Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find NBCSN | Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App

Monday, Sept. 23
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., Wood Brothers, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App

Tuesday, Sept. 24
5 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
6 p.m., Glory Road, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m., Glory Road, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)
9 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)

Wednesday, Sept. 25
3 p.m., IMSA Racing “Lamborghini Super Trofeo: Laguna Seca,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App
4 p.m., IMSA Racing “Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge: Laguna Seca,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Motormouths, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Racing: “K&N Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On MRN
noon, NASCAR Coast to Coast

Thursday, Sept. 26
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Motorsports Hour, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Racing: Whelen Series Musket 250, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Friday, Sept. 27
2 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (airing on tape delay) (Canada: TSN App, also on tape delay)
3 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
4 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
4:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN2)
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m., Racing Roots: “Ricky Stenhouse Jr.,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)
7 p.m., Wood Brothers, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)

On PRN
4:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying

Saturday, Sept. 28
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (joined in progress) (Canada: TSN App)
1 p.m., NASCAR Grassroots Racing Tour, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
2 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN2)
3 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN2)
6 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Post Race, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On PRN
3 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 200

Sunday, Sept. 29
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1994 Coke 600, FS1/FOX Sports App (re-air)
noon, NASCAR RaceDay: Charlotte, FS1/FOX Sports App
1:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green, NBC/NBC Sports App
2 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America Roval 400, NBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN1)
6 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Post Race, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On PRN
1:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America Roval 400

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Busch led a Joe Gibbs Racing sweep of the top four spots in Stage 2 of the Federated Auto Parts 400 on Saturday night at Richmond Raceway. Busch took the lead on pit road between Stages 1 and 2 and did not relinquish it, despite a late challenge from teammate Martin Truex Jr., to capture his 11th stage win of the season.

Truex, who won Stage 1, came in second with teammates Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones in third and fourth, respectively. Pole winner Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Ryan Newman, who entered the night six points below the Round of 12 cutline, came in sixth. Non-playoff driver Jimmie Johnson edged playoff driver Kyle Larson at the start-finish line to finish in 10th and pick up a stage point.

Contact between the No. 3 of Austin Dillon, No. 24 of William Byron and No. 88 of Alex Bowman brought out the stage’s only caution on Lap 111. Bowman expressed frustration with Dillon over his team radio. Bowman was three laps down from the leaders at the end of the stage, while Byron was two laps down.

Place Driver Team Pts
1 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 10
2 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 9
3 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 8
4 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing 7
5 Brad Keselowski Team Penske 6
6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing 5
7 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 4
8 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 3
9 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 2
10 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 1

STAGE 1

Martin Truex Jr. won Stage 1 in the Federated Auto Parts 400 on Saturday at Richmond Raceway. Truex, in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, beat teammate Kyle Busch to the start-finish line for his fifth stage win of the 2019 season. Busch was second in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 5.616 seconds behind.

Pole winner Brad Keselowski was third in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford. Truex passed Keselowski on Lap 54 after Keselowski had led the first 53 circuits around the .75-mile track. Denny Hamlin, in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, and Kevin Harvick, in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, rounded out the top five.

RELATED: Stage 1 results

Non-playoff drivers among the top 10 included Matt DiBenedetto in seventh and Jimmie Johnson in 10th.

Playoff drivers Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Alex Bowman and Joey Logano all finished Stage 1 one lap down to the leaders.

Place Driver Team Pts
1 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 10
2 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 9
3 Brad Keselowski Team Penske 8
4 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 7
5 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 6
6 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 5
7 Matt DiBenedetto Leavine Family Racing 4
8 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 3
9 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing 2
10 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 1
Posted on by RJ Kraft

Brad Keselowski is on the pole for Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Is the Team Penske driver worthy of a lineup spot with how good the bulk of the Joe Gibbs Racing cars have looked this weekend? And how should you navigate the playoff game format? We’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration.

PLAY NOW: Set your lineup | How the game works | Tips to set your lineup

RJ Kraft’s Fantasy Live lineup for race day at Richmond:
Playoff driver 1: Denny Hamlin
Playoff driver 2: Kevin Harvick
Non-playoff driver 1: Jimmie Johnson
Non-playoff driver 2: Matt DiBenedetto
Garage: Kyle Busch

RELATED: Odds for Richmond | Lap averages | Weekend preview

Analysis: Hamlin was the best car in final practice topping the 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, 25- and 30-lap board. Factor in a strong Richmond and short-track history — he’s the only driver to score top fives in all four short-track races this year — and he’s in. Harvick’s lap averages showed a significant lack of fall off over the long run and he has eight top-five finishes in his last 10 starts here.

