopefully, NASCAR doesn’t try to force a start again like last week at Bristol when drops were falling and Brad Keselowski slipped and took out teammate Joey Logano to ruin both their days.

While both Penske drivers figure to be chasing Harvick for the win, Harvick will be chasing Logano, the pole-sitter, early. Logano won this race last season, and Keselowski completed the Penske sweep in the fall.

The next tier of contending drivers all come from the Hendrick and Gibbs garages. Both Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne qualified poorly and will start from near the back of the pack, but each will be just fine during the race with a chance to mix it up with the leaders.

Carl Edwards continues his weekly upswing and had the third-fastest lap during final practice. He won at Richmond in the fall of 2013 and could be looking at his first top-five finish of the season. Gibbs teammate Denny Hamlin has two wins at Richmond, but none since 2010. Home cooking did the native Virginian good at Martinsville in March and it might do the same Saturday. He had the fifth fastest lap during final practice.