Photo credit: Richmond International Raceway
BUY TICKETS: See the races at Richmond
Richmond International Raceway announced Wednesday a retro look ahead of its first NASCAR weekend of 2017 on April 28-30, painting the exterior walls with red and white stripes.
The classic look will pay homage to the roots of the Virginia facility, which hosted its first race on the .75-mile track in September 1988. Before that, NASCAR series competed on the .542-mile fairgrounds oval with alternating red and white paint adorning the metal guardrails.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the historical racing images of the red and white on the wall at Richmond,” track president Dennis Bickmeier said in a news release. “Our longtime fans have often shared their fond memories of the red stripes, so it is a great day when we can reconnect with our history on the track. The red stripes unite our past with our future. We hope fans will have an awe-inspiring moment as they walk into the track for our Toyota race weekend.”
Sherwin-Williams, the official paint of NASCAR, is providing materials for the track makeover. The look will be in place in time for the Richmond’s first NASCAR weekend of the year, with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Toyota Owners 400 on Sunday, April 30, and the ToyotaCare 250 for the NASCAR XFINITY Series the preceding day.
It’s the second track this year to adopt a vintage look for its retaining walls. Atlanta Motor Speedway debuted a red, white and blue striped appearance ahead of its NASCAR tripleheader weekend last month. Darlington Raceway reintroduced the red and white stripes — an initiative first promoted by longtime series sponsor R.J. Reynolds — ahead of the 2009 Southern 500.
Below is a look at the red striped walls in 1988. (Photo credit: ISC Images & Archives/Getty Images)
