The Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway is scheduled to start on Friday, September 9th at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The regular season for the NASCAR Xfinity Series is coming to an end. There are just two races remaining for drivers to secure a win before the playoffs.
Richmond International Raceway is a 0.75 mile short track located in Richmond, Virginia. The famous three-quarter mile venue has presented 65 NASCAR Xfinity Series events. There has been 32 different drivers in Victory Lane and 34 different pole winners since 1982.
NASCAR mainstay Kevin Harvick leads the series in wins at Richmond with seven. No other drivers inside the top 12 in Xfinity Series points have triumphed at Richmond International Speedway.
The 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase is coming down to the wire. As a result, all but three drivers have locked themselves into the first Round of 12. Erik Jones, has three wins in 2016.
Elliott Sadler has won at Talladega and Darlington cementing his spot in the playoffs. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Daniel Suárez found away to claim his first victory at Michigan. There aforementioned drivers have all locked themselves in with wins this season.
JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier has found his way into the Chase via points. Ty Dillon and Brendan Gaughan also have sealed themselves into the playoffs on points after the contest at Road America.
After the race at Darlington, three new competitors also found their way into the dance. Brennan Poole, Brendan Jones and Darrell Wallace Jr. gathered enough points that they will be in contention regardless of where they place in the next to events.
That is a grand total of nine drivers that will be competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase. Only three spots remain available before the race at Richmond. Rousch Fenway Racing’s Ryan Reed sits in front with a +74 point cushion. All signs are pointing to him being in the playoffs. The youngster has seven starts at Richmond International Speedway with a 14.0 average finish.
Kaulig Racing’s Blake Koch is currently inside the Chase capsule. Furthermore, he is sitting 22 notches in front of Dakoda Armstrong heading into this weekends race. Koch has made 10 starts at this venue.
The speedster tends to struggle here, posting an average finish of 26.5. Although, Koch did register one his best finishes of the season at Richmiond back in April. He finished inside the top 10 in that event (8th).
RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg is the driver that is truly on the hot-seat. Sieg is only 18 points ahead of 13th-place Dakoda Armstrong. The feisty young driver has raced at this venue on five different occasions and has a average finish of 23.6.
There are still two racers on the outside of the top 12 that have a good chance to make the Chase. Furthermore, the two drivers can do it on points without capturing a victory. Dakoda Armstrong currently sits only 18 points outside the playoffs. So far, the up and comer is having a stellar season.
In his 24 Xfinity Series races in 2016, he has tallied one top five and has an average finish of 19.2. Armstrong has competed in five races at Richmond International Raceway. He has collected one top five finish this year and averages a 17th place result. At Richmond in April, Armstrong drove his way to a 14th place finish.
Jeremy Clements sits 14th in the Xfinity Series standings. The hopeful racer is 26 points behind the cut-off line. Clements has reeled in one top five and three top 10’s in 24 events this season.
The gritty talent has 12 starts under his belt at Richmond International Raceway. In those races, he has an average finish of 25.3. Both of these drivers stand a fair chance of catching Ryan Sieg for the final Chase entry.
As usual, whether for the good of the series or for the bad, NASCAR Sprint Cup racers will be competing for the win this weekend. Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Austin Dillon are three of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series contenders who will race in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250.
