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RELATED: Results | Stage results


RICHMOND, Va. — A little contact is customary in short-track racing. But the heavy contact that led to the derailment of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s first race since setting his retirement plans in motion came from an unexpected source — a teammate.

Neither Earnhardt nor Jimmie Johnson — his Hendrick Motorsports stablemate — saw each other before Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet swept up the track to broadside Earnhardt’s No. 88, compounding an already frustrating Sunday at Richmond International Raceway. Both continued on, with Johnson leading the four-car Hendrick charge in 11th place, but Earnhardt faded to a 30th-place finish in the Toyota Owners 400, two laps down.

"I was running the top (groove) right against the fence and really wasn’t watching the mirrors," Earnhardt said. "I didn’t even know he was there or anybody was coming. T.J. (Majors, his spotter) was giving me pretty good warning about guys getting on my inside, but otherwise when you’re running the top, you don’t have to worry about it. Everybody kind of takes care of you, but Jimmie didn’t know we were there.

"It was an explosion, but the car held up pretty well. It knocked the sway bar arm off it, so we ran the last bit of the race without a sway bar hooked up, but wasn’t a great day."

Johnson, a winner in the previous two races, also remarked about the severity of the impact. After the checkered flag, Johnson sought out Earnhardt on pit road for a team debrief and to apologize for his part in the collision.

"Trying to figure out if I didn’t hear it being told to me or if it wasn’t told to me," Johnson said. "Just feel terrible, obviously. Man, I’m surprised our cars even kept rolling after that because I just bodyslammed him in the wall, and I could’ve easily not heard the clear or something else happened, I don’t know. But it’s the last thing you want to have happen with a teammate."

RELATED: Johnson takes on Twitter haters


Earnhardt started 12th and dropped back in the order with an off-cycle stop for tires. He rallied, but a speeding penalty in the 67th of 400 laps knocked him to 27th when the field reorganized. Earnhardt was busted in Section 15, the next-to-last segment on the .75-mile track’s pit road.

"I was pretty conservative, but they said we sped," Earnhardt said, further explaining that the team adjusts its tachometer to allow for pit road’s curvature near the exit. "We’re real aggressive with our (tachometer) lights. We maybe need to be a little more conservative so that we can get through a couple of these races without issues like that. But all I can do is run the lights like the dash is programmed. I really don’t have a speedometer in there to help you."

With his car struggling to advance on set-up savvy alone, Earnhardt and crew chief Greg Ives opted to gamble with a late green-flag run. Ives kept his driver on the track as other front-runners came in for pit service under green; that strategy moved Earnhardt as high as second in the running order, but on old tires with his team keeping its fingers crossed for a timely caution period.

That yellow flag flew, but for his incident with Johnson.

"Just luck this year is just awful," said Earnhardt, who also spun out 13 laps later after his car developed a tire rub. "I don’t know what else we need to do. I mean, we’re out there just taking care of ourselves and running along, and something seems to always bite us."

RELATED: Junior frustrated in Richmond


Earnhardt remained stuck back in 24th place in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points, recording his fifth finish of 30th or worse in the nine events so far this year. With 27 races remaining in his final full season, Earnhardt said his goals for the immediate future might be more modest.

"Greg (Ives) told me last week we weren’t looking at (points) anymore, we were just going to try to win a race," Earnhardt said. We’re so far back. If you’re sitting 15th, 16th, 17th, you probably can’t help but look at points then. We’re sitting so far back, we’ve just got to get this thing to where we can finish. I’m just going to concentrate on trying to get about five or six races put together in a row — top 15s — and see what the points look like after that."

The same could be said for Hendrick Motorsports, which rode the high of back-to-back victories for Johnson in the previous two races — Texas and Bristol — into Richmond. Sunday, none of the four Hendrick drivers finished among the top 10 — Kasey Kahne took 22nd with Chase Elliott 24th — nor did they collect any stage points for running in the top 10 at the two intermissions.

"It’s a competitive sport," Earnhardt said. "You get written off one week and then you’re back in the conversation the next. None of our cars were really that fast, so we’ll probably come back here with a different idea, a different direction on all our set-ups and see if we can’t figure something out. We’ve got the equipment and the resources to run in the top five, but it’s shocks and springs and set-ups that just didn’t pay off today."

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RELATED: Race results | Standings | Stage results | Detailed breakdown
SHOP: Winner gear!

RICHMOND, Va. — It took Joey Logano all afternoon to drive from the back of the field to the front in Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.



