Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway (⏰ 3:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for NASCAR's return to the East Coast and the seventh regular-season Cup Series race of the 2022 campaign. 

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Race-day info 📝

Where: Richmond, Virginia Approximate start time: 3:30 p.m. ET TV/Radio: FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Forecast: A slight chance of showers before 9 a.m. ET. Sunny, with a high near 67 degrees, according to NOAA.gov Race distance: 400 laps | 300 miles Stages: 80 | 180 | 400 Pit-road speed: 40 mph Caution car speed: 45 mph The purse: $7,110,735 Richmond 101: Get the full lowdown | Weekend schedule Starting lineup: Qualifying order for Saturday Pit stalls: Sunday's stall assignments | Expert pit analysis Key things to watch 🔑 Practice and qualifying: An important note that came from Saturday's sessions was the attention to off-throttle time. Drivers who were able to roll through the center of the corner and pick the gas back up earlier looked much stronger throughout the morning. Ryan Blaney once again flashed his exceptional 2022 speed with a blazing pole lap, inching past William Byron to make up the front row for Sunday's race. While three of the four Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas advanced to the Final Round of qualifying, drivers admitted they were a bit off from the usual dominance shown here. Nonetheless, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell each start in the top 10. Virginia native Denny Hamlin was the odd one out in 13th. All told, these numbers aren't concerning for the organization at one of its best tracks and wouldn't be much of an 'off day' at all for many other teams. Blaney now has a series-leading three Busch Light Pole Awards in just seven '22 races but hasn't seen much success at Richmond in the past. With only one top 10 and an average finish of 22.2, will this be the race he finally turns it around? Big story line: What's up with Joe Gibbs Racing? Through six races this season, the organization has zero wins and only one driver currently in the top 10 in Cup Series standings: Martin Truex Jr. in seventh. Though wins have been increasingly hard to come by with the parity seen in the Next Gen car, it's surprising to see Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell sitting 22nd and 23rd, respectively, in points. Hamlin won 15 races in the three seasons prior to 2022 but has struggled to find a foothold this year with a trio of DNFs and six straight finishes of 13th or worse. As many questions have been asked to this point, they could all be answered at Richmond. JGR has won eight of the last 12 races at the Virginia track, with Truex's 2021 playoff victory being the most recent, and Hamlin finished runner-up in both Richmond races a season ago. All it could take for JGR is just one of its drivers getting to Victory Lane to spark that overall championship form we're accustomed to seeing. | Full JGR, Richmond analysis Who's hot? Who's not?: With a strong nod to Ross Chastain for being the most in-form driver on the planet right now, Chase Elliott has quietly begun to pick up the pace. Elliott ranks atop the board in the regular-season points standings and has three finishes of ninth or better in the last four races. The 2020 Cup Series champion has found an impressively strong run of consistency while he keeps searching for his first win of the season. On the cold front, Aric Almirola has slowed down from his blistering pace to start the season -- from the only driver with three top 10s in the first trio of races to three straight finishes of 12th or worse. Looking to regain momentum at Richmond, he finished sixth in this race a season ago. Driving under the radar: Steady as he goes. That has been the theme for Martin Truex Jr.'s season so far. The No. 19 pilot has led laps in half the races this year and reeled off back-to-back finishes inside the top eight to creep his way up the points leaderboard. Under the radar so far this season, Truex will be in full focus at Richmond, a track he has dominated lately more than anyone else. He won three of the last five races here, has six consecutive top fives and is primed to make his first big statement of 2022 on Sunday.  

