2015 Federated Auto Parts 400

February 2025 NAS Federated Auto Parts 400 http://www.nascar.com/content/dam/nascar/download-schedule/2015/nscs_2015_printable_schedule3.pdf 2015 NASCAR Schedule NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 26, 2014 NASCAR.com September 7, 2015 April 4, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150404031856/http://www.nascar.com/content/dam/nascar/download-schedule/2015/nscs_2015_printable_schedule3.pdf deadhttp://www.nascar.com/en_us/nascar-tracks/richmond-international-raceway.html Richmond International Raceway NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013 NASCAR.com September 7, 2015 September 3, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150903070908/http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nascar-tracks/richmond-international-raceway.html deadhttp://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=44&RaceID=6810&StatType=Entry+List Entry List Motor Racing Network September 7, 2015 MRN.com September 7, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150909100103/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=44&RaceID=6810&StatType=Entry+List September 9, 2015 deadhttp://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/09/Federated-Auto-Parts-400-1st-Practice-Speeds.aspx First Practice Results Motor Racing Network September 11, 2015 MRN.com September 11, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150914015213/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/09/Federated-Auto-Parts-400-1st-Practice-Speeds.aspx September 14, 2015 deadhttp://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/09/Federated-Auto-Parts-400-Final-Practice-Speeds.aspx Final Practice Results Motor Racing Network September 11, 2015 MRN.com September 11, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150915014530/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/09/Federated-Auto-Parts-400-Final-Practice-Speeds.aspx September 15, 2015 deadhttp://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/09/Federated-Auto-Parts-400-Qualifying-Results.aspx Qualifying Results Motor Racing Network September 11, 2015 MRN.com September 11, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150915014602/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2015/09/Federated-Auto-Parts-400-Qualifying-Results.aspx September 15, 2015 deadhttp://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&RaceID=6810&YearID=44&StatType=Race+Results Federated Auto Parts 400 Results Motor Racing Network September 12, 2015 MRN.com September 13, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151224040634/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&RaceID=6810&YearID=44&StatType=Race+Results December 24, 2015 deadhttp://www.jayski.com/stats/2015/pdfs/26rir2015chase.pdf Points standings NASCAR Statistics September 13, 2015 Jayski.com September 13, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150921161543/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2015/pdfs/26rir2015chase.pdf September 21, 2015 deadhttp://www.jayski.com/stats/2015/pdfs/26rir2015racereport.pdf Manufacturer standings NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications September 14, 2015 Jayski.com September 14, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150921161608/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2015/pdfs/26rir2015racereport.pdf September 21, 2015 dead 2015 09 12 2015 26 36 2015 Federated Auto Parts 400 logo.jpeg Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia .75 1.2 400 300 480 Mostly cloudy skies with a temperature of 69 F C; wind out of the west/southwest at 3 mph km/h on 100.353 mph km/h on Joey Logano Team Penske 21.349 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing 352 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing NBCSN Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte 1.7/3 (Overnight)http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2015/09/nascar-ratings-low-nbcsn-richmond-overnights-down/ Mere 1.7 Overnight For NASCAR From Richmond on NBCSN Paulsen Sports Media Watch September 14, 2015 SportsMediaWatch.com September 14, 20151.8/3 (Final)http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2015/09/nascar-ratings-richmond-least-watched-since-2001-nbcsn/ NASCAR Has Another Rough Outing, This Time at Richmond Paulsen Sports Media Watch September 16, 2015 SportsMediaWatch.com September 16, 20153.1 Million viewers MRN Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace Dave Moody (Backstretch) The 2015 Federated Auto Parts 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on September 12, 2015, at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Contested over 400 laps on the three–quarter (1.2 km) short track, it was the 26th race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Matt Kenseth won the race, his fourth of the season. Kyle Busch finished second. Joey Logano, Aric Almirola and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top-five. Logano