Drivers to watch in NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway

When it comes to short-track racing, two NASCAR Cup Series teams have been dominant recently.

Of the eight most recent short-track races, Hendrick Motorsports has won five and Joe Gibbs Racing the other three.

The teams’ short-track power will be tested again this weekend as the Cup tour visits Richmond Raceway for the last short-track race of the regular season. Denny Hamlin, driving for JGR, won the April race at the track.

Sunday’s race (3 p.m. ET) will be televised by the USA Network.

Drivers to watch at Richmond:

Kyle Busch

Busch’s season has taken a hard turn toward trouble. He hasn’t had a top 10 in the past eight races, so he’s arriving at Richmond at a good time. He’s the active driver leader in wins (six), top fives (18) and average finish (6.9) at the track.

Kyle Larson

Like that other Kyle (Busch), Larson has been on a skid. He hasn’t won since the season’s second race. He was fifth in the spring race at Richmond, however, and typically runs well there.

Joey Logano

Logano has been a force at Richmond. In addition to his two career wins, he has 12 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. His 10.5 average finish is second only to the number he’s put up at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Ryan Blaney

Can he do it? Can Blaney, the only non-winner among the 16 playoff drivers, win to secure his place in the playoffs? That isn’t likely this week. He’s finished no better than seventh at Richmond (although he led a race-high 128 laps and won stage 1 in April).

Martin Truex Jr.

Of the final three races in the regular season, Richmond is likely to be Truex’s best shot at joining the playoff grid with a victory. He has won three of the past six Richmond races and finished fourth in April this year. He fell out of the top 16 standings