Editor’s Note: Racing Insights’ playoff projections use a combination of current standings and historical performance at upcoming tracks to determine the probability of each driver winning or making the playoffs on points.
With the Cup Series Playoffs on the mind throughout the season, what if there was a way to project how the 16-driver field could look before each race weekend?
It now exists via Racing Insights. From now until the start of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, “The Field of 16” will give fans a weekly look at where their favorite drivers could potentially land in the postseason field — and the likelihood of having a shot at the Bill France Cup.
Here’s this week’s update on the projections heading into Richmond Raceway.
NOTABLE PROBABILITY SHIFTS POST-INDIANAPOLIS
DRIVER
BEFORE INDY
ENTERING RICHMOND
DIFFERENCE
Bubba Wallace
24.68%
44.52%
+19.84
Ross Chastain
64.55%
51.26%
-13.29
PROBABILITY CALCULATED BY RACING INSIGHTS AHEAD OF COOK OUT 400, AUGUST 11, 2024
DRIVERS SOLIDLY IN PLAYOFF PICTURE
Kyle Larson became the first Cup Series driver to four wins in 2024 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and simultaneously reclaimed the regular-season points lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott. Tyler Reddick’s runner-up result in the Brickyard 400 now finds him right in the mix for the regular-season title as he’s just 15 points behind Larson.
Denny Hamlin dropped 43 points back of Larson after being involved in a late-race incident in the second overtime that resulted in a second straight DNF at the Indy oval for the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
With just four races left, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suárez and Austin Cindric are all additionally locked into the playoffs on wins as it is only possible for 16 different winners now until the end of the regular season.
LAST 4 IN
Martin Truex Jr. sits a comfortable 108 points above the elimination line, but we’ve seen a similar trend play out for the No. 19 Toyota driver when he can’t snag a regular-season win. While four new winners to close the regular season seems nearly impossible, there’s still the outside chance the 2017 series champion is locked out of the postseason like he was just two years ago. The 44-year-old driver will be hungry for redemption at Richmond after leading over 200 laps in the spring race and failing to secure the victory.
Three drivers feeling anything but comfort in their playoff hopes are Ty Gibbs, Chris Buescher and Ross Chastain.
The trio all had woeful performances at Indianapolis, with Chastain finishing the highest of the bunch in 15th. Buescher suffered two flat tires in Stage 1 that put him multiple laps down, and Gibbs suffered engine issues that disallowed him moving toward the front of the field.
Time is running out for all three to nab playoff berths, but all are more than capable of being the 13th different winner of 2024 at Richmond.
FIRST 4 OUT
Here comes Bubba Wallace. What was a deficit of more than 50 points pre-Chicago has now dwindled to just seven points as Wallace scored consecutive top 10s at Pocono Raceway and Indianapolis.
The No. 23 23XI Racing driver was among the contenders in last summer’s race at Richmond, leading 80 laps before Chris Buescher took over in the closing stages.
Josh Berry offers a sneaky outside chance of stunning the Cup Series with a potential maiden victory. He had a fast No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford under the lights in the spring and with the addition of the option tire this weekend, Berry and crew chief Rodney Childers could get aggressive on their strategy to get out front.
WHO CAN SHAKE UP PLAYOFF PICTURE AT RICHMOND?
This is going to be Kyle Busch’s best shot of winning his way into the playoffs, which is the only way he can make it at this rate. A playoff streak and a 19-year win streak are both on the line for Busch this season, and with each passing week, it looks dimmer and dimmer that the two-time Cup champion can keep either alive. Richmond is a must-win for the No. 8 RCR team.
Throughout the 2024 NASCAR season, Ken Martin, director of historical content for the sanctioning body, will offer his suggestions on which historical races fans should watch from the NASCAR Classics library in preparation for each upcoming race weekend.
