Jimmie’s Johnson’s done it again; the future Hall-of-Famer won back-to-back races this past Sunday at Bristol, marking the second time in as many seasons that he accomplished such a feat.
With Johnson’s victory and the announcement of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s retirement from the sport at the end of this season, this sure has been one heck of a week for NASCAR. What other thrills and surprises should we expect this weekend in Virginia for the Toyota Owners 400? Can Jimmie J pull off the rare three-peat, or are there other drivers more primed for a victory at Richmond International Raceway? Let’s find out below.
An unfortunate accident in Bristol hampered Kyle Busch’s momentum, but there’s no better track for him to recover from last week’s race than Richmond International Raceway. The two-time Cup Series champion has the most wins (four) and the best average finish (6.9) on this week’s course amongst all active drivers, and his 15 top-five finishes in 23 lifetime starts is no laughing matter either.
Let’s not forget that Busch nearly won at two of the season’s shorter tracks at Phoenix (third) and Martinsville (second), so it’s highly possible that he’ll make quick work of the field this Sunday for his first win of the year.
Joey Logano
With top-six finishes in seven of races this season, Joey Logano would want nothing more than to prove that his outstanding consistency will eventually nab his first win of 2017.
Logano’s no pushover at all in Virginia, which makes him the most well-rounded driver this week in terms of track history and current momentum. The 26-year-old standout finished inside the top 10 in all six of his previous starts on Richmond, including winning the 2014 edition of the spring race.
Sleepers
Kevin Harvick
We’re still waiting for Kevin Harvick to be back to his dominating self this season, and perhaps he’ll turn his campaign around beginning this Sunday.
Harvick secured top-five fnishes in both races at Richmond last year, and his dazzling average finish of 6.75 over his last eight starts on the course is even slightly better than that of Busch’s. Throw in a total of three wins and 20 top-10 finishes across 32 lifetime starts on the track, and we have ourselves a surefire contender for the checkered flag this weekend in good ol’ No. 4.
Clint Bowyer
Still flying under our radars is Clint Bowyer, who was the runner-up at Bristol last week. That now gives the veteran his fourth top 10 of the year, and he’s also finished no worse that 13th in seven of eight races this season.
Bowyer will look to snap his five-year winless drought this Sunday and he actually has a solid chance at doing so. He’s won two races at Richmond already, and save for his stint last season with HScott Motorsports, he’s gotten six top-10 finishes in his last eight starts prior to the two races on the track in 2016. Now that Bowyer’s a member of Stewart-Haas Racing, he’s already finding better success this season alongside teammate and fellow sleeper candidate Kevin Harvick.
Long Shot
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
A ninth-place finish at Bristol gives Ricky Stenhouse Jr. his third top-10 finish over the last five races. But as encouraging as the Mississippi native’s current form is, we strongly believe that his luck will run out again this week.
Stenhouse hasn’t secured a top-15 finish at Richmond in over three years. In fact, his 10th-place finish in 2013 — his first full year as a Cup Series pro — was his first and only top-10 finish on the course in seven-career starts.
