Richmond Federated Auto Parts 400 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Deadline Analysis

Denny Hamlin

What to expect / Areas of concern:

After qualifying Hamlin said that sometimes he practices good and races poorly at Richmond and other times he practices poorly and wins. Today he said his practice was mediocre. That’s good enough for me because he’s the hottest driver in NASCAR and his track record is impeccable. I’m keeping Hamlin as my favorite to win the Richmond Federated Auto Parts 400.

Starting Position:

7th

Average Practice Speed Rankings

2nd (Average Speed Chart)

Chassis Selection:

Joe Gibbs Racing doesn’t report chassis selections but I watch practice like a hawk with a note book in hand. In my Practice #1 Notes post I reported that Hamlin will be driving a brand new chassis this week.

Pit Stall Location:

Denny Hamlin will have pit stall #14. Travis Kvapil is pitting behind him and start and parker Reed Sorenson is pitting in front of him. This is a good pit stall selection for the #11 team.

What I said about him earlier this week:

Richmond is Denny Hamlin’s home track and he’s always been impressive here. Since his first start when he finished 2nd with an injured arm to this spring when he finished 4th there’s no question he’s a “Top Tier Elite” driver. Heading into the Federated Auto Parts 400 with back to back wins I think he’s the favorite. In thirteen RIR races Hamlin has 2 wins, 7 top fives and 9 top tens. His stats line only shows two wins but there’s been some races in the past that he had the best car but but didn’t win. One example was in 2008. In that race he won the pole, led 381 laps but had a flat tire in the closing laps. In the last five Richmond races Hamlin has a 5.4 average finish and the third best driver rating (111.0).

This week you can get  a 1 race pass for $1 with the discount code “RIR1”. If you would like to purchase a 30 day pass you can get 25% off  with the discount code “RIR25”. To read the full content JOIN NOW

[hr]

Clint Bowyer

What to expect / Areas of concern:

In practice Clint Bowyer said that he doesn’t know what type of car he has under him. He may still be guessing about it but I think it’s pretty good. He’s starting in 4th and had the best average speed. During the telecast it was mentioned he was running quick lap times on old tires.

Starting Position:

4th

Average Practice Speed Rankings

2nd (Average Speed Chart)

Chassis Selection:

Clint Bowyer will be using the chassis he finished 3rd with at New Hampshire.

Pit Stall Location:

Clint Bowyer will be pitting in pit stall #5. David Ragan will pit behind him (won’t be an issue) and David Reutimann will pit in front of him (could only be a problem if there’s an early caution).

What I said about him earlier this week:

In 2008 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch collided Clint Bowyer took advantage of the situation and won at Richmond. One important thing of note though is that other than his win he has no other top five finishes. Bowyer’s greatest strength at Richmond is his consistency. In four out of the last six races he’s finished either 6th or 7th. I like safe picks and Bowyer is one of them. New Hampshire is a similar track and in July he finished 3rd.

[hr]

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

What to expect / Areas of concern:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be starting on the pole for the first time since the 2011 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t happy with his car at first in practice but the team quickly reverted back to the setup they used in April (finished 2nd).

Starting Position:

1st

Average Practice Speed Rankings

4th (Average Speed Chart)

Chassis Selection:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be piloting the chassis he raced earlier this year and finished 2nd with (Richmond).

Pit Stall Location:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have pit box #1. Interestingly enough Greg Biffle choose pit stall #2. He’s chosen that pit box a couple times this season.

What I said about him earlier this week:

Richmond has been a very good track for Dale Earnhardt Jr. He’s won here three times and has nine top five finishes. From a career perspective whenever he’s had a good season he’s always a contender at Richmond. In April Dale Earnhardt Jr. had one of the stronger cars. I wouldn’t put him in the Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards or Jimmie Johnson class but he was in the tier right below them. He finished 2nd, had an 8th place average running position, and recorded the 6th best driver rating. Prior to his 2nd place finish in April his next most recent top fifteen finish was in 2008 (finished 4th).