NASCAR: 4 Predictions for The Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond

Here are four predictions for Richmond. Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

NASCAR is heading to the final race of the regular season and for drivers on the Chase bubble, the race at Richmond is make or break. Before the sun goes down and the lights turn on for Saturday nights race, here are four predictions for Richmond.

The last race of the regular season is always one of the more interesting times in the NASCAR. With the newer Chase setup there has yet to be a regular season with 16 winners, which leaves open spots in the Chase for drivers to make it in on points.

Every point matters, and this will be the case on Saturday night during the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond.

Several drivers like Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne and Chris Beuscher are all on the Chase bubble and failing to gain enough points on Saturday night could ruin any chance they may have at seeing the post season.

With the type of racing we’ve seen this year and the pressure drivers are facing to make the Chase, what kind of racing can we expect at Richmond? Will drivers be willing to put everything on the line or will they be extra cautious when the green flag drops?

Cautious drivers could make for lots of green flag racing and with clean air impacting the lead car so much this season, once someone gets out in front we could see them lap the majority of the field.

Who will win the last race of the season? Who will make the Chase? Before these questions are answered here are four predictions for the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond.

Don’t be surprised if Ryan Newman’s failure to make the Chase spells the end of his time at RCR. iJasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Newman Fails to Make The Chase

Ryan Newman was heading into Richmond seven points out of the Chase cutoff. He was going to have to race hard and hope other drivers on the Chase bubble struggled during the Federated Auto Parts 400.

Unfortunately for the 31 team, after the Darlington race they were randomly selected for a post-race inspection and failed it. Now they have to deal with the penalty, which is a 15 point reduction.

Instead of being seven points out of the Chase, the 31 team is now 22 points out and have already sealed their fate before Richmond even starts on Saturday night.

In fact the only way they make it into the Chase is with a win and Newman hasn’t won a race since 2013.

He won’t win on Saturday either.

This is going to be the end of Ryan Newman at Richard Childress Racing. The veteran driver has been irrelevant in NASCAR this season and is only getting worse the longer he stay with the organization.

His time at RCR is up, and after the 31 team fails to make the Chase this year, Newman will be looking for a new team in 2017.

IF Chris Buescher can have another solid finish on Saturday night he will make the Chase. Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Buescher Makes The Chase

Chris Buescher is sitting just on the edge of 30th place, and only has 11 points more than 31st place driver David Ragan.

And while this might seem like something for Buescher to worry about, he’s been running much better since winning at Pocono, thanks to what we can only believe is some much needed help from Roush-Yates. With his win he’s more than likely getting better engines for his car now and can compete at a much higher level.

All he has to do on Saturday is stay ahead of those drivers who are below him in the points, which shouldn’t be too hard of a task. They are all mostly from under-funded teams and will be lucky to even complete the race at Richmond on the lead Lap.

He finished 17th last weekend at Darlington and if he can manage another top 20 this weekend, we will see the 31 car in the Chase.

Now whether or not he is competitive in the post-season is something we will find out in the comping weeks.

Chris Buescher makes the Chase on Saturday night and hopefully starts to draw the attention of some much bigger teams in the Sprint Cup Series.

As drivers race around the track on Saturday night, seeing who makes the Chase and who falls out will be entertaining. The race itself though, won’t be.

Who Makes the Chase Will Be Entertaining, Not The Race

After seeing how one car was able to get out in front and hold a solid lead last week at Darlington, it’s a very real possibility that the same thing will happen at Richmond this Saturday night.

Normally with short tracks like Richmond you should expect a lot of bumping, as drivers use their bumpers to move one another out of the way. This will more than likely still happen, but as one driver gets out in front the clean air is going to make them extremely hard to catch.

There is also the issue of some drivers who will undoubtedly be racing extra cautiously. Jamie McMurray and Austin Dillon for example are currently in the Chase and need solid finishes and nothing to go wrong to make it in on points after Richmond.

Don’t expect them to make any daring moves to the front; instead they will be riding around mid-pack to try and avoid accidents and causing any unnecessary trouble with other drivers.

Richmond is always one of the more exciting races, but not because of it’s short track racing style. Instead the excitement is seeing who will make the Chase during the final race of the regular season.

Saturday night will be filled with lots of green flag racing, a dominant lead car and cautious drivers who won’t go for the win but instead will go for points to hopefully make the Chase. If you’re expecting an action-packed race this weekend, you might be disappointed by the end of the Federated Auto Parts 400.

Kevin Harvick will win on Saturday night. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O

The Closer Closes Out The Regular Season

Kevin Harvick is mad and on Saturday night the driver of the 4 car might be like a bull in a china shop.

Harvick is at a breaking point with his team. Week after week it seems like he has one of the fastest cars on the track and continues to be one of the only Chevy drivers able to compete with the Toyota teams.

Yet no matter how hard he drives, something always seems to go wrong in the pits and it’s taken Harvick from 1st during a race to 6th or 7th. He’s had to race his way back to the front but by the time the race is coming to an end he’s had to settle for second.

This week he finally said something publicly about how bad his pit crew is and how it’s time for them to do their job on pit road, and the four team also received two new pit crew members from Danica Patrick’s team.

Now with the spotlight clearly on the pit crew of the 4 team for Saturday night’s race, they are going to try and prove to the NASCAR world that they are just as good as they were when Harvick won the championship.

With Harvick ready to run through everyone to win and his pit crew now being challenged to step up and improve, Harvick will have what he needs to get into Victory Lane Saturday night.

Who do you think will win the race on Saturday night? Which drivers will make the Chase on points? Let us know in the comments below.

And as always head over to BeyondTheFlag.com for more NASCAR news.