won the pole for the race and led 25 laps on his way to a third–place finish. Kenseth led a race high of 352 laps on his way to winning the race. The race had 13 lead changes among four different drivers, as well as six caution flag periods for 47 laps. This was the 35th career victory for Matt Kenseth, fourth of the season, second at Richmond International Raceway and 10th at the track for Joe Gibbs Racing. With the win, Kenseth moved into a tie with Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson for the points lead after the Chase reset. Despite being the winning manufacturer, Toyota left Richmond trailing Chevrolet by 54–points in the manufacturer standings. The Federated Auto Parts 400 was carried by NBC Sports on the cable/satellite NBCSN network for the American television audience. The radio broadcast for the race was carried by the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Report Background thumb|left|Richmond International Raceway, the track where the race was held. Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. Kevin Harvick entered Richmond with a 42–point lead over Joey Logano. Dale Earnhardt Jr. entered 93 back. Brad Keselowski entered 111 back. Jimmie Johnson entered 131 back. Chase-clinching scenarios The following scenarios were in play for the 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup.http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2015/9/7/chase-clinching-scenarios-for-richmond.html Chase-clinching scenarios for Richmond NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 7, 2015 NASCAR.com September 9, 2015 Regardless of who wins Jamie McMurray clinched by starting the race. Ryan Newman would clinch by finishing 31st or better, 32nd if he led at least one lap or 33rd if he led the most laps. Jeff Gordon would clinch by finishing 17th or better, 18th if he led at least one lap or 19th if he led the most laps. Paul Menard would clinch by finishing ninth or better, 10th if he led at least one lap or 11th if he led the most laps. If there's a repeat winner Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon would clinch regardless of finish. Paul Menard would clinch if he finished 38th or better, 39th if he led at least one lap or 40th if he led the most laps. Clint Bowyer would clinch if he finished 28th or better, 29th if he led at least one lap or 30th if he led the most laps. Must win to clinch a spot Greg Biffle, Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, A. J. Allmendinger, Casey Mears, Danica Patrick, Tony Stewart, David Ragan, Sam Hornish Jr., Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Justin Allgaier had to win this race to clinch a spot in the Chase. Entry list The entry list for the Federated Auto Parts 400 was released on Monday, September 7 at 1:05 p.m. Eastern time. Forty-five cars were entered for the race. All but Michael McDowell in the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Ford were entered for the previous week's race at Darlington. Josh Wise drove the No. 30 Chevrolet for The Motorsports Group. Jeffrey Earnhardt attempted to make his first Sprint Cup Series start in the No. 32 Go FAS Racing Ford.http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/jeffrey-earnhardt-to-make-sprint-cup-debut/?v=2&s=1 Jeffrey Earnhardt to make Sprint Cup debut DeGroot Nick Motorsport.com, Inc. August 28, 2015 Motorsport.com September 7, 2015 Brian Scott drove the No. 33 Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet. No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2 Brad Keselowski (PC3) Team Penske Ford 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Kevin Harvick (PC1) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 14 Tony Stewart (PC4) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Matt Kenseth (PC6) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 23 Jeb Burton (R) BK Racing Toyota 24 Jeff Gordon (PC7) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26 J. J. Yeley (i) BK Racing Toyota 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 30 Josh Wise The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 32 Jeffrey Earnhardt (i) Go FAS Racing Ford 33 Brian Scott (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 34 Brett Moffitt (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 41 Kurt Busch (PC5) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Jimmie Johnson (PC2) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 55 David Ragan Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 62 Timmy Hill (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 83 Matt DiBenedetto (R) BK Racing Toyota 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 98 Reed Sorenson (i) Premium Motorsports FordOfficial entry list Key Meaning (R) Rookie (i) Ineligible for points (PC#) Past champions provisional Practice First practice Kyle Larson was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 21.508 and a speed of 125.535 mph km/h