You’ve got to love the Richmond Raceway tagline, ‘Chaos at Every Corner.’
I wouldn’t call it chaos exactly, but this famous D-shaped three-quarter-mile definitely has adrenaline-pumping excitement at each turn, with chaotic moments.
Speaking of chaotic, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series odds for the Toyota Owners 400 are out at top online sportsbooks like 5Dimes Sportsbook.
5Dimes has broken down the drivers into groups, and you can bet on ‘best finish’. But this also works as a kind of a unique way to create Fantasy tiers. Let’s focus on the 12 drivers in groups A, B, and, C.
Most of Group A for the Toyota Owners 400 is pretty obvious. We have four of the top driver so far this season going into the top tier.
Group A
- Kyle Busch
- Kevin Harvick
- Brad Keselowski
- Joey Logano
Group B
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Denny Hamlin
- Rayan Blaney
- Chase Elliot
Group C
- Aric Almirola
- Clint Bowyer
- Kurt Busch
- Kyle Larson
If we were to order the drivers by most likely to win in numerical order, Joey Logano would go up above Kevin Harvick just under Kyle Busch. It wouldn’t a No.1, No.2 type thing either; Joey Logano should be considered seriously to take the checkered flag. We shouldn’t be at all surprised to see him on the podium in the Top-3.
For that matter, I would move Denny Hamlin up into Group A and pull Brad Keselowski down to Group B. Or at least think of Hamlin as a Top-5 guy. Heres why: he has finished in the Top-5 four times in his last six appearances in Richmond. And in that same timeframe, he has also won here. On top of all of this, no one in this field has led more laps at Richmond than Denny Hamlin (1,659).
Kurt Busch should also come up from Group C to the top of Group B. He always has a great starting position in Richmond and his recent history at this track is solid. He won here in 2015 years ago and has a couple of Top-5 finishes in the last 4 years at Richmond as well. Additionally, he has some momentum. Finishing second-place last week will have him chomping at the bit to edge out the ‘other’ Busch in Richmond.
Another from Group C that should move up is Kyle Larson. He has raced in Richmond ten times, but he has winning experience, taking the checkered flag here in 2017. He also has two Top-5 finishes and four Top-10’s here, so we should expect him to be a contender on Sunday.
Martin Truex Jr. should come down to Group C. Sure, he is one of the Big Three, but in his 26 races in Richmond, he has never won. His average finish here is 19th, and with recent form, we shouldn’t expect much to be different this weekend.
Back-to-back wins in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series are hard to come by, but Kyle Busch is primed to do it this weekend. We should expect a Top-3 finish, if not the victory. There is only one driver who has more wins at Richmond, and that legend (Richard Petty) is well into retirement. Kyle Busch knows this track. He has six wins and 17 Top-5s.
Many think that Brad Keselowski is due for a breakout performance. He should be in the Top-10 this weekend, and he may squeeze into the Top-5, but it’s doubtful that he hits the Top-3 in Richmond this time around. Look for a battle between, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, and perhaps Kevin Harvick.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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