So it looks like weather will be a factor for the race this weekend, but there are enough challenges at Richmond sans hurricane, that it will be an interesting weekend. First of all the race is an impound, so there is only on practice, then qualifying and the race. You can change a few things like grille tape, trackbar, jackscrews, and other normal pitstopish adjustments between qualifying and the race, but that's it. So, it can be a miserable weekend if the car is not 90% of the way there off the truck. The second thing obviously is the battle for the final 7? spots for the chase. There is a saying in the garage that its alot easier to get points in March than it is in September, and this is so true. The reliability of the cars is excellent, so you are not going to be able to get a top 30 if the car is junk, because very few cars fall out of the races now. So, it makes it even harder to sneak a good result in the final 10-12 races for a non-chase car than it would be in the beginning of the year. It being a short track it is easy to go laps down, and once you go 2 laps down, your fate is pretty well sealed.

I have never had a good race or test at Richmond, even though Rob has won there in a Busch car. That one lonely trophy used to sit on top of the TV in the shop, and was the only peice of silverware to get inspired by while working. I think the first COT race there last spring was particularly miserable. We blew 2 RF tires in the first 30 laps of the race because it was rubbing on a brake hose, and then the swaybar arm broke, because it was rubbing on the track. By the time it got fixed we were 6-7 laps down, and it was 3 hours of running around close to last place, and trying to magical think the other cars to wreck. Pretty much not very fun.

So, I would expect a nervy race from just about the whole field. No one wants to wreck a chase contender, and there is a 6-7 car fight to stay in the top 35, so every lap will an adventure.