See where your favorite driver will pit for Saturday night’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway (6:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
RICHMOND, Va. – After a dismal two weeks that saw the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota of reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. crash out of races at Texas and Bristol, Truex found a welcome stroke of success on Friday at Richmond Raceway.
With a lap at 123.859 mph (21.799 seconds) in the final round of knockout qualifying, Truex claimed the Busch Pole Award for Saturday night’s Toyota Owners 400 (6:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), edging Chase Elliott (123.621 mph) for the top starting spot by .042 seconds.
MORE: Full starting lineup | Best 10-lap averages at Richmond
The Busch Pole Award was the third of the season for Truex, who will make his 450th career start in the Cup series on Saturday. The pole is his first at the .75-mile short track and the 18th of his career.
Truex was happy for the rebound from the calamities of the two previous races.
“You can’t let those kinds of things get you down,” said Truex, who has turned pole wins into race wins in two of his last three attempts (October 2017 at Kansas and March 2018 at Fontana). “It was nothing we did. It was just circumstances. But I’m proud of the effort today. Everybody did a great job, we stayed focused on our plan, and it worked out.”
A standout on 1.5-mile intermediate speedways, where he has collected nine of his 16 career wins and seven of his last nine, Truex is still seeking his first victory on a short track.
“If we’re ever going to get that short-track win, I feel like this is the place to do it,” Truex said. “We’re excited about Saturday night, and starting out front definitely helps.”
Starting on the front row for the first time this season, Elliott placed more weight on one of the perks of an outstanding qualifying effort.
“I think more than the front row is the pit stall selection,” said Elliott, who will get second pick behind Truex. “Obviously, we know Martin will be good. He ran really well here both races last year. I would have loved to have had that first pit stall.
“We were just talking (about it being) so frustrating to be so close to something once again. Just trying to finish stuff off, and I think that obviously would have loved to have gotten the pole, but starting second is plenty good enough to run well in the race, so we will see.”
RELATED: Scenes from around Richmond
Joey Logano, whose last victory came at Richmond last spring (albeit later devalued by penalty), qualified third at 123.581 mph, just .007 seconds behind Elliott. After fighting severe handling problems throughout practice, Denny Hamlin nevertheless claimed the fourth spot on the grid.
Kyle Larson and Kurt Busch were fifth and sixth, respectively.
For a race that could extend his Cup winning streak to three events, Kyle Busch and his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team were overly conservative in the first round, posting the 32nd fastest speed and failing to advance.
“We didn’t make a mock-run in practice, and we thought the spread would be about three-tenths,” Busch said. ” … A bunch of those guys ran three laps, and obviously, we needed that third lap. It would have picked up. For some reason the tire here today, even in race trim, your fastest lap was the seventh lap. It takes a while for everything to come in, and we were trying to shortcut it a little bit and didn’t work out for us. So we’ll come from the way far back.”
Likewise Brad Keselowski, with a career-average starting spot of 9.8 at Richmond, failed to survive the first round. He’ll start 28th on Saturday night.
After winning Thursday’s Short Track Showdown at Langley Speedway, Denny Hamlin heard something he hadn’t heard in Virginia in a while.
Cheers.
“That was a welcome change,” Hamlin said Friday at Richmond Raceway.
RELATED: Hamlin connects on a night celebrating short-track roots
The Chesterfield, Virginia, native heard more boos than usual at the series’ second Virginia track Martinsville Speedway last October when he made contact with Chase Elliott, spinning out his Chevrolet.
Elliott’s strong fan base didn’t help Hamlin’s cause in that instance, as many cheered when Elliott spun Hamlin out two weeks later at Phoenix. But it’s nothing new; the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver cited another well-known racing incident that saw a similar scenario play out.
“I think fans live in the moment,” he said. “… I forgot the year Rusty wrecked Jeff Gordon off of Turn 2, but I remember sitting in my seat and the crowd went crazy because they hated Jeff so bad. A few years later, Jeff’s their favorite driver. Fans are fickle, and you can’t please them all the time. I found that out pretty quick.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, if you wreck someone they really like, they just don’t like you.”
RICHMOND, Va. — For a driver with a two-race winning streak, Kyle Busch wasn’t exuding confidence when he took questions from reporters Friday afternoon at Richmond Raceway.