on.http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/larson-tops-first-sprint-cup-practice-at-richmond/ Larson tops first Sprint Cup practice at Richmond Spencer Lee Motorsport.com, Inc. September 11, 2015 Motorsport.com September 11, 2015 Richmond, Virginia Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed MPH 1 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 21.508 125.535 2 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 21.529 125.412 3 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 21.590 125.058Official first practice results Final practice Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 21.526 and a speed of 125.430 mph km/h on.http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2015/09/11/harvick-tops-field-in-final-practice-at-richmond/ Kevin Harvick tops field in final Sprint Cup practice at Richmond Long Dustin NBC Sports September 11, 2015 nascartalk.nbcsports.com September 11, 2015 Richmond, Virginia Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed MPH 1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 21.526 125.430 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.540 125.348 3 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.553 125.273Official final practice results Qualifying thumb|right|Joey Logano won the pole for the race. Joey Logano won the pole with a time of 21.349 and a speed of 126.470 mph km/h on.http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/09/Joey-Logano-Wins-Pole-for-Federated-Auto-Parts-400-at-Richmond-International-Raceway.aspx Richmond Pole Sweep for Logano Pistone Pete Motor Racing Network September 11, 2015 MRN.com September 11, 2015 Richmond, Virginia https://web.archive.org/web/20150914064904/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/09/Joey-Logano-Wins-Pole-for-Federated-Auto-Parts-400-at-Richmond-International-Raceway.aspx September 14, 2015 dead "Just a great effort from this team," Logano said. "I can’t say enough of (crew chief) Todd Gordon and everyone with the Shell/Pennzoil team that gives me a these greats cars every week. It’d be great to end the regular season with the win here Saturday night and take that momentum into the Chase next week at Chicago." "We’re the best on stickers," Matt Kenseth said of his tires after qualifying second. "I just didn’t get the lap I wanted there at the end." "We weren’t that great in qualifying trim so I didn’t know what to expect, but obviously we have a good car and we made some good adjustments on that qualifying run," said David Ragan after qualifying fifth. "That’s a great qualifying spot and anytime you can start in the top-10 or top-five, that’s a great spot." "This is a tough place," Jeff Gordon said after qualifying 23rd for his 46th and final career start at Richmond. "But we're better than that. I hate it for our 3M Chevrolet team that we're going to be starting there, because I know we're better than that." "Just real slow and out of the track," said Dale Earnhardt Jr. after qualifying 29th. "I don't know, man, we've struggled all year in qualifying and it doesn't look like it's getting any better." Jeffrey Earnhardt, grandson of Dale Earnhardt, qualified 42nd for his first career Sprint Cup Series start.http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/jeffrey-earnhardt-makes-the-field-for-sprint-cup-debut/ Jeffrey Earnhardt makes the field for Sprint Cup debut DeGroot Nick Motorsport.com, Inc. September 11, 2015 Motorsport.com September 11, 2015 "It's exciting, it's what we've been trying to do ever since I started racing - it was to be here and now I am," Earnhardt told Motorsport.com. Qualifying results Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer R1 Best time in Round 1 R2 Best time in Round 2 R3 Best time in Round 3 1 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 21.158 21.170 21.349 2 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20.883 21.141 21.368 3 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 21.084 21.366 21.369 4 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.077 21.285 21.437 5 55 David Ragan Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 21.173 21.318 21.458 6 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 21.098 21.293 21.463 7 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.193 21.339 21.474 8 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 21.061 21.340 21.516 9 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.056 21.264 21.530 10 14 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 21.196 21.361 21.552 11 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 21.198 21.343 21.560 12 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 21.186 21.284 21.570 13 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 21.053 21.372 — 14 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 21.084 21.376 — 15 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 21.184 21.395 — 16 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 21.224 21.406 — 17 33 Brian Scott (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 21.229 21.424 — 18 51 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 21.157 21.439 — 19 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 21.104 21.449 — 20 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.195 21.456 — 21 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 21.117 21.465 — 22 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 21.239 21.478 — 23 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.159 21.497 — 24 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 21.217 21.509 — 25 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.243 — — 26 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 21.244 — — 27 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 21.244 — — 28 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 21.250 — — 29 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.290 — — 30 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 21.296 — — 31 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 21.345 — — 32 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 21.381 — — 33 83 Matt DiBenedetto (R) BK Racing Toyota 21.381 — — 34 35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 21.430 — — 35 40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 21.443 — — 36 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 21.445 — — 37 34 Brett Moffitt (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 21.503 — — 38 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 21.558 — — 39 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 21.619 — — 40 98 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Ford 21.657 — — 41 23 Jeb Burton (R) BK Racing Toyota 21.757 — — 42 32 Jeffrey Earnhardt (i) Go FAS Racing Ford 21.767 — — 43 26 J. J. Yeley (i) BK Racing Toyota 21.857 — —Failed to qualify 44 30 Josh Wise The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 21.489 — — 45 62 Timmy Hill (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 22.891 — —Official qualifying results Race First half Start Under mostly cloudy evening Virginia skies, Joey Logano led the field to the green flag at 7:57 p.m.Gluck Jeff Jeff Gordon in, Chase is set as Matt Kenseth dominates at Richmond https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2015/09/12/chase-set-matt-kenseth-dominates-richmond/72187468/ September 13, 2015 USA Today Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. September 13, 2015 Richmond, Virginia He shot ahead of Matt Kenseth to lead the first lap. By lap 14, Kenseth pulled to the rear of Logano and eventually passed him going into turn 1 to take the lead on lap 16. By lap 28, he caught up to the tail-end of the field and used lap traffic to increase his lead. The first caution of the race flew on lap 37 when Martin Truex Jr. slammed the wall in turn 1. To add insult to injury, he was tagged for speeding on pit road and was forced to restart from the tail-end of the field.2015 Federated Auto Parts 400 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFrog6mLQ5A September 21, 2015 Sprint Cup Series Sprint Cup Series NBC Sports NBCSN Joliet, Illinois September 12, 2015 67 7:57 p.m. en The race restarted on lap 47. After restarting in the outside lane, Logano led a lap before Kenseth retook the lead from him. After 30 laps, he pulled to a four-second lead over Brad Keselowski. Debris in turn 1 brought out the second caution on lap 97. Danica Patrick was tagged for speeding on pit road and Cole Whitt was tagged for an uncontrolled tire. Both were forced to restart the race from the rear. Second quarter The race restarted on lap 104. Logano used the momentum of riding the outside line to take the lead the next lap. Kenseth passed him on the outside to retake the lead on lap 110. The third caution flew when Michael Annett got hooked by Jeb Burton, bounced off Michael McDowell, slid down the track and slammed the inside wall on the backstretch.http://brock.lastcar.info/2015/09/cup-michael-annetts-hard-crash-leaves.html CUP: Michael Annett’s Hard Crash Leaves Him 43rd At Richmond Beard Brock LASTCAR.info September 12, 2015 brock.lastcar.info September 13, 2015 Logano opted not to pit under the caution and assumed the lead. The race restarted on lap 126. A lap later, Denny Hamlin easily passed Logano for the lead. After five laps, the entire Joe Gibbs Racing team ran first, second, third, fourth and pulled away from the field. Kenseth ran down and passed Hamlin for the lead on lap 139.http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2015/09/12/kenseth-dominating-at-halfway-point-in-richmond/ Kenseth dominating at halfway point in Richmond Bonkowski Jerry NBC Sports September 12, 2015 nascartalk.nbcsports.com September 13, 2015 Debris brought out the fourth caution on lap 210. Second half Third quarter The race restarted on lap 218. Kyle Busch dove underneath Kenseth to take the lead on the next lap. Kenseth passed him to retake the lead on lap 228. Debris on the backstretch