TOP FIVE DRIVERS

COOK OUT 400: RICHMOND

The #5 driver to watch has never won here, in fact he didn’t even race here in April, #9 Chase Elliott. Chase missed the last race with his leg injury. In the last ten races here, he has nine starts and five Top 5’s, 56%. He finished 5^th in this race last year and 4^th the year before, the #9 has a history of learning and improving from the spring race. Chase is #7 ranked on similar tracks and comes in #5 hottest.

My #4 driver to watch is the defending champion of this race, #5 Kyle Larson. Kyle has nine starts in the last ten races, that win in April and two total Top 5’s, 22%. He is the #1 rated driver on tracks like this. Even after the tough end to the race at Pocono he is #4 hottest after the last six races.

At #3 we have a driver who is on quite a streak here, #20 Christopher Bell. Christopher only has six starts here, his last five were all 6^th or better. In his six starts he has four Top 5’s, 66%. His worst finish was 15^th. He is the #6 ranked driver on tracks like this and he is #6 hottest.

My #2 driver is a child of the commonwealth who grew up not far from here and is also the most talked about driver of the week, #11 Denny Hamlin. In the last ten races Denny has a win and seven Tops 5’s, 70%. He is rated #3 on tracks like this and after the Pocono win is #2 hottest.

The #1 driver to watch is the #1 hottest driver, #19 Martin Truex. In the last ten races Martin has 3 wins and seven Top 5’s, 70%. Martin is #4 rated on tracks like this but most importantly sits #1 hottest over the last six weeks.

Monday check back for our preview of the FireKeepers Casino 400 race from Michigan International Speedway.

TOP 30 DRIVERS

TOP 30 DRIVERS RICHMOND

1. MARTIN TRUEX JR #19
2. DENNY HAMLIN #11
3. CHRISTOPHER BELL #20
4. KYLE LARSON #5
5. CHASE ELLIOTT #9
6. JOEY LOGANO #22
7. KEVIN HARVICK #4
8. KYLE BUSCH #8
9. WILLIAM BYRON #24
10. ROSS CHASTAIN #1
11. BRAD KESELOWSKI #6
12. ALEX BOWMAN #48
13. RYAN BLANEY #12
14. ARIC ALMIROLA #10
15. TYLER REDDICK #45
16. AUSTIN DILLON #3
17. CHRIS BUESCHER #17
18. DANIEL SUAREZ #99
19. TY GIBBS #54
20. CHASE BRISCOE #14
21. AJ ALLMENDINGER #16
22. BUBBA WALLACE #23
23. MICHAEL MCDOWELL #34
24. AUSTIN CINDRIC #2
25. RICKY STENHOUSE #47
26. TODD GILLILAND #38
27. HARRISON BURTON #21
28. RYAN PREECE #41
29. ERIK JONES #43
30. JUSTIN HALEY #31

Friday we break down the Top 5 drivers in the Cook Out 400.

TOP TEN TEAMS

TOP TEN TEAMS

1. JOE GIBBS RACING (Last Week #1)
2. HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS (Last Week #2)
3. RFK RACING (Last Week #3)
4. 23XI RACING (Last Week #9)
5. TRACKHOUSE RACING TEAM (Last Week #5)
6. TEAM PENSKE (Last Week #4)
7. JTG DAUGHERTY (Last Week #8)
8. RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING (Last Week #6)
9. KAULIG RACING (Last Week #7)
10. FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS (Last Week OFF)

Last week in the Top Ten we saw things begin to calm down slightly, only two teams changed place last week. This week after the chaos of Pocono we saw six of the teams change places in the Top 10. The top three teams stay in place this week. Joe Gibbs Racing get the win from #11 Denny Hamlin, his second of the year and have an average finish of 3.75 and they stay in the top spot at #1. Hendrick Motorsports have an average finish of 17 and they remain at #2. RFK Racing have an average finish of 17 and they remain in place at #3. 23XI Racing have an average finish of 6.5 after a 7 last week and they make the move of theek moving up five places to #4. Trackhouse Racing Team have an average finish of 24.5 that keeps them at #5.

