The high banks of Talladega are in the past and now it’s off to the short track in Richmond, Virginia for the Russ Friedman 400. The tenth race of the 2009 season, things continue to tighten up around the top-35 in owner points.

 

This weekend there are forty-five cars on the preliminary entry list, meaning ten drivers outside the top-35 will be vying for eight spots on the starting grid. Two will go home following Friday’s qualifying session, but one man who is safe for the time being is owner/driver Robby Gordon.

 

The independent owner/driver suffered a bit of a setback last weekend at Talladega when a hard hit late in the race ruined his chances at a good finish and tore up a pretty good race car. Running mid-pack with only a handful of laps to go, Gordon was tucked in line when Denny Hamlin and Juan Pablo Montoya triggered the second “Big One” of the day. Gordon’s No. 7 Jim Beam Toyota took a sharp left and made hard contact head on into the SAFER barrier on the inside wall.  Gordon was able to climb from the car uninjured, but now has only eighteen points separating him from being outside the top-35 in 36th.

 

“We stuck to our race strategy. We rode around in the back to avoid the early wrecks and decided to go racing at the end when it matters,” Gordon explained. “At the end of the day, it’s Talladega and restrictor-plate racing. We were all going for it, so accidents like that are bound to happen here.  It is just unfortunate that we got caught up in it; we really needed a good finish to help rebuild our momentum.”

 

Capitalizing the problems of others, rookie Scott Speed was able to make up some lost ground. After failing to qualify for the race in Texas, the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota fell outside the top-35 in owner points. Thanks to a fifth-place finish on Sunday, Speed has been able to close the gap.

 

One driver that took a major hit both on the track and in the standings at Talladega was TRG Motorsports’ David Gilliland. After starting 26th, the driver of the No. 71 Chevrolet settled in for the long race ahead. Unfortunately, aggressive racing ahead of him triggered a massive pile-up on Lap 7. Running on the outside of Jeff Gordon, Gilliland could do little as the wreck unfolded underneath him. The No. 71 slid down the track and then took a hard right up the banking and into outside wall, destroying the car. Gilliland and owner Kevin Buckler dropped to 37th in the owner points, fifty-nine points out of the top-35.

 

Qualifying for the Crown Royal Presents the Russ Friedman 400 is scheduled for 5:40 pm E.T. on Friday evening. The go-and-go-homers attempting to make the race include: Trevor Boys; Brad Keselowski; Tony Raines; Scott Riggs; Jeremy Mayfield; Todd Bodine; Dave Blaney; David Gilliland; Scott Speed and Joe Nemechek.

 

Be sure to check back to HardcoreRaceFans.com all weekend long Live from the Richmond International Raceway.

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