For the non-playoff plays, I am not particularly jazzed by Johnson’s lap averages, but I love the recent Richmond history. He has no finish outside the top 12 in his last 10 starts at the 0.75-mile track. I’ll play those odds especially when he has the best starting spot among the non-playoff field. My second spot in this group goes to DiBenedetto, who I planned to avoid coming into the weekend. The long-run lap averages and lack of fall off over that is the main reason for the play. The other reasons are I wasn’t thrilled by Austin Dillon’s lap averages and I seem to get burned every time I play Daniel Suarez.

In the garage, this choice came down to Busch, Truex and Keselowski. Their lap averages are pretty much in the same ballpark and the recent Richmond stats favor the two Gibbs drivers a bit more. I think something is a little off with the 18 camp, but the Richmond record and 2019 short-track stats — like Hamlin and Bowyer, he has top-10 finishes in every short track race this year; Busch has three top-five finishes. That gives him a slight nod over the most recent race winner at Richmond (Truex) and the pole winner for tonight’s race (Keselowski).

For the bonus picks, I will take Harvick to win Stage 1 with Hamlin the rest of the way. I’ll double down on the manufacturer since Toyota has won three in a row at Richmond and six of the last eight as well.

Each week in this space, we’ll also highlight two Props Challenge items for players.

MORE: Need Props help? The Action Network has you covered | Play the Props Challenge today

1. O/U 1.5 drivers lead at least 100 laps. In three of the last four races at Richmond — all under the lights — only one driver has led more than 100 laps. Usually, the next highest total for a leader is in the low 90s. The one time there were two to lead over 100 it was in the spring and the second driver barely went over 100 with 101 laps led. I’m taking the UNDER here.

2. Which playoff driver below the cutoff line will finish higher: Erik Jones or Kurt Busch. The short-run lap averages favor Jones, while the long-run averages favor Busch. The recent Richmond numbers also favor the 2004 champion so I am going with BUSCH on this prop.

Posted on by Nick Giffen

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

There are only 36 points-paying races on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule. With such limited opportunities to bet, it can be hard to refrain from playing multiple drivers every weekend.

However, we should only make bets when we project a positive expected value.

Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 is one of those weekends where it’s hard to find winning value. I’m not projecting a lot of value in the market, for two reasons.

First, favorites typically win at Richmond, which means we need to limit our exposure to longer shots. If we choose a driver with long odds, he needs to be a driver who has shown plenty of upside on a team with winning capabilities.

The list of winners since 2013 — while NASCAR has used the Gen-6 car — is a who’s who of NASCAR stars:

• 2013: Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards
• 2014: Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski
• 2015: Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth
• 2016: Edwards, Denny Hamlin
• 2017: Logano, Kyle Larson
• 2018: Kyle Busch, Ky. Busch
• 2019: Martin Truex Jr.

Only twice has a driver representing a team other than Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing or Team Penske taken the checkered flag. Those instances were Kevin Harvick in 2013 during his final year at Richard Childress Racing and Kyle Larson for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2017.

RELATED: Analyzing matchup bets

Second, it’s hard to bet this weekend’s race favorites since they are priced quite well across the market. That makes it hard to find enough value to feel confident a bet within this group will return long-term value.

Don’t shut things down completely however. There is still potential for things to change. If a driver’s car fails post-qualifying inspection, he will be sent to the rear of the field for the start of the race. Very often, the market will overreact to this news, and more value can be found. Additionally, there is definitely head-to-head value for Saturday night’s race.

As of right now, because the favorites are priced quite accurately, I have only one longer play. But stay tuned for updates to this article as inspection results come in.

MORE: See odds to win

Kyle Larson +2750 to Win

Larson is on a 73-race winless streak since his most recent win in the Cup Series in 2017. That win, as mentioned earlier, came in the second Richmond race in which Larson led 53 laps en route to his fifth-career win.

That win isn’t his only strong performance at Richmond. He also has a second-place finish in the 2016 fall edition of the race, and four top-seven finishes in his last six Richmond starts. Going back 10 races, Larson has finished inside the top 12 seven times. Overall, since his last Cup Series win, Larson has eight runner-up finishes. It’s clear he puts himself in position to win quite frequently.