brought out the fifth caution on lap 290. Under the caution, McDowell collided with one of the service trucks and tore off his entire rear bumper.Gluck Jeff Michael McDowell hits safety truck at Richmond https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2015/09/12/michael-mcdowell-hits-safety-truck-richmond/72186490/ September 13, 2015 USA Today Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. September 13, 2015 Richmond, Virginia "It was my mistake, obviously," McDowell said. "I’m driving it, so I take full responsibility for it. But it definitely caught me off guard and it was a surprise. I didn’t know it was even sitting there. Obviously I’m thankful nobody got hurt, embarrassed for my team and it was my mistake driving. A lot happened at once. Everybody jumped on the brakes and I just didn’t have time to react." Keselowski and Jamie McMurray were both tagged for speeding on pit road and restarted from the tail-end of the field. Fourth quarter thumb|right|Matt Kenseth, seen here at the 2015 Daytona 500, scored his 35th career win at Richmond. The race restarted on lap 297. Logano shot ahead of Kenseth to take the lead. Kenseth drove by him the next lap to retake the lead. Debris on the backstretch brought out the sixth caution of the race with 26 laps to go. The race restarted with 18 laps to go. Kenseth drove off to score the victory.Fryer Jenna Kenseth gives JGR 1 more win before NASCAR's playoffs begin http://racing.ap.org/article/kenseth-gives-jgr-1-more-win-nascars-playoffs-begin September 13, 2015 Associated Press Associated Press AP Sports September 13, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150915132105/http://racing.ap.org/article/kenseth-gives-jgr-1-more-win-nascars-playoffs-begin September 15, 2015 Richmond, Virginia Post-race Driver comments "We were really superb in the long run, but we had to work for it pretty hard in the short run," Kenseth said. "I was disappointed to see the last caution. I knew it was going to be tough, but we were able to get the jump and get out front."http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/09/Kenseth-Dominates-Richmond.aspx Kenseth Dominates Richmond Pistone Pete Motor Racing Network September 12, 2015 MRN.com September 13, 2015 Richmond, Virginia https://web.archive.org/web/20150915153423/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/09/Kenseth-Dominates-Richmond.aspx September 15, 2015 dead "It is tough," a dejected Aric Almirola said after what actually turned out to be his best finish of the season in fourth. "This is what we race for. We race to win races. We race to run for a championship. This race team, we got to do it last year and we had an engine failure at Chicago and feel like we had a lot more to show in the Chase last year. We wanted another shot at it really bad. We have a really, really good race team and am disappointed we didn’t get Smithfield and Ford into the Chase again."http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/09/Almirola-Comes-Up-Short.aspx Almirola Comes Up Short Pistone Pete Motor Racing Network September 13, 2015 MRN.com September 13, 2015 Richmond, Virginia https://web.archive.org/web/20150915153408/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/09/Almirola-Comes-Up-Short.aspx September 15, 2015 dead "I wasn’t limited in the car at all," Denny Hamlin said after finishing sixth with a torn right ACL. "You really don’t notice anything until you stop, and that’s the thing, feeling the throbbing, feeling my heart beat in my knee. I thought it (his knee) was good at first. I had it drained right before the race started, which helped a lot, getting a bunch of that blood out of there. After that, I felt pretty good. Obviously, any kind of heat brings swelling back. I’m sure it swelled again at the end of the race, and that’s why I’m as stiff as I am."Woody Paul WOODY: Denny Hamlin proves torn ACL no problem on race track http://www.richmond.com/sports/auto-racing/nascar-sprint-cup/article_c06e3302-068b-59c8-8d50-92ffef090299.html September 13, 2015 Richmond Times-Dispatch BH Media Group Holdings, Inc. September 12, 2015 Richmond, Virginia "The car.....I was a little nervous, we were hovering around 21st, we made a slight adjustment and boom we started going to the front," Jeff Gordon explained after finishing seventh. "I don't know if we were a top‑five car, but we were definitely a top‑10 car and finished seventh. Excited we finally had a solid night on pit road, on the racetrack, in the race car, communication. Everything was just really solid. That certainly gives us something to be excited about these next ten races and these guys have been working so hard. I know everybody works hard but they just haven't been getting the rewards of that hard work. It's nice to be in the Chase and take that relief and take that breath and now go reset and see what we can do over the next 10. We're behind. We know that. Those guys are unbelievable. But there's a lot of ways to make it to Homestead