Richmond Raceway Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The inevitable is sealed. No NASCAR action through May 3rd due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic that’s severely impacted all businesses, sporting events and society around the world. NASCAR issued the following statement Monday afternoon: “The health and safety of our fans, industry and the communities in which we race is our most important priority, so in accordance with recent CDC guidance, NASCAR is currently postponing all race events through May 3rd, with plans to return racing in Martinsville. We appreciate the patience of our fansRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The much maligned aerodynamic packages that were rolled out for the NASCAR Cup Series last year are getting a facelift heading into 2020 — at least on the short tracks and road courses. Last season, the aero packages were split between a 750 horsepower package that ran on oval tracks one-mile or shorter and road courses, along with a 550 horsepower package that ran the remainder of the schedule. The massive eight-inch spoiler and other aerodynamic devices had a negative effect on the racing atRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Richmond Raceway was the sight of the latest Aeroscreen test as the last two NTT IndyCar Series champions Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon ran laps Tuesday in preparation for the series return to the 0.75-mile oval June 26-27, 2020. Dixon’s approach of running his second test with the Aeroscreen was no different his session a couple of weeks ago at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During the noon conference, the five-time series champion said his No. 9 PNC Bank Honda ran fine this morning but changes are neededRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent The highlight of the day for Chase Elliott was a third-place qualifying effort as he flew under the radar at Richmond Raceway. Much like Las Vegas one week ago, the Federated Auto Parts 400 was nearly identical to the Spring race at Richmond. With just three natural cautions, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Grid drivers had little chance move up the running order. Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 started with track position, but ultimately couldn’t keep it. At the end ofRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent The Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway saw the first disqualification in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series since the policy was instated prior to the season. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Erik Jones earned the dubious honor after he finished fourth, part of an initial sweep by JGR of the top-four positions. The No. 20 Craftsman Toyota Camry is now credited with a 38th-place finish. Jones also loses his stage finishes, ninth and fourth. Post-race, Jones’ No. 20, along with the other Playoff Grid carsRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent The underdog story of Ryan Newman continued as the Roush Fenway Racing driver recorded his best run of the season at Richmond Raceway. In the final stage of the Federated Auto Parts 400, Newman’s No. 6 Ford Performance / Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang battled with Martin Truex, Jr, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Brad Keselowski. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff driver showed his muscle battling with the two dominant organizations of 2019. Newman briefly challenged Truex for second before slipping backward. As theRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service RICHMOND, Va. –Martin Truex Jr. overcame late adversity and continued to assert his mastery over the first round of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Rallying from a spin off the bumper of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Ford, and passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch for the lead with 25 laps left, Truex led an 1-2-3 finish for JGR in Saturday night’s Federated Auto parts 400 at Richmond Raceway. In fact, the Gibbs cars were 1-2-3-4 at the finish, but a disqualification dueRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent A stage one strategy call by crew chief Travis Mack increased Michael Annett’s points cushion in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. After Annett hovered just inside the top-10 in stage one of the Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway, Mack opted to bring the No. 1 Pilot / Flying J Chevrolet Camaro SS to pit road under caution on lap 61. As one of three that pitted, the JR Motorsports driver came to life in the final nine laps of the stage. Annett restarted outsideRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service RICHMOND, Va. – Eager to add a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship to his resume in perhaps his final season in the series, Christopher Bell made an emphatic statement in Friday night’s Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway. Bell swept the first two stages of the series Playoff opener—bringing his total of stage wins to 17—and led a career-best 238 laps in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs racing Toyota, winning for the seventh time this season, the third time in five starts at the .75-mileRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service RICHMOND, Va. – In a battle of late qualifiers at Richmond Raceway, Brad Keselowski knocked Kevin Harvick off the provisional pole for Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 to claim the top starting spot for the second race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The 36th of 38 drivers to make a qualifying run, Keselowski covered the .75-mile distance in 21.229 seconds (127.185 mph) to beat Harvick (126.559 mph) by .105 seconds. TheRead More