2007 Jim Stewart 400 presented by Crown Royal:
Richmond International Raceway hosts the NEXTEL Cup stars this Saturday night under the lights. Kevin Harvick dominated this race last year before Dale Earnhardt Jr. swooped in for the win. Jeff Gordon has won the last two NEXTEL Cup races, will he make it three in a row this weekend? The Car of Tomorrow is back as NASCAR's best light it up in Richmond for the Jim Stewart 400 presented by Crown Royal.
Tickets:
Speedway ticket office (866) 455-RACE
The Track:
The 3/4-mile D-shaped oval has just 14 degrees of banking in the corners but it is enough banking to provide great racing. While the other short tracks on the circuit (Martinsville and Bristol) tend to force drivers to hug the inside line to be fast, Richmond has multiple grooves. Drivers can run side-by-side for laps on end with no clear advantage to either lane.
Race Distance:
400 laps = 300 miles
The Big Picture:
This is race 10 of 36. While short track racing can be unpredictable, this race will be a welcome change from the pressure of the restrictor plate. Jeff Gordon won the last two races and is comfortably in top of the standings but there is still a long way to go in the 2007 NEXTEL Cup season.
The current top twelve are:
- Jeff Gordon -0
- Jeff Burton -203
- Matt Kenseth -229
- Jimmie Johnson -231
- Denny Hamlin -332
- Tony Stewart -440
- Kevin Harvick -459
- Jamie McMurray -462
- Kyle Busch -467
- Kurt Busch -483
- Clint Bowyer -500
- Carl Edwards -517
Storylines:
If you are sick of hearing about Jeff Gordon then you might want to turn off the sound this week. Jeff Gordon brings a two race winning streak into Richmond. Gordon is also the point leader by a fairly large 203 point margin and was part of the controversy last week as people were throwing beer cans at him after last week's win.
Jeff Gordon is also a favorite to win in Richmond since he won here twice in the past and maintains the best finishing average of all drivers in the three previous Car of Tomorrow races. Gordon has not finished worse than third so far in the CoT.
Media Coverage:
TV: FX Saturday, May 5th, 7:00PM Eastern.
Radio: MRN and SIRIUS Satellite
Actual Race: 7:30PM Eastern
Posted Awards:
$5,032,994
Last Year:
The 2006 Crown Royal 400 was largely dominated by Kevin Harvick. Harvick lead most of the way but was the victim of a bad strategy which dropped him to third for the final restart.
Dale Earnhardt Jr's team made the right call and got him out in front for the final restart. Denny Hamlin restarted in second. Hamlin may have been a little faster but didn't have enough to get past as Junior scored the 2006 Richmond win.
Predictions:
The Car of Tomorrow returns this weekend as we visit Richmond International Raceway. Jeff Gordon is on a roll and would make an easy pick for this weekend's race but he is too obvious of a pick.
Tony Stewart has run well in CoT races in 2007. He lead 257 laps in Bristol before falling to a mechanical problem. Then he finished seventh in Martinsville and second in Phoenix. Stewart also has three previous NEXTEL Cup victories in Richmond.
Tony hasn't found victory lane yet in 2007 I believe this could be his week.
Since picking up the Daytona 500 victory Kevin Harvick hasn't been running as strong as he would like. Harvick was the class of the field in Richmond last year. He dominated much of the spring race and won the fall race. Harvick hasn't been impressive outside of the restrictor plate tracks but Richmond could be his chance to climb back to the top.
