The Cup Series will travel back to Richmond Raceway this week for the Cook Out 400. The Driver Group Game picks for the first race at Richmond scored 328 points. This race is typically easy to predict because the same drivers finish up front every time the Cup Series races at this short, flat track. I will do my best to ensure we post another score will well over 300 D.G.G. Points this week. The Cook Out 400 can be seen Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network and streamed on the NBC Sports App.
STRATEGY FOR RICHMOND
The cream typically rises to the top at Richmond Raceway. This is one of the best tracks for Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing is pretty good too. Kevin Harvick also has a history of finishing up front at Richmond. This is not the race to save allocations with your top drivers. There is a good chance that the drivers you are running low on allocations with will finish up front. I plan to use my best drivers in the Cook Out 400 Sunday.
Here are the picks for the Cook Out 400 …
GROUP A DRIVERS
KYLE LARSON (6): Larson won the last race at Richmond, and he should have a good chance to win Sunday. The No. 5 has averaged the fastest speed in the three races at Richmond in the Gen-7 car (two races last year and one race this year). He also averages the third-fastest speed on the short, flat tracks this year. Larson won the pole in two of the last four races at Richmond, so he has a good chance to score bonus points for qualifying Saturday.
WILLIAM BYRON (4): I thought about using one driver from Hendrick Motorsports and one driver from Joe Gibbs Racing, but I cannot ignore what Byron did at Richmond in April. The No. 24 car qualified third for the race, led 117 laps, scored 18 Stage Points and finished 24th. Byron was running 3rd with 15 laps to go when he was spun out by Christopher Bell. Byron has led over 115 laps in two of the three races in the Gen-7 car at Richmond. His team has this track figured out.
(OTHER PICK) DENNY HAMLIN (6): Love him or hate him, Hamlin will be a good pick this week. He is always good at the short tracks in his home state of Virginia. Hamlin was running 4th in the April race at Richmond when he got a speeding penalty in the pits with only 15 laps to go in the race. He finished 4th, 1st, 2nd and 2nd in his four previous races at Richmond. Use the No. 11 car this week if you do not want to put all of your eggs in the Hendrick Motorsports basket.
GROUP A DRIVER RANKINGS: 1) Kyle Larson 2) William Byron 3) Denny Hamlin 4) Christopher Bell 5) Chase Elliott 6) Ryan Blaney 7) Ross Chastain 8) Joey Logano
GROUP B DRIVERS
KEVIN HARVICK (4): Harvick is at his best on the short, flat tracks and Richmond is his best track. The No. 4 car finished 5th, 1st and 2nd in the three races at Richmond in the Gen-7 car. Harvick also finished 4th two weeks ago at New Hampshire and he finished 5th earlier this season at Phoenix. Harvick’s best chance to win a race this year will be Sunday at Richmond. This is one of the best tracks to use an allocation with the No. 4 car.
ALEX BOWMAN (8): Richmond has been Hendrick Motorsports’ playground for a while now. Kyle Larson won the race in April, William Byron led the most laps, Josh Berry finished second while filling in for Chase Elliott and Bowman won the pole, scored 8 Stage Points, led 8 laps and finished 8th in the race. His average finishing position in his last 6 races at Richmond is 9th. This is a good track to take a chance with the No. 48 car.
BRAD KESELOWSKI (4): I have been playing Keselowski a lot lately and sometimes it has worked out and sometimes it hasn’t. I will give him another chance this weekend. Keselowski started 24th and quickly made his way inside the top-10 at Richmond in April. He scored Stage Points in both Stages, was able to lead a lap and finished 10th in the race. I doubt he will finish in the top-five Sunday, but Keselowski should have a good chance to finish in the top-10. That will be better than most of the drivers in Group B this week.
KYLE BUSCH (4): I would sure love to know which Rowdy Busch will show up this week. The driver who won on the short, flat track at Gateway or the driver who finished dead last two weeks ago at New Hampshire. Busch has finished 10 of his last 11 races at Richmond in the top-10. His average finishing position in his last 11 races at Richmond is 6th. That is a large sample size with a lot of good results. Busch qualified in the top-three in 2 of the 3 races in the Gen-7 car at Richmond. At least he should score bonus points for qualifying Saturday.
(OTHER PICK) MARTIN TRUEX JR. (1): I really, really, really want to play Truex Sunday, but I cannot do it. I only have one allocation left with the No. 19 car. I could use Truex for qualifying points, but his average starting position in the Gen-7 car at Richmond is 8th. Truex has a great chance to win the race Sunday, but I need to save my last allocation with him so I can at least use the No. 19 car for qualifying points in other races. I would absolutely have him in your lineup over Kyle Busch if you have two or more allocations left with Truex this week.
GROUP B DRIVER RANKINGS: 1) Kevin Harvick 2) Martin Truex Jr. 3) Alex Bowman 4) Brad Kesolowski 5) Kyle Busch 6) Tyler Reddick 7) Chris Buescher 8) Bubba Wallace 9) Chase Briscoe 10) Aric Almirola
GROUP C DRIVERS
RYAN PREECE (6): I am going to take a chance with Preece this weekend. He is a short track specialist and his race at Richmond in April was decent. He qualified 33rd and finished 18th. Preece had the 14th-best average green flag speed in the race. He probably could have finished inside the top-15 with some better pit stops. Preece also finished 12th at Phoenix and 17th at Gateway. I will try to get a start from the No. 41 car Sunday.
TY GIBBS (5): I will have Gibbs in my lineup as a back-up plan this week. Gibbs started 14th and finished 9th in the first race at Richmond. The No. 54 car has had speed at all of the short, flat tracks this season, but Richmond is the only track where Gibbs has been able to finish in the top-10. I do not want to use Gibbs Sunday, so I am hoping Ryan Preece shows up with some speed this weekend.
(OTHER CHOICE) HARRISON BURTON (9): Burton should be your driver if you are running low with your allocations with Ty Gibbs. This is a home race for Burton. He started 26th and finished 19th at Richmond in April. Burton has finished 2 of the 3 races at Richmond in the Gen-7 car in the top-20. Richmond is a bad track for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and AJ Allmendinger, so Burton is the backup to Gibbs Sunday.
GROUP C DRIVER RANKINGS: 1) Ty Gibbs 2) Ryan Preece 3) Harrison Burton 4) AJ Allmendinger 5) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
* Be sure to check back Sunday morning for my starting lineup.
TRUCK SERIES PICKS
XFINITY SERIES PICKS
* The rosters did not lock until after practice, so I switched Sheldon Creed (he crashed in practice) to Cole Custer. Justin Allgaier will also be a great pick.
Good Luck This Weekend!
Follow me on Twitter @MrFantasyNASCAR
If you like Fantasy NASCAR, LIKE my Fantasy NASCAR Tips Page on Facebook