NASCAR returns to Richmond for a Saturday night race on August 16th. The second-to-last race of the regular season is sure to provide excitement. Last year’s race at Richmond was filled with tension and controversy after a questionable move by Austin Dillon.
Dillon was in a must-win situation as the regular season was winding down. He had his fastest car of the season and decided to go for it all. After a tough restart put him a car length behind Joey Logano, he sent it into the final corner, hooking Logano in the process. Denny Hamlin was the next victim as he was also hooked into the wall coming to the checkered flag.
Dillon was credited with the win, but his playoff eligibility was later rescinded for violating NASCAR rules about intentionally wrecking someone. His move was desperate, but it was all for nothing in the end.
Richmond is a track that has been dominated by Joe Gibbs Racing over the years, as they have won at this track seven times since 2018. Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr are the latest winners to come from JGR, with Hamlin winning in March of last year.
Expect Joe Gibbs Racing to come in hot again, with Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Chase Briscoe having fantastic seasons. Briscoe has been perhaps the best car in the field for a couple of weeks now, and Richmond is statistically one of his best tracks.
Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski are both previous winners at Richmond and are in a playoff race similar to Dillon’s last season. Keselowski is in a must-win situation, while Buescher is right on the points cutline to make the NASCAR playoffs. It would not be surprising if RFK has the second fastest cars behind JGR.
Kyle Larson is typically very successful at Richmond and ends up with nice results. Despite recent struggles, look for him to be competitive on Saturday. Teammate Alex Bowman also has a win under his belt here and could look to finally clinch a spot in the 2025 playoffs.
Briscoe has been a qualifying machine in his first season at JGR, so he will almost certainly be in contention for the Pole. If RFK or RCR show speed in qualifying and can get good starting positions for the race, they could be real threats for the win.
Final predictions have Briscoe winning the race, with Hamlin, Larson, Buescher, and Busch rounding out the top five. Keselowski and Dillon could be considered long shots to win, but would have to outperform expectations to do so.
An exciting race will surely take place under the lights on Saturday, but hopefully, there will be less controversy than last year. The playoff chances of drivers under the cutline keep shrinking as the end of the NASCAR regular season gets closer and closer.
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