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Joe Nemechek is the defending champ of the spring race at Richmond. Credit: Autostock
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
May 14, 2004
10:06 AM EDT (1406 GMT)
RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond International Raceway has a long and distinctive legacy of memorable NASCAR racing, in configurations from a fairgrounds dirt oval to 2004's massive steel-and-concrete stadium.
Since it ran its first Cup race in 1953, Richmond has been the site of some gritty, yet spectacular NASCAR short track racing where fender-to-fender and bumper-to-bumper contact is commonplace.
Joe Nemechek is with a new team in 2004, MB2 Motorsports, but has been running well enough to make the defense of his 2003 Chevy American Revolution 400.
3 -- Tony Stewart's victory total in 10 Richmond starts.
3 -- Jimmy Spencer's consecutive number of DNFs at Richmond.
4 -- Matt Kenseth's consecutive top-10 finishes in Richmond races.
4 -- The number of drivers that scored top-10 finishes in both 2003 Richmond races, including Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte and Rusty Wallace.
4 -- Jeff Gordon's leading number of pole positions on Richmond's .750-mile configuration.
5 -- Jeff Gordon's number of consecutive top-10 finishes this season, including two consecutive wins.
5 -- The number of times since 1972 that a sweep of both Richmond Cup races has occurred, most recently by Rusty Wallace in 1989.
6 -- Rusty Wallace's leading number of career Richmond victories by an active driver.
6.50 -- Jeff Gordon's average start in 22 Richmond races, best among drivers with more than 10 Richmond races.
7 -- The number of consecutive Richmond races won by Richard Petty from fall 1970 to fall 1973.
7.612 -- Rusty Wallace's average finish in 31 starts on Richmond's current configuration, best among all drivers.
8 -- The number of consecutive Richmond races in which there has been a different Bud Pole winner.
8 -- The number of drivers who have competed in all 31 races held on Richmond's current track configuration, including Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader, Rusty Wallace and Michael Waltrip.
12 -- Michael Waltrip's best finish in 36 Richmond starts.
13 -- Richard Petty's leading number of career victories at Richmond.
15 -- Petty Enterprises' leading number of Richmond victories by a car owner.
17 -- Virginia native Elliott Sadler's best finish in 10 Richmond starts.
19 -- The number of Richmond's 95 Cup races won from the pole position, or 20 percent.
20 -- Rusty Wallace's leading number of top-five finishes on the .750-mile configuration.
25 -- Rusty Wallace's leading number of top-10 finishes on the .750-mile configuration.
25 -- The furthest back in the starting field that a Richmond Cup Series winner has started in a 400-lap race, by Matt Kenseth in September 2002.
28 -- Ken Schrader's consecutive number of Richmond starts without a DNF.
45 -- The number of the 95 Richmond Cup races in which the winner has started in one of the top-three positions, or 47 percent.
51 -- Terry Labonte's leading number of Richmond starts among active drivers.
75 -- The number of Richmond's 95 Cup Series events won from starting positions inside the top-10, or 79 percent.
1968 -- The first year that Richmond's Cup races were held on asphalt.
1991 -- The year the first night race was held at Richmond.
2,933 -- Rusty Wallace's leading total of laps led on Richmond's current configuration.
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