Busch used to own the spring race at Richmond. He won it four straight years from 2009 through 2012. In each of those years, the race fell on or near his May 2 birthday, and Busch was unabashed about gifting himself with the Richmond trophy.
MORE: Kyle Busch aiming for triple | Richmond schedule
But times have changed, and so have NASCAR rules. In recent years, Busch hasn’t been able to find the edge he enjoyed during his heyday at the .75-mile short track. And with six dry years in the interim, Busch can hardly remember what it feels like to celebrate in Richmond’s Victory Lane.
“The success is almost forgotten it’s been so long ago,” he said. “So we certainly want to get back to our winning ways and doing a better job of being up front and winning here at Richmond. We’re just kind of missing a little bit.
“There were some rule changes years ago that had some things kind of taken away from our camp and things that we were doing that made us a little bit better than our competition.”
Not surprisingly, Busch eyes Kevin Harvick, a three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winner this season, as his foremost competition so far this season. In Friday’s opening practice for the Toyota Owners 400 on Saturday (6:30 p.m. ET,FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Harvick posted the best consecutive 10-lap average speed. Busch was fourth.
“Man, I think we’re pretty equal honestly,” Busch said of comparisons between his No. 18 Toyota and Harvick’s No. 4 Ford. “I think I’ve got to give them the notch a little bit. I think they’re a little bit better than we are. I think (Kyle) Larson’s right there as well, too.”
Point taken. Harvick is a three-time winner at Richmond, but he hasn’t been first to the checkered flag since 2013. Larson, on the other hand, won last year’s fall race at Richmond and posted the fastest lap in Friday’s final practice.
RICHMOND, Va. — Before the excitement of this weekend’s on-track activity began at Richmond Raceway, The NASCAR Foundation was in town Thursday to inspire children in the community to live a healthy lifestyle by staying active and eating well, and in the process, have fun.
Thursday’s second annual Speediatrics Fun Day Festival in Richmond was an initiative of The NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Children’s Fund, which supports needs expressed by hospitals, specialty clinics, camps and other organizations providing medical and health care services in NASCAR racing communities.
RELATED: Learn more about The NASCAR Foundation
Toyota Racing drivers Noah Gragson and Christopher Bell participated in the festival, as well as Richard Childress Racing driver Daniel Hemric. The up-and-coming drivers reflected on their own racing experiences and spoke to children in attendance about the importance of staying fit off the track to their success on the track.
They also showed their competitive nature and competed alongside The NASCAR Foundation mascots Chase and Victory Lane, as well as two members of the Toyota Camry Crew in NASCAR-themed field day activities.
Great time this afternoon with the @NASCAR_FDN promoting healthy living with @RichmondRaceway and @ToyotaRacing!! #Speediatrics #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/XlcDKggV8m
— Christopher Bell (@CBellRacing) April 19, 2018
The event also had a greater purpose – providing important healthcare services to children in need from the community.
Through a partnership with Capital Area Health Network (CAHN), children were able to take part in free health screenings, including vision and dental. Referrals were available to CAHN physicians for those children needing follow-up care.
“We love that our NASCAR drivers come out to events like our Speediatrics Fun Day Festival in support of the kids here in the Richmond community,” The NASCAR Foundation Executive Director Nichole Krieger said. “It means a lot to us that they share our passion for providing these important healthcare services to children in our NASCAR communities who need it most.”
MORE: The Speediatrics program
Gragson, Bell and Hemric are all leading into an important race weekend in Richmond. Gragson is making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in Friday’s ToyotaCare 250. Bell is in his first season driving Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 in the series.
Hemric is competing in the Xfinity Series’ Dash 4 Cash and will also make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut on Saturday night.
In addition to hosting the Speediatrics Fun Day Festival, The NASCAR Foundation is also providing a $20,000 grant to Capital Area Health Network to help provide medical services to children in need in the Richmond area through their mobile health program.
Kyle Larson’s runner-up showing to Kyle Busch in Monday’s rain-delayed race finish at Bristol Motor Speedway stoked some competitive frustration in the fifth-year Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver.
Even four days later, ahead of Saturday night’s race at Richmond Raceway (6:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), it was apparent Larson still felt the sting.
“Yeah, I was mad,” Larson said. “That’s as close as I’ve come to winning a Cup race at Bristol. … That one stung probably more than any Cup win I can kind of think of at this point. … It sucked.”
