With three of its 4 NASCAR Cup drivers nonetheless making an attempt to claw their manner into the 16-driver playoff discipline, an uptick in efficiency was very a lot welcomed and it was fairly noticeable on the ¾-mile quick observe.
Ryan Preece, Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola all completed within the top-10, with Almirola’s effort coming regardless of a midrace pit street penalty, and Chase Briscoe simply missed the minimize in eleventh.
Harvick and Preece each ran within the top-10 many of the race, with Preece amassing factors in each levels on his approach to a season’s finest fifth place end.
Almirola’s eighth was his second-best of the 12 months whereas Harvick earned his organization-leading tenth top-10 of the season whereas ending tenth.
Even Briscoe’s eleventh place effort was his second end of eleventh or higher within the final two races. He had 9 consecutive races of seventeenth or worse previous to that.
Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing, Rush Truck Facilities Ford Mustang
Picture by: Rusty Jarrett / NKP / Motorsport Images
“I believe it was a stable day for all our groups, positively an enchancment. I felt we had good automobiles that we may capitalize on all the things that we in all probability may have as a bunch. You simply obtained to have good days immediately and all the things executed to the fullest,” mentioned Greg Zipadelli, chief competitors officer at SHR, informed Motorsport.com.
Preece, within the No. 41 Ford, got here on strongest on the finish of the race at instances battling for third and second. A late-race warning arrange a restart with three of 400 laps racing which offered a possibility for extra beneficial properties, however he ended up fifth.
“You at all times hope on the finish like that you would be able to have restart and also you may profit from it,” Zipadelli mentioned. “It damage Ryan a little bit bit and the opposite guys all ended up about the place they had been working for essentially the most half.
“Stable day, stable effort. Simply not shut sufficient.”
Confidence coming into Richmond
Zipadelli mentioned everybody at SHR got here away from Richmond “with a little bit little bit of confidence.” Preece agreed.
“I believe that’s only a product of working laborious. Sitting and twiddling your thumbs isn’t going to get you the outcomes that you simply really need,” he mentioned.
“I do know that from racing, so we’ve simply been working laborious and looking for what I like, discover what Aric likes, Kevin likes, Chase likes and I really feel like we’re all trending in that course.”
4 races stay earlier than the playoff discipline is about. Whereas Harvick is probably going set to advance by factors if he doesn’t earn a win, a victory is the one shot Preece, Almirola and Briscoe have of transferring on.
“Undoubtedly totally different race tracks forward and we have to take note of element, have our t’s crossed and that i’s dotted to go run with these different automobiles,” Zipadelli mentioned. “That’s been our weak spot all 12 months as a bunch.”
