With two races remaining in the regular season, Richmond Raceway will play host to its only Cup race this season Saturday night.
The 16-driver playoff field essentially has three open spots with 13 winners essentially having locked into berths.
Tyler Reddick (plus-117 points on the cutline) likely will secure a spot Saturday at the 0.75-mile oval regardless of his finish.
Alex Bowman (plus-60) and Chris Buescher (34 points over Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing teammate Ryan Preece) are holding onto the final two provisional spots on points.
Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs and Brad Keselowski are among the drivers who will need a win at either Richmond or Daytona International Speedway to make the playoffs.
Denny Hamlin seeks to score his sixth Cup win at Richmond this weekend, but teammate Chase Briscoe will among the challengers.
Richmond is the fourth of six short-track races this season. Chase Briscoe is the only driver with top-10 finishes in the first three short track races.
Saturday will mark the first time in 67 years that Richmond is scheduled for only one race weekend with NASCAR’s premier series.
The short track had two annual races on the Cup schedule from 1959-2024 (one of its 2020 races was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
Details for Saturday’s Cup race at Richmond Raceway
(All times Eastern)
START: The command to start engines will be given at 7:28 p.m. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 7:35 p.m.
PRERACE: The Cup garage will open at 4:30 p.m. … The drivers meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. … Drivers introductions will be at 6:55 p.m. … The national anthem will be performed at 7:21 p.m. by Henrico Police Acoustic Blue.
DISTANCE: The race is 400 laps (300 miles) on the 0.75-mile oval in Richmond, Virginia.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 20. Stage 2 ends at Lap 230.
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 39 cars entered at Richmond Raceway.
TV/RADIO: USA Network will broadcast the race starting with Countdown to Green at 7 p.m. … Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage.
FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — Partly cloudy with a high of 88 degrees and winds from the east to northeast at 5 to 10 mph. It’s expected to be 81 degrees with a 2% chance of rain around the start of the Cup race.
LAST TIME: Austin Dillon won the Aug. 11, 2024 race in overtime, but the victory was stripped of playoff eligibility after NASCAR penalized Dillon for wrecking Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap.
Read the full article here
