NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Richmond

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 10, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) races during the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Richmond delivered in NASCAR’s final race before the Chase. Check out a few winners and losers from the Federated Auto Parts 400.

As we entered the weekend, just three spots were available on the Chase grid, but after Saturday’s race at Richmond, 16 drivers are locked in and NASCAR’s championship contenders have been determined.

The evening started off slow as there were a couple of long green flag runs accompanied by Martin Truex Jr. dominating the race. Then things picked up. After all was said and done, there was 16 cautions–the new record for a race at Richmond. In the process, we saw minor accidents, major wrecks a number of different leaders.

With a few laps to go, Regan Smith brought out the caution and the race went to overtime. With many different strategies in play, Denny Hamlin went on to keep his lead and capture a win at his home track.

Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott and Jamie McMurray successfully kept their spots in the Chase and served as the three drivers who raced themselves in on points.

Let’s take a look at a few winners and losers from Richmond.

Sep 10, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (41) races driver Jeff Gordon (88) and driver Joey Logano (22) during the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Loser: Tires

Short track racing usually produces a lot of cautions, but we weren’t expecting to see the record-setting 16 that we did at Richmond.

With that being the case, teams had a real issue with tires once those last 150 laps arrived.

Many teams used strategy late in the race and used scuffs before going with their last set of stickers. Then there were teams like the No. 48 and No. 88 teams that used up their last set of stickers with roughly 70 laps to go.

I'm hearing tires might be a major variable. #NASCAR

— brant james (@brantjames) September 11, 2016

With the amount of cautions we saw in those last 100 laps of the race, strategy became a huge factor, as some teams were coming in for tires and gaining tons of spots on the restart while others were waiting until the end to put on a better set of tires.

It was the first race all season where we had seen a legitimate shortage of tires for teams and it made for some entertaining late-race decisions from the crew chiefs.

Sep 10, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (42) races during the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Winner: Kyle Larson

It’s been year of improvement for Kyle Larson. We saw it earlier in the season when he competed for wins at Dover and Pocono and we’ve seen it here in the past three weekends as well.

The first win of Larson’s career at Michigan has given him and his team momentum. It not only earned them a spot in the Chase but it helped Larson gain some confidence as he got ready for the postseason.

Last weekend at Darlington, he led 41 laps and eventually ended the race in third. Then this weekend, he made some huge moves in overtime to secure a second-place finish, and with one more lap, he likely would’ve been door-to-door with Denny Hamlin.

Also, take note of the high frequency at which @KyleLarsonRacin does awesome on-track things. #NASCAR

— nascarcasm (@nascarcasm) September 11, 2016

The 24-year-old driver has gone from struggling to capture his first win to racing as a solid contender in a matter of just a few weekends, and with the Chase approaching next Sunday, he could be setting himself up for a deep run.

Larson had another great outing at Richmond and is one driver to keep an eye on as the season moves forward.

Sep 10, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) races during the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Loser: Hendrick Motorsports’ Hopes For A Deep Chase Run

Since the summer seasons hit, it hasn’t been pretty for Hendrick Motorsports. From losing Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the season to the other three drivers struggling to keep up with the competition, things have taken a bad turn for the team.

They didn’t exactly get better on Saturday night either. While Kasey Kahne had a great outing, finishing sixth and making a late run, he failed to make the Chase for the second straight season.

On the other side of things, both Jimmie Johnson (11th) and Chase Elliott (19th) qualified for NASCAR’s postseason but didn’t look good doing so, as they both struggled to gain any ground over the course of the evening.

The team finished the regular season with just two wins (both from Johnson) and could potentially finish their worst season since 1993, when they earned just one victory.

It’s been a struggle for most of the season at HMS, and after Saturday’s race, they certainly don’t look prepared to make much noise in the Chase. It should be interesting to see what kind of adjustments they make as the Challenger 16 round approaches.

Sep 10, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (24) races driver Aric Almirola (43) during the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Winner: Rookies

Heading into the weekend, NASCAR Cup Series rookies were looking to become the first rookies to make the Chase since Denny Hamlin did it back in 2006.

Ryan Blaney was in a position where he needed a win to get the job done, but after an early accident, his hopes for a berth ended. However, both Chase Elliott and Chris Buescher did what they needed to qualify.

Buescher entered the evening needing to stay above 30th in the standings, as he had already earned a win at Pocono earlier in the season. He worked his way into the top-20 on the track and had actually moved up to 29th in the standings before David Ragan–who held the 31st position, was involved in a wreck.

After a 24th-place finish, Buescher had clinched an unlikely spot in the Chase.

Elliott entered the night up 39 points on 17th-place Ryan Newman. Though he struggled throughout the race and finished 19th, he did enough to ensure that he would be competing for a championship starting next weekend.

The fact that two rookies made the Chase was another testament to how bright the future looks for NASCAR’s top series.

Sep 9, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman (31) looks on prior to practice for the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Loser: Ryan Newman’s Comments

Late in the race, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart were involved in a multi-car wreck that included drivers like Carl Edwards and David Ragan.

Before everything unfolded, Newman had gotten into Stewart’s left side in Turn 1 and caused him to get a little loose. Shortly after, Stewart appeared to drive down the racetrack and into Newman on the backstretch.

To make a long story short, that didn’t please Newman, who was still in the hunt to make the Chase at the time.

After leaving the infield care center, he called Stewart “bipolar” and mentioned how he thought Stewart needed to retire. That’s the typical way to respond to something after being wrecked and missing out on a chance to make the Chase.

But it was one of his other comments that sparked anger among fans. Newman went on to compare the situation to Stewart being back “in a sprint car again” and talked about how he “didn’t know how to control his anger.”

This led many to believe he was referencing Stewart’s sprint car accident that happened two years ago. While it’s understandable that drivers tend to say things they might regret shortly after a heated moment on the track, Newman simply went too far here.

Don’t be surprised if we see more action between the two drivers in the coming weeks.

Sep 10, 2016; Richmond, VA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) celebrates in victory lane after winning the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Winner: Toyota At Richmond

Denny Hamlin managed to pull off a win at his home track on Saturday night at Richmond, leading to a truly dominant season for Toyota at the 0.75-mile track.

It was all Martin Truex Jr. early on in the race as he led a race-high 193 laps, but Hamlin took over about halfway through and led 189 as he won many late restarts.

In overtime, he had a great restart which pushed him out front and allowed him to win with a comfortable amount of space between him and a charging Kyle Larson who was running on newer tires.

Toyota took home the checkered flag at both Richmond races this season, as Carl Edwards won back in April, but winning races wasn’t the only thing they did well. Their cars led 617 out of the possible 802 laps at the track in 2016.

It’s been dominant year for the manufacturer, and they’ll look to earn another championship this fall as they’ll have five drivers in the Chase.