Practice was also encouraging for the 27-year-old driver. He placed inside the top 12 in every consecutive lap category in final practice. More importantly, in the cooler opening practice session, Larson was either first or second over 10, 15, 20 and 25 consecutive laps.

That shows Larson had elite speed when track temperatures were cooler, and second-tier speed when track temperatures were warmer. I like looking at the early session when temperatures were a bit cooler because the race will be held at night which should more closely resemble the opening practice conditions.

Larson has the upside to win. The combination of strong track history and elite opening practice speed means he’s valuable down to +2000.

Posted on by Zack Albert

RICHMOND, Va. — The two other members of the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Big Three opened their playoff quests Friday night with finishes on the virtual podium. For defending series champ Tyler Reddick, Richmond Raceway produced a head-scratching result that left him “kind of baffled.”

Reddick eked out a 10th-place finish in Friday’s Go Bowling 250, the opening event in the seven-race postseason. Meanwhile, fellow regular-season dominator Christopher Bell pounced for his series-leading seventh win of the season, and Big Three member Cole Custer settled for third.

RELATED: Official results | Xfinity Series standings

Reddick finished outside the top 10 in both stages, and only a hard-fought rally past fellow postseason hopefuls Ryan Sieg and Brandon Jones in the closing laps salvaged a top-10 final result.

“I’m not necessarily frustrated, just confused more than anything,” said Reddick, who thought his car had a flat tire near the end of the first stage. “We kind of had to rebound through Stage 2 and we still didn’t have a better car. I just, we’re just kind of baffled as to what happened to our car. We didn’t think it was that bad, and it was in the race. We just had to fight really, really hard to get every spot we could there and we were fortunate to at least get to 10th.”

Reddick’s Richard Childress Racing No. 2 Chevrolet team may have had momentum from last weekend’s victory in the regular-season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But crew chief Randall Burnett said that an otherwise mundane fourth-place run at the .75-mile Richmond track in April didn’t hold much promise for a turnaround. As a result, Burnett & Co. opted to try different setups in an attempt to offset the dread.

“We’ve worked really hard on it, just for whatever reason, we just haven’t figured out how to get around this place just yet,” Burnett told NASCAR.com. “We were OK with the balance in practice, but it was pretty slow, so the crew chief decided he was going to change a bunch of stuff going into the race and probably didn’t help it any. I’ve got to stop doing that. We just didn’t have it tonight. This was definitely one of those places in the (playoffs), this was probably the one that had our biggest concern coming in here.”

The next concern for the Xfinity Series’ postseason field of 12 comes at the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval and road-course layout, which returns for its second edition next weekend. Reddick still holds a 38-point buffer over the cut-off line with the Roval then Dover to close out the postseason’s opening round.

“The Roval’s a fantastic place for opportunity, but even more fantastic of a place to wad your cars up,” Reddick said. “We’re in a really good spot going into that race. I think if we do a little bit better job of managing our race than we did here today, we should be able to come out of the Roval in a good enough spot to just be smart at Dover and be fine. We’re going to have speed again here soon, I’m sure.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RICHMOND, Va. — Eager to add a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship to his resume in perhaps his final season in the series, Christopher Bell made an emphatic statement in Friday night’s Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway.

Bell swept the first two stages of the series playoff opener — bringing his total of stage wins to 17 — and led a career-best 238 laps in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, winning for the seventh time this season, the third time in five starts at the .75-mile short track and the 15th time in his Xfinity Series career.

RELATED: Unofficial results

“That one was pretty special,” said Bell, who passed pole winner Austin Cindric for the lead on Lap 86 and never trailed after that. “Going 92 laps straight there (on the final green-flag run) was really difficult. We were sliding all around.

“I felt like, if I could get through traffic, I would be in good shape because my car could really move around good. I could run up (the track) and I could run down. The No. 00 (eventual third-place finisher Cole Custer) was keeping pressure on us pretty good, but this Supra was too good.”

Bell finished 1.700 seconds ahead of Cindric, who passed Custer on Lap 239 of 250 to secure the runner-up position. Bell’s car was so dominant that he opened a lead of 7.743 seconds over Cindric before Vinnie Miller hit the Turn 2 wall to bring out the second caution on Lap 51.