Martin has worked exclusively for NASCAR since 2008 but has been involved with the sport since 1982, overseeing various projects. He has worked in the broadcast booth for hundreds of races, assisting the broadcast team with different tasks. This includes calculating the “points as they run” for the historic 1992 finale, the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The following suggestions are Ken’s picks to watch before this Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.
When the lights turn on at Richmond Raceway, the fireworks always follow — and that was no different in 2003.
The race for the championship was quiet at the top of the standings, as Cambridge, Wisconsin’s Matt Kenseth led the rest of the drivers by 389 points, with just a handful of races remaining on the schedule.
The battle behind Kenseth was not as quiet, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick were separated by less than 30 points for the second spot in the standings. Other close battles littered the rest of the top half of the standings.
The weekend started out with a feel-good story, as the series returned to the track for the first time since Jerry Nadaeu was seriously injured in a practice crash at the track in May.
Former Truck Series champion Mike Skinner, who was making his fifth start in Nadeau’s No. 01 car, put the car on the pole position. Unfortunately, the team’s comeback story didn’t last long, as Skinner crashed during final practice for the event, forcing him to start at the back of the field.
The race featured 13 different drivers leading over the first 200 laps, with no car standing out as the dominant driver in the field.
One of those drivers, Ryan Newman, took over the lead with 124 laps remaining and set sail, including a handful of late restarts.
Third-year-driver Kevin Harvick gave Newman a run for his money with just under ten laps remaining until Richmond’s usual fireworks started going off.
Ricky Rudd got into the back of Harvick, sending him slamming into the first-turn wall. It wasn’t the first time the two drivers had a run-in, as they raced for the win at Richmond in 2001.
Newman held off Jeremy Mayfield on a late restart to capture his sixth victory of the season. His victory was overshadowed by Harvick and Rudd, who let their anger boil over on pit road.
What followed was Harvick being fined $35,000 and placed on probation for the remainder of the season. His crew chief and two other crew members were also fined, while two of his crew members were fined and suspended.
Rudd’s team only saw crew chief Pat Tryson fined $5,000 for the altercation.
Following Newman and Mayfield were Rudd, Jeff Burton, and Rusty Wallace.
The 2004 NASCAR Cup Series season was the first that would finish the season under the new playoff format, with the points of the top-10 drivers in the standings being reset for the final 10 races.
The regular season finale at Richmond couldn’t have been scripted any better, as the race for the final few playoff spots were up for grabs. Ryan Newman entered the race seventh in the standings, only 76 points up on Kevin Harvick, who sat 15th in the standings.
The eight drivers who were set to battle it out for the final three playoff spots were Newman, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Bobby Labonte, Dale Jarrett, Jeremy Mayfield, and Harvick.
As the laps wound down, it was Kurt Busch out in front of the field with Mayfield right behind him. It seemed like Mayfield was destined to run second until Busch ran out of gas with under five laps remaining, opening the door for Mayfield to jump those drivers in the standings and clinch himself a clutch appearance in the NASCAR playoffs.
“Man, I love your new points system! You couldn’t have come up with anything better than this,” Mayfield proclaimed after his clutch victory.
His teammate, Kasey Kahne, was not as lucky. He dropped from ninth in the standings after a 24th-place finish, missing the playoffs entirely.
Martin, Mayfield, and Newman were the three drivers who filled up the 10-driver playoff field, but it was McMurray and his team who were left wondering, “What could have been?”
McMurray was penalized 25 points earlier in the season by NASCAR at Bristol for an infraction. He missed the playoff field by just 15 points.
The final race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season always involved intense battles for the final playoff spots as drivers sought to win the championship.
The 2013 regular season finale proved nothing different, as chaos ensued, causing one of the most unique situations in NASCAR history.
Fast forward to the final few laps of the race, and Ryan Newman was out in front of the field with a clear hold on a playoff berth for himself, as Michael Waltrip Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. seemed to be on the outside looking in.