Team Penske has an average finish of 29.33 and they move back two places and out of the Top 5 to #6. JTG Daugherty Racing’s #47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 7th and they move up a place to #7. Richard Childress Racing had an average finish of 27.5 and they drop two places to #8. Kauling Racing have an average finish of 25 they fall two places to #9. Front Row Motorsports had an average finish of 17 and they return to the Top 10 at #10. Stewart Haas Racing had a 4^th place finish from #4 Kevin Harvick in his last race here. But they had a team average finish of 19 and they drop a place and leave Top 10.

Thursday morning look for the Top 30 drivers in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.

TOP FIVE DRIVERS BY TRACK TYPE

TOP TEN DRIVERS BY TRACK TYPE

1. KYLE LARSON #5
2. KEVIN HARVICK #4
3. DENNY HAMLIN #11
4. MARTIN TRUEX JR #19
5. JOEY LOGANO #22
6. CHRISTOPHER BELL #20
7. CHASE ELLIOTT #9
8. ROSS CHASTAIN #1
9. WILLIAM BYRON #24
10. ALEX BOWMAN #48

Top Ten drivers on tracks like Richmond Raceway, Thursday look for our Top 30 drivers in the Cook Out  400 from Richmond.

RACE PREVIEW

FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400

MICHIGAN INT SPEEDWAY

AUGUST 6^th, 2:30pm Charlotte Time USA TV

2 MILES, 18 Degrees of Banking

Stages end after Lap 45/110/200

Race #23

NASCAR returns to this beautiful area of Michigan about 70 miles west of Detroit, otherwise known as the Motor City. Is it important to win in the backyard of the auto industry? You bet in it is! There is nothing better than winning in your own home turf. In the last ten years Toyota has a win, Chevrolet has seven and Ford has a dominant 11 wins. In fact, Ford have won the last eight straight races! #4 Kevin Harvick has five of those wins and the most recent win. Team wise, Stewart Haas Racing has the most wins, seven and Team Penske has the second most at four wins in the last ten years. This track is wide enough for exciting passing and many times this race has come down to the best in fuel management, will it again? Only four races remain before the Playoffs begin. Could #4 Kevin Harvick who has won five of the last seven races get his Playoff ticket punched? He comes in 182 points above the Playoff cut line but a win in his final season would still be huge. Will know on Sunday!

Tuesday look for the Top ten drivers on tracks like Michigan Int Speedway. Thursday look for our Top 30 drivers at MIS.

TOP FIVE DRIVERS TO WATCH

TOP FIVE DRIVERS TO WATCH POCONO

My #5 pick finished last here in 2022, the year before he was a winner here, #8 Kyle Busch. Kyle won the second race of the weekend of 2021. In the last ten races he has four wins and seven Top 5’s, 70%. Kyle got all four career wins in the last ten starts! Kyle is the #11 ranked driver on tracks like this and sits 5^th hottest.

The #4 driver to watch got his first win here three years ago, #4 Kevin Harvick. In the last ten races Kevin has that win and six Top 5’s, 60%. He is my #1 ranked driver on tracks similar to this. He is coming off another Top 5 at New Hampshire. He is #17 hottest coming out of there.

At #3 we have a driver that is the winning-est current driver here, #11 Denny Hamlin. Denny is a six-time winner here! He did that in 33 starts AND has 14 Top 5’s, 42%. He is #6 on tracks like this and is #4 hottest over the last six weeks. Time to bring the HEAT, a 7^th place at New Hampshire is a good start, he needs to back that up with a Top 5 here.

My #2 driver to watch is the most recent winner this year, #19 Martin Truex Jr. Martin is coming off his third win of the year at New Hampshire. Here in the last ten races, he has a win in 2018 and three Top 5’s, 30%. Over his career he has two wins here. He is #2 ranked driver on tracks like this and more importantly is the #1 hottest driver over the last six weeks.

My #1 pick is a driver who has been winless here, #5 Kyle Larson. Kyle in the last ten races has eight starts and four Top 5’s, 50%. Last year in the NexGen car he finished 5^th. He is #4 on tracks like this and is #6 hottest in the last six races. He is confidant coming off a 3^rd place finish in New Hampshire.

Monday look for our preview of the Cook Out 400 from the Richmond Raceway.

