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All You Need to Know About the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway

Published 09/09/2020, 11:41 PM EDT

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The second race of the NASCAR Playoffs is set to kick off at the Richmond Raceway in Virginia. After Darlington, the pressure will be on to stay out of the bottom four by the end of the first round.

As it turns out, Richard Petty holds the all-time record for most wins at the track with 13. However, Kyle Busch leads the active driver list with six triumphs. Admittedly, Kevin Harvick will try his hardest to catch up to the 2019 champion.

Apparently, this is the first time that Richmond hosts just one race this season. However, it cannot be helped as the ongoing COVID-19 crisis wreaks havoc across the United States.

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Once again, Kevin Harvick starts on pole position, and Joey Logano joins him on the front row. Behind the Ford duo is a trio of Chevy drivers, Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, and William Byron respectively.

What to expect from the Richmond Raceway

Talking about the circuit’s character, it possesses an abrasive surface, which can lead to high tire wear. So, drivers will need to focus on conserving tires for long runs and strategy. Luckily, the teams have experienced this at tracks like the New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the Phoenix Raceway.

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We’re on a back-to-back stretch of the NASCAR playoff schedule where we race on high-wear race tracks,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s Director of Racing.

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“Richmond is known for several things – being a racy short track, being a favorite of drivers and fans, and now as a high-wear track. The tire set-up for Richmond is aligned with two other tracks that are of similar length — Loudon and Phoenix.

“That is especially important in this current racing climate with no practice. Having the same tire set-up on a similar track will help teams tune in quicker on their car set-ups, which is even more important with the shorter race distances of short-track racing.”

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Last year, Martin Truex Jr triumphed in the Playoffs and edged out Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. In the end, he won the duel but was unable to stop Busch from seizing the championship.

“We’re Ready to Pounce”: Martin Truex Jr. Exudes Confidence and Hopes for Elusive Win Ahead of Playoffs

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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