and there's a lot that can happen and we're working as hard as anybody to try to see what we can do better, learn from our competitors, and try to catch up, but we're definitely playing catch‑up. I think Junior is probably the best in our stable right now and he proved that again tonight (fifth), but we work hard together to try to improve for each of us, and if we continue to do that, we'll make gains. There was a lot of pressure in this final season to make that Chase, so I'm glad we got that done."http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/09/Final-Chase-For-Gordon.aspx Final Chase For Gordon Pistone Pete Motor Racing Network September 13, 2015 MRN.com September 13, 2015 Richmond, Virginia https://web.archive.org/web/20150915153418/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/09/Final-Chase-For-Gordon.aspx September 15, 2015 dead "Obviously everybody knows all the news and the stories, but to be able to battle through that, I owe everybody in the organization a great deal of thanks for keeping their head down, to keep digging and get ourselves into the Chase," Clint Bowyer said after his 10th-place finish qualified him for the Chase. It's a big monumental thing for an organization to go through what we're going through. To get to the Chase is the best of the best, the elite in motorsports, and MWR is once again a part of it. I'm really proud of [crew chief] Billy Scott and everybody on the 5-Hour Energy Toyota."https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/13641640/nascar-clint-bowyer-races-way-chase-richmond Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip Racing get some good news Oreovicz John ESPN Internet Ventures September 13, 2015 ESPN.com September 13, 2015 "We ran about where we typically do here at Richmond, which is right around the top 10," Kyle Larson said after finishing 12th and missing the Chase. "I don't think anybody was beating Matt Kenseth tonight. He was super fast. Disappointing run for the Chase. I think everybody on our team thought the 42 would definitely be in the Chase to start the season after the way we ended last year. But it wasn't the case this season, so we'll work hard the last 10 races to try and run strong for Target and get them a win and work on being consistent. That's where we've struggled pretty much all year long was being consistent, so we'll try and work hard at that and try and finish strong."http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2015/9/12/aric-almirola-kyle-larson-kasey-kahne-reflect-on-missing-chase-for-the-nascar-sprint-cup.html Almirola, Larson come up short in Chase bids Cain Holly NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 13, 2015 NASCAR.com September 13, 2015 "The main thing for me is just figuring out how to get a car to turn again. I struggled all year to have front turn. If I don’t have that I can’t race," Kasey Kahne said after finishing 18th two laps down and missing the Chase. "That is how I’ve been my whole life – just work on trying to get the cars to turn the way I need them to. If we can’t, then we will keep running about 15th. I could take off alright on restarts. We could go for a little bit and then I would just get so tight with the front it wouldn’t turn. I was having a couple of other issues with brakes and stuff." We tried to fight through there. We got a lap down and then once we didn't get the (free pass) we ran in position for a while and we were too far back and ended up two laps down. Matt was really good. Those guys were fast."http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/kahne-struggling-to-find-an-answer-for-performance-woes Kahne struggling to find an answer for performance woes Utter Jim Motorsport.com, Inc. September 13, 2015 Motorsport.com September 13, 2015 Richmond, Virginia "It was a horrible race," Paul Menard said after finishing three laps down in 26th, "but we’re in the Chase. I guess I’m happy. We had such a bad race, but we can hit the reset button now and go to Chicago. Everybody’s got a shot. All it takes is one (bad) race for somebody, and it’s hard to make that up."Hembree Mike Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard grab first ever Chase berths https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2015/09/12/final-drivers-chase--sprint-cup-berths-richmond/72167404/ September 13, 2015 USA Today Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. September 13, 2015 Richmond, Virginia Possible jumped restart “I think for now we’re still content. It is ... a ball-and-strike call. We’ve got the ability to go back and look at video, which we do, and in this case made the call and moved on from it. It’s still one that we want to leave in the drivers’ hands. If we have to get involved and make those calls with more video, I think we’ll do that, but we’d still like to see it play out the way it does through the final 10. It’s one of those areas that any advantage that a team can try to get on a restart, they’re going to try to do that and put a call in our hands, but that’s our job to make the call during the race.” Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice–president and chief racing development officer, speaking on The Morning Drive on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2015/09/14/nascar-defends-non-call-on-late-restart/ NASCAR defends non-call on late restart at Richmond Long Dustin NBC Sports September 14, 2015 nascartalk.nbcsports.com September 14, 2015 40% left On the final restart with 18 laps to go, it appeared that race leader Matt Kenseth started accelerating before the restart zone (jumped the restart).https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/13643104/matt-kenseth-dominates-sprint-cup-federated-auto-parts-400-richmond-international-raceway Matt Kenseth gets 4th win of year as Chase for the Cup field finalized Pockrass Bob ESPN Internet Ventures September 13, 2015 ESPN.com September 13, 2015 Roger Penske, team owner of Team Penske, said sarcastically that someone in race control "must have closed the window and pulled the blind down. That's how bad it was. They talk about it in the drivers meeting and how they were going to do something. They docked [Ryan] Blaney the other night [three weeks prior in the Truck Series race at Bristol] for the same thing. I don't understand. It must be a different set of rules. They've got to come up with some way to say what's right or what's wrong. To me, this is a perfect example of inconsistencies. And when you are racing for as tight as we are for everything that's on the line, you just can't have that kind of officiating." In his weekly Monday appearance on the Sirius XM NASCAR Radio program The Morning Drive, NASCAR Executive Vice–President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell explained to Mike Bagley and Pete Pistone why NASCAR decided not to penalize Kenseth for jumping the restart and if NASCAR is content with continuing to leave control of the restart in the hands of the race leader. Collision with service truck "First, we start with conversations with the driver, spotter and the crew chief immediately following the race. What happened, where was the breakdown in communication and see what we can learn from there. Obviously, we got all the video to go through and then for every race that we have, Monday and Tuesday we go through each of the calls for a race. Evaluate what happened, what were the circumstances. We've got training that goes into this prior to the race where we meet with all the track safety and cleanup workers. We do that every morning as well when they're at the track. We'll debrief with those folks as well and see what they saw and look to not have that happen in the future." Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice–president and chief racing development officer, speaking on The Morning Drive on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2015/9/14/steve-odonnell-on-race-restarts-michael-mcdowell-safety-truck-incident.html O'Donnell: Want to leave restarts in drivers' hands NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 14, 2015 NASCAR.com September 15, 2015 40% right During his appearance on The Morning Drive, O'Donnell also addressed Michael McDowell colliding with a service truck on the backstretch during the fifth caution of the race. He said that NASCAR had "conversations with the driver, spotter and the crew chief immediately following the race" and that they would "debrief with those folks [track safety and cleanup workers]...[,] see what they saw and look to not have that happen in the future." Race results Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Laps completed Points 1 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 48 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 43 3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 400 42 4 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 400 40 5 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 39 6 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 39 7 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 37 8 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 400 36 9 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 35 10 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 400 34 11 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 33 12 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 400 32 13 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 399 31 14 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 399 30 15 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 399 29 16 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 399 28 17 55 David Ragan Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 398 27 18 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 398 26 19 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 397 25 20 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 397 24 21 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 