Logano started from the rear after a post-qualifying transmission change, but when the checkered flag waved after Lap 400, the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford was at the head of the field, having held off a banzai charge from teammate Brad Keselowski during a 19-lap green-flag run.



Logano took the lead for the first time on Lap 384, after restarting behind six cars that had stayed out on old tires under caution for Ryan Blaney’s contact with the Turn 3 wall on Lap 377. On fresh rubber, Logano made short work of the cars in front of him and passed series leader Kyle Larson for the top spot with 16 circuits left.



Keselowski had a faster car, having led 110 laps, but he also had more difficulty getting through traffic after the final restart. By the time Logano took the checkered flag, Keselowski had narrowed his teammate’s straightaway lead to roughly three car-lengths before running out of time.



The 26-year-old from Connecticut won his 18th race in his 300th start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It was his first victory of the season and his second at Richmond.



Logano and Keselowski had stayed out under the penultimate caution on Lap 367 and appeared vulnerable to the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch until NASCAR called the final yellow five laps after the restart on Lap 377.



Of the cars that came to pit road on Lap 378, Logano was first off and lined up behind the six cars that stayed out — those of Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Jr., David Ragan and Cole Whitt. Busch drew a penalty for a commitment line violation and went to the rear of the field, eliminating one of the contending cars.


RELATED: Watch how Logano’s pit road games got Kyle Busch


"The caution came out," Logano said of the final yellow. "The boys had a great stop which gave us good track position to pass the cars that stayed out. We were able to have a good start, work our way past those cars and tried to take off the best I could. I knew the 2 (Keselowski) was so much faster than everybody, and I had to get out there as quick and as far as I could.



"He was on his way to catch me. I think he was catching me a couple tenths a lap. That was all I had inside the car, and I burned them up early trying to go. I’m proud of the effort of the team. We executed under pressure today and brought a car home that was a fifth-to-10th-place car to Victory Lane."



For his part, Keselowski was philosophical about the way the race unfolded.



"I was just hoping for another restart or the race to get extended for another 10 laps," Keselowski said. "I think we had a ton of long-run speed today. That short run at the end … half the field came, half the field didn’t. I just got stuck in a lane of cars that didn’t go.



"By the time I did, he (Logano) had a whole straightaway on me. I got it down to a couple of car-lengths at the end. All and all, I’m happy for Team Penske with the 1-2 finish. We’ll take it and move on."

RELATED: Drivers to win in his 300th start

Virginia native Denny Hamlin ran third, but his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota couldn’t match the speed of the Team Penske Fords. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. recovered from a brush with the Turn 3 wall to come home fourth on older tires, holding off fifth-place Kevin Harvick over the final green-flag run.


The first major incident of the day happened late when Hendrick Motorsports teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson got into each other, causing damage to Junior’s No. 88. He finished 30th, while Johnson placed 11th.


MORE: Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. come together at Richmond


The Monster Energy Series hits the track again next weekend at NASCAR’s biggest track for the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, FOX). Keselowski is the defending winner.

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MORE: XFINITY owner standings | Camping World owner standings