With just under 10 laps remaining, another Michael Waltrip Racing driver, Clint Bowyer, spun and brought out the caution, resetting the field in the process.
This led to Carl Edwards eventually grabbing the checkered flag, with Kurt Busch coming home second and Newman in third. Truex Jr. was able to capture the playoff berth, as Newman was left empty-handed.
NASCAR soon began reviewing in-car audio and video from Bowyer’s team, as well as Michael Waltrip Racing communications after another one of their cars came to the pits at one point late in the event.
What followed was a historic $300,000 fine to Michael Waltrip Racing, with fines, suspensions and probation being handed out to multiple team personnel. The biggest dagger to the team was a 50-point penalty to Truex Jr., which inadvertently knocked the team out of the playoffs, allowing Newman to race for a championship.
At the time of Bowyer’s spin, Gordon was battling Joey Logano for a playoff spot and had the upper hand at the time of the incident in question. The restart knocked Gordon from the playoffs, but he was added in as a 13th entrant into the playoff field due to the presumed manipulation.
Bowyer and his team also received a 50-point penalty, but they had accumulated enough points during the regular season to still qualify for the playoffs.
NASCAR announced Thursday that it has adjusted the wet-weather tire procedure on ovals where applicable.
Ovals where the wet-weather tire is used are Phoenix Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, North Wilkesboro Speedway and Richmond Raceway, where the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will compete this weekend. This also includes the Milwaukee Mile and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in the Truck Series.
If natural cautions fall while the track is still deemed in wet-weather conditions, tire changes will be permitted from wets only to wets.
Teams will manage how to use their wet-weather tire allotment of four sets, meaning that teams will have the option to stay out on the track and gain positions in relation to drivers who elect to pit. Previously, NASCAR dictated when teams were allowed to change wets for wets on ovals.
The updated procedure will be used if needed for both the Truck race Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1) and the Cup race on Sunday (6 p.m. ET, USA).
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to action in Saturday’s Clean Harbors 250 (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Richmond Raceway – the last regular-season race of the year and one that will formally set the 10-driver 2024 playoff field and crown the Regular Season Champion.
Five drivers have earned playoff positions with victories this year – including Christian Eckes, Corey Heim, Nick Sanchez, Ty Majeski and Rajah Caruth. Five other drivers are currently “In” playoff position via points – Tyler Ankrum (+83), Grant Enfinger (+77), Taylor Gray (+48), defending series champion Ben Rhodes (+22) and Tanner Gray (+5).
Daniel Dye (-5) and Stewart Friesen (-16) are just below the elimination line and within reasonable distance to challenge for a playoff position in the right race circumstances Saturday night. Three-time series champion Matt Crafton is just behind Friesen in the standings, 43 points back.
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Eckes holds a 50-point advantage on Tricon Garage’s Heim for the regular-season title despite Heim’s series-best five-win tally. The 23-year-old Eckes could clinch the Regular Season Championship by scoring 11 or more points on Saturday – the regular-season title includes the all-important 15-point bonus playoff points to carry throughout the seven-race postseason. If Eckes claims that title, he would be the eighth different driver to do so.
Enfinger, driver of the No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet, is the only full-time driver in the field with a previous win at Richmond, claiming the 2020 victory in the series’ first race back at the three-quarter miler after a 15-year break. And Enfinger’s 5.5 average finish (four top-10s in as many races) is best among those with at least four starts at the track.
Carson Hocevar – now a rookie in the Cup Series – won the Richmond truck race last year by more than two seconds over Majeski, who led a race-best 168 of the 250 laps. Among the four drivers closest to the cutoff mark, Rhodes was 12th last year, Tanner Gray was 16th, Dye was 21st and Friesen was 27th.
Of that foursome, Rhodes boasts the best average finish of 10.0 in his four Richmond starts, with a pair of top 10s and 79 laps led. Tanner Gray has never scored a top 10 at Richmond with a best showing of 16th place in three of his four starts there. Dye has just one previous race at the track and Friesen has one top-10 in his four starts – 10th place in 2020 – and has never led a lap.
