Showing posts with label starting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label starting. Show all posts

Saturday, September 10, 2016

NASCAR Richmond 2016: Preview, lineup, starting grid for Federated Auto Parts 400

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Four playoff berths are left to claim in the final regular season race.

Ideally, the deciding event of the 26-race regular season would be full of intrigue centering on which drivers are championship-eligible when the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins next week. For those not already qualified for NASCAR"s playoffs, Richmond International Raceway is a final opportunity to punch their Chase ticket, either by outright winning or by scoring a sufficient amount of points to move high enough in the standings to grab a wild card spot.

The desperation to win or finish well is supposed to create drama that culminates in a memorable night in which drivers race aggressively, and often anything can and does happen. There"s been Jeremy Mayfield coming through in a must-win situation in 2004, Kyle Busch inexplicably missing the cut in 2012, and the controversial jerry-rigged 2013 event where multiple teams conspired to fix the finishing order to assure advancement.

Much to NASCAR"s chagrin, however, not every regular season finale can play out as hoped. Such an exciting scenario seems unlikely to unfold Saturday night in the Federated Auto Parts 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN).

Twelves drivers have secured one of the 16 Chase berths available via victories in the prior 25 regular season races. Another, Chris Buescher -- who won the Aug. 1 weather-shortened Pocono race -- can make it 13 as long as he doesn"t lose more than 11 points to David Ragan and drop outside the top 30 in the standings, which would make him ineligible.

Provided Richmond doesn"t produce a new winner and Buescher doesn"t stumble, three slots will then be earned off points. But with Chase Elliott (39 points ahead of the cutoff) and Austin Dillon (+31) in sound shape, both must only avoid a disastrous result to get in.

"We wish we were already locked in by now, but we have put ourselves in a positive position going," Dillon said. "We need to run good, need to finish strong and that will take care of itself if we have a good strong finish."

That leaves Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman vying for the last position, though Newman"s chances took a substantial hit with a 15-point penalty NASCAR levied against his team on Wednesday. Instead of being a manageable seven points behind McMurray, Newman is now 22 points in arrears. Overcoming a gap like that probably requires McMurray to encounter an issue of some kind.

McMurray enters Richmond riding a streak of three top-10 finishes in the past four races. He was positioned for another such result in last week"s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, but a missing lug nut necessitated an extra pit stop late and he finished 15th.

"As an organization, it"s been really good," McMurray said. "And the next 10 races, if we can get in, it"s going to be pretty awesome because our cars have peaked at the right time."

Of course, if Newman wins, he"d automatically qualify at the expense of McMurray, despite how well McMurray may be running. The same applies if someone else were to replicate Mayfield"s 2004 victory.

"We"ve been trying to win now for three years, so there"s no better time than [Saturday] night," Newman said.

However, the chance of a new winner emerging appears remote, with the four best candidates to pull off a surprise all possessing serious shortcomings. Newman hasn"t won a race since 2013, and owns just one top-five finish all season; former Richmond winners Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer are each mired in bad slumps; and rookie Ryan Blaney is hindered by the inconsistency that first-year drivers typically experience.

And if you"re thinking maybe a team could use some combination of weather and strategy to its advantage (like Buescher did at Pocono), that too appears far-flung. The weekend forecast isn"t calling for rain, fuel-mileage races rarely occur at Richmond, and the three-quarter mile track isn"t like a restrictor-plate event at Daytona or Talladega where the lesser teams compete on a more even plane.

Still, the possibility exists that the unexpected could happen and someone new could find themselves in victory lane.

"I think they are as good as they"ve been in a while," said Kahne on his chances of snapping a two-year winless streak. "... It"s going to be a tough race, but I think we have a car capable of contending and racing in the top five throughout the night."

FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400 STARTING LINEUP





































































































































































SBNation.com - All Posts
http://wp.me/p59zQO-8DX
#2016, #Auto, #Federated, #Grid, #Lineup, #NASCAR, #Parts, #Preview, #Richmond, #Starting - #NASCAR
PositionDriverMakeSpeed
1Denny HamlinToyota122.344
2Kyle LarsonChevrolet122.288
3Matt KensethToyota122.244
4Jamie McMurrayChevrolet122.189
5Kurt BuschChevrolet122.144
6Martin Truex, Jr.Toyota122.045
7Kasey KahneChevrolet122.045
8Austin DillonChevrolet121.638
9Kyle BuschToyota121.457
10Jimmie JohnsonChevrolet120.951
11Jeff GordonChevrolet120.827
12Joey LoganoFord120.579
13Carl EdwardsToyota122.272
14Tony StewartChevrolet122.249
15Ryan NewmanChevrolet122.045
16A.J. AllmendingerChevrolet122.017
17Brad KeselowskiFord121.924
18Trevor BayneFord121.770
19Kevin HarvickChevrolet121.556
20Ryan BlaneyFord121.529
21David RaganToyota121.310
22Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.Ford120.654
23Aric AlmirolaFord120.401
24Regan SmithChevrolet120.321
25Matt DiBenedettoToyota122.299
26Casey MearsChevrolet122.294
27Michael McDowellChevrolet122.288
28Greg BiffleFord122.266
29Danica PatrickChevrolet122.161
30Paul MenardChevrolet122.078
31Chris BuescherFord121.957
32Landon CassillFord121.935
33Clint BowyerChevrolet121.781
34Chase ElliottChevrolet121.775
35Brian ScottFord121.540
36Josh WiseChevrolet121.250
37Michael AnnettChevrolet121.245
38Reed SorensonChevrolet120.924
39Dylan LuptonToyota120.208
40Jeffrey EarnhardtFord120.182
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Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Noah Syndergaard is not pleased by the wave starting at Citi Field

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noah-syndergaard

Noah Syndergaard does not like the wave.

The New York Mets pitcher called out the Citi Field fans after the team’s 7-4 win on Tuesday night and had some strong opinions about the practice.

I’ve never been even remotely fond of the wave, but I’ve wondered what players themselves think about it. Opinions are probably varied, but now we know how Syndergaard feels, at least. Perhaps he can head back to his home state, where there’s a franchise whose views very much seem to align with his own.


Baseball – Larry Brown Sports
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#Citi, #Field, #Noah, #Pleased, #Starting, #Syndergaard, #Wave - #Baseball
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Monday, August 29, 2016

Trevor Siemian named Broncos starting QB for Week 1

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Trevor Siemian

The Denver Broncos announced on Monday that Trevor Siemian will be the team’s starting quarterback in Week 1.

In a move that many saw coming, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak decided to award the job to Siemian after a preseason in which none of the three quarterbacks expected to be on the Broncos’ roster really stood out. Kubiak recently said he was impressed with the way Siemian has handled himself and hinted that the former seventh-round draft pick was the favorite to start.

The Broncos’ official press release notes that Kubiak considered Siemian and Sanchez to be “neck and neck,” but even Sanchez realizes he blew some great opportunities. Recall what the veteran said about his own performance in Denver’s second preseason game.

The Broncos are hoping their defense is good enough to carry them the way it did last year. Assuming Sanchez makes the roster, he will likely be the second-string quarterback ahead of rookie Paxton Lynch. If Siemian struggles, the Broncos probably won’t wait long before giving Sanchez a chance.


Football – Larry Brown Sports
http://wp.me/p59zQO-71e
#Broncos, #Named, #Siemian, #Starting, #Trevor, #Week - #Football
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Thursday, August 18, 2016

Luke Del Rio named Florida starting quarterback

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Luke Del Rio

Luke Del Rio’s roundabout road to Florida has led to a starting job.

Del Rio, the son of Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio, on Thursday was named the starting quarterback for the Florida Gators.

Luke Del Rio began his career at Alabama, then transferred to Oregon State, and then he sat out last season after transferring to Florida.

Del Rio is considered a redshirt sophomore. He transferred to Florida as a walk-on but was awarded a scholarship and will now be the Gators’ starter.


College Football – Larry Brown Sports
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#Florida, #Luke, #Named, #Quarterback, #Starting - #CollegeFootball
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