2014 Federated Auto Parts 400 Odds, Picks and Predictions: Favorites, Sleepers and Drivers to Avoid: The Cup Series heads to Richmond International Raceway this weekend for the second trip to the 0.75-mile short track. Of course, the atmosphere at the track will be a little different this this weekend than it was in April because Saturday night’s race is the final race of the regular season. Two spots in the Chase remain up for grabs so any driver that ends up in victory lane would automatically qualify for the playoffs. Needless to say, drivers and teams without wins in 2014 will be pulling out all the stops to score the victory, and the drivers already qualified for the Chase have nothing to lose, as well. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the drivers that could come out on top in what should be a wild night at Richmond.
The Favorites
His 7.0 average finish at Richmond is the best in the series, and Kyle Busch is no stranger running up front at the track. In addition to his three wins, he has finished second on four other occasions. Overall, Busch has 13 top-five finishes in 19 starts at Richmond, including a third-place finish earlier this year.
He has always been one of the best in the business at short tracks, and Richmond has been no exception for Kevin Harvick. He has the second-best average finish in the series over the past 20 races at the track and the third-best average finish in the last 10 races. More importantly, Harvick is a three-time winner at Richmond with two win comings in his last six starts.
After his win at Richmond in April, Joey Logano will be gunning for a season sweep at the track this weekend. Meanwhile, he has become quite the force at short tracks since joining Team Penske last season. Logano has two top-three finishes in three starts at Richmond with the organization, and he picked up another short track a couple of wins ago at Bristol.
Other Contenders
The lone bright spot for Roush Fenway Racing this season has been Carl Edwards, and he could challenge for his third win of 2014 this weekend. After all, he is the defending winner of this weekend’s race, and he has eight top-10s in his last nine starts at Richmond, including three straight. During the stretch, he has four top-five finishes.
Although he has yet to win at Richmond, Brad Keselowski has been trending in the right direction. All three of his top-five finishes at the track have come in the last five races, including a career-best fourth-place finish earlier this year. To top it off, Keselowski has led more than 100 laps in each of the last two races at Richmond.
Virginia native Denny Hamlin has enjoyed heartbreak and triumph at his home-state track, but more often than not, he shows up with a strong car. Overall, he has tallied eight finishes of sixth or better in 16 total starts at Richmond, winning twice and finishing second on two other occasions.
Sleeper Special
He needs a win to make it into the Chase, and rookie Kyle Larson just might be able to snag one this weekend at Richmond. After all, he qualified on the pole in his track debut earlier this year, and after an early bump from Clint Bowyer sent him to the back of the pack, he was able work his way back to 16th by the end of the night. With some better luck Saturday night, Larson could pull off the upset.
Big Name to Avoid
While he hasn’t been terrible at Richmond, Greg Biffle hasn’t been a factor for the win at the track in sometime either. In fact, he has managed just one top-10 finish in his last 15 starts at Richmond, and his last top-five finish at the track came back in 2006. Frankly, it would be shocking if Biffle ended up in victory lane this weekend.
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