Highly touted young ARCA Menards Series drivers Connor Zilisch, 18, and William Sawalich, 17, will be on the starting grid this Saturday.
Zilisch will drive the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, making his second of five scheduled starts on the season. Sawalich will be making his fourth start this season, driving the No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota. He scored a season-best 12th-place finish at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in the last race. He finished 10th at Richmond last year.
A half-hour practice is scheduled for the Craftsman Truck Series at 2:35 p.m. ET, followed by Cometic Gasket Pole Qualifying at 3:05 p.m. ET which can be viewed on FS1.
How might the regular season crown be won over the course of the next four races — at Richmond, Michigan, Daytona and Darlington?
Just like with the bubble drivers, we’ll enlist the help of 10,000 simulations of the rest of the regular season using my Adjusted Points+ index, rating every driver’s ability at each remaining track type and their projected odds of finishing in each position, each race. Results that have the biggest differentials between simulations where a driver wins the regular season championship or not are the ones that are most essential along their path to glory.
Here are the scenarios for the four drivers with a realistic shot at the crown:
Kyle Larson
Status: No. 1 in standings, 10-point lead What he needs: Dominate at Michigan.
Larson is in solid shape for the regular-season title at the moment, leading Chase Elliott in the standings and looking ahead to three of the final four races being at tracks he’s excelled at before. (Larson has combined for six wins and 26 top-10 finishes at Richmond, Michigan and Darlington.) Of the three, Michigan is probably the most important; in simulations where he wins the regular-season title, Larson wins 21% of the time there, with an average finish of 4.9 — compared with a 1% win rate and 22.8 average finish in the simulations where he doesn’t win the regular-season title. When Larson finishes in the top five at Michigan, he wins the regular-season crown 86% of the time.
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Chase Elliott
Status: No. 2 in standings, 10-point deficit What he needs: Beat Larson head-to-head.
Elliott has a 586-196 record against all opponents head-to-head this season, including a 26-19 mark against his fellow Hendrick Motorsport teammates other than Larson. But Elliott is just 8-13 against Larson head-to-head, after going 36-29 against his teammate over the previous two seasons. He’ll need to tap into that earlier form down the stretch of the regular season to wrest the title away from Larson — particularly at Richmond and Michigan. In the subset of simulations where Elliott wins the regular-season crown, he finishes ahead of Larson at Richmond 79% of the time, and he beats Larson at Michigan 86% of the time. Those figures are only 37% and 32%, respectively, in the simulations where Elliott doesn’t win the crown.
Tyler Reddick
Status: No. 3 in standings, 15-point deficit What he needs: Outduel Larson on the ovals.
Larson has a reputation as NASCAR’s best on the bread-and-butter ovals that make up so much of the sport’s calendar on a week-in, week-out basis. But so far this season, it’s Reddick who actually has a slightly higher Adjusted Pts+ index at ovals (defined as anything that isn’t a short track, restrictor-plate track or road/street course) than Larson, 225 to 215. That sets up opportunities for Reddick at both Michigan — a classic large speedway — and Darlington — a steep, high tire-wear intermediate like Homestead and Dover. When he wins the regular season, Reddick finishes ahead of Larson at Darlington and Michigan 92% of the time, beating him by an average margin of 17.2 places. In other words, Reddick needs to drive the wheels off his No. 45 Toyota Camry and try to keep building up his oval edge.
James Gilbert | Getty Images
Denny Hamlin
Status: No. 4 in standings, 43-point deficit What he needs: Go on a winning streak.
