Why JGR is worrying, celebrating
RICHMOND, Va. — For one Joe Gibbs Racing driver, it was a reassertion of his prowess. For another it was a massive missed opportunity that left him reeling. For a third, it was a well-timed rebound that still came up far short.
The Federated Auto Parts 400 was ultimately a tale of an organization that left Richmond Raceway alternately celebrating success and puzzling over predicaments.
Kyle Busch took charge of the second of 10 playoff races, winning for the sixth time at Richmond and the 50th time in his NASCAR Cup Series career. Busch held off a late charge by Kevin Harvick Saturday night then matched him with his seventh win of the season.
“There’s been a lot of milestones. The 50th is a kind of a number at this point,” said Busch, who tied Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for 11th on the alltime list. “But it’s really good to have the win, to be able to go into next week.”
Busch catapulted from the back of the field — after his team made unapproved adjustments on the car after qualifying — into the second round of the playoffs, joining Brad Keselowski, who won the playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and reigning series champion Martin Truex Jr., who finished third for the second consecutive week.
While Harvick has not quite locked up a spot in the next round, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver is almost assured of being one of 12 drivers who will advance, with a 57-point cushion over teammate Clint Bowyer, ranked 13th.
At the other end of the spectrum sits Busch’s JGR teammates Erik Jones and Denny Hamlin, who are mired at the bottom of the playoff standings in 15th and 16th, respectively, and likely facing a must-win scenario next weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Jones, in the playoffs for the first time, rebounded from a terrible pit stop sequence that left him restarting at the back of the field to open the second stage. Jones was able to climb back to 11th, but it wasn’t nearly high enough after a disastrous last-place finish at Las Vegas.
Hamlin’s situation is even more dire and surely more disappointing.
The Virginia native knew Richmond was a golden opportunity to make a surge in the standings, given his past success at his hometown track. And his weekend started promising, with a second-place qualifying run that ended up being the highlight of his homecoming.
A visibly frustrated Hamlin came home 16th, one lap down to Busch and with an even greater points deficit than he entered — 29 points behind Ryan Blaney in 12th.
“It’s been a very tough year for Denny,” owner Joe Gibbs said. “This is Erik’s first go-round, so he’ll just have at it (next weekend at Charlotte). But with Denny, what we’ve got to do is throw caution to the wind. That’s two cars that have a lot of ground to make up, so I think they’ll be very aggressive.”
Things get no easier next weekend when playoff elimination will be on the line at a circuit that has caused panic in the garage. For the first time, NASCAR has scheduled a road race for the playoffs — but with a big twist. Drivers hoping to advance to the next round will have to navigate the Charlotte “Roval” — part road course, part oval and never before contested.
It could be a monumental ask for drivers like Jones and Hamlin, whereas Busch is sitting pretty.