NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond 2015: Schedule, Standings, Ticket Info, More
Things continue to heat up in NASCAR's Xfinity Series, which next tackles the Virginia529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway.
It's 250 laps of nail-biting action featuring plenty of Sprint Cup regulars dueling with Xfinity Series hopefuls who stare down the end-of-season barrel with a month and change remaining.
Last week in Darlington, Denny Hamlin stole the checkered flag after leading 117 laps. Perhaps more interesting was some of the Xfinity leaderboard shuffles as a result of the final order.
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Before things get even wilder in Virginia, here's a look at everything to know about the upcoming event.
Schedule for Xfinity Series at Richmond
| Thursday, September 10 | 2:30-3:55 p.m. | Practice | NBCSN |
| Thursday, September 10 | 5-5:55 p.m. | Final Practice | NBCSN |
| Friday, September 11 | 3:45 p.m. | Qualifying | NBCSN |
| Friday, September 11 | 7:30 p.m. | Virginia529 College Savings 250 | NBCSN |
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Xfinity Series Standings
| 1 | Chris Buescher | 874 |
| 2 | Ty Dillon | 845 |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | 839 |
| 4 | Regan Smith | 820 |
| 5 | Elliott Sadler | 783 |
| 6 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | 766 |
| 7 | Daniel Suarez | 759 |
| 8 | Brian Scott | 755 |
| 9 | Brendan Gaughan | 736 |
| 10 | Ryan Reed | 652 |
Full standings available at ESPN.com.
Drivers to Watch
Daniel Suarez
Daniel Suarez is turning it on just when he needs to, making a serious case for climbing the leaderboard over the next few weeks if he can keep it up.
Suarez was the top earner of points last weekend, finishing third in Darlington after leading 14 laps. The strong finish gives him a pair of top-five finishes in his last three outings, an important trend given the time of season.
Suarez spoke with NBCSports.com's Dustin Long about his successful season to date:
"This 2015 has been one of the biggest years of my racing career. Last year, I remember I was racing in Mexico some races, some races in the K&N Series and now racing full-time for one of the best organizations – the best organization – like Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series. Hopefully we can keep it up.
"
Now Suarez must turn his attention to Richmond, where another strong finish might be enough to bump him above Darrell Wallace Jr. on the leaderboard.
As one of the sport's breakout stars, all eyes will focus on him to see how he handles the pressure. If he can keep his momentum alive, the series might have a surprise contender on its hands.
Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott falls on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Last weekend was an absolute nightmare for Elliott, best summed up in points:
- Elliott had to move to the back of the field after a gear change.
- He got tangled in a wreck on Lap 7.
- He came back and got hit with two single-lap penalties for pit-road violations by his team.
- He blew a tire on the lead lap to end the night.
Wow, right? Elliott finished 24th and now sits in an unfamiliar third place on the leaderboard. While it was his first non-top-10 finish since mid-July, it came at the exact wrong time given the time of season.
There is good news, though. This time last year, Elliott hit Richmond and posted a second-place finish. If he can replicate the success, he might be able to move back into second place in the standings.
Either way, Elliott rests at a critical turning point of the season.
Kyle Busch
Leave it to Kyle Busch to start 36th and finish second.
Busch did just that last week in Darlington, going toe-to-toe with Hamlin before watching his teammate seize the checkered flag.
"I saw how fast the 20 (of Hamlin) was in the second practice, and I knew we would have our work cut out for us," Busch said, per FoxSports.com. "But having Joe Gibbs Racing come in 1-2-3 is pretty stout, and something everybody back at the shop can be proud of."
Everyone knows Busch as a prolific Xfinity driver (and much more, of course), but his list of results in 2015 speaks for itself:
| 2/21 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at Daytona | 26 | 32 |
| 6/13 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at Michigan | 1 | 11 |
| 7/10 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at Kentucky | 3 | 6 |
| 7/18 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at New Hampshire | 4 | 2 |
| 7/25 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at The Brickyard | 1 | 1 |
| 8/21 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at Bristol | 1 | 2 |
| 9/5 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at Darlington | 2 | 36 |
Busch might have his eye on the Chase, but he sure doesn't mind using the Xfinity series to warm up to a track and pulling in a few wins in the process.
The topper? Busch just so happens to be the defending champion at this race. This time last year, he led all 250 laps and seized the checkered flag. Rest assured both the Sprint Cup and Xfinity drivers will be watching closely to see if he can recapture the same shocking momentum en route to the end of the season.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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