Hamlin is just at the outer edge of striking distance on Larson and the rest of the regular-season title contenders, but he needs to go on a big run over these next four races to overcome his deficit. In 44% of the simulations where Hamlin takes the crown, he wins at least one of the next four races — and he wins multiple races down the regular-season stretch 31% of the time when he also wins the title. Or at the very least, he needs to start piling up the points, fast. In roughly half of the scenarios where Hamlin wins the title, he finished among the top five in at least three of the four remaining races. Such a heater is not out of the question, but it will be hard to make up the points Hamlin needs without that kind of performance coming out of the break.
MARNE, Mich. — Wednesday night’s homecoming to Berlin Raceway for Carson Hocevar saw him finally visit Victory Lane in the track’s most prestigious event.
Hocevar proved to be in a league of his own during the Tekton 250 Battle at Berlin with a car that was efficient in every groove. After fending off fellow NASCAR Cup Series competitor Erik Jones on the last restart of the night, nothing could stop Hocevar from claiming his maiden Battle at Berlin 250 triumph.
Nothing came easy for Hocevar as he had to play both offense and defense with Jones and defending winner Bubba Pollard during the closing stages. Hocevar was unsure whether he was too aggressive earlier in the run, but he proved to have enough left to pull away from Jones when it mattered.
“This car was so fun to drive,” Hocevar said. “Erik and Bubba are super talented, and those cars are really good. I thought I burned the right-rear [tire] completely off and didn’t think we were going to get a shot. If I could slide up and take [Erik’s] line away, I might be able to clear him, and that’s exactly what happened.
“It’s special to win here, and this was the biggest one of them all.”
Hocevar’s early success at Berlin was crucial in paving the way for him to become a full-time Cup Series competitor.
Along with claiming a track championship in 2017 at just 14 years old, Hocevar also has two Money in the Bank 150 victories on his resume (2020 and 2021). The laps and accomplishments accumulated at Berlin only motivated Hocevar more to win the Battle at Berlin 250.
Qualifying set the tone for Hocevar and the rest of the field Wednesday afternoon, as he set the quickest lap of the session at 16.430 seconds. An invert relegated Hocevar to eighth on the starting grid, but it only took 10 laps for him to reach and secure the lead.
Once he had control of the pace, the next step for Hocevar was to master the tire strategy. He elected to stick to a three-tire strategy through both of his trips to pit road, which kept him at the front of the field but left a smaller margin of error when it came to overexerting his equipment.
The divergent strategy proved to have minimal impact on Hocevar’s overall performance even though he briefly lost the lead to Jones. Despite doing everything feasible to anticipate and withstand the assault from Hocevar, Jones ended up settling for second after Hocevar’s race-winning dive on the restart.
Photo: Julia Schachinger / NASCAR)
Jones entered Wednesday evening having gone winless in the Battle at Berlin 250 since 2016. He feels comfortable with where his Super Late Model program stands, but he admitted his car was not strong enough to keep Hocevar in his rearview mirror.
“I was just too tight,” Jones said. “We were kind of third there all day and needed to make an adjustment. We got the lead, and I was trying to hold it, but it didn’t work out. It’s hard to be that close, but we had a clean car, and that’s all we can ask for.”
With the 2024 Battle at Berlin 250 now in the record books, Jones is turning his attention toward Richmond Raceway on Sunday, when the Cup Series returns to action following a two-week sabbatical.
For Hocevar, the detour to his home track before the end of the Olympic break was equal parts fun and challenging. He had no idea what to expect from a tire perspective, which made it even more rewarding for Hocevar’s strategy to pay off with a Battle at Berlin 250 trophy now in his possession.
“[Going with three tires] probably put us at a little bit of a disadvantage compared to the guys who took four,” Hocevar said. “Track position was so important, but [the strategy] also gave us an idea on what the car was going to do. You never know with this place, but everybody did a really good job trying to keep on this thing.
“I had my tongue out the whole time, but luckily it was just enough.”
Hocevar only has a few days to prepare for another short track in Richmond, where he looks to parlay his crown jewel victory at Berlin into a career-best Cup Series performance this weekend.
