What you Need to Know about the Crown Royal 400

This Saturday night, the Nascar Sprint Cup Series heads to Richmond for the Crown Royal 400.  Held on the 3/4 mile Richmond International Speedway, the Crown Royal 400 is one of those short track races that tries a drivers patience, especially after last weeks race on the superspeedway at Talladega.  The present facility was built on the site of a half-mile track that first hosted dirt track racing.  Recent renovations to this track include repaving of the track surface and the installation of safer walls have made it one of the most modern speedways in the series.

When it comes to racing at Richmond, downforce is the number one key to success.  That means that you want the spoiler maxed out and fenders as wide as Nascar allows.  Since this is a COT race, the car setup is critical here with springs, shocks, and sway bars coming into play.  Drivers will want the car to be able to grip the track throughout and handle especially well in the corners.  Because there is alot of braking at this track, brakes will be important too and drivers will have to be careful not to use too much too quick.  Qualifying also seems to be important at Richmond, with the average starting position of the race winners in the last 10 races here at 4.30.  The furthest back that a driver has won this race in the last ten was Dale Earnhardt Jr from the 10th spot in the spring race in 2006 and no driver in the history of the track has won this race starting worse then 28th.  The final key at Richmond will be for a driver to keep his emotions in check, as there will be alot of beating and banging, which is the norm for a short track.

Of the active teams and owners, Hendrick, Roush and Gibbs racing have the best overall records at Richmond.  Jimmie Johnson won both races here last year and new Hendrick teammate, Dale Jr., has won two races in the last ten while driving for DEI.  Kevin Harvick won a race for RCR, while Ryan Newman won one for Penske South Racing.  Kasey Kahne brought home a victory for Evernham while Kurt Busch was able to win one while driving for Roush Racing.  Gibbs racing has been solid at Richmond and added Kyle Busch this season, who has finished in the top 5 everytime he has raced at Richmond.  I think it's safe to say that this will be another one of those races where Hendrick and Gibbs will be the dominant forces.

Ones to Watch

Gibbs Racing - Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin have all had success at Richmond and IMO, are the class of the field heading into this race.  Busch has never won at Richmond but has 5 top 5 finishes in 6 races there, including finishing runner up twice.  Stewart has won 3 times at Richmond and finished 2nd last fall while Denny Hamlin has 3 top 6 finishes in 4 starts on the 3/4 mile.

Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon - Johnson swept both races last year but only has 3 top 10 finishes in 12 starts at this track.  Gordon has always been tough on short tracks but before last year where he finished 4th in both races, he had 4 races where he was 31st or worse.  Gordon has struggled at the outset of the 2008 season and needs a good finish to regain some confidence heading into the middle part of the season

Kevin Harvick - Kevin has vastly improved on this track throughout his career and in the last 5 races here, he has finished in the Top 10 in four of them including a win and a pole under his belt. Harvick is pretty good on these types of tracks due to his aggressive driving style and he is off to a good start this season. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr - Dale Jr. has one the best overall record of all drivers with any experience at Richmond, winning two races here in recent history. Has looked good so far in the 2008 season, has seen a lot of good runs this year but just hasn't found victory lane yet. His last three races here were not the best but he was plagued with mechanical problems that he should not have this time around. He seems to be a hit or miss with four Top 5 finishes in the last 10 races

Matt Kenseth - Kenseth is not having a good start to the 2008 season and he seems to be the only Roush driver that is struggling week to week. He has been a Top 10 driver here over the last 10 races with 6 Top 10's in those races but has only found the Top 5 in two of those races.  This could be a make or break race for Kenseth in the 2008 season.

Mark Martin - Mr. Part Time skipped the race at Talladega but will be back in the seat for Richmond, where he has the 5th best record of all the drivers currently in the series.  Martin probably wont challenge for a win, but he'll more then likely get you a top 10 finish and help save some starts for your B drivers in the yahoo fantasy nascar league.

Drivers records at Richmond

My pick to win - Denny Hamlin - Hailing from Chesterfield, Va., this is the home track for the driver of the No. 11 Toyota, and he's already proven he can win in front of his fans. Four weeks ago, he took the checkers in first at Martinsville and he's swept the top five since. In fact, he has only one finish worse than 17th all season long.

Sleeper pick - Clint Bowyer - Clint is one of those guys that just quietly does well every week and with Harvick, Burton leading the way at RCR, Bowyer just seems to fly under the radar. He has been in just 4 races here and has a Top 5 driver average in those races.