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In the past three years, 26 drivers have earned stage points at Richmond Raceway, but only six have won one of the 10 stages. There’s a reason for that and his name is Denny Hamlin, who has dominated this stat with five stage wins – leaving little room for the competition. With Joe Gibbs Racing’s current struggles, it’s highly likely someone else is going to take center stage this week.
When NASCAR implemented stage racing in 2017, they changed how drivers and teams approached each weekend. With race points on the line and a playoff bonus point for winning stages, drivers must decide if it is worth racing hard to win the stage, or if they want to employ some other strategy.
The free-to-play NASCAR Pick ‘Em game is simple to play, but with equally matched drivers in each stage, it’s not always easy to determine who will lead their group. Each week, players pick one of four drivers to finish best in Stage 1, Stage 2, and when the checkers wave.
Participants can compete for weekly cash prizes, with a $10,000 jackpot available for any participants who earn a perfect score. There will also be at least $1,000 awarded each week in guaranteed cash and prizes, even if there is no player with a perfect score.
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Best Finish, Stage 1
Matchup: Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace
Keys: Whenever there is a changing of the guard, there are always surprises. None of these drivers have ever won a stage at Richmond; in fact, Briscoe and Suarez have not yet earned points there, but with their current strength this season, that will most likely change.
Edge: Byron. He has come closest to winning a Richmond stage in this foursome with fourth-place finishes in the first segments of the spring race in 2018 and 2021. Byron also has two stage wins so far this season and earned the most stage points of 55.
Best Finish, Stage 2
Matchup: Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson
Keys: The Predictor app loaded this segment with four of the best drivers in the field, but with Hamlin’s domination of the top spot in Richmond stages, Busch is the only driver with Stage wins in the past three years. He has two, which came in spring and fall of 2019.
Edge: Blaney. NASCAR is about, “what have you done lately,” however, and Blaney is the driver with the most momentum and mid-race aggression right now. This is not a slam-dunk and track position could put any of these drivers in a position to capitalize, however.
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Best Finish, Final Stage
Matchup: Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr.
Keys: Two 2022 winners and two drivers looking for their first trophy of the season provide a good mix in this stage. Get used to seeing more of drivers like Bowman and Chastain in the final mix because they are serious challengers when the checkers are about to be unfurled.
Edge: Truex. Even if he misses the top spot, it’s hard to imagine Truex is going to struggle as badly this week as he has in previous races of 2022. He enters the weekend with a six-race streak of Richmond top-fives, which is not going to give his competitors much room to get in front of him.
Top-three, Race Results
Three of Truex’s recent top-fives have been victories and Richmond has arguably become his best track in recent years. Right now we have Joey Logano ranked second on the cheat sheet and unless he disappoints us in practice, we’ll leave him there. We’ll give Elliott the nod in third.
Segment Points and Wins, 2022
Driver | Segment | Segment | Segments |
55 | 2 | 8 | |
50 | 2 | 7 | |
49 | 9 | ||
47 | 10 | ||
46 | 7 | ||
35 | 2 | 5 | |
33 | 1 | 5 | |
33 | 6 | ||
29 | 2 | 4 | |
29 | 1 | 5 | |
27 | 4 | ||
26 | 1 | 5 | |
23 | 1 | 3 | |
22 | 3 | ||
21 | 4 | ||
17 | 4 | ||
17 | 3 | ||
16 | 3 | ||
15 | 6 | ||
13 | 4 | ||
13 | 4 | ||
9 | 2 | ||
9 | 2 | ||
6 | 2 | ||
6 | 2 | ||
5 | 1 | ||
5 | 1 | ||
4 | 1 |
Segment Points and Wins, Richmond
Driver | Segment | Segment | Segments |
77 | 1 | 10 | |
65 | 5 | 8 | |
64 | 1 | 8 | |
50 | 1 | 8 | |
47 | 2 | 7 | |
43 |
| 10 | |
25 |
| 5 | |
21 |
| 6 | |
21 |
| 3 | |
18 |
| 5 | |
15 |
| 3 | |
13 |
| 5 | |
12 |
| 5 | |
12 |
| 4 | |
10 |
| 4 | |
9 |
| 4 | |
9 |
| 2 | |
8 |
| 5 | |
6 |
| 4 | |
6 |
| 3 | |
5 |
| 4 | |
4 |
| 4 | |
3 |
| 5 | |
3 |
| 2 | |
2 |
| 2 | |
2 |
| 2 |
NASCAR Predictor:
2022 Ruoff Mortgage 500k (Phoenix 1)
EchoPark Grand Prix (COTA)
2021 Federated Auto Parts 400 (Richmond 2)