The only pressure Bell felt during his cruise to the checkers came from Custer, who passed Cindric for second on Lap 87 and shadowed the race winner early in the final stage, drawing within three car lengths at one point before Bell widened his advantage in traffic.

“The 00 could kind of close a little on us in the middle part of the run, but I was just trying to keep hitting my marks, keeping the rear tires underneath me and running on that yellow line (at the apron),” Bell said. “When the 00 was closing, I was getting nervous, because I was pretty much running as hard as I could without slipping the tires), and he was gaining on me a little at a time there.

“It seemed like my car could move around maybe a little bit better than his, and lapped traffic helped me get a little bit of a gap.”

Custer faded to 4.432 seconds back at the finish.

“We were just kind of loose to start the run,” Custer said. “It kind of got worse, and I was using too much break and got to tight center (in the center of the corners). We were really close there for a second, but I just didn’t have the long-run speed.”

Cindric posted his second straight runner-up finish at Richmond, after running second to Custer in the spring. He’s fourth in the standings with a comfortable margin heading to the Charlotte Roval.

“This is the only double-digit buffer I think I’ve ever had in anything in NASCAR, so I’ll take it,” Cindric said. “Obviously, a really good night for the MoneyLion Ford Mustang, keeping the Fords up front. Two runner-up finishes here at Richmond is good, but you want to win races, so I’ve got to keep working and keep figuring out how to catch that guy in the 20 (Bell). But overall, a great day.”

Justin Allgaier finished fourth after qualifying second and dropping to the rear of the field for the start because of a pre-race tire change. Chase Briscoe ran fifth, followed by Harrison Burton, Noah Gragson, Zane Smith, Michael Annett and Tyler Reddick.

With an automatic berth in the Round of 12, Bell leads the playoff standings by 18 points over Custer and Reddick. Brandon Jones (11th Friday), Ryan Sieg (12th), Justin Haley (17th) and John Hunter Nemechek (15th) fell below the cutline for the next round, with an elimination race looming in two weeks at Dover.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RICHMOND, Va. — In a battle of late qualifiers at Richmond Raceway, Brad Keselowski knocked Kevin Harvick off the pole for Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 to claim the top starting spot for the second race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The 36th of 38 drivers to make a qualifying run, Keselowski covered the .75-mile distance in 21.229 seconds (127.185 mph) to beat Harvick (126.559 mph) by .105 seconds. The Busch Pole Award was Keselowski’s third this season, his second at Richmond and the 17th of his career.

When Keselowski qualified first at Richmond in the fall of 2014, he also won the race. On Friday, he was fastest in time trials without the benefit of a mock qualifying run during practice earlier in the day.

RELATED: Full Richmond schedule | Unofficial lineup

“It was really good,” Keselowski said. “We didn’t do a qualifying run in practice, but we’ve had phenomenal short-run speed here.

“The last two or three years here, we haven’t necessarily qualified all that well here, but when the race comes, and we get the short runs, we could really make some steam, and it showed that here in qualifying.

“I hope we have the long-run speed — I think there’s going to be a lot of long runs in the race, but certainly qualifying up front, getting the first pit stall, all those things that go with it are great for our chances tomorrow. Really excited to get our third pole of the year. Last year we didn’t have a pole, and this year we’ve got three, so I’m really proud of my team, and great effort for us.”

Harvick, the 33rd driver to make a qualifying attempt, felt he left some speed on the table.

“I knew when I came in, I’m like ‘Ooh, man, I didn’t get anywhere close to getting everything out of that lap,’ especially in (Turns) 1 and 2 — or 3 and 4,” said Harvick who, like Keselowski, did not make a qualifying run in practice. “I just kind of cruised along the bottom and just didn’t push the car hard enough.”

Chase Elliott (126.194 mph) qualified third, followed by Kyle Busch (126.103 mph) and Clint Bowyer (126.068 mph), as playoff drivers grabbed the top nine starting spots. Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch will start sixth through ninth, respectively, with non-playoff driver Jimmie Johnson securing the 10th position.

Other playoff drivers will start as follows: Kyle Larson 13th, Ryan Blaney 15th, Erik Jones 16th, Ryan Newman 19th, Alex Bowman 20th, William Byron 25th and Joey Logano 28th.

Posted on by Zack Albert

RICHMOND, Va. — Daniel Hemric says he’s confident he did everything in his power to keep his seat with Richard Childress Racing’s No. 8 Chevrolet in 2020, saying that the decision came as a mild surprise.

