Written by Gabriel Tsui, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
After a two-week Olympic Games break, NASCAR is back, it’s the final countdown with four more regular season races before the 10-race long playoffs commences. This week, we head back to Richmond, Virginia for the 23rd race of the season.
Last time around, Denny Hamlin had the last laugh after a messy overtime. Will he be able to make it a sweep? Or will anyone step up and take their car to victory lane?
Track Preview
The Richmond Raceway is located right outside of Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. Opened in 1946, the track is one of the oldest race tracks on the NASCAR calendar. The track has been hosting two races since 1959, but the pandemic put a stop to one of the races in 2020. However, the early season race returned for 2021, and has been on the calendar ever since.
The D-Shaped oval has a distance of 0.750 miles (1.207 kilometres), with 14 degrees of banking on the turns, and eight degrees banking on the frontstretch. The drivers will drive a total of 400 laps around the track, with 80 laps in the first stage, 155 laps in the second stage, and 165 laps for the final stage, totalling a distance of 300 miles.
The weather forecast indicates no rain for the weekend, but temperature will fluctuate from 30 degrees Celsius down to the low 20s, making tyre temperature a factor to be considered. The race will commence on August 11th, at 18:00 ET (15:00 PT, 00:00 CET).
Race Predictions
Last time around, the Toyotas had a great time around Richmond, securing four top-ten finishes, including a dominant run by Martin Truex Jr, leading 228 laps during the race.
However, he conceded the lead to Denny Hamlin after the overtime pit cycle, and ultimately the race win. The Toyotas have a great advantage on intermediate tracks, evidenced by their wins back in New Hampshire, Dover, and more.
However, right before the break, they hit a cold streak, going four in a row without a win. The Fords had a great few months after the all-star break, and have won the 2022 and 2023 race, with multiple top-ten finishes for them across both years.
They have a few drivers such as Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher and Todd Gilliland hanging right below the cut line, and a win would give them a VIP lane to the playoffs.
Given that Buescher secured his 2023 playoff berth here in Richmond, it’s hard not to imagine him repeating said feat. Therefore, the prediction would be one of the non-playoff Ford drivers taking the win, and the golden ticket to the playoffs.
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