Race-day staples ✅

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles. • Paint Scheme Preview: Colors are ready to roll at Richmond | Choose a favorite • Power Rankings: Alex Bowman proving to be weekly contender for wins | Where does he rank? • Fantasy Fastlane: Expect a strong JGR showing at Richmond | Top plays, sleepers • NASCAR betting: Odds for Richmond spring race | BetMGM odds

Catch the pack 💨

Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday's race. • Suspensions: No. 23 team hit with penalties after loose wheel at COTA | Latest penalty report • Track profile: Richmond Raceway | Learn more about the Virginia track • Analysis: Is Richmond where JGR turns the season around? | See what the numbers say • Time for No. 20?: Christopher Bell has a positive outlook for Richmond | Read what he said • On the calendar: RFK Racing appeal of L2 penalties to be heard April 7 | Latest information • Checking the boxes: Next Gen car passes key tests at COTA | Detailed analysis • Giving back: 23XI Racing announces tuition program for 2022 | More details • A star: Linda Beard shining as team owner | Full heartwarming story • Hello, old friend: Where are they now? Catching up with Derrike Cope | See what he's up to • Richmond rally: Michael Conti holds off Graham Bowling for eNASCAR win | Watch the finish • Backseat Drivers: What's Trackhouse Racing's ceiling in 2022? | Do you agree with their take? • NASCAR Snapshot: Giselle Zarur of FOX Deportes | Hear her story • 'Rocket Man' returns: Ryan Newman competing in Whelen Modified Tour action at Richmond | See how he got there | Results

Get in on the action 💰

[caption id="attachment_340174" align="alignright" width="300"]NASCAR Creative Design[/caption] Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy. • Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ • BetMGM: Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano anchor Richmond's featured matchups | Who's got your vote? • The Action Network: Early bets for Richmond | Catch up with tips from the experts • Weekly props: Will Toyota top the field at Richmond? | Make your picks • Going all the way: NASCAR betting: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Returning to Richmond 🕷

Richmond Raceway has had its share of storied history, hosting 130 Cup races since 1953. Take a look at some important track information.  • First things first: Drivers with their first win at Richmond Raceway | See the full list • Spring forward: All-time wins in Richmond Raceway spring race | Who has the most? • Remember when: Most memorable moments at Richmond Raceway | How many do you remember? • Last spring: Alex Bowman races past Denny Hamlin for the win | Race recap | Watch highlights from the race

Fast facts ⏩

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights. • Joe Gibbs Racing has won eight of the last 12 races at Richmond, including the 2021 playoff race won by Martin Truex Jr. • Aric Almirola is the only driver to complete every lap this season. His last DNF came in May 2021. • In both races at Richmond in 2021, Denny Hamlin finished runner-up, led the most laps and won both stages in each. • The final green-flag run was 146 laps or more in three of the last five races at Richmond. • Chase Elliott leads the series standings despite having just one top-five finish this season, coming last week at Circuit of The Americas.

Say what? 🎙

[caption id="attachment_347084" align="alignright" width="300"]Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images[/caption] Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday's race. • “I’m always excited to go to Richmond. I have been fortunate to have had a lot of success there throughout my career and especially the last few years. No matter what car you’re racing, you’re always going to fight the same things there. You have to be able to turn the middle and have good drive off if you want to have any chance, especially on the long run. Richmond is very unique compared to the tracks we have been to so far with this car, so it’s really going to be up to us to unload close and fine tune on it during practice and qualifying to be ready for the race, but I have a lot of confidence in Chris (Gabehart) and our team that we can do that.” -- Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, on his mindset heading into Saturday.  • "I think for me I feel like I needed to be a little bit more aggressive, understanding how important track position is. As soon as the race starts it’s time to go. It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, I’ve got 500 miles to go. I’ll figure it out.’ Well, if you lose a couple spots those guys that passed you are really smart. They’re really good and they’re hard to pass back, so you end up spending more time trying to pass them than you would trying to move forward or whatever it might be, so more recently that’s been my focus is to get a little bit more aggressive over time and get a little bit more on the offensive instead of the defensive against these guys – just kind of take the fight to them and see what we’ve got.” -- Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, on his mentality at the track.  • “We have two incredible race car drivers. I’ve said this about Daniel (Suárez) all along, and I’ve said it about Ross (Chastain) for the 10 years that I’ve known him. These are championship-caliber talents. We just need to get them in a spot where they can shine. And Chevrolet is strong right now. Our preparation is on point. Everybody is super motivated, so workflow is super effective during the week.” -- Justin Marks, owner of Trackhouse Racing, on his motivation and performance as a team and manufacturer.