Hemric reflected on the announcement of his impending departure from the RCR camp after Friday’s practices at Richmond Raceway, host of Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM). The .75-mile track was also the site of Hemric’s Monster Energy Series debut with RCR in April 2018.

“I feel like every night I’ve laid my head down, I knew I did everything I could do. I’ve always said that,” Hemric said. “If you do that, that’s all you can do in life, no matter what it is — driving a race car, being a father, a husband, a parent, whatever it is. If you lay your head down, you know you gave it everything you had, then that’s what allows me to sleep at night.”

Hemric spent two full seasons in each the Xfinity and Gander Trucks series before moving to NASCAR’s top division for a Sunoco Rookie of the Year campaign this year. The 28-year-old driver ranks 25th in the Monster Energy Series standings with a best finish of fifth — his lone top five — at Talladega Superspeedway in April.

RELATED: Full schedule for Richmond

News of RCR’s decision to release Hemric at season’s end trickled out Wednesday, just 10 days shy of a year since an emotional press conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway when Hemric was introduced as Ryan Newman’s successor. Friday at Richmond, Hemric spoke about his future in terms of landing with another organization, including those in NASCAR’s other national series.

“Listen, I’ve been down and out many times,” Hemric said. “Everybody knows my situation, where I’ve come from, the things I’ve had to overcome to get to here, and it’s no different. Back’s been against the wall and hey, somehow you made it to the top level of the sport. So I don’t care where I end up at. I’m not done.”

Hemric joined RCR on the Xfinity Series side, driving its No. 21 Chevrolet for two seasons from 2017-18. He qualified for the Championship 4 round both years, winning five pole positions.

Hemric’s rookie season has been a rocky one, marked by inconsistent results that fueled speculation surrounding his job status for 2020. That instability coincided with the rise of Tyler Reddick, who has won five Xfinity Series races in his first year for RCR, one season removed from claiming the series title for JR Motorsports.

Though team owner Richard Childress has publicly been bullish about Reddick’s premier-series future, the defending series champ has kept mum when asked about a potential link to the No. 8 Chevy. “I got nothing on that for you,” he reiterated Thursday at an Xfinity Series Playoffs kick-off event, saying he was trying to block out distractions as he chases a second title.

For Hemric, he said was “blown away” by the outpouring of support as he tries to determine the next step in his stock-car racing career.

“It’s very humbling to have not only people inside the industry but your peers as far as guys you race with on the race track to have some of the stars of the sport reach out with their gratitude and their praise for what they feel like you’re doing on and off the race track,” Hemric said. “Those are the guys who really see you in the heat of the moment. To have everyone on that side support me like they have, that’s led to a lot of phone calls and a lot of conversations with a lot of race teams over the last week. Because of that I’m thankful.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Series points leader Martin Truex Jr. topped the leaderboard in Friday’s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Richmond Raceway at 121.885 mph in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Truex won the spring race earlier this season at Richmond and is already locked into the Round of 12 thanks to his Las Vegas win last weekend.

Fellow playoff driver Chase Elliott was right behind him in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at 119.861 mph, good for second place.

RELATED: Richmond lap averages | Final practice results

Rounding out the top five were Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Daniel Hemric in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (119.268 mph), Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (119.211 mph) and Austin Dillon in the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (118.995 mph).

Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford was the highest finishing Ford in sixth with a fast lap of 118.964 mph.

Playoff driver William Byron got into the wall during final practice in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet but the team was able to make minor repairs and send Byron back on track. He finished practice in 27th.

The Monster Energy Series qualifying session is at 6:05 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App.

FIRST PRACTICE

Chris Buescher topped the leaderboard in Friday’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Richmond Raceway at 121.147 mph in the No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet.

Right behind him was playoff driver Joey Logano in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford at 120.962 mph.

RELATED: Lap averages from Richmond | First practice results

Rounding out the top five were playoff drivers William Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (120.827 mph), defending race winner Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (120.687 mph) and Kyle Larson in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet (120.487 mph).

Series points leader Martin Truex Jr., who won the playoff opener last weekend at Las Vegas and punched his ticket to the Round of 12, was 13th fastest with a speed of 119.723 mph in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

The No. 00 of Landon Cassill was held for 15 minutes at the end of first practice as a penalty for being late out of the garage for inspection at Las Vegas.