MORE: Richmond schedule | Larson leads final practice
Larson led a race-high 200 laps at Bristol – nearly twice as many as Busch (who led 117 laps) and the two exchanged the lead four times in the final 119 laps before Busch took the point for good with six laps remaining.
“I’d moved on shortly after because I was really mad when I got back to the bus, and I texted (Busch) about this, but … the first thing I heard when I walked in the bus was, ‘Oh, did you get me some Skittles?’ ” said Larson, smiling at the request his 3-year old son Owen so innocently asked about. Skittles sponsored Busch’s winning car.
Arriving at the .75-mile Richmond Raceway this week may help the process of getting over it for good. Larson won the Monster Energy Series last race here in September. He started from the pole position (2014) in his first Cup start here and was runner-up in the 2016 race.
Still, it’s proven to be a tough season so far for any driver not named Kevin Harvick or Kyle Busch. Those two veterans have won five of the opening eight races and have four combined runner-up showings in the races they didn’t win.
MORE: Driver standings
Larson acknowledged the dominance of those two teams, Harvick driving a Ford and Busch driving a Toyota. But Larson also said he felt like his No. 42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the other Chevrolets were getting better. Austin Dillon’s last-lap victory in the season-opening Daytona 500 is the only race a Chevrolet has won so far.
“I still think Harvick is really fast,” Larson said sizing up his fellow front-runners. “I think Kyle is really good at executing, which has helped him win the last couple of races and really run in the top 3 for as long as he has now. But yeah, as far as pure speed, I think the No. 4 (of Harvick) has everybody covered.”
That’s not to say Larson doesn’t consider himself a favorite at Richmond this week. He’s done everything but win this season and that first 2018 trophy feels inevitable. And perhaps the lesson learned in a tough defeat – like at Bristol last week – will make Larson’s next victory all the sweeter.
“I feel like we’ve gotten off to a really good start with the new body and all that. It’s early in the year and we’re going to continue to get better and better every week,” Larson said. “ … We’ve just got to keep working hard and I think we can get to the point of being the fastest car on the race track every weekend.
“I think we’ve proved last week that we were the fastest car. We didn’t get the win so we have to keep working on that and move it to other race tracks so we can be really fast.”
Take a look at which drivers have the best 10-lap averages this weekend at Richmond Raceway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
FINAL PRACTICE: RESULTS
| Pos | Car | Driver | From Lap | To Lap | Avg Speed |
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson | 29 | 38 | 119.110 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | 19 | 28 | 119.027 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | 2 | 11 | 118.805 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | 35 | 44 | 118.680 |
| 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | 3 | 12 | 118.630 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | 34 | 43 | 118.482 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | 41 | 50 | 118.426 |
| 8 | 37 | Chris Buescher | 32 | 41 | 118.414 |
| 9 | 24 | William Byron # | 2 | 11 | 118.398 |
| 10 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | 31 | 40 | 118.178 |
| 11 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | 22 | 31 | 118.129 |
| 12 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | 6 | 15 | 118.044 |
| 13 | 41 | Kurt Busch | 28 | 37 | 117.999 |
| 14 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | 6 | 15 | 117.959 |
| 15 | 21 | Paul Menard | 40 | 49 | 117.912 |
| 16 | 34 | Michael McDowell | 4 | 13 | 117.903 |
| 17 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 4 | 13 | 117.790 |
| 18 | 20 | Erik Jones | 3 | 12 | 117.732 |
| 19 | 31 | Ryan Newman | 3 | 12 | 117.709 |
| 20 | 10 | Aric Almirola | 2 | 11 | 117.684 |
| 21 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | 3 | 12 | 117.668 |
| 22 | 3 | Austin Dillon | 4 | 13 | 117.660 |
| 23 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | 3 | 12 | 117.578 |
| 24 | 38 | David Ragan | 4 | 13 | 117.474 |
| 25 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger | 2 | 11 | 117.401 |
| 26 | 19 | Daniel Suarez | 6 | 15 | 117.344 |
| 27 | 8 | * Daniel Hemric(i) | 5 | 14 | 116.911 |
| 28 | 13 | Ty Dillon | 2 | 11 | 116.793 |