397 23 22 33 Brian Scott (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 397 0 23 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 397 21 24 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 397 20 25 51 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 397 19 26 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 397 18 27 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 397 17 28 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 397 16 29 14 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 396 15 30 40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 396 0 31 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 396 13 32 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 394 12 33 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 393 11 34 26 J. J. Yeley (i) BK Racing Toyota 392 0 35 34 Brett Moffitt (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 391 9 36 83 Matt DiBenedetto (R) BK Racing Toyota 390 8 37 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 390 7 38 35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 389 6 39 23 Jeb Burton (R) BK Racing Toyota 387 5 40 32 Jeffrey Earnhardt (i) Go FAS Racing Ford 387 0 41 98 Reed Sorenson Premium Motorsports Ford 335 3 42 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 287 2 43 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 145 1Official Federated Auto Parts 400 results Race statistics 13 lead changes among 4 different drivers 6 cautions for 47 laps Time of race: 2 hours, 59 minute, 22 seconds Average speed: 100.353 mph km/h on Matt Kenseth took home $262,451 in winnings Lap Leaders Laps Leader 1-14 Joey Logano 15-46 Matt Kenseth 47 Joey Logano 48-103 Matt Kenseth 104-108 Joey Logano 109-121 Matt Kenseth 122-125 Joey Logano 126-138 Denny Hamlin 139-216 Matt Kenseth 217 Denny Hamlin 218-226 Kyle Busch 227-296 Matt Kenseth 297 Joey Logano 298-400 Matt KensethTotal laps led Leader Laps Matt Kenseth 352 Joey Logano 25 Denny Hamlin 14 Kyle Busch 9 Race awards Coors Light Pole Award: Joey Logano (21.349, 126.470 mph km/h on) 3M Lap Leader: Matt Kenseth (352 laps) American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Matt Kenseth Duralast Brakes "Bake In The Race" Award: Matt Kenseth Freescale "Wide Open": Joey Logano Ingersoll Rand Power Move: Brian Scott (5 positions) MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Toyota Racing Development, #20 Mobil 1 Driver of the Race: Matt Kenseth (149.7 driver rating) Moog Steering and Suspension Problem Solver of The Race: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (crew chief Greg Ives (0.154 seconds)) NASCAR Sprint Cup Leader Bonus: No winner: rolls over to $230,000 at next event Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap: Matt Kenseth (Lap 3, 21.272, 126.927 mph km/h on) Sunoco Rookie of The Race: Brett Moffitt Media Television NBCSN covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 1998 race winner Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast handled pit road on the television side. NBCSNBooth announcersPit reporters Lap-by-lap: Rick AllenColor-commentator: Jeff BurtonColor-commentator: Steve Letarte Dave BurnsMike MassaroMarty SniderKelli Stavast Radio MRN had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and six–time Richmond winner Rusty Wallace called the race from the booth when the field was racing down the front stretch. Dave Moody called the race from a scaffold inside the entrance to turn 3 when the field was racing down the backstretch. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley and Steve Post worked pit road on the radio side. MRN Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters Lead announcer: Joe MooreAnnouncer: Jeff StriegleAnnouncer: Rusty Wallace Backstretch: Dave Moody Alex HaydenWinston KelleySteve Post Standings after the race Drivers' Championship standings after Chase reset Pos Driver Points 10px 4 1 Jimmie Johnson 2,012 10px 25 2 Kyle Busch 2,012 (–0) 10px 4 3 Matt Kenseth 2,012 (–0) 10px 2 4 Joey Logano 2,009 (–3) 10px 4 5 Kevin Harvick 2,006 (–6) 10px 3 6 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2,006 (–6) 10px 2 7 Kurt Busch 2,006 (–6) 10px 4 8 Carl Edwards 2,006 (–6) 10px 5 9 Brad Keselowski 2,003 (–9) 10px 4 10 Martin Truex Jr. 2,003 (–9) 10px 3 11 Denny Hamlin 2,003 (–9) 10px 2 12 Jamie McMurray 2,000 (–12) 10px 13 Jeff Gordon 2,000 (–12) 10px 3 14 Ryan Newman 2,000 (–12) 10px 1 15 Paul Menard 2,000 (–12) 10px 1 16 Clint Bowyer 2,000 (–12) thumb|right|Jimmie Johnson left Richmond tied with Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth for the points lead. Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 10px 1 Chevrolet 1,145 10px 2 Toyota 1,091 (–54) 10px 3 Ford 1,081 (–64) Note: Only the first sixteen positions are included for the driver standings. References 2 Sprint Cup Series 2015 2015 Bojangles' Southern 500 2015 myAFibRisk.com 400 VMI Keydets bask Virginia Federated Auto Parts 400 Category:NASCAR races at Richmond Raceway