Posted on by Brad Norman

It’s been 16 years since the United States was under attack on Sept. 11, and the NASCAR community continues to show its outpouring of support and patriotism on the difficult anniversary.

Several drivers including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson shared their emotional remembrance of the tragic events, using the social media hashtag #NeverForget.

#911remembrance #NeverForget 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/hneg0cPVli

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) September 11, 2017

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Racing at Richmond is always a blast. You’ve got short-track tempers, racing to reach the playoffs, a treacherous pit road entrance, and that certain something about racing under the lights. Richmond’s worthy of receiving only a thumbs-up, but that’s not how things work.

Thumbs Up: Diversifying your portfolio

Believe it or not, prior to Saturday’s win at Richmond, Kyle Larson had never won at a track that wasn’t a 2-mile D-shaped oval (Michigan or Fontana).

When Larson swiped the victory in the late stages of the Federated Auto Parts 400 Saturday night, it marked his first short track win and his first night race victory.

Thumbs up to Kyle Larson for mixing it up a little bit. It won’t be long until he’s bringing home checkered flags on more types of tracks. Maybe Target can hook him up with his own version of Supermarket Sweep, which he’d probably win.

Thumbs Down: Clowns

Clowns are weird. Like, the very idea of a grown adult dressing up in eccentric, oversized clothing, colorful wigs and full face makeup is very strange.

After contact with race-dominant Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap, Denny Hamlin took total responsibility for the crash, describing himself as a clown.

RELATED: Hamlin: ‘Tonight, I was a clown’

Denny, you would have earned a thumbs-up for taking ownership for a mistake, but instead, you get a thumbs down for being a clown, which is something weird and scary. Sorry, Dennywise.

Thumbs Up: Four-wide salute to the fans

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers started the Federated Auto Parts 400 with a four-wide salute to the fans prior to the green flag.

The four-wide fan appreciation salute is a fixture in dirt racing. Maybe that’s why noted dirt racer Kyle Larson won the race.

Thumbs up for a cool racing spectacle on a Saturday night short track.

Thumbs Down: Coming up short

It must be frustrating to work all season toward one goal, only to fall short. That was the reality for Erik Jones, Clint Bowyer, and Joey Logano, who didn’t quite make the playoffs despite their expectations.

Erik Jones had a solid race go south after a bad restart at the end of the race, relegating the No. 77 car to a sixth-place finish.

RELATED: Jones misses third gear on restart

Clint Bowyer didn’t pull off the win he wanted, but at least he’ll be in teammate mode for the rest of the season.

And, as for Joey Logano, he came up one position shy of winning at Richmond, which would have put the No. 22 in the playoffs. Instead, Logano’s on the outside looking in.

At least there’s a silver lining for the rest of us, thanks to an old bet made back in May.


Thumbs down for not quite sealing the deal.

Biggest Thumbs Up of the Week: Having a lot of playoff points

Martin Truex Jr.’s night may have ended early at Richmond, but you’ve got to hand it to the No. 78 team: they’re very well-prepared for the playoffs.

That’s what winning 18 stages, four races, and the regular season championship will do.

Thumbs up for earning a lot of playoff points — 53 points, in fact — for a stellar regular season. This essentially equates to one free race during each round of the playoffs.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: Race results | Playoff field | Scenes from Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave it all he could to get to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series postseason in his final full-time season, but ultimately struggles throughout the 2017 season dug too deep a hole for the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team.

Earnhardt spent much of the night in the top 10 at Richmond Raceway and was out front for 13 laps (his most in a race all year, Laps 335-347) as part of a strategy play to stay out as long as possible and hold the lead. However, that came during the longest green flag run of the night (Laps 263-397) and ultimately, the strategy didn’t play out as hoped.

“We were having a great night, but we weren’t going to pass those top five guys so we needed that kind of strategy to try and leap frog them on pit road and we needed the yellow to come out leading,” Earnhardt explained after the race.

“We had everybody trapped down a lap and they would have ended up pitting and getting tires, and the other guys would have gotten the wave around but we would have had that track position finally. We would have come out of pit road after the stop in first or second and that might have set us up good for a run to the finish. We had a car that I think could have won the race if we had that track position.”

