Pick your winner for Saturday’s Toyota Owners 400 (7 p.m. ET, FOX)
Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live
Chat with race fans as NASCAR heads to Richmond International Raceway
MORE:
|
NASCAR news |
PLAY: Sign up
|
WATCH: Latest
|
FOLLOW LIVE: Get
|
|---|
The reigning champ led a race-high 184 laps on Sunday and only finished 38th because he couldn’t stop in time to avoid a turned David Ragan. No reason to move him down for the poor result.
2
Hendrick Motorsports
We’re still not exactly sure how Johnson muscled his way back to the front after running into multiple issues over the course of the race, especially considering it was at one of his worst tracks. Then again, he IS a six-time champion for a reason.
-1
When Logano ran into his wrecked teammate just 19 laps into Sunday’s Bristol race, it was even more disappointing because he was a favorite to win after leading every circuit in Saturday’s XFINITY Race.
With his third-place finish at Bristol, the four-time champ has now improved his finishing position for four straight weeks. Still winless in 2015, it’s only a matter of time before his 15-race drought will end.
-1
Team Penske
After starting on the front row, many pegged Keselowski as a potential race-winner. We never got to see if he had the car to do it, as a spinout and wreck on Lap 19 all-but-ruined his No. 2 Ford.
Sadly, Truex Jr.’s streak of top-10 finishes to start the season ended at seven. Guess what? So did Joey Logano’s and Kevin Harvick’s, who were the only other two drivers to be enjoying such a streak.
Newman’s No. 31 Chevrolet performed much better down the stretch than earlier in the race, putting him in contention for the win late. It’ll be interesting to see how Newman’s performance maintains itself if/when crew chief Luke Lambert has to serve his six-race suspension.
1
Hendrick Motorsports
Earnhardt has now alternated finishes outside and inside the top 10 for the past five races, so if that pattern holds a solid finish should be in store for him at Richmond, where he has three wins.
-1
Joe Gibbs Racing
For the third consecutive season, Hamlin has missed at least part of a race due to injury. It’s hard to fault him for that, but while replacement driver Erik Jones’ 26th-place finish in his Cup debut is great for an 18-year-old, it didn’t help the No. 11 driver in points, for which he was still the driver of credit.
Look past the 24th-place finish. A week after securing his first top 10 of the season, Edwards looked like he had a car that could truly compete for a win, leading 86 laps – all of which came in the second half of the race.
Now that Kenseth has a 51-race winless streak off his mind – and it definitely was; how could it not? – watch out. The season is still early, and he won a series-high seven races just two years ago.
Busch led 98 laps and appeared to have the race wrapped up before a questionable pit call by a committee on the pit box to replace unfortunate kidney-stone recipient Tony ‘Oldman’ Gibson. With his normal chief back on top next week at Richmond, expect the momentum to continue.
-1
Kahne has been above average this year, finishing worse than 17th just once. Unfortunately that came this week at Bristol and it dropped him two spots in the standings.
A 14th-place finish dropped McMurray in the standings, but it’s not the end of the world. He’s still 12th in the point standings and on pace to make his first career Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Larson has repeatedly stated that his health is fine after passing out at Martinsville and his performance at Bristol showed it. His 90 laps led were a career high and more than doubled his career total.
Menard recovered from a 41st-place finish at Texas and maintained his finishes much closer to the top 10 than away from it.
1
Stewart-Haas Racing
Setting the Cup record for top 10s for a woman is great. Doing it at the type of track known for making the measure of a man is exceptional.
Stewart-Haas Racing
Along with a seventh-place finish at Daytona and a 13th-place showing at Martinsville, Bristol was one of a select few times Bowyer’s No. 15 has looked competitive. Now, if only ALL the races took place at superspeedways and short tracks.
Sure, Stewart usally starts slow, but no top 10s through the first seven races isn’t typical of “Smoke”. Neither is keeping his emotions in check at Bristol, but he did so on Sunday and rode to a sixth-place finish.
1
Richard Childress Racing
Dillon would be happy with a top 10 at Bristol most days. That 3 car was in position to compete for the win before running out of gas during overtime caution laps while waiting out the rain. Heart-breaker.
Weeklong campaign highlights how industry helps protect environment
RELATED: Learn more about #NASCARGreen
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 20, 2015) — To commemorate one of the most innovative and holistic sustainability platforms in the country, NASCAR® announced its third annual NASCAR Race to Green™ initiative. Beginning today and culminating with Saturday’s TOYOTA OWNERS 400 at Richmond International Raceway, NASCAR Race to Green will build awareness around the programs the governing body, industry and multiple partners have created to help protect and preserve the environment.