| 29 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. # | 7 | 16 | 116.745 |
| 30 | 00 | Landon Cassill | 7 | 16 | 115.125 |
| 31 | 55 | * Reed Sorenson | 12 | 21 | 114.920 |
| 32 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | 2 | 11 | 113.429 |
PRACTICE 1: RESULTS
| Pos | Car | Driver | From Lap | To Lap | Avg Speed |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | 3 | 12 | 119.652 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | 4 | 13 | 119.516 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | 2 | 11 | 119.507 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | 4 | 13 | 119.507 |
| 5 | 88 | Alex Bowman | 45 | 54 | 118.919 |
| 6 | 41 | Kurt Busch | 12 | 21 | 118.776 |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | 1 | 10 | 118.456 |
| 8 | 20 | Erik Jones | 6 | 15 | 118.359 |
| 9 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | 32 | 41 | 118.357 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | 3 | 12 | 118.337 |
| 11 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | 1 | 10 | 118.317 |
| 12 | 13 | Ty Dillon | 5 | 14 | 118.278 |
| 13 | 3 | Austin Dillon | 3 | 12 | 118.140 |
| 14 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 2 | 11 | 118.119 |
| 15 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | 16 | 25 | 118.113 |
| 16 | 10 | Aric Almirola | 5 | 14 | 117.984 |
| 17 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger | 2 | 11 | 117.978 |
| 18 | 38 | David Ragan | 3 | 12 | 117.942 |
| 19 | 34 | Michael McDowell | 4 | 13 | 117.916 |
| 20 | 19 | Daniel Suarez | 14 | 23 | 117.851 |
| 21 | 21 | Paul Menard | 1 | 10 | 117.541 |
| 22 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | 2 | 11 | 117.262 |
| 23 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. # | 4 | 13 | 117.194 |
| 24 | 24 | William Byron # | 31 | 40 | 117.084 |
| 25 | 31 | Ryan Newman | 17 | 26 | 117.021 |
| 26 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | 27 | 36 | 116.954 |
| 27 | 8 | * Daniel Hemric(i) | 12 | 21 | 116.905 |
| 28 | 37 | Chris Buescher | 15 | 24 | 116.859 |
| 29 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | 4 | 13 | 116.238 |
| 30 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | 24 | 33 | 115.590 |
| 31 | 00 | Landon Cassill | 14 | 23 | 114.927 |
Car must run 10 consecutive laps on the track to be included in the above chart.
*Required to qualify on time
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
# Indicates driver is running for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors
HAMPTON, Va. — Church was in session on a Thursday night. The Rev. Tom Potter didn’t let the microphone trouble bother him for the pre-race invocation at Langley Speedway. Once he found one that worked, the Motor Racing Outreach veteran belted out, “Lord, can you hear me?!” to a hearty laugh from the crowd.
Divine intervention. Holy ground. Whichever spiritual analogy suits, the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown brought a taste of big-time gospel to the grassroots level at the historic .396-mile track, a prelude to Saturday night’s NASCAR racing to the north at Richmond Raceway.
RELATED: Full schedule for Richmond
Hamlin played host, inviting fellow Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Busch along for the charity event. Their fellowship drew both a stellar field of regional Late Model Stock heavyweights and a full gathering in the grandstands, packed with — in the Rev. Potter’s words — “God-fearin’ people with a heart of gold.”
Hamlin held on to win the 200-lap feature, which returned after a two-year hiatus with a first appearance at the Tidewater-area track. He fended off intense pressure from Busch and Norfolk wheelman C.E. Falk III over the final stage.
Hamlin lent his name to the event but also his support, with all proceeds going to the Denny Hamlin Foundation, which funds research and therapy for cystic fibrosis. The mayor of Hampton declared Thursday as “Denny Hamlin Day” in a pre-race proclamation, but the event was less about pomp and circumstance than catching up with familiar faces at the site of Hamlin’s earliest successes, which include a Mini Stock Division championship at Langley in 1997.
“It’s awesome because you see so many people who support this grassroots racing here at Langley will be at the race track this weekend in Richmond,” Hamlin said. “I see them in the pit area all the time — people that either worked on my race cars or I used to race against them — it’s nostalgic for me. It really brings back a lot of good memories to see all those faces and the people that have helped me along the way.”
