Quick Hits on Richmond
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Anticipation
was high heading into Richmond. It was the second consecutive short track race,
the third of the season and the first to be run at night under the lights.
Unfortunately, the race didn't live up to the hopes of many. Even more
unfortunate is the fact that the last 20 laps deluded many into believing
they'd watched a great race.
Kevin
Harvick led the field from the pole and it became evident early on that
passing, at least near the front of the field, would be difficult. It became
evident early on that once again Kyle Busch was the class of the field. He took
the lead on lap 31 and kept it until lap 132, leading a race high 101 laps. He
easily won the first stage and continued to show he was the man to beat. A pit
road speeding penalty forced him to restart at the back of the pack.
Busch
spent the ensuing laps charging through the field but even with a car as strong
as his was, he was unable to move all the way to the front. Richmond may be a short
track but it certainly raced like a mile-and-a-half-track prior to the 2019
rules package. Clean air ruled; drivers could catch the car in front of them
but could rarely pass. At one point in the race, Mike Joy pointed out that the
first side by side battle for position was taking place back in 13th. When the
night ended, Busch had only been able to make it back to 8th place.
The
last 20 laps saw Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano chase down Truex. Based on what
the previous 380 laps looked like, there was no reason to believe either could
take the lead and indeed, that was the case. Logano did take second from Bowyer
but again, he could only make it to Truex' bumper. Perhaps egged on by Darrell
Waltrip and Jeff Gordon pretending there would be a dramatic last lap pass for
the win, many on social media raved about what a great race they saw. Prior to
that, the overall sentiment seemed to be disappointment in how non-competitive
the race had been all night.
Eight
cars were sent to the rear of the field due to failing inspection. Denny Hamlin
was the only one of those drivers able to finish in the top 10, finishing 5.
For the second week in a row Paul Menard (10th) and Ryan Newman (9th) had
strong runs. Chris Buescher was in the top 10 for a lot of the night but for
the second consecutive race had nothing to show for it, finishing in
22nd.
Kyle
Larson continues to have a horrible season. He dealt with a severe tire rub
after making contact on a restart then later had a tire blow, sending him into
the wall. He finished 37th, the first car out of the race.
After
an off-week for Easter, the series travels to Talladega. It's a place where no
one ever knows what will happen but it's also a place where almost anyone has a
chance to win or at least get a much needed top or top 10 finish. Right now
there are a lot of teams and drivers in that category. It's also a place where
it's possible for someone other than a Gibbs or Penske driver to win and the
series needs that. Nine races is the longest start to a NASCAR season to see
only two teams win all the races. That might be great if you're a fan of those
teams but the series and its fans need to see others take the checkers at some
point. Hopefully Talladega is the place for it to happen.