This year, NASCAR and the Environmental Protection Agency are inviting fans to measure their environmental impact at NASCAR.com/green and receive tips from Official Partners on how to reduce their carbon footprint. NASCAR drivers will reward select fans who complete the online tool with personalized messages on social media using the campaign’s hashtag #NASCARGreen.
"NASCAR has the largest renewable energy, recycling and clean air programs in sports, but our sustainability platform is also about empowering fans to adopt new green-friendly behaviors," said Brent Dewar, Chief Operating Officer, NASCAR. "NASCAR Race to Green celebrates the collective efforts of our industry and partners while teaching fans how they can contribute to a cleaner environment."
Since 2008, NASCAR Green has planted enough trees to completely offset carbon emissions for all NASCAR national series racing for the past five years, plus the next 40 years; put more than seven million competition miles on Sunoco Green E15, a biofuel blended with 15 percent American-made ethanol from American-grown corn; and features some of the largest renewable energy projects in the world, including Pocono Raceway‘s 3MW Solar Farm, the track’s primary electric energy source powering more than 250 homes.
Recent research shows NASCAR Green initiatives align with fan values. According to Experian Marketing Services’ 2014 Simmons National Consumer Study, two out of three NASCAR fans agree that each person has a personal obligation to be environmentally responsible, and four out of five fans indicate their household recycles. Additionally, a 2014 study commissioned by NASCAR and conducted by Toluna revealed that NASCAR fans are over 75 percent more likely than non-fans to support the use of ethanol blended with gasoline to fuel their own cars.
During NASCAR Race to Green week the color green will be prominently displayed on race vehicles and at tracks across NASCAR national series, NASCAR Home Tracks and International Series. The NASCAR Green mark will be featured on the A-post of race cars, pit boxes, hauler flags and NASCAR officials’ uniforms. Drivers Austin Dillon and Elliott Sadler will run green-themed paint schemes during the weekend’s national series events.
NASCAR Race to Green will also highlight the sustainability efforts of NASCAR Official Partners, who work closely with NASCAR, year-round, to amplify the reach of NASCAR Green. While NASCAR Green initiatives have and will continue to span the entire year, the following additional activities will take place throughout this week-long effort:
• American Ethanol will celebrate five years as a NASCAR Official Partner and more than seven million miles of racing on Sunoco Green E15, the equivalent of almost 30 trips from the earth to the moon.
• As part of national "Comcast Cares Day," NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers will join nearly 200 volunteers from Comcast for a cleanup project at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Richmond.
• Mobil 1 will work with NASCAR to provide lubricant technology expertise to the broadcast compound power generators and vehicle.
• Chevrolet will come together with Pocono Raceway and NASCAR Green to build sustainable habitats for threatened bats by repurposing recycled Chevrolet Volt battery covers. At Pocono Kids day in June local children will be able to visit the Team Chevy display and build a habitat.
• Ford’s 20,000-square-foot display at Richmond International Raceway will "go green" and feature its line of hybrid and electric vehicles.
• At the track each weekend Toyota Tundras house the Air Titan 2.0, NASCAR’s innovative track-drying system. The Air Titan 2.0 consumes 78 percent less fuel per hour and emits 80 percent less CO2 per hour than its predecessor. Additionally, Toyota will feature a Toyota Prius Hybrid at its at-track display, Toyota PitPass.
• As part of a food waste diversion initiative, Richmond International Raceway, together with Sustainable America, will donate unused food to local food banks and compost used food items.
• NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway (DIS) employees will come together on Earth Day to plant trees at Lenox Park in Daytona Beach, Fla. in continued support of NASCAR Green’s "Clean Air Tree Planting Program" which plants trees in reforestation projects across the country.
• A comprehensive recycling effort has accounted for approximately 120,000 Goodyear tires recycled across NASCAR’s top three national series each year; more than 200,000 gallons of oil at tracks and team shops recycled annually by Safety-Kleen; and more than more 25 million bottles and cans cumulatively recycled over the past six years through collaborations with Coca-Cola and Coors Light.
For more information about NASCAR Race to Green, visit NASCAR.com/Green.
MORE:
|
NASCAR news |
PLAY: Sign up
|
WATCH: Latest
|
FOLLOW LIVE: Get
|
|---|
News and notes for the full 43-car field at the Tennessee short track
RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Chase Grid
1. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The polesitter led the final 34 laps (and 47 for the race) as he snapped 51-race winless streak in the Sprint Cup Series. After the checkered flag, crew chief Jason Ratcliff told Kenseth over the radio, "I’m speechless. You fought your guts out." | See how Kenseth won
2. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. He led no laps, but somehow the six-time champion, who hasn’t won at Bristol since 2010, nearly stole one. And that came after he had some contact with Jeb Burton on Lap 311 that set off a wreck and saw Johnson vent about lapped traffic. | Johnson weighs in on runner-up result
3. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon had a pit stop for a loose wheel at Lap 209 that dropped him back from seventh to 29th. That was the only real hiccup on the night as he scored his fifth straight top-10 and his best finish of his final full-time season to date. Gordon was worried that he may not have enough gas for the green-white-checkered finish, but the 24 team only lost one spot on the final restart. | Gordon discusses finish
4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. What is it about Bristol and Stenhouse? For the third straight time in the foothills of Tennessee, Stenhouse scored a finish inside the top six. The driver seems to have a comfort level at Bristol, and perhaps it can carry over for him at another short track in Richmond this weekend.
5. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. With caution laps continuing to lead into a green-white-checkered finish, it looked like Newman was best positioned on fuel to take advantage of any overtime racing. But the veteran driver struggled on the restart and had to settle for a top-five finish.
6. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. When plenty of others were finding trouble, Stewart avoided it en route to his best finish in 2015. That result bumped him up four spots on the standings to 28th.
7. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. The No. 42 team used some strategy to get to the front and led 90 laps; the most Larson has ever led in a race. Heck, he only led 53 laps in 36 races last year. His time in Victory Lane is coming soon.
8. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Allgaier scored the best finish of his Sprint Cup career at Bristol, not to mention his first top-10 in the sport’s premier series. The finish was also team owner Harry Scott Jr.’s best in the Sprint Cup Series.
9. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick quietly battled her way to a top-10 finish, her first at Bristol. She also set a record for most top-10 finishes by a female driver as she now has six, breaking the tie with Janet Guthrie. She told her team over the radio after the race, "Great job. What a great finish after a rough weekend." | For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView and/or Scanner today
10. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon ran out of fuel during the caution laps before the final restart, but still scored his first top-10 of the season.
11. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Menard came into Bristol with top-10s in five of his past six starts at the Tennessee short track. The leader of the "Neon Knights" nearly made it six in seven starts as he finished just outside the top 10.
12. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer had one of his best runs of the season at Bristol and was running in the top 10 before a Lap 473 wreck. He scored a lead-lap finish, and his 76 green-flag passes were the most in the race.
13. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola continues to churn out top-15 finishes — this was his fifth of the season.
14. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. McMurray spent much of the race in the top 10, but his involvement in a wreck that was set off by his blown tire hurt his chances at a fourth top-10 finish in five races. | See the wreck McMurray was involved in
15. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. With crew chief Tony Gibson battling a kidney stone, fill-in pit bosses Greg Zipadelli and John Klausmeier guided Busch to a strong effort at Bristol that was undermined by damage in a late wreck with Carl Edwards. Busch led 98 laps on the day but scored his third straight finish outside the top 10. | Busch discusses decision to pit late
16. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Tire issues set Junior back early and he couldn’t make up the laps, but there is something to be said for grinding out a respectable finish on a day when plenty of others had issues.
17. Brett Moffitt, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. The Iowa native was the highest finishing rookie of the race. The result was much improved from his 42nd-place showing there last summer.
18. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Gilliland carried the flag for Front Row at a track where he has an average finish of 26.5. In fact, the result was just his second top-20 finish all season and first since Daytona.
19. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Hornish stayed out of trouble to earn his best finish since a 12th-place result at Daytona. It was also his best finish in eight career Sprint Cup starts at Bristol.
20. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Bowman’s 20th-place finish was the best of his early stint with Tommy Baldwin Racing and also the second-best finish of the soon-to-be 22-year-old’s Sprint Cup career.
21. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. In his fifth Cup start, DiBenedetto scored his best finish in the premier series and was the best of the three cars that BK Racing had at Bristol.
22. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Ford, Leavine Family Racing. McDowell scored his best finish of the season at Bristol. The finish was also his second-best at Bristol in 10 starts there.
23. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Annett recorded his best finish since the season-opener at Daytona despite starting 36th in the field.
24. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards led 86 laps but got loose and into the wall on Lap 494 before Kurt Busch rammed into him. Every time this team has a promising run, something seems to happen. Over the radio Edwards told the team, "First time I got loose like that. Definitely my fault. It kind of surprised me." | See what happened to Edwards late
25. Chris Buescher, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Buescher’s result was his third top-25 finish for Front Row in four starts. Not bad for the XFINITY Series regular’s initial Cup starts.
26. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Neck spasms forced Hamlin from the car after the initial red flag of nearly four hours. Youngster Erik Jones filled in and got quite the education in his maiden voyage in a Cup car. | Jones fills in for Hamlin
27. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Whitt’s result at Bristol was the best of his career at the 0.533-mile Tennessee short track.
28. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. After two straight top-20 finishes, Bayne slipped back but maintained his streak of improving from his starting position with his end result for the eighth straight race.
29. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. Truex’s streak of top-10s to open the season came to an end due to a vibration from a loose front right tire that left him several laps down.
30. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle led six laps in the race, his first laps out front since Daytona, thanks to an early strategy play. However, Biffle never recovered from getting trapped several laps down after a caution came out when he came to pit road.
31. Mike Bliss, No. 32 Ford, Go FAS Racing. Bliss’ quiet run matched his best finish of the season (Atlanta).
32. J.J. Yeley, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. The veteran driver’s second-best starting spot of the season (29th) resulted in his third-best finish of 2015.
33. Alex Kennedy, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport. The 33rd-place result matched Kennedy’s best Sprint Cup finish of the season; the other came at Martinsville last month.
34. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. A late wreck sent Allmendinger to his third finish of 34th-or-worse in the past four races. It’s a stretch that has seen him go from fifth to 25th in the points standings. | See the late wreck
35. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski’s day was derailed early by a wreck with his Penske teammate Logano. The 2012 champion told his team over the radio, "I don’t know what happened, it just took off on me." | For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView and/or Scanner today
36. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears’ worst finish of the season was a product of a late wreck with Kasey Kahne and AJ Allmendinger.
37. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne showed speed in practice all weekend and ran in the top 10 for most of the first half of the race before a Lap 483 wreck with AJ Allmendinger ended his day. | See the late wreck
38. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick led a race-high 184 laps but couldn’t avoid hitting David Ragan‘s car in a Lap 311 incident as he told his team over the radio, "I’m sorry guys. I just couldn’t stop." The result ended Harvick’s stretch of 10 straight top-10 finishes dating back to last fall’s Chase race at Texas. | See what happened to derail Harvick’s day
39. Josh Wise, No. 98 Ford, Phil Parsons Racing. Wise was involved in a Lap 473 wreck after hitting into Jamie McMurray. The resulting wreck knocked Wise from the race.
40. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Logano’s streak of seven top-10 finishes to open the season came to a crashing halt when he was involved in a Lap 19 accident with teammate Brad Keselowski that left his car with significant damage. Logano’s streak of 24 lead-lap finishes also came to a close as the 22 team had to go behind the wall for extensive repairs. | See the early wreck between Penske teammates
41. David Ragan, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Ragan suffered heavy damage from a Lap 311 incident that also involved Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Jeb Burton. This was his worst finish for Joe Gibbs Racing since his began filling in for Kyle Busch. | See Ragan get caught up in wreck
42. Jeb Burton, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate was involved in the Lap 311 incident after some contact from Jimmie Johnson. The damage led to him having his worst finish in six Sprint Cup starts.
43. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. Cassill fell off the pace early when the race resumed from the red flag period and was on the receiving end of some contact from then-leader Kyle Larson on Lap 367. | Cassill makes hard contact with the wall
MORE:
|
NASCAR news |
PLAY: Sign up
|
WATCH: Latest
|
FOLLOW LIVE: Get
|
|---|
O’Donnell discusses potential for three consecutive short-track races
As NASCAR prepares for its third short-track race in four weeks at Richmond International Raceway (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, FOX), NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell talked with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio about whether NASCAR would ever run the three races consecutively, similar to the NASCAR Goes West swing.
"The difference when you look out west is you’ve got a little bit more space in between with Vegas, Phoenix and California," O’Donnell said. "When you look at Bristol, Martinsville and Richmond, all really in a pretty small area, all have great capacity crowds and great interest.
"It’s something we look at, but we’re pretty happy right now where we’re at. We’ll see how these two work back to back and talk to the tracks. This was a new schedule for us so it’s still in the early stages, but we’ll talk to the tracks as we get through the first half of the season and see what they may want to look at for 2016."
Speaking of next season’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series slate, O’Donnell noted the work began last year in setting the 2016 schedule. As the sanctioning body continues to receive feedback, the next few weeks will help determine the plan for next year’s race dates.
"Each year, we try and map out, if we can, what we’d like to see three and five years out potentially, so we’re in the beginning phases of having that discussion with the tracks," O’Donnell said. "The good news is a lot of folks so far — we’re only eight races in — but they like what they’ve seen from a track perspective so we’ll continue on.
"Usually around the next two weeks, we sit down with the tracks and have those discussions ultimately with the third quarter of the year wanting to get the schedules out."
For now, NASCAR’s sights are set on Richmond, which has seen a recent streak of different drivers heading to Victory Lane, and it will host the second Sprint Cup start for Chase Elliott, the reigning XFINITY Series champion.
"The fans have been pretty vocal, liking this short-track action back to back," O’Donnell said. "We’ve seen six different winners in the past six races at Richmond. Obviously a great place, a great action track.