Despite spending much of the night in the top 10, Earnhardt settled for a 13th-place finish under interim crew chief Travis Mack. Greg Ives, the regular crew chief for the No. 88 team, was suspended for one race due to a safety violation for missing lug nuts following a post-race check last weekend at Darlington Raceway.

The 42-year-old was reflective about his season to this point and what had led the No. 88 team to be in a must-win spot in the Federated Auto Parts 400. Earnhardt sits 22nd in the point standings and has just four top 10s on the season.

“I’m disappointed,” Earnhardt said about not making the playoffs. “We had some odd luck, but when we didn’t have bad luck, we didn’t capitalize. We had a long summer. We just didn’t capitalize. We didn’t run like we should have. We ran like we should have tonight. If we would have ran like that all year, like we did the last several years, we would have made it, but we didn’t.

“It’s on us. We can’t really put it on anybody else. We just didn’t do the job. We’ll try these next 10 to keep running well. I’d love to win a race but damn, if we can just run as well as we did tonight in the next several races that would be great for all of these guys. They got another year coming up with Alex (Bowman) and they got to get buckled in and get going again.”

Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: Race results | Playoff field | Scenes from Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. – Erik Jones spent much of his night in the top five as he has in races run over the past month. Joey Logano spent a chunk of his race in the top five. Clint Bowyer had an up-and-down night at Richmond Raceway. All were trendy picks to upset the playoff picture in Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with a Federated Auto Parts 400 win.

But after Logano’s runner-up finish, Jones’ sixth-place effort and Bowyer’s 24th-place finish, all three will not be part of the 16-driver postseason that kicks off Sept. 17 at Chicagoland Speedway.

“It stings to come up one spot short and not be able to get into the playoffs,” Logano said after the race, his first top-five finish since Indianapolis. “This is the test of our character, not only as a driver but as a team and the way we handle these next 10 races. We don’t want to roll over. We want to help our teammates try to win a championship, and ultimately we want to win 10 races. That’s what the goal is at this point. It may be the end of our championship run this year, but it’s not the end of our season.”

Logano capitalized on a late restart to get to second, but couldn’t overtake race winner Kyle Larson. The Team Penske driver carried a steady confidence all weekend long knowing his team was in a must-win spot and had won here in the spring, although the win was later ruled encumbered. The driver was proud of his No. 22 team for how it handled everything in a pressure-packed position.

MORE: Playoff field is set | Hamlin on Richmond: ‘Tonight, I was a clown’

“I’m proud of our race team, proud of the way we handled the pressure this week,” Logano said. “I said before the race started that this is kind of like Homestead last year for us. It just came a little bit early, so we knew how to handle these situations, and we executed as good as we knew how to. Just wasn’t fast enough to make it happen when we needed to.”

Bowyer was coming off a disappointing last-place finish at Darlington due to mechanical issues and had two career wins at Richmond. The driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford peaked with a third-place result in Stage 1, but a pit road penalty for a crew member going over the wall too soon on Lap 104 sent him to the rear of the field in 33rd place.

He battled back into the top 10 after pit stops following Stage 2, but was involved in a pit road incident with Matt Kenseth on Lap 260 that led to some damage. Another pit road penalty on Lap 364 for an uncontrolled tire essentially took him out of playoff contention.

Jones came into Richmond on the heels of three top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender has been surging and by the end of Stage 2, he was in the top three.

The driver of the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing started fifth on the final restart of the night on Lap 403, but missed third gear and that caused him to stable back to eighth before finishing in sixth — for his 11th top 10 of the season. 

More: Jones breaks down Richmond run | By the numbers: Analyzing the field

“I was hoping we could make it three-wide and try to make something happen,” Jones said. “We were going to have to bully our way to the front and unfortunately we just didn’t get the chance. I missed third gear and messed up. I don’t know that I’ve ever missed a shift before. It’s just really disappointing. I really hate it for my guys. I just hate that we didn’t at least get a shot at it. 

“We couldn’t quite find that last little bit of speed that we needed. Had the restart we wanted, had the shot we wanted. It just didn’t work out.”

Now, the 21-year-old turns his attention to finishing out 2017 strong before heading into the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in 2018.

