There are only three more races before the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin, and there have been 15 different drivers to win a race this season. On Sunday, NASCAR will be at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia for the Federated Auto Parts 400. The race will start at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network and the NBC Sports App.
Last week, Kevin Harvick broke his streak of 65 consecutive races without a win and could be a dark horse to win the Cup Series title. When NASCAR competed at Richmond in April, Harvick finished second. And in his last 15 races at Richmond Raceway, the 2014 Cup Series champion has finished in the top eight 12 times.
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“It means a lot,” Harvick said after winning his first race of the year last week. “As we went through the first part of the season and really not having everything where we wanted to be and we just really just kept our heads down and just kept communicating and working and working through what we thought our weak points were. And really over the last five or six weeks the cars have run a lot better, and a lot of that goes to just Rodney and Steve and Dax and everybody just kind of just thinking about what we need to do different and trying things. And, really, it’s gone smoothly over the last several weeks in the simulator, at the racetrack, and the way that things have raced.”
Bubba Wallace has momentum heading into Sunday’s race, finishing second at Michigan International Speedway last week and earning top-10 finishes in his last four races. Because of the production Wallace has shown this year, he recently signed a multi-year contract extension with 23XI Racing. Wallace began driving with 23XI Racing last season and won his first Cup Series Race last November.
“It feels great to get this renewal done and to know I have a home at 23XI Racing,” Wallace said in a statement. “Thanks to M.J. and Denny for continuing to believe in me. We’ve come a long way together in less than two years and we’ve checked off some major goals along the way – including the team’s first win and first pole. We know we still have work to do, both on and off the race track, but I feel good about our team and the direction we’re heading.”