"Chase Elliott is making his second career (Sprint Cup) start. The XFINITY Series continues to show some young talent with Daniel Suarez finishing second this past weekend. Richmond tends to put on some great racing each and every night so we’re looking forward to some more great short-track action."
MORE:
|
NASCAR news |
PLAY: Sign up
|
WATCH: Latest
|
FOLLOW LIVE: Get
|
|---|
See what’s coming this week to NASCAR.com
Here’s what you’ll see on NASCAR.com this week:
MONDAY: Kurt Busch pitted late and wrecked late. He’ll discuss the late-race strategy that didn’t pay off. Other content includes Bristol entry lists for the Cup and XFINITY races; plus @nascarcasm tries the Carbon-Footprint Calculator.
TUESDAY: Will Kevin Harvick‘s finish outside the top 35 at Bristol be enough to knock him from the top of Power Rankings? Jimmie Johnson also relives his eventful night at Bristol that resulted in a second-place finish, and the best sounds from the scanner should provide a unique look at the Bristol race.
WEDNESDAY: Check out which paint schemes will be on display at Richmond International Raceway. We’ll have a feature on Kyle Larson, off a strong run at Bristol, and Rico Abreu, the Chili Bowl winner turned K&N Pro Series driver. Plus, @nascarcasm will dream up what Matt Kenseth‘s Facebook page might have looked like after winning the Food City 500.
THURSDAY: Last year’s Brad Keselowski–Matt Kenseth feud reached a boiling point at Charlotte, but it actually began at Richmond — site of this week’s race. We’ll take you back to that incident. Also check out a gallery of April’s best #TBT posts, plus a retrospective of Kasey Kahne‘s first career Cup win, which came 10 years ago at Richmond.
FRIDAY: Get all the on-track action slated for Richmond — including the XFINITY Series race — throughout the day and evening.
Also coming this week: Goldberg was at Bristol, which led us to wonder which professional wrestler NASCAR’s top drivers match up to … Tech Talk will hit on everything you need to know from a competition perspective … @nascarcasm creates his own Power Rankings, based off driver anagrams.
Brad Keselowski to run scheme in next month’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
BUY: Get Cheers to 25 Years throwback die-casts
In March, Team Penske and longtime partner MillerCoors announced plans to celebrate 25 years together in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with promotions and special paint schemes throughout 2015.
The team and Miller Lite gave fans the chance to select Keselowski’s paint scheme for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (May 16, 7 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1). On Cheersto25Years.NASCAR.com, fans chose from three iterations of the "Blue Deuce," which is now known as the "Blanco Deuce" with the body and number colors inverted on the current ride.
With 43 percent of the vote, the winner was "The Original" Miller Lite Blue Deuce, which made its debut with Team Penske on the No. 2 entry back in 1997 with driver Rusty Wallace. That season, the Blue Deuce went to Victory Lane at Richmond International Raceway.
In second place with 37 percent was the "Gold" car. For the 2007 Daytona Shootout and NASCAR All-Star Race, Miller Lite unveiled this special gold color paint scheme to celebrate Miller Lite’s fourth gold award in the American-Style Light lager category at the World Beer Cup.
The "Classic Pour" scheme earned the remaining 20 percent. From 2010-2012, there were plenty of trips to Victory Lane to celebrate in different variations of this paint scheme, including a 2010 sweep of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 as well as Miller Lite and Team Penske‘s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2012.
MORE:
|
NASCAR news |
PLAY: Sign up
|
WATCH: Latest
|
FOLLOW LIVE: Get
|
|---|
Stewart-Haas Racing driver led 98 laps at Bristol
Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live
BRISTOL, Tenn. – There was no second-guessing the decision to pit late in Sunday’s race from Kurt Busch or his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing team.
Busch led six times for 98 laps in the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer at Bristol Motor Speedway. But when the caution flew for a five-car incident on Lap 482, the 2004 Sprint Cup Series champion headed for pit road. Most of the others up front at that point in the race – Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – did not.
"We had 100 laps on our tires," Busch said of the call to pit road. "I thought we needed to pit. (John) Klausmeier (engineer) thought we needed to pit. Then I was thinking this is the Bristol of old, we might be able to get away with staying out."
Klausmeier, along with help from SHR Vice President of Competition director Greg Zipadelli, was calling the shots for the team after crew chief Tony Gibson had to exit due to a kidney stone.
Busch restarted the race sixth, and immediately radioed his team to confirm that it was the right call to pit.
WATCH: Edwards spins while battling Gordon
Barely a dozen laps later, however, Busch was collected in an accident when Edwards’ No. 19 Toyota slipped while running side-by-side with Gordon. Busch, trailing the two, was unable to avoid contact with Edwards, and the result was heavy damage to the right front of his Chevrolet.