Pollard placed third in the running order behind Hocevar and Jones, with Michael Atwell and Kole Raz completing the top five. Rounding out the top 10 were Evan Shotko, Brian Campbell, Chase Burda, Jeremy Doss and Treyten Lapcevich.
After two weekends without racing, we’re ready to get back to it. Here’s a refresher on where things stand with the push to the playoffs in full swing.
Aaand we’re back.
The NASCAR Cup Series is gearing up to return to action this Sunday at Richmond Raceway following a brief hiatus in the schedule due to the 2024 Summer Olympics. Let’s catch back up in case you need a refresher.
Plenty of compelling story lines continue to unfold, with just four races remaining before the 16-driver field is locked in for the 2024 NASCAR Playoffs.
Kyle Larson looks every bit on a path that leads to him competing for championship No. 2 later this year at Phoenix Raceway, having secured his series-leading fourth win of the season before the break at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in convincing fashion. He and crew chief Cliff Daniels, pictured above, are the 1A combination in the sport at the moment and only appear to be gaining with their combined powers, which is a scary thought for the rest of the series.
The playoff landscape is becoming clearer, with the season’s 12 victors now officially all completely locked in with no chance at more than 16 winners. That leaves four coveted spots up for grabs, with nearly every driver below the elimination line likely needing to win if they want one of them. If that were to happen — holy drama.
The final playoff position on points is worth keeping a close eye on, however, as a red-hot Bubba Wallace has narrowed the gap to just seven points behind a sagging Ross Chastain, who has seen a dramatic decline in the standings after averaging a 26.5 finish over the past four races.
A lot could swing over the next four races, with positions 14th through 17th separated by just 42 points. Of the four above the elimination line but not yet locked in, RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher, currently 15th in the standings and 17 points to the good, should feel the most confident despite the modicum of cushion. No. 17 is the defending winner of three of the four remaining races, including Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond. He’s been running well of late, too, so things would have to go catastrophically wrong at this point for him not to be a 2024 playoff driver.
Tyler Reddick, Wallace’s 23XI teammate, is on a hot streak of his own and might just be in the process of emerging as Larson’s top competition during the stretch run. The No. 45 driver is riding the longest top-10 streak of any driver at the moment, with five in a row, while also working his way into a tie with the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver for most top fives this season. Reddick still has just the lone win — Talladega Superspeedway back in the spring — but feels on the verge of a major breakout that could see him pile on multiple wins over the coming weeks.
The four final regular-season races offer a varied menu of tracks, with Richmond, Michigan International Speedway, Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway each presenting a unique opportunity for drivers to secure their spots. Notably, Richmond this weekend will be the first points race to feature multiple tire compound options, introducing a new strategic element that could significantly impact race outcomes and flip the whole playoff field on its head.
Jonathan Bachman | Getty Images
2. Now, what lies ahead at Richmond? Richmond saw a surprise winner last summer and now adds the wrinkle of giving teams an in-race tire option. What can we expect to see under the lights?
With the industry refreshed and ready for the last leg of the regular season, the stage is set for an intriguing battle on one of the circuit’s most challenging short tracks — with a twist in store. Sunday’s Cook Out 400 under the lights at Richmond promises to be a pivotal moment in the season, with several compelling story lines converging at this historic venue.
Adding to the excitement is the introduction of a new tire strategy, with Goodyear providing two tire compounds for teams to choose from: a prime (hard) tire with standard yellow lettering, serving as the baseline, and an option (soft) tire featuring red lettering. The soft tire is crafted from the same rubber as wet-weather tires but without tread, offering teams a new tactical element to consider in their race strategy.
With the first-of-its-kind tire element at play, it’s tough to forecast how the dominoes may fall at the Virginia short track, but for now, all eyes will likely fall on a pair of past teammates in particular — Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.
