Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Race Preview

Richmond International Raceway -- 09/06/08

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Wednesday Sep 3 2008 11:57pm

One of the biggest questions heading into this weekend's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond might not be Clint, David or Kasey. It could just be Hanna, Ike or Josephine.

Actually, Tropical Storm Hanna is the Atlantic weather phenomenon with the greatest potential to wreak havoc on the weekend race schedule.

The current schedule calls for the Nationwide Series race to take place Friday evening, with the Cup race following on Saturday night. The storm is expected to move up the east coast during that time frame and the National Weather Service is forecasting a 50% chance of rain Friday, 70% Friday Night into Saturday, and 60% Saturday night.

Richmond International Raceway officials are monitoring the weather situation and posting updates on the track's website (www.RIR.com). The latest update at press time states, in part: "As of 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, this weekend’s events are scheduled to run as planned … As Tropical Storm Hanna’s path continually changes, we will continue to work closely with NASCAR, as well as state and local government officials to monitor its path and potential impact."

If it rains heavily both Friday and Saturday, one contingency plan calls for both races to run on Sunday with the Cup race first. Also, rain may affect practice and qualifying, which could play a role in race results.

Beyond the weather, the question I alluded to above is the suspense surrounding the final spot or two in the Chase. Jeff Gordon (+1200), Denny Hamlin (+550) and Clint Bowyer (+1600) all need very good runs to make the Chase, but a major mistake could see one or more of them slip out of the top 12.

Waiting in the wings are David Ragan (+3000) and Kasey Kahne (+1600), just 17 and 48 points behind Bowyer in 12th. One false move by someone currently "in" and Ragan or Kahne could supplant him in the Chase.

Richmond is a 3/4-mile D-shaped oval track that combines some of the best characteristics of a short track and a superspeedway, making it a favorite among drivers. It's the only track on the circuit that holds all of its major events at night under the lights.

NASCAR has been racing here since 1953 with a total of 104 Cup races now in the books.

The Cup series visited here in May in a race won by Clint Bowyer. Denny Hamlin led 381 laps before blowing a tire; Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+1100) then took the lead before he was punted by Kyle Busch (+450), allowing Bowyer to drive on by.

"This is hands-down my favorite place to race," said Virginia native Hamlin. "In addition to being close to home and holding some great memories for me as a fan and as a driver, it's just a great racetrack and everyone who comes to watch sees a good, close race. The way the spring race here ended after we ran so well, makes me want to come back here even more and get on the track. I know we may never have a car that dominating again, but we are going to Richmond ready to compete for a win and make this Chase."

Tony Stewart (+1100) and Dale Earnhardt Jr., two other drivers who could use strong runs heading into the Chase, are the only three-time Richmond winners among active drivers. Earnhardt last won here in the spring of '06 and Stewart in the spring of '02.

Jimmie Johnson (+600) and Jeff Gordon have each won two times. Johnson swept this track in 2007, while Gordon's last victory was this race eight years ago.

There are numerous one-time winners at RIR, including Kevin Harvick (+1200), Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth (+1800), Ryan Newman (+4000), Kurt Busch (+4000), Jeff Burton (+3000) and Bowyer.

Chevy drivers have won five straight here dating back to 2006 - Earnhardt Jr., Harvick, Johnson times two, and Bowyer. A Ford driver has only won once in the last 10 races, and that was Kurt Busch before he moved to Dodge. Toyota has not yet posted a Richmond win.

Kyle Busch leads all drivers in the average finish category with an impressive 5.6 in seven races. Busch has six top-5 finishes in seven starts, including finishing second three times. Following Busch in the average finish category are Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart.

However, over the last five races, Kevin Harvick has accumulated the most points at Richmond including bonus points. Harvick is also riding a string of five straight top-10 finishes into this weekend's race. Busch, Stewart, Hamlin and Bowyer follow Harvick in Richmond points during that period.

If qualifying does get rained out at Richmond, the Chase contenders will line up in order of points on the starting grid - which could present some interesting side-by-side racing scenarios among those competing against each other for the final Chase berths.