"We had fresh tires coming up through (traffic)," Busch said. "Edwards pushed the cushion. He hit some ice, I hit the same stuff or he was throwing the marbles out on the track and I just got sucked right in there. I was like ‘I’m avoiding the wreck,’ but I couldn’t do anything to avoid them. We salvaged 15th. The car could have won."
WATCH: Busch, Johnson spin after restart
Gordon, who finished third behind race winner Kenseth of Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson, said he was surprised to see Busch hit pit road with the lead late in the race and rain in the area.
But it was clear that Busch had a car capable of winning, he said.
"To me Kurt, on old tires or on newer tires, he had the dominant car," said Gordon. "I was behind him a lot tonight, and I watched him do things that I didn’t see anybody else do. I mean, I saw Jimmie pretty good on the bottom, Carl decent at times, but the 41 would drive by five cars in the middle of the race track to the bottom on restarts and then pull back up in line and go to work on the rest of them. He was incredibly fast."
In the end, the opportunity to try and reel in Kenseth never surfaced.
Since returning from missing the season’s first three races while serving a NASCAR suspension, Busch has finished no worse than Sunday night’s 15th-place result. Twice, at Phoenix and Auto Club, he finished in the top five.
"We had a very eventful day," he said. "I don’t even know how to describe it. This is a good sign. We had good long run speed and that is the most positive thing to take from the last couple of weeks where we didn’t have that long run speed. …
"We will get it. We are not going to get one win. We are going to get many wins."
MORE:
|
NASCAR news |
PLAY: Sign up
|
WATCH: Latest
|
FOLLOW LIVE: Get
|
|---|
A stats-based look ahead to the ninth race of the Sprint Cup season
Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 20, 2015) – Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia going into the Toyota Owners 400 on April 25.
Clint Bowyer (No. 15 AAA Insurance Toyota)
· Two wins, four top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.5
· Average Running Position of 10.5, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 99.6, fourth-best
· 210 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.176 mph, sixth-fastest
· 5,632 Laps in the Top 15 (78.0%), fifth-most
· 499 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most
Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· One win, five top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 17.1
· Average Running Position of 14.4, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.5, ninth-best
· 379 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.156 mph, seventh-fastest
· 4,779 Laps in the Top 15 (59.6%), eighth-most
· 477 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet)
· Three wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.5
· Average Running Position of 14.5, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.9, 12th-best
· 347 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 1,026 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· 4,515 Laps in the Top 15 (56.3%), 12th-most
· 454 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Carl Edwards (No. 19 ARRIS Toyota)
· One win, four top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.9
· Average Running Position of 15.1, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.1, 10th-best
· 299 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 1,031 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.026 mph, 11th-fastest
· 4,634 Laps in the Top 15 (57.8%), 10th-most
· 472 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet)
· Two wins, 18 top fives, 28 top 10s; six poles
· Average finish of 13.6
· Average Running Position of 12.8, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 99.3, fifth-best
· 461 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.237 mph, fourth-fastest
· 5,283 Laps in the Top 15 (65.9%), sixth-most
· 470 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)
· Two wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 10.4
· Average Running Position of 7.5, second-best
· Series-best Driver Rating of 110.7
· Series-high 598 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 116.498 mph
· 5,821 Laps in the Top 15 (85.5%), fourth-most
· 448 Quality Passes, 12th-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet)
· Three wins, eight top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.0
· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.5
· Driver Rating of 110.3, second-best
· 511 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 903 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.466 mph, third-fastest
· Series-high 7,415 Laps in the Top 15 (92.5%)
· Series-high 657 Quality Passes
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet)
· Three wins, five top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 17.5
· Average Running Position of 15.7, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.8, 11th-best
· 291 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.030 mph, 10th-fastest
· 4,662 Laps in the Top 15 (58.2%), ninth-most
Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford)
· One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.9
· Average Running Position of 13.6, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.6, eighth-best
