NASCAR Cup Series

Trevor Bayne, driver of the No. 6 Performance Plus Motor Oil Ford Fusion, heads into this weekend’s Monster Energy Cup Series (MENCS) regular season finale at Richmond Raceway knowing that a win will get the Knoxville, Tenn. native into the opening round of the Playoffs next weekend in Chicago.

Crew chief Mike Wheeler was fined $50,000 and suspended for two races, the team was assessed with the loss of 25 owner points and 25 driver points, and Denny Hamlin’s first-place finish was ruled encumbered per Section 12.10. JGR will not appeal the penalty and Chris Gabehart (the crew chief for JGR’s No. 20 XFINITY Series team) will be on the pit box for the No. 11 team at Richmond, according to a team spokesperson.

Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team punched their postseason ticket back in June at Pocono so are not among the majority of drivers and teams on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit who must win Saturday night at Richmond Raceway to guarantee their place in the NASCAR Playoffs that start next week at Chicagoland Speedway.

The Playoffs are almost here as NASCAR concludes its regular season with Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Roush Fenway Racing returns to Richmond Raceway for the second time in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) season, a track that has seen a Roush Fenway Ford visit victory lane on 15 previous occasions across NASCAR’s three major touring series.

No. 43 Smithfield Ford Team Finished Ninth in the Spring Race Aric Almirola had a fast car this past spring at Richmond International Raceway, where...

Richmond Review: Toyota Cup drivers have had success in the last two Richmond fall races, capturing wins in 2015 (Matt Kenseth) and 2016 (Hamlin), while combining to lead 92 percent of total laps run.

For a race that has been around since 1958, it is a damn shame that it does not carry the proper branding to link it over the decades to the time it was claimed by the likes of Speedy Thompson, Cotton Owens, and Joe Weatherly. Let us properly honor it and refer to this Saturday night’s contest in Richmond, Virginia as the Federated Auto Parts Capital City 400.

Darlington Recap: Hamlin qualified ninth for Sunday’s “Throwback Weekend” race at Darlington, making his way to the front of the field and leading four times for 124 laps during the 367-lap event to earn his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2017 season. Despite an on-track blunder that caused  Hamlin to miss the entrance of pit road for his final green-flag stop of the night, a quick recovery and Crew Chief Mike Wheeler’s decision to pit late at the end of the final segment propelled Hamlin and the #11 to victory lane and a “Too Tough To Tame” sweep. Following Sunday’s race, Hamlin remains in fifth in the overall NASCAR standings.

Richard Childress Racing's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Richmond International Raceway ... Richard Childress has nine Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories as a car owner at Richmond International Raceway - five with Dale Earnhardt, three with Kevin Harvick and one with Clint Bowyer. Additionally, in 163 starts at the Richmond, Va.-based track, RCR drivers have claimed 36 top-five and 68 top-10 finishes. Childress, a former driver on NASCAR's senior circuit, contributed three of those top-10 finishes from 1976-1978.