TOP 30 DRIVERS

TOP 30 DRIVERS POCONO

1. KYLE LARSON #5
2. MARTIN TRUEX JR #19
3. DENNY HAMLIN #11
4. KEVIN HARVICK #4
5. KYLE BUSCH #8
6. WILLIAM BYRON #24
7. BRAD KESELOWSKI #6
8. RYAN BLANEY #12
9. CHASE ELLIOTT #9
10. JOEY LOGANO #22
11. CHRISTOPHER BELL #20
12. ALEX BOWMAN #48
13. ARIC ALMIROLA #10
14. BUBBA WALLACE #23
15. AJ ALLMENDINGER #16
16. DANIEL SUAREZ #99
17. TYLER REDDICK #45
18. MICHAEL MCDOWELL #34
19. AUSTIN DILLON #3
20. ROSS CHASTAIN #1
21. CHRIS BUESCHER #17
22. TY GIBBS #54
23. ERIK JONES #43
24. RYAN PREECE #41
25. CHASE BRISCOE #14
26. JUSTIN HALEY #31
27. AUSTIN CINDRIC #2
28. RICKY STENHOUSE #47
29. TODD GILLILAND #38
30. COLE CUSTER #51

Friday we break down the Top 5 drivers to watch.

TOP TEN TEAMS

TOP TEN TEAMS

1. JOE GIBBS RACING (Last Week #1)
2. HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS (Last Week #2)
3. RFK RACING (Last Week #4)
4. TEAM PENSKE (Last Week #3)
5. TRACKHOUSE RACING TEAM (Last Week #5)
6. RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING (Last Week #6)
7. KAULIG RACING (Last Week #7)
8. JTG DAUGHERTY (Last Week #8)
9. 23XI RACING (Last Week #9)
10. STEWART HAAS RACING (Last Week #10)

This week in the Top Ten we are seeing it begin to calm down slightly, only two teams change place this week. The top two teams stay in place this week. Joe Gibbs Racing get the win from #19 Martin Truex Jr, his third of the year and have an average finish of 16 and they stay in the top spot at #1. Hendrick Motorsports have an average finish of 13.25 and they remain at #2. RFK Racing have an average finish of 10 and they move up a place to #3. Team Penske has an average finish of 16.33 and they move back a place to #4. Trackhouse Racing Team have an average finish of 19.5 that keeps them at #5.

Richard Childress Racing had an average finish of 22.5 and they remain at #6 for the third week in a row. Kauling Racing have an average finish of 18 and that is enough to keep them at #7. JTG Daugherty Racing’s #47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 18th and they remain at #8. 23XI Racing have an average finish of 7 and they stay at #9. Stewart Haas Racing get an average finish of 19 and they drop a place and remain in the Top 10 at #10.

Thursday morning look for the Top 30 drivers in the HighPoint.com 400 at Pocano Raceway.

TOP TEN DRIVERS BY TRACK TYPE

TOP TEN DRIVERS BY TRACK TYPE

1. KEVIN HARVICK #4
2. MARTIN TRUEX JR #19
3. RYAN BLANEY #12
4. KYLE LARSON #5
5. JOEY LOGANO #22
6. DENNY HAMLIN #11
7. WILLIAM BYRON #24
8. BRAD KESELOWSKI #6
9. CHASE ELLIOTT #9
10. CHRISTOPHER BELL #20

Top Ten drivers on tracks similar to Pocano Raceway, Thursday look for our Top 30 drivers at Pocano.

RACE PREVIEW

HighPoint.com 400

POCANO RACEWAY

July 23rd, 2:30 PM Charlotte Time USA TV

2.5 Miles, Turn #1 14 degrees, #2 8 Degrees #3 6 Degrees of Banking

Stages End after Laps 30/95/160

Race #21

After 20 races this year it’s time for something a little bit different, the tricky triangle. Is this a road course, flat track and or a tri oval? How about all of the above? Only three turns, yet everyone is different. When you attend this race in this spectacular part of the country it is like watching a road course race because you can’t really see every turn on the track. This race could be dominated by the drivers and crews that make the best adjustments on Sunday. Two teams have really dominated here. Joe Gibbs Racing have won seven races here in the last ten years, 37%. Eight wins for the TRD JGR engine shop. Followed by Hendrick Motorsports with six wins in ten years, 32%. Eight for the HMS motor shop. Six of the last nine races have been won by Joe Gibbs Racing, seven by their engine shop. Will the JGR dominance continue? We’ll know on Sunday.

Tuesday look for our Top Ten drivers on tracks like this, Thursday we’ll rank the Top 30 drivers for the HighPoint.com 400 from Pocano Raceway.