“There’s nothing other to race for than a win at this point,” Jones said. “Hopefully, we can go out, grab a win and just finish out the season strong.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Race results | Playoffs standings | Detailed breakdown
SHOP: Larson gear

RICHMOND, Va. – A caution on Lap 397 of a scheduled 400 in Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 turned what looked like a coronation for Martin Truex Jr. into an unexpected overtime victory for Kyle Larson, as the field of 16 drivers was set for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Truex, the regular-season champ, had a comfortable lead over Larson when Derrike Cope brushed the outside wall with three laps left in regulation. Larson won the race off pit road after the lead-lap cars pitted for tires, and the driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet pulled away from a restart on Lap 403.

One lap later, contact between the Toyotas of Truex and Denny Hamlin sent Truex’s No. 78 Camry rocketing into the Turn 1 wall, and the race ended under caution with Larson in the lead and Joey Logano, who needed a win to qualify for the postseason, rolling home in second place after making the most of a restart from the ninth position.

“I’ve got the greatest team out here and definitely the best pit crew,” Larson said. “That showed tonight. I can’t thank those guys enough. They were money all night long to gain spots. This win is a huge congrats to them. The Target Chevy was pretty good all night. The No. 78 (Truex) was definitely the best, but I thought I was second best for most of the runs.

“It came down to the last restart there, and I got a good start. I spun my tires pretty bad, and I was a little nervous, but we cleared him (Truex) into (Turn) 1, and I was pretty excited about that. I’m really pumped for the playoffs. We’ve got a great shot at the championship, I feel like, this year. So I’m looking forward to it.”

Larson’s victory ensured playoff spots for three drivers fighting for berths on points – Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray and Matt Kenseth. The night was particularly tense for Kenseth, who damaged the nose and radiator of his car beyond repair coming to pit road on Lap 255.

RELATED: Playoff field of 16 set

An ambulance stopped on the apron near the pit road entrance forced drivers to take evasive action, and Kenseth’s car plowed into the rear of Clint Bowyer’s Ford, doing irreparable damage. Kenseth fell out of the race after 257 laps and had to wait until Larson’s victory eliminated the possibility of another unique winner – a circumstance that would’ve eliminated Kenseth from the playoff.

Logano ran one spot short of the victory he needed to make the playoff, after his April win was encumbered because of a penalty for a rear suspension infraction.

“Yeah, you said it, came up a little bit short overall,” Logano said. “Yeah, it stings a little bit. Last time we were sitting here after a race, it was after a win, and this time it’s after a second, which overall if you look at our Richmond (record) for a season with the two races, you’d say, that’s pretty good, a first and a second.

“But just overall, obviously it stings to come up one spot short and not be able to get into the playoffs. It is what it is. It’s reality, and we will move on.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran consistently in the top 10 throughout his final run at Richmond in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet but fell to 13th in the melee of the final restart.

Ryan Newman came home third, followed by Kurt Busch, Hamlin and Erik Jones, who was trying to force his way into the playoff with a victory. Jones ran as high as third but lost positions on pit road on his last two stops and didn’t have the speed to make up the difference.

Elliott finished 10th and McMurray 14th. Based on those runs, both drivers would’ve secured playoff berths after Kenseth fell out, even if the race had produced a new winner.

Notes: Truex won the second stage of the race and increased his playoff point total to a series-leading 53… Larson passed ninth-place finisher Kyle Busch for second place in the final regular-season standings and earned a 10-point bonus to bring his playoff point total to 33. Busch gets an eight-playoff-point bonus for finishing third in the regular season and enters the postseason with 29 playoff points. … The No. 41 (Kurt Busch) and No. 77 (Erik Jones) were both found to have one unsecured lug nut in post-race inspection.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full playoffs standings | Race results

The field is set.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, and we know which 16 drivers will compete for the championship, along with the brand-new Monster Energy NASCAR Cup.

Three spots were up for grabs at Richmond Raceway on Saturday in the regular-season finale, with 13 drivers having locked in their spots already via wins.

MORE: Photos from Richmond weekend

Those outside the playoff picture entering Richmond were in a win-or-bust mode, and the upset victory didn’t materialize with Kyle Larson winning his fourth race of the year.

Below is the 16-driver field, with the seeding and points.

