Season Finale at Richmond
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| Matt Kenseth searches for a 2017 playoff berth, along with a ride for 2018. |
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| Chase Elliott, the soon-to-be driver of the #9 in 2018 |
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| Jamie McMurray has had one of his best season in recent memory, can he make it into the playoffs? |
There comes a point in every season where tension hits a boiling point. For NASCAR, we've been in the midst of this for the last three weeks. This weekend marks the season finale with only three spots up for grabs. These spots come at a price though. A win gets you into the playoffs, but with only one race left, it could be a chess game Saturday night for Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, and Chase Elliott. Each driver has a 90+ points margin over 17th place and are within 5 points of each other in points. Virtually the only way these guys don't make it is if someone outside the top 16 wins. Why do I say chess match? Well, Jamie McMurray has the most pressure on him, being at the cutoff line. Kenseth and Elliott need solid runs no matter what. If those two beat McMurray at the end of the night, It could be interesting. But, if McMurray outruns the other two, then either Kenseth or Elliott could be susceptible to not making it in.
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| Erik Jones could play spoiler for one of the drivers listed above |
As far as those who are on the outside looking in, I have to go with Erik Jones as the potential wild card to get a win. He has been extremely focused for the second half of the season, and has shown maturity as well (even while rocking his majestic mullet). Jones had a solid race weekend, albeit his DNF after 8 laps. He showed consistent speed and lap times throughout practice and qualified in the top dozen. Also, it doesn't hurt that he has had success in the Xfinity series at Richmond, finishing in the top 5 three out of the four times he has started. Could "that Jones kid" play spoil?
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| The spring edition of Richmond Raceway |
It also is a bit of a sad moment in NASCAR, as this marks the final Richmond race serving as the season cutoff (the race will be moved into the playoffs for next season). It will be a bittersweet moment for the Cup series which has held this finale race since the inception of a playoff system. Moving the season finale to Indianapolis for next season is a major gamble. As I have stated numerous times throughout my blog posts, something needs to be done about the quality of racing at the Brickyard. We can not have another showing like we did this past season. The only exciting part was the final 25 laps. What was a bright spot to that weekend was the success of the aero and engine package run by the Xfinity series. From what I have heard, this package could be used for Indianapolis, along with Michigan and Pocono for 2018. The good news about Richmond moving is that it will now be inside of the playoffs. That should make for an interesting day for crew chiefs pondering. Also, just sort of realizing this, but Richmond will be the new night race in the playoffs, as Charlotte will become a permanent afternoon affair (now on the roval!). I hope to make more smaller posts from here on out, I promise!