· 252 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.016 mph, 12th-fastest
Ryan Newman (No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet)
· One win, six top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.2
· Average Running Position of 11.4, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.5, seventh-best
· 1,017 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.118 mph, eighth-fastest
· 6,137 Laps in the Top 15 (76.6%), third-most
· 625 Quality Passes, second-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet)
· Three wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.2
· Average Running Position of 12.8, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.0, sixth-best
· 281 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 945 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 116.224 mph, fifth-fastest
· 5,067 Laps in the Top 15 (66.5%), seventh-most
· 492 Quality Passes, fifth-most
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2015 Top 16 at Richmond International Raceway
|
Rank |
Driver |
Races |
Poles |
Wins |
Top Fives |
Top 10s |
DNFs |
Average Finish |
Driver Rating |
|
|
1 |
28 |
1 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
0 |
11.0 |
110.3 |
||
|
2 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
15.4 |
80.2 |
||
|
3 |
18 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
22.1 |
79.6 |
||
|
4 |
26 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
9 |
1 |
17.5 |
88.8 |
||
|
5 |
11 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
16.9 |
91.6 |
||
|
6 |
31 |
1 |
3 |
9 |
13 |
1 |
13.5 |
86.9 |
||
|
7 |
22 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
2 |
17.7 |
86.7 |
||
|
8 |
30 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
13 |
1 |
16.3 |
85.0 |
||
|
9 |
44 |
6 |
2 |
18 |
28 |
7 |
13.6 |
99.3 |
||
|
10 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
17.8 |
73.1 |
||
|
11 |
17 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
9 |
0 |
10.4 |
110.7 |
||
|
12 |
24 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
4 |
21.3 |
76.7 |
||
|
13 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
27.3 |
48.4 |
||
|
14 |
16 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
24.1 |
59.5 |
||
|
15 |
21 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
11 |
1 |
13.9 |
89.1 |
||
|
16 |
26 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
16 |
0 |
11.2 |
92.5 |
|
* – Based on last 20 races at Richmond International Raceway. 2015 Chase Grid Outlook |
||||
|
Pos. |
Drivers |
Wins |
Points |
Chase Bonus Pts |
|
1 |
2 |
314 |
6 |
|
|
2 |
2 |
258 |
6 |
|
|
3 |
1 |
284 |
3 |
|
|
4 |
1 |
255 |
3 |
|
|
5 |
1 |
236 |
3 |
|
|
6 |
1 |
223 |
3 |
|
|
7 |
0 |
281 |
0 |
|
|
8 |
0 |
241 |
0 |
|
|
9 |
0 |
237 |
0 |
|
|
10 |
0 |
227 |
0 |
|
|
11 |
0 |
226 |
0 |
|
|
12 |
0 |
223 |
0 |
|
|
13 |
0 |
211 |
0 |
|
|
14 |
0 |
210 |
0 |
|
|
15 |
0 |
203 |
0 |
|
|
16 |
0 |
201 |
0 |
|
|
Outside Looking In |
||||
|
17 |
0 |
200 |
0 |
|
|
18 |
0 |
197 |
0 |
|
|
19 |
0 |
186 |
0 |
|
|
20 |
0 |
180 |
0 |
|
|
21 |
0 |
177 |
0 |
|
|
22 |
0 |
174 |
0 |
|
|
23 |
0 |
173 |
0 |
|
|
24 |
0 |
172 |
0 |
|
|
25 |
Aj Allmendinger |
0 |
171 |
0 |
|
26 |
0 |
162 |
0 |
|
|
27 |
0 |
154 |
0 |
|
|
28 |
0 |
145 |
0 |
|
|
29 |
0 |
145 |
0 |
|
|
30 |
0 |
136 |
0 |
|
|
|
Green = Locked into the Chase, provided they attempt to qualify for the remaining regular season races |
|||
|
|
Orange = No wins, Inside the current Chase Grid’s top 16 – Currently in the Chase, not locked in |
|||
|
|
Red = Inside the current top 30 in points, outside of the Chase cutoff |
|||
|
Richmond International Raceway Data Season Race #: 9 of 36 (04-25-15) Track Size: 0.75-miles Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 14 degrees Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 14 degrees Banking/Frontstretch: 8 degrees Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees Frontstretch Length: 1,290 feet Backstretch Length: 860 feet Race Length: 400 laps / 300 miles
Denny Hamlin………………………. 110.7 Kevin Harvick………………………. 110.3 Clint Bowyer…………………………. 99.6 Jeff Gordon………………………….. 99.3 Tony Stewart…………………………. 94.0 Ryan Newman……………………….. 92.5 Brad Keselowski……………………. 91.6 Kurt Busch……………………………. 91.5 Carl Edwards………………………… 89.1 Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2014 races (20 total) among active drivers at Richmond International Raceway.
2014 pole winner: None – Due To Inclement Weather Joey Logano, Ford 93.369 mph, (03:12:47), 04-26-14 Track qualifying record: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 130.599 mph, 20.674 secs. 09-04-13 Track race record: Dale Jarrett, Ford 109.047 mph, (02:45:04), 09-06-97 |
At Richmond International Raceway:
History
· Originally known as the Atlantic Rural Exposition Fairgrounds, Richmond International Raceway held its first race in 1946 as a half-mile dirt track.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was April 19, 1953 won by Lee Petty.
· The spring 1964 race was run on a Tuesday night under temporary lighting.
· The track name changed to Virginia State Fairgrounds in 1967.
· The track surface was changed from dirt to asphalt between races in 1968.
· The track name changed to Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in 1969.
· The track was re-measured to .542-mile for 1970.
· The track was rebuilt as a three-quarters-mile D-shaped oval following the Feb. 21, 1988 race.