1. Martin Truex Jr.: 2,053 points
2. Kyle Larson: 2,033 points
3. Kyle Busch: 2,029 points
4. Brad Keselowski: 2,019 points
5. Jimmie Johnson: 2,017 points
6. Kevin Harvick: 2,015 points
7. Denny Hamlin: 2,013 points
8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 2,010 points
9. Ryan Blaney: 2,008 points
10. Chase Elliott: 2,006 points
11. Ryan Newman: 2,005 points
12. Kurt Busch: 2,005 points
13. Kasey Kahne: 2,005 points
14. Austin Dillon: 2,005 points
15. Matt Kenseth: 2,005 points
16. Jamie McMurray: 2,003 points

Top seed: Martin Truex Jr. In the first season under this race format, Truex Jr. enters the playoffs as the top seed. He leads all drivers with four wins — worth five playoffs points apiece — and he’s won a series-best 18 stages (worth one playoff point each) through Richmond. Additionally, Truex is the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2017 Regular Season Champion. Winning the regular-season title adds an additional 15 playoff points.

No win, but in: Three drivers advanced to the postseason without winning a race this year, and they had to sweat it out Saturday night to do so: Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray. Remember, a win is the only surefire way to qualify for the playoffs.

Posted on by Staff Report

What channel is NASCAR programming on this week? We answer that and provide all the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

All Monster Energy Series and XFINITY Series events are also live streamed online on the NBC Sports App, which can be accessed here. Events that are only available on NBC Sports App are noted below.

RELATED: Watch on the NBC Sports App |  How to find CNBC on your TV

Monday, Sept. 11
12 p.m., NASCAR 120: Richmond, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Tuesday, Sept. 12
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Scan All Special: Indianapolis, Pocono, Watkins Glen, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Wednesday, Sept. 13
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, Sept. 14
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Scan All Special: Charlotte, Pocono, Michigan, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Friday, Sept. 15
12 p.m., NASCAR Scan All Special: Indianapolis, Pocono, Watkins Glen, NBCSN
12:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Chicagoland, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
2 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Chicagoland, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO)
4 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice at Chicagoland, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)
5 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying at Chicagoland, FS1
6:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying at Chicagoland, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO)
8 p.m., NCWTS Setup: Chicagoland, FS1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series House.com 225, FS1

Saturday, Sept. 16
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying at Chicagoland (re-air), FS1
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chicagoland 225 (re-air), FS1
11:30 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Chicagoland, CNBC (Canada: TSN GO)
12:30 p.m, NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying at Chicagoland, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO)
1:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
2 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice at Chicagoland, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 5)
3 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green: Chicagoland, NBCSN
3:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series House.com 300, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 5)
6 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Post Race, NBCSN
9:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying at Chicagoland (re-air), NBCSN

Sunday, Sept. 17
11:30 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Chicagoland, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR America Sunday, NBCSN
2:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green: Chicagoland, NBCSN
3 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tales of the Turtles 400, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 4)
6 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Post Race, NBCSN
10:30 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lane: Chicagoland, FS1

 


Posted on by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: See the races at Chicagoland

Chicagoland Speedway hosts a tripleheader of NASCAR action as all three national series descend upon the 1.5-mile oval. Both the XFINITY Series and the Camping World Truck Series will set their playoff fields in Chicago while the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series kicks off its Round of 16.

Monster Energy Series and XFINITY Series events are also live streamed online on the NBC Sports App, which can be accessed here. Check out the full on-track weekend schedule below.

Note: All times are ET

SUNDAY, September 17

2:20 p.m.: Driver Introductions
2:50 p.m.: Intro Presentation of Colors: Associated Firefighters of Illinois Honor Guard
2:50:20 p.m.: Invocation by Glenn Spoolstra, Raceway Ministries
2:51 p.m.: National Anthem: Jim Cornelison, who regularly sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “O Canada” before Chicago Blackhawks home games.
2:57:30 p.m: “Drivers, Start Your Engines” by Greg Cipes, Voice of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Michelangelo
3:06 p.m.: Green flag for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tales of the Turtles 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles), NBCSN (Results) (Canada: TSN 4)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
approx. 6 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

***

THURSDAY, September 14

ON TRACK
3:30-4:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series practice (Results)
6:30-7:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series final practice (Results)

