FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: RICHMOND PLAYOFF NOTES
The NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Cup Series will conduct a day-night doubleheader on Saturday at Richmond Raceway. Two races remain in the regular season for NXS teams with Ford driver Austin Cindric in contention for a second straight championship while the Cup competitors prepare for their second playoff race of Round 1.
This Week’s Schedule:
Saturday, Sept. 11 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 2:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
Saturday, Sept. 11 – NASCAR Cup Series, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT RR
- Ford has 33 all-time series wins at Richmond.
- Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano each have two Ford wins at RR.
- Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick also have one career series win.
ROUND OF 16 NCS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 12 advance after Bristol)
5-Ryan Blaney +22
6-Joey Logano +21
7-Kevin Harvick +20
8-Brad Keselowski +12
11-Aric Almirola +3
16-Michael McDowell -20
FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT RR
- Ford has 19 all-time series wins at Richmond.
- Mark Martin is Ford’s all-time series leader in wins at the track with five.
- Ford’s last win at the track came in 2019 by Cole Custer.
KESELOWSKI WINS 2020’S LONE RICHMOND VISIT
Richmond Raceway hosted two NASCAR Cup Series events a year from 1959-2019, but in 2020 the track had only one event due to COVID and Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski took the checkered flag in dominating fashion. Keselowski led 192-of-400 laps in recording his second career Cup win at the Virginia short track, and automatically advanced to the Round of 12. Overall, Ford led 297 laps on the night and had five drivers finish in the top 10, including Joey Logano (3rd), Kevin Harvick (7th), Aric Almirola (8th) and Clint Bowyer (10th).
RICHMOND ONE OF LOGANO’S BEST
It would be easy to look at Joey Logano’s two career wins at Richmond and say it’s got to be one of his best tracks on the circuit, but the statistics provide further proof. In 24 career starts, Logano has 11 top 5 and 14 top 10 finishes, which gives him an average finish of 10.5. That’s his second-best average finish on tracks where he’s run at least five races. The only track where Logano has a better average finish is Las Vegas, where his two wins and 11 top-10 finishes in 16 starts works out to an 8.4 average finish.
HARVICK A CAREER TOP-10 FINISHER AT RICHMOND
Another Ford driver who has experienced consistent success at Richmond is Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick. This weekend will mark his 41st career Cup Series start at the track in which his 10.1 average finish is fifth-best among tracks currently on the circuit in which he has more than five starts. The other four tracks that statistically are Harvick’s best include: Homestead (7.3), Indianapolis (8.6), Phoenix (8.8) and Kansas (9.1).
ALL-TIME FORD PLAYOFF VICTORIES
Ford has 47 all-time playoff victories, including at least one on every track that makes up this year’s 10-race schedule. Joey Logano is Ford’s all-time playoff win leader with 10 while Carl Edwards is second with eight and Greg Biffle third with seven. Talladega Superspeedway has been Ford’s most successful track since the playoff format began in 2004 with nine NASCAR Cup Series victories. Homestead and Kansas are next on the list with seven wins each.
CINDRIC ONLY ONE POINT OUT OF NXS POINTS LEAD
Austin Cindric has led the point standings for most of the season until two weeks ago when AJ Allmendinger passed him. Going into this weekend’s race, Cindric finds himself only one point out of the lead after a third-place finish at Darlington. With a series-high five wins this season, Cindric is already locked into the playoff field, but is now focused on winning the regular season championship for a second straight year and the 15 bonus points that go with the title.
HERBST LOOKING TO STRENGTHEN NXS PLAYOFF POSITION
Riley Herbst is trying to give Ford two postseason participants and with two races remaining in the NASCAR XFINITY Series season, he’s in position to do just that. Herbst has a 46-point advantage over Michael Annett for the final berth, but also has to hope that nobody below him wins and takes that spot away. From a points perspective, Herbst still has a chance to move up in the standings as he sits 19 behind Brandon Jones.
FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT RICHMOND
1957 – Paul Goldsmith
1959 – Tom Pistone and Cotton Owens
1960 – Speedy Thompson (2)
1963 – Ned Jarrett (2)
1965 – Junior Johnson (1)
1968 – David Pearson (1)
1969 – David Pearson (1)
1970 – James Hylton (1)
1979 – Bobby Allison (2)
1980 – Bobby Allison (2)
1981 – Benny Parsons (2)
1984 – Ricky Rudd (1)
1986 – Kyle Petty (1)
1988 – Davey Allison (2)
1990 – Mark Martin (1)
1992 – Bill Elliott (1)
1993 – Davey Allison (1)
1994 – Ernie Irvan (1)
1995 – Rusty Wallace (2)
1996 – Ernie Irvan (2)
1997 – Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett
1998 – Jeff Burton (2)
1999 – Dale Jarrett (1)
2001 – Ricky Rudd (2)
2002 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2005 – Kurt Busch (2)
2013 – Carl Edwards (2)
2014 – Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski
2017 – Joey Logano (1)
2020 – Brad Keselowski
FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT RICHMOND
1987 – Mark Martin
1993 – Mark Martin (Sweep)
1994 – Kenny Wallace (2)
1995 – Kenny Wallace (1) and Dale Jarrett (2)
1996 – Kenny Wallace (2)
1997 – Mark Martin (1)
1998 – Jeff Burton (1)
1999 – Mark Martin (1)
2000 – Jeff Burton (2)
2002 – Jason Keller (1)
2005 – Carl Edwards (1)
2008 – Carl Edwards (2)
2009 – Carl Edwards (2)
2013 – Brad Keselowski (Sweep)
2017 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2019 – Cole Custer (1)
