NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond

 

Well last week's race brought a familiar face into Victory Lane, although it was 65 races ago when he made his last appearance there. Yes, Kevin Harvick took back his nickname "The Closer" and "Happy Harvick" at the same time as he became the 15th different winner this season. It was Harvick's sixth win at Michigan where he has won four of the last five races there. Will we see a 16th different winner this week? I'm covering race weekend here at Richmond so when I know, you'll know. Stay tuned.

 

This Week's Pick Strategy: Joe Gibbs Racing has Richmond Raceway figured out, so I'll be building my team around the JGR camp. The Action Track is not for the timid nor does it typically favor rookies. Load up your roster with veteran drivers this week.

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):

By Race

Kyle Busch- 5
All with 4 - Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, and Kevin Harvick

All with 3 - Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin

By Track*
Kyle Busch- 8
All with 7 - Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. 

Brad Keselowski - 6

Both with 5 - Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott

* Includes nine races from 2017 to 2021. Spring 2020 was not held.

Last Year's Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr.

 

The Likely Suspects: My Richmond Raceway go-tos include Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell, and Tyler Reddick.

 

My 2 Cents:  My no-brainer pick this week is a tie between Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. My next picks are Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski and Austin Dillon. I'll complete my team with Daniel Suarez and Ty Gibbs.

My Final Four: Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Austin Dillon, and Daniel Suarez.
 

Points to Ponder:

• Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in wins at Richmond with six victories (spring 2009, spring 2010, spring 2011, spring 2012, 2018 sweep). 
• Kyle Busch also leads all active drivers in runner-up finishes with seven, and in Top 5s with 18, followed by Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin tied with 16 Top 5s. Busch also leads all active drivers in average finishing position at Richmond Raceway with a 6.939.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in Top 10s at Richmond with 28, followed by Kyle Busch with 26, Denny Hamlin with 20, and Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., and Kurt Busch all tied with 15.
• Joe Gibbs Racing leads the NASCAR Cup Series in victories at Richmond Raceway with 18, followed by Petty Enterprises with 15 wins. 
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in laps led at Richmond Raceway with 2,113 laps led in 31 starts.

Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your initial picks by 8 a.m. ET on Saturday, August 13th and your final picks by 3 p.m. ET on race day Sunday, August 14th.  

 

Enjoy the race!

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Carol D'Agostino has been playing Fantasy NASCAR for 16 years. She launched  NASCAR Fantasy Fusion for Skirts & Scuffs in October 2011. Each week, Carol pores through statistics and combs through her personal notebooks to arm fans with analysis and picking strategies that will leave their friends wondering how they got so smart. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. She is also part of the distinguished NASCAR Expert Picks panel at frcs.pro. formerly called Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet.

When she isn’t wielding her fantasy-racing superpowers, you’ll find Carol hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat or executing downtown revitalization projects for a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.