Here’s hoping it’s part of a trend. Kevin Harvick dipped into the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West earlier this season in his home state, casting a wider light on the developmental tour. And larger short-track shows have also attracted Monster Energy Series participants, amplifying the competition and the stature for both.
RELATED: How Harvick walks the walk
“Denny does it as kind of a way to give back, but at the end of the day, it’s for the short-track racers here,” says Peyton Sellers, the 2005 national champion in what’s now the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. “It used to be all about the stars, but now it’s all about the short-track stars. Denny and Kyle are here, don’t get me wrong, but this is a premier event for short-track racing throughout the Southeast here. It’s just neat to be able to race in front of this many people at one time, showcasing talent, and at the same time they’ve put a lot of money on the line, so it’s good in all angles.”
For fans, there was plenty to see. Pressed against the catch-fencing during driver introductions, they weathered unseasonably chilly temperatures and a fierce wind, arriving early and staying late.
“It’s absolutely phenomenal,” said Ryan Vargas, a 17-year-old regular for Rev Racing in the K&N Series. “I mean, you see it by the crowd turnout. The stands have been half-full since noon. It’s insane. And then they added grandstands to (turns) three and four. The fans love it. The drivers love it. They get to race against guys that they watch on Sundays.”
Sellers says he’d like to see more of it — more incentives, bigger purses, stronger fields and a more intimate connection to the home-grown level of stock-car racing. Hamlin, for his part, indicated he’s in, hinting over the public-address system that the Short Track Showdown would likely return to Langley in 2019.
On a night of congregation to benefit the sport’s roots, it was a fitting message worth preaching.
“I don’t see any reason why not,” Hamlin said. “This place has done a great job hosting us and being so good to us. It’s hard to say no when you can pack the house like we did tonight.”
NASCAR announced this offseason that it will standardize at-track team rosters across all three national series in 2018, providing a structure for the number of personnel working on each vehicle during the course of a race weekend.
Official team rosters for Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway (6:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) were unveiled.
Simply click the “print” icon above, next to the headline and social media icons, to get the full list.
RELATED: Overview of 2018 rules updates
Kyle Larson’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing soared to the top of the leaderboard in Friday’s second practice at Richmond Raceway, notching a top speed of 120.315 mph.
Rookie Darrell Wallace Jr. came up second-fastest, his No. 43 Richard Petty Racing Chevrolet notching a top speed of 119.952 mph.
Larson’s CGR teammate Jamie McMurray was third-quickest in the field in his No. 1 Chevrolet (119.904 mph), while Martinsville winner Clint Bowyer was fourth on the speed charts (119.904 mph) in his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top five in his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford with a fast lap of 119.893 mph.
RELATED: Final practice results
Making his first Monster Energy Series start this weekend, Daniel Hemric was sixth-fastest in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
Three-time Richmond winner Denny Hamlin. who ranked eighth in final practice, experienced “catastrophic” issue during final practice.
“Whatever it is, it’s a major, major issue that’s not showing up in simulation,” he told FS1. “The problem is with these two practices so close to each other, I don’t think we can fix it because we’re trying to put all the parts and pieces from our teammates in the car, we just don’t have time to put it all, so we’re trying to guess on what it might be. But I think it’s a box we might be in for the rest of the day. We have to be in tech line 50 minutes after practice, so I just don’t think we can get our car fixed today.
“I think it will just have to be a shot in the dark tomorrow.”
The Monster Energy Series is back on track at 5:30 p.m. ET for Busch Pole Qualifying (FS1).
Practice 1
Chase Elliott led opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice Friday at Richmond Raceway with a top speed of 121.327 mph in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolets were second- and fourth-fastest with Kyle Larson hitting 121.076 mph in the No. 42 and Jamie McMurray 120.703 mph in the No. 1, respectively.
RELATED: Practice 1 results | Full weekend schedule
Martin Truex Jr. ranked third with a fastest lap of 120.757 mph in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Joey Logano was fifth and the quickest Ford at 120.660 mph in the No. 22 Team Penske entry.
Series points leader Kyle Busch ranked seventh at 120.471 mph. He is going for a third consecutive win in Saturday night’s Toyota Owners 400 (6:30 ET, FOX, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).
Daniel Hemric, turning laps in the historically rich No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, posted a lap at 119.121 mph, ranking 23rd on the speed chart.