FRIDAY, September 15

ON TRACK
12:30-1:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, NBCSN (Results) (Canada: TSN 2)
2-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBCSN (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
4-4:50 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, NBC Sports App (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
5:05 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FS1 (Results)
6:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series TheHouse.com 225 (150 laps, 225 miles), FS1 (Results)

GARAGECAM (Watch live)
12 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
1:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
11:30 a.m.: Jennifer Jo Cobb, Matt DiBenedetto, Jeffrey Earnhardt, John Hunter Nemechek, Matt Tifft and Darrell Wallace Jr.
12 p.m.: Michael Annett, Dakoda Armstrong and Brendan Gaughan
6 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
7:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying
11 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race

SATURDAY, September 16

ON TRACK
11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, CNBC (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
12:35 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
2-2:50 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN (Results) (Canada: TSN 5)
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series TheHouse.com 300 (200 laps, 300 miles), NBCSN (Results) (Canada: TSN 5)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
6 p.m.: Post-NASCAR XFINITY Series race

Posted on by Staff Report

Stage 2 results

Martin Truex Jr. racked up his 18th stage win of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season on Saturday night at Richmond Raceway. That added another playoff point for the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota, who now has 53 playoff points heading into next weekend’s postseason opener at Chicagoland.

Matt Kenseth, the pole-sitter for Saturday’s regular-season finale, finished second, followed by Truex’s teammate Erik Jones in the No. 77 Toyota. Kenseth entered Saturday night with a playoff cushion, but a new winner like Jones would be among the scenarios that could put Kenseth’s spot in jeopardy.

Other drivers searching for a last-minute win to make the playoffs moved up in Stage 2, including Joey Logano, who finished fourth, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in seventh.

Truex led the final 46 laps in Stage 2 after overtaking Kyle Busch, the Stage 1 winner, on Lap 154.

Finish Driver Team Race points
1. Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing 10
2. Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing 9
3. Erik Jones Furniture Row Racing 8
4. Joey Logano Team Penske 7
5. Brad Keselowski Team Penske 6
6. Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing 5
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports 4
8. Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing 3
9. Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing 2
10. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 1

Stage 1 results

Kyle Busch held off Kyle Larson to win Stage 1 in the Federated Auto Parts 400 on Saturday night at Richmond Raceway.

For Busch, it was his 11th stage victory of the 2017 season and added one playoff point for a total of 21 playoff points entering the postseason opener next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

Busch scooted past Brad Keselowski on a restart just before the end of Stage 1. Keselowski was one of three cars that stayed off pit road when a caution came out for smoke on Lap 86.

The smoke came from Matt Kenseth’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota as the pole-sitter who led the first 89 laps couldn’t get the stage win.

Finish Driver Team Race points
1. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 10
2. Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing 9
3. Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 8
4. Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing 7
5. Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing 6
6. Joey Logano Team Penske 5
7. Erik Jones Furniture Row Racing 4
8. Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 3
9. Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 2
10. Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing 1
Posted on by RJ Kraft

PLAY NOW: Set your Fantasy Live lineup
RELATED: Full starting lineup | See every car | DraftKings advice

RICHMOND, Va. — The Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin will line up on the front row and both have strong numbers at the 0.75-mile track that make them solid NASCAR Fantasy Live plays for Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Here’s a quick look at three other drivers to watch for your Fantasy Live consideration.

Brad Keselowski ($26.00): Keselowski will line up 15th on the starting grid. However, the Team Penske driver had the second- and third-best 10-lap averages in the two Friday practices. So the long run speed looks to be there. He has one win at Richmond — in this race in 2014 — and has five top-eight finishes in his last seven starts here.

Erik Jones ($23.50): Jones has been one of the best drivers over the past month — regardless of track type — with an average finish of 5.6 over the past five races. The rookie and his team have had speed for much of the year and need a win to make the playoffs. Despite a last-place finish in the spring Richmond race, Jones offers lots of upside starting 10th.

Kurt Busch ($20.00): Busch has two career wins at Richmond and five top-10 finishes here in his last six starts. Just as important, the No. 41 Ford is rounding into form in time for the playoffs with three top-six finishes in his last four races. He’s starting third, which makes it a bit risky, but the payoff could be pretty big.