Pos. Owner Car # Points Ldr Nxt Race Wins Stage Wins Playoff Pts Attempts
1 Chip Ganassi Racing 42 398 0 0 1 2 7 9
2 Furniture Row Racing 78 358 -40 -40 1 5 10 9
3 Hendrick Motorsports 24 346 -52 -12 0 2 2 9
4 Team Penske 22 333 -65 -13 1 1 6 9
5 Team Penske 2 327 -71 -6 2 1 11 9
6 Stewart-Haas Racing 4 286 -112 -41 0 3 3 9
7 Chip Ganassi Racing 1 282 -116 -4 0 0 0 9
8 Hendrick Motorsports 48 270 -128 -12 2 0 10 9
9 Stewart-Haas Racing 14 266 -132 -4 0 0 0 9
10 Joe Gibbs Racing 18 235 -163 -31 0 1 1 9
11 Joe Gibbs Racing 11 231 -167 -4 0 0 0 9
12 Wood Brothers Racing 21 229 -169 -2 0 2 2 9
13 Richard Childress Racing 31 225 -173 -4 1 0 5 9
14 Roush Fenway Racing 6 216 -182 -9 0 0 0 9
15 Roush Fenway Racing 17 201 -197 -15 0 0 0 9
16 Furniture Row Racing 77 193 -205 -8 0 0 0 9
17 Stewart-Haas Racing 41 192 -206 -1 1 0 5 9
18 Joe Gibbs Racing 20 192 -206 0 0 1 1 9
19 Richard Petty Motorsports 43 189 -209 -3 0 0 0 9
20 Hendrick Motorsports 5 179 -219 -10 0 0 0 9
21 Richard Childress Racing 3 171 -227 -8 0 0 0 9
22 Joe Gibbs Racing 19 169 -229 -2 0 0 0 9
23 Germain Racing 13 157 -241 -12 0 0 0 9
24 Hendrick Motorsports 88 141 -257 -16 0 0 0 9
25 Richard Childress Racing 27 139 -259 -2 0 0 0 9
26 JTG Daugherty Racing 47 117 -281 -22 0 0 0 9
27 JTG Daugherty Racing 37 114 -284 -3 0 0 0 9
28 Leavine Family Racing 95 110 -288 -4 0 0 0 9
29 Stewart-Haas Racing 10 110 -288 0 0 0 0 9
30 Front Row Motorsports 34 104 -294 -6 0 0 0 9
31 TriStar Motorsports 72 104 -294 0 0 0 0 9
32 GO FAS Racing 32 99 -299 -5 0 0 0 9
33 Front Row Motorsports 38 97 -301 -2 0 0 0 9
34 Premium Motorsports 15 72 -326 -25 0 0 0 9
35 BK Racing 83 57 -341 -15 0 0 0 9
36 BK Racing 23 45 -353 -12 0 0 0 9
37 Circle Sport / TMG 33 36 -362 -9 0 0 0 9
38 Tommy Baldwin Racing 7 27 -371 -9 0 0 0 2
39 Beard Motorsports 175 26 -372 -1 0 0 0 1
40 Rick Ware Racing 51 18 -380 -8 0 0 0 9
41 Premium Motorsports 55 15 -383 -3 0 0 0 7
42 Gaunt Brothers Racing 96 1 -397 -14 0 0 0 1
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RELATED: Read more Inside Groove | Race results

Whenever Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets wrecked on the race track — even accidentally — the opposing driver had better brace for backlash, because Junior Nation is coming.

 

Earnhardt’s Hendrick Motorsports cohort Jimmie Johnson learned that the hard way in Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway after unintentionally getting into Junior late in the race. 

 

MORE: Johnson, Junior make contact

 

Not too long after the checkered flag flew, the especially charged-up Junior Nation — likely still reeling from the retirement announcement — came after Johnson hard, but ‘Seven-Time’ stood his ground.

 

It seems @junebug116 wasn’t the only one who thought Johnson needs to get his eyes checked — but maybe the seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion would be better off letting this one slide.

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RELATED: Race results | Standings | Detailed breakdown

 

Just 65 laps into Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. scraped the Turn 3 wall while racing hard with Denny Hamlin.

 

But Stenhouse recovered to finish fourth at the .75-mile short track, matching his best result of the season, thanks in large part to a decision to stay out on older tires for the final restart on Lap 382.

 

Of six drivers whose crew chiefs made that call, Stenhouse fared best, holding off Kevin Harvick during an intense 10-lap battle for position.

 

"Yeah, I made a lot of work for us there, getting in the fence later in that first stage and really we were fighting back all day from there," Stenhouse said. "Had a really good car on the long run, but we bent the splitter bar down. Was on the splitter for five or six laps, so restarts, I was just trying to keep as best track position as I could, and once we got to Lap 6 or 7, my car kind of came back around to me. 

 

"It was a no-brainer there to stay out that last caution. I was glad it came out, because I thought we missed the opportunity the run before to stay out. It worked out perfect. Our Fifth/Third Ford and the guys never gave up, worked hard, and this track is a lot of fun in the sun. It’s hot in the car, hot in the stands, so I appreciate everybody coming out, and it’s nice to have I think four Fords in the top five, so it was cool."

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RELATED: Results | Standings | Detailed breakdown


RICHMOND, Va. – A third-place finish at Richmond International Raceway was little consolation for Virginia native Denny Hamlin, who craves victory at his home track but knows his cars aren’t yet fast enough to outrun the best in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

 

"Yeah, it was about as good as we had," Hamlin said. "You know, we just didn’t have the speed that the other cars had. But we optimized our day. It’s the best we could do. We finished right where we should have."

 

Hamlin thought he and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch might have the opportunity to steal a win when eventual Toyota Owners 400 race winner Joey Logano and runner-up Brad Keselowski stayed out on old tires under caution on Lap 368 of 400. A subsequent caution on Lap 377, however, gave Logano and Keselowski another chance to come to pit road and put the cars back on equal footing.

