Biggest NASCAR Storylines to Watch Ahead of Sprint Cup Series at Richmond
NASCAR ends its jaunt through the short tracks in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Speedway.
With the brief break from the tight turns of Martinsville, the circuit passed through Texas. Then it was Bristol’s coliseum and now it’s on to Richmond for one last soiree through the blender.
One of the bigger takeaways from the short tracks is how the Joe Gibbs cars have done. Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske have already qualified two drivers for the Chase, ahead of Stewart-Haas Racing and Hendrick Motorsports.
Matt Kenseth, the Bristol winner, and Denny Hamlin, the victor at Martinsville, won on short tracks. Will a third JGR driver win on the last short track of the spring?
We'll focus on that storyline and more as we head to Virginia.
Steve Byrnes, 1959-2015
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For those who have followed NASCAR for any number of years, the name Steve Byrnes carries a lot of weight. He was a Fox Sports broadcaster and garage reporter for 14 years and spent 30 years in the broadcasting business.
Byrnes died from cancer on Tuesday, just two days after the race at Bristol honored Byrnes and his battle with this disease. He was 56.
NASCAR president Brian France said in a statement (h/t FoxSports.com):
""His level of professionalism was matched only by the warmth he showed everyone he met. He battled cancer with tenacity, and was a true inspiration to everyone in the NASCAR family. Simply stated, we'll miss Steve dearly. Our thoughts are especially with his wife Karen and son Bryson during this difficult time.
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NASCAR drivers poured out their affection during this past Sunday’s broadcast, but also took to Twitter to give their heartfelt regards and paid tribute to a man who died far too young.
Will Joe Gibbs Racing Sweep the Spring Short Tracks?
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It hasn’t been a magical start for Carl Edwards this season. The new guy on the team always wants to make a splash and Edwards has yet to jump in the pool, as it were.
It’s not for a lack of effort. Edwards has had fast cars, but has gotten himself into wrecks late in these races that have taken him out of contention. Edwards has led 105 laps in 2015 and has an average start within the top 10 (9.6). His average finish remains the problem: 19.2.
"I believe my expectations were a little above reality, and I think that was actually hurting me," Edwards said in Bob Pockrass’ ESPN.com story.
Matt Kenseth came over to JGR in 2013 and won seven races. Edwards hasn’t made that kind of an impact yet. For all of those wins in 2013, Kenseth didn’t win the Sprint Cup. Jimmie Johnson held up the Cup that year.
Edwards said in the ESPN.com story:
"But if you look at some of the runs we've had, they've been very good. No one at JGR is satisfied with how the whole group is running. That's kind of neat to be a part of something when you have cars that are basically fifth-place cars, nobody is happy with that. You want to be dominant. We will be better.
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Edwards has one win at Richmond and he could make it three-for-three for JGR at the short tracks this spring.
Chase Elliott Returns
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Look who made the entry list again for a Virginia short track: Chase Elliott.
NASCAR’s newest star made his Cup debut in the bullring at Martinsville. Hendrick Motorsports figured it may as well throw Elliott to the velociraptors.
Matt Crossman of Rolling Stone wrote back in March about Elliott:
"He was in the eye of the storm, yet he remained perfectly calm. The biggest race of his life was three hours away, and Elliott exuded all the angst of a Sunday afternoon walk in the park. The closest thing he said or did to suggest he was in any way nervous was to confess that he woke up before his alarm went off, but considering it was set for 8 or 8:30, well, that ain't exactly freaking out. The pressure he felt over his debut had ended when he successfully qualified for the race on Friday.
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The odds are that Elliott won’t exactly be freaking out at Richmond either. He finished 38th in his debut at Martinsville and Richmond should allow him to stretch his legs—stretch being a relative term at Richmond.
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Danica Patrick Continues to Impress
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Don’t call it a contract year.
Danica Patrick earned another top 10 with her finish this past weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The top 10, her sixth, became the most ever by a woman on the NASCAR circuit. On top of that, she ranks second on her team in points—ahead of Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart—but behind the near-invincible Kevin Harvick. Everyone’s behind Harvick.
Patrick also stands ahead of Chase stalwarts Edwards, Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer.
Patrick said in Holly Cain’s NASCAR.com story:
"It's always nice to start well because it seems like you spend the whole year catching up if you don't. And it seems like if you have a good start, it's so much easier to keep it there.
I try not to get too wrapped up in it, but it would be nice to have a bunch of top 20s and top 15s to start the year off just to have a solid foundation and try not to have any DNFs. It affects you a little bit emotionally with where you are in the garage area as a constant reminder of where you're standing in points.
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Patrick has fared well at the short tracks and she holds her own in restrictor plate races too. Her cars don’t have the kind of speed to hang with the great 1.5-mile titans like Johnson, Harvick and Keselowski, but if she keeps this up, she could point her way into the Chase, and maybe sneak up and win one of these things.
Denny Hamlin's Pain in the Neck
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Denny Hamlin exited Bristol’s Food City 500 after the lengthy rain delay due to a neck injury. It opened the door for 18-year-old Erik Jones.
As an aside, isn’t it amusing how JGR is completely copying Hendrick Motorsports? HMS has four cars. Now JGR has four cars. HMS brings in 19-year-old wunderkind Elliott to drive. JGR brings in 18-year-old Jones.
Anyway, Jones got the “start” on Lap 13 of the Bristol race since Hamlin bowed out with said neck injury. Driving those tight Bristol turns would have done nothing for cervical vertebrae.
"After treatment this week, I feel close to 100 percent, and I'm confident that I'll be good to go this weekend in Richmond,” Hamlin said in Jared Turner’s FoxSports.com’s story. “It's a great track for our team, and one that means a lot to me personally. Hopefully, we can go out there and compete for the win on Saturday night."
With the new win-and-you’re-most-likely-in format of the Chase, it meant little to have Hamlin out there on the track. He can basically sit back and make sure that FedEx gets great camera time while knowing he’s in the Chase.
With the success JGR has had at the short tracks so far, Hamlin must be one of the favorites. Richmond will be of particular importance late in the year since it’s the last race before the Chase. Any and all notes JGR can get to help get Edwards and the indefinitely absent Kyle Busch into the Chase will be of use.
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