This could very well be Rowdy’s best remaining shot to extend both his playoff appearances and consecutive wins streak, each extending as far back as the eye can see. Busch has an impressive past history on short tracks with 16 wins, yet he finds himself in an unusual position this weekend. Despite his past success, Busch currently ranks 17th in points earned on short tracks in the Next Gen car era. He’s rapidly approaching must-win territory, though, so Rowdy fans hope the two-week break was just what he and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing group needed to get refocused and get NASCAR’s all-time winningest driver back to Victory Lane.
For Truex Jr., Richmond represents more than just another race — it’s perhaps his best remaining opportunity to end a 38-race winless streak and win in his final full-time season before exiting the No. 19 JGR Toyota. The 2017 champ’s history at Richmond is rock solid, having won three of the last 10 races at the track and leading the most laps in six of the last 15. He very nearly secured his playoff spot at the track earlier this season, picking up nearly half of his laps led this season (461) in that race alone before dipping to fourth after “The Restart.”
You can bet he’s had this one circled all season … but especially since then.
The short-track landscape has seen a bit of a shift in recent times, with ace Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin firmly establishing his long-standing dominance there and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney emerging as perhaps the next short-track superstar. Together, they’ve claimed five of the last six short-track wins.
The Virginia native Hamlin is aiming to recalibrate before the playoffs after strong runs of late have all gone sour, and Richmond (five wins) is the perfect spot for him to accomplish that. Blaney, on the other hand, gets to put his short-track status to the test, where Richmond has been arguably his worst overall track. The reigning champ has turned in just three top 10s in 16 tries for an un-Blaney-like 20.0 average finish.
NBC’s Steve Letarte and MRN’s Todd Gordon break down the potential strategy options as the option tire returns at Richmond Raceway.
4. This year’s short-track superstars
With several short tracks already in the books for 2024, we have a strong idea of who’s excelling on them — will a fresh face emerge at Richmond, however?
Rank
Driver
Points
1
Kyle Larson
170
2
Chase Elliott
158
3
Joey Logano
150
4
Denny Hamlin
148
5
Martin Truex Jr.
141
6
Ryan Blaney
133
7
Alex Bowman
124
8
Brad Keselowski
124
9
Josh Berry
123
10
Bubba Wallace
123
5. Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Today, NASCAR announced that National Debt Relief has become an Official Partner of NASCAR. The official multiyear partnership makes National Debt Relief the first-ever Debt Relief Partner of NASCAR and builds on the official partnership with the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, which was announced in June.
“Over the course of our 76-year history, NASCAR has taken great pride in putting our fans first and consistently offering one of the most unique and fan-friendly experiences in all of sports,” said Michelle Byron, NASCAR executive vice president and chief partnership and licensing officer. “The approach in prioritizing our fans aligns perfectly with the mentality of National Debt Relief, an organization that tailors its support to fit the needs of consumers. Because of this, National Debt Relief is a perfect fit as an Official Partner of NASCAR.”
As NASCAR’s Official Debt Relief Partner, National Debt Relief will have a presence at NASCAR events, including signage, NASCAR-themed advertising in race telecasts, as well as investments on NASCAR digital platforms and Motor Racing Network. Prominent at-track branding will begin this weekend at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Clean Harbors 250 (Sat., 7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 (Sun., 6 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
“We’re ecstatic to further our partnership with NASCAR as an Official Partner and are looking forward to building stronger relationships with NASCAR fans, especially those dealing with overwhelming debt and are in need of relief,” said Alex Kleyner, National Debt Relief chief executive officer and co-founder. “As U.S. households continue to be saddled with record amounts of debt, this partnership will allow us to bring attention to debt settlement as a growing solution that can help people become debt-free faster and get their financial lives back on track.”