 

"There was a moment where the two Penske cars stayed out, and we pitted, and that’s where I thought, ‘OK, this could be the chance that we have to steal it,’ " Hamlin said. "But then we had another caution, and then they came in and pitted with us. We knew we had to do something different to beat those guys. We weren’t going to be able to beat them straight up. We had to either beat them off pit road, or we had to be on a different tire strategy.

 

"And the only way to be on a different tire strategy is we were going to have to hope they didn’t pit, and they didn’t, and my eyes got really big at that moment thinking, ‘This could be our chance to level the playing field and race these guys.’ But we had another caution, and it kind of screwed all that up."

Posted on by Staff Report

Editor’s note: Every Friday during the season, "Tweets You Might Have Missed" presents eight of the best NASCAR-related tweets from the week. 



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At a Glance 

What: Toyota Owners 400

Where: Richmond International Raceway, .75-mile oval in Richmond, Virginia

When: Sunday, April 30

Green flag: 2:14 p.m. ET

TV/Radio: FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio 

Forecast: Mostly sunny with a high near 89, according to the National Weather Service. Southwest winds at 8 to 11 mph.

National anthem: Sophia Nadder, 14-year-old singer from Midlothian, Virginia

Grand Marshal: Major Eric Phillips, Toyota owner with Priority Toyota of Richmond

Race distance: 400 laps, 300 miles

Pit road speed: 40 mph 

Caution car speed: 45 mph

Stage lengths: Stage 1 ends on Lap 100. Stage 2 ends on Lap 200. Final stage is scheduled to end on Lap 400.

 

Key story lines

• In a bit of breaking news Sunday morning, Joey Logano was sent to the rear of the field | Read more


• Yes, Dale Jr. is retiring after 2017. Plenty of young drivers are ready to step up, though | Read more

•  Jimmie Johnson is closing in on NASCAR legends on the all-time wins list … and is going for three wins in a row | Read more

 

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BUY TICKETS: See the races at Richmond
FINAL PRACTICE: Full results | Top 10-lap times


A fast lap of 119.074 mph put Kyle Larson’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet at the top of the leaderboard in Saturday’s final practice at Richmond International Raceway. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points leader turned 84 laps in the 50-minute session, more than any other driver in the field.

Furniture Row Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. (119.016 mph) and Erik Jones (118.702 mph) were second- and fourth-fastest, respectively. Both drivers have recorded top-five speeds in all three practices (Truex’s No. 78 Toyota led the opening practice, while Jones’ No. 77 Toyota topped the second session).

Sandwiched between the Furniture Row wheelmen in third was Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson, whose No. 48 Chevrolet clocked in at 118.801 mph. Johnson’s teammate Chase Elliott rounded out the top five with a fast lap of 118.452 mph in his No. 24 Chevrolet.

After battling a car issue in Saturday’s opening session and coming up 31st on the leaderboard, Kurt Busch nabbed the sixth-fastest speed in the field in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford during final practice.

The XFINITY Series is on track at Richmond next for the ToyotaCare 250 race (1 p.m. ET, FS1).

PRACTICE 2: Full results | Top 10-lap times

Earlier in the day, Erik Jones wheeled his No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota at 120.714 mph, nabbing the top spot on the speed charts during Saturday morning’s opening practice at Richmond International Raceway.

The Monster Energy Series rookie, who topped the leaderboard early in the 55-minute session, was second-fastest in Friday’s lone practice to his teammate Martin Truex Jr.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick was second on the leaderboard Saturday, his No. 4 Ford clocking a fast lap of 120.048 mph. Richard Childress Racing’s Paul Menard was third-fastest (120.005 mph) in his No. 27 Chevrolet, while JTG Daugherty Racing’s Chris Buescher ranked fourth in the field (119.973 mph from his No. 37 Chevrolet). Friday’s practice leader Truex Jr. completed the top five with a 119.941-mph lap in his No. 78 Toyota.

Pole-sitter Matt Kenseth was 11th-fastest in the field in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who announced his retirement from full-time racing after 2017 on Tuesday, was 10th on the leaderboard.

In the middle of the 55-minute session, Kurt Busch radioed his team that he thought his No. 41 Ford was "on seven cylinders" and brought the car into the garage for examination. He returned to the track a little over 20 minutes later and told his team that he thought they "fixed it, whatever it was," ending the session 31st on the leaderboard.

The following teams were held for the first 15 minutes of Saturday’s opening session due to infractions: No. 1 of Jamie McMurray (failing LIS twice), No. 17 of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (failing LIS second time through) and No. 21 of Ryan Blaney (failing template twice).