Numbers tell the story at Richmond
by JORGE A. MONDACA, FOXSports.com
9.388
What it is: Average running position for Clint Bowyer, winner of Saturday night's Crown Royal 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway.
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The story it tells: Wondering how Clint Bowyer pulled a rabbit out of his hat and won Saturday night's race? You're not the only one.
Nobody will deny a lot of luck helped the Richard Childress Racing driver pull into Victory Lane, but as the saying goes, "You create your own luck." Bowyer did just that throughout the extended 410-lap race.
Starting from 31st, Bowyer stormed through the field and found himself sixth overall by the midway mark. Overall, he spent 338 laps inside the top 15 and put himself in fifth place with just 40 laps remaining, a position which would later turn golden as several twists and turns saw Denny Hamlin, who led 381 laps on the day from pole position, as well as prohibitive favorites Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr., fall by the wayside during a zany finale.
"You know, you're not always ... the fastest car does not always win, and that was the case with the BB&T (Chevrolet)," Bowyer said. "We were fast all night, and once we were up there, we were able to run a lot better. You know, you've got to be able to be there for the taking, at least, and we were close enough to do just that."
That said, Bowyer didn't create history at Richmond (winning from the furthest starting position) just by running hard -- strategy and luck both played significant factors.
"You just have to be patient," said the 27-year-old native of Emporia, Kan. "We had a fast race car, but too many times, I've seen people, and I've done it myself, push too hard, and spin their tires, and sooner or later deep into a run, you're really loose and don't have any forward drive and can't pass anybody underneath of them. That's the hardest thing.
"It was meant to be, I guess."
13
What it is: Number of Sprint Cup drivers involved in the crash that took place on Lap 229 of Saturday night's race.
The story it tells: Crashes always impact a race, but nothing is quite like "The Big One" — an accident that usually wipes out a good portion of the field from serious contention.
However, those types of wrecks are usually restricted (no pun intended) to the two superspeedway tracks on the schedule: Daytona and Talladega — venues where NASCAR requires the use of restrictor plates which help to bunch up the field.
But due to a perfect storm of events, "The Big One" took place at Richmond Saturday, and it had a massive impact for several drivers.
Among the marquee names involved in the wreck, the crash probably hurt two drivers the most — Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth. Busch, who started the year with a runner-up finish in the Daytona 500, finished 42nd as a result of having a T-Bone impact with Patrick Carpentier's out-of-control car. It was his fifth consecutive finish of 20th or worse and drops him to 24th in the standings, 222 points behind 12th place Kasey Kahne — the driver on the bubble if the Chase for the Sprint Cup were to start today.
Similarly, Kenseth also received impact en route to limping home with a 38th-place result, his third consecutive finish of 38th or worse.
Although he didn't take as dramatic a hit in the points as his fellow past NASCAR champions, Jimmie Johnson did lose steam as a result of the crash. The winner of the last two races at Richmond came into the weekend riding a six-race streak of finishes inside the top 20.
Other drivers involved in the wreck included: David Reutimann, Regan Smith, Patrick Carpentier, Dave Blaney, Jeff Burton, David Gilliland, Juan Pablo Montoya, Johnny Sauter, J.J. Yeley and Carl Edwards.
104
What it is: Number of fastest laps set by Denny Hamlin, the most in the race.
The story it tells: You have to feel for the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota.
Running at his home track, Denny Hamlin flat out put a beating on the field Saturday, starting from the pole and leading 381 of the first 382 laps — including the 104 during which he set the fastest lap mark — but came up short as a tire issue sent him spiraling down the scoring pylon.
"We know we're capable of winning. We've been capable of winning the last six races we've been in. It's just you have to have things go your way," said Hamlin. "You figure your luck comes in swings at times. I felt like I had some good fortune at Martinsville, good fortune here last night, but I'm trying to justify why we had 10 races (where) we've had bad luck. Eventually, hopefully it's going to turn around one day. Once it does we're going to start ringing off a bunch of wins."
Not surprisingly, Hamlin set the high mark in several of NASCAR's statistical categories on race day: Driver rating (129.1), average running position (2.254), fastest early in a run (119.474 mph), fastest late in a run (114.204 mph), fastest on restarts (119.332 mph) and green flag speed (116.012 mph). Unfortunately, the final result is what matters, and on Saturday Hamlin finished 25th.
7
What it is: Number of victories for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series this season in 11 races.
The story it tells: Denny Hamlin left Richmond bitterly disappointed after his collapse Saturday, but at least he can take solace in the fact that he successfully continued JGR's dominance in the Nationwide Series Friday night.
Driving the No. 20 Toyota, Hamlin was not nearly as strong in the Nationwide event as he was in the Cup race — Carl Edwards led the most laps and ran away with the lead during the middle portion of the event — but he was able to use tire strategy to record his first win this season in the series, the fifth for the No. 20 Toyota (Tony Stewart contributed three and Kyle Busch one), and the seventh for his organization.
"We weren't that good most of the day," said Hamlin. "But Dave (Rogers, crew chief) just kept making the car better and better throughout the day. Just an unbelievable finish for us. I always said that circumstances were going to have to come our way for us to get a win here. It seems like we never win whether we have the best car or the worst car.
"It's just an unbelievable day for this whole 20 team and thanks for all their support. They're the ones that put me in this car three years ago and got me to the level that I'm at."
Although nobody will drive the No. 20 full-time this season, don't count it or the No. 18 out of contention in the owner's championship if this trend continues — and for that momentum to continue making its way up to their Sprint Cup teams as well.
1,495
What it is: The point total after 10 races for the new championship leader after Richmond, Kyle Busch.
The story it tells: There has, and will be, a lot written and said by pundits and fans about Kyle Busch, but the one thing that is undeniable is the fact that 10 races into the 2008 Sprint Cup Series season, "Wild Thing" is the leader in the championship, 18 points ahead of last week's leader Jeff Burton.
Odds and ends
9887 of 9891: Not sure how all three of Richard Childress Racing's cars are in the top five in the Sprint Cup standings? That three car organization has combined to miss completing just four laps in competition this season (two apiece for Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer) -- showing once again that consistency is the key to a championship.
6: Just how good was the competition Saturday night? A total of six drivers spent the entire evening inside the top 15. One driver, third-place finisher Mark Martin, never dropped lower than fifth.
$2,823,788: Through 10 races this season, Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman leads the race earnings chart this season with that total, $1.5 million of which came as a result of his lone triumph so far this year. Three-race winner Carl Edwards is second on the list with a grand total of $2,459,825 while Richmond winner Clint Bowyer is 13th with $1,529,820. For the record, 35 drivers have already broken the $1 million mark this year.
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