Since 2009, National Debt Relief has successfully helped hundreds of thousands of people resolve their debt and reclaim their independence. Their highly rated, unique Whole Human Finance approach to debt relief not only helps their clients become debt-free but also supports them with financial literacy and skill development, as well as emotional support throughout their debt journey, empowering them to resolve their debt and confidently build a more secure financial future. To learn more, visit NationalDebtRelief.com or call 1-800-718-0487 for a free consultation with a Certified Debt Specialist.
PLANO, Texas — Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) today announced executive leadership changes as David Wilson, group vice president and president of TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development), will retire on Dec. 16 after 35 years with the organization. General Manager Tyler Gibbs will succeed Wilson as president of TRD, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor North America (TMNA).
During his long-standing career at TRD, Wilson has held many roles, including design engineer, track support engineer, vice president of operations and engineering, vice president of production and strategic planning, vice president of sales, operations and planning, and vice president of finance, operations and planning. Wilson was appointed to the position of TRD president in January 2014, where he has led Toyota’s U.S. motorsports arm for the past 11 years.
“It’s been such an honor to be a member of this team and work alongside so many dedicated, talented and passionate men and women,” said Wilson. “I’m humbled and grateful for the trust, support and friendship afforded me throughout my career by my colleagues at TMNA, the Toyota Motor Corporation, our industry and team partners and our athletes. But now, I’ve completed my lap and I’m proud to hand the keys over to my friend and ‘brother in arms,’ Tyler Gibbs. I have every confidence that Tyler and his team will continue to grow and strengthen TRD’s world-class legacy on and off the track.”
Wilson played a significant role in many championships and race wins with Toyota, Lexus and Toyota Gazoo Racing North America (TGRNA) teams and drivers during his 35-year tenure, including championships in CART, CORR, Grand-Am, IMSA, Indy Racing League, MTEG, NASCAR, NHRA, SCORE and USAC. He has also been a part of many noteworthy victories in iconic races across motorsports, including wins in the 12 Hours of Sebring, Baja 500 and 1000, Rolex 24 at Daytona, Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, Petit Le Mans, Chili Bowl, and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Additionally, Wilson played an integral role with the Toyota and TRD leadership team that planned, supported and executed the company’s momentous entries into both CART/INDYCAR and NASCAR.
“For more than three decades, David Wilson’s immense talent, passion and leadership have helped build Toyota Racing Development into the massively successful organization we know today,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said in a statement. “As TRD’s President since 2014, David has been a collaborative partner with NASCAR, and his friendship and counsel have helped grow the sport, deliver extraordinary moments for race fans and enhance global motorsports. We thank David for his tireless efforts and wish him the best on this new phase of his life and career. We look forward to working with Tyler Gibbs and the tremendous team at TRD.”
Prior to joining TRD, Wilson was employed by Johnson & Johnson and was an officer in the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division, where he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Parachutist’s Badge and the Air Assault Badge. Wilson earned a mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
In his new role, Gibbs will be responsible for all TRD operations and activities in North America. These include engine engineering, chassis engineering, manufacturing, administration and operations. He will oversee all TRD facilities, including the organization’s headquarters and engine operations in Costa Mesa, California, the chassis and team support operation in Salisbury, North Carolina, and the GR Garage and Toyota Performance Center (TPC) in Mooresville, North Carolina.
“I have big shoes to fill,” said Gibbs. “Dave has been the cornerstone of TRD’s growth and culture over the last 35 years. During my 28 years working for Dave, he has given me countless opportunities to learn and grow, and this is another one of those opportunities. I’m excited and grateful for the privilege to work with so many incredible people at TRD and TMNA, along with our many partners, and together we’ll seek to continue TRD’s history of success.”
Gibbs joined TRD in 1996 and has held various roles during his nearly 30-year tenure with the organization. He currently oversees competition, engineering, commercial and administration activities at TRD. In addition, he works closely with TMNA and Toyota Racing as well as with race team relationships and key motorsports partners.
A Westmont College graduate, Gibbs began his career with Cosworth Engineering in 1992. He later earned his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Gibbs will assume his new role as TRD President in late December.