· The first race under permanent lights was Sept. 7, 1991.
· The first season with both races as night races was 1999.
Notebook
· There have been 117 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond International Raceway, one NSCS event from 1953 – 1958 and two races per year since 1959.
· 477 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond; 313 in more than one.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Richmond with 63. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 44 starts.
· Buck Baker won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Richmond in 1953 with a speed of 48.465 mph.
· 53 drivers have Coors Light poles at Richmond, led by Richard Petty and Bobby Allison with eight each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six.
· Seven drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Richmond. Bobby Allison holds the record for most consecutive Coors Light poles at Richmond with five (1972 – 1974).
· Youngest Richmond pole winner: Brian Vickers (05/15/2004 – 20 years, 6 months, 21 days).
· Oldest Richmond pole winner: Mark Martin (04/28/2012 – 53 years, 3 months, 19 days).
· 50 different drivers have won at Richmond International Raceway, led by Richard Petty with 13. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart lead all active drivers in wins at RIR with three each (*Kyle Busch who is inactive has four).
· Petty Enterprises has the most wins at Richmond in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 15; followed by Hendrick Motorsports with 10, Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing each have nine.
· Nine different manufacturers have won at Richmond. Chevrolet leads the series in wins at Richmond with 36 victories; followed by Ford with 31 and Toyota with seven.
· 23 of the 117 (19.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond International Raceway have been won from the Coors Light pole. Only four active drivers have been able to accomplish the feat: Kasey Kahne (2005), Jimmie Johnson (2007), Kyle Busch (2010) and Brad Keselowski (2014).
· The pole starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners than any other starting position at Richmond (23).
· 36 of the 117 (30.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond have been won from the front row: 23 from the pole and 13 from second-place.
· 91 of the 117 (77.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond International Raceway have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· 13 of the 117 (11.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond International Raceway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Richmond International Raceway was 31st, by Clint Bowyer in the spring of 2008.
· Youngest Richmond winner: Richard Petty (04/23/1961 – 23 years, 9 months, 21 days).
· Oldest Richmond winner: Harry Gant (09/07/1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 28 days).
· Bobby Allison and Richard Petty are tied for the lead in runner-up finishes at Richmond with nine each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with eight.
· Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Richmond with 34; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 18.
· Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Richmond with 41. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 28.
· Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Richmond International Raceway with a 7.909.
· Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Richmond International Raceway with a 10.412.
· There have been two NSCS races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Richmond International Raceway: spring of 2008 (400/410) and spring of 2013 (400/406).
· Only four of the 115 races at Richmond International Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions: spring of 1962, spring of 1977, spring of 1982 and spring of 2003.
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond International Raceway seven times; most recently the fall of 2014.
· Bobby Labonte (09/11/1993) and Brian Vickers (05/15/2004) posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Richmond.
· Tony Stewart (09/11/1999) and Kasey Kahne (05/14/2005) posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Richmond.
· Eight drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Richmond International Raceway. Richard Petty leads the series in consecutive wins at Richmond after posting seven consecutive wins from the fall of 1970 – 1973. Jimmie Johnson (2007 sweep) is the only active driver with consecutive wins at Richmond.
· All of the 15 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Richmond International Raceway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart won at Richmond in their second appearance.
· Joe Nemechek competed at Richmond International Raceway 18 times before winning in 1994; the longest span of any the 15 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
· Greg Biffle leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond without visiting Victory Lane at 25.
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond International Raceway was the (09/12/1998) race won by Jeff Burton with a MOV of 0.051 second.
· Two female drivers have competed at Richmond in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:
|
Driver |
Starting Position |
Finishing Position |
Date |
|
13 |
16 |
9/6/2014 |
|
|
35 |
34 |
4/26/2014 |
|
|
36 |
30 |
9/7/2013 |
|
|
30 |
29 |
4/27/2013 |
|
|
Janet Guthrie |
14 |
12 |
9/11/1977 |
|
Janet Guthrie |
13 |
12 |
2/27/1977 |
NASCAR in Virginia
· There have been 287 NASCAR Sprint Cup races among nine tracks in Virginia.
|
Track Name |
City |
NSCS |
|
Martinsville |
133 |
|
|
Richmond |
117 |
|
|
South Boston Speedway |
South Boston |
10 |
|
Langley Field Speedway |
Hampton |
9 |
|
Old Dominion Speedway |
Manassas |
7 |
|
Southside Speedway |
Richmond |
4 |
|
Starkey Speedway |
Roanoke |
4 |
|
Norfolk Speedway |
Norfolk |
2 |
|
Princess Anne Speedway |
Norfolk |
1 |
· 173 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Virginia.
· 127 of the 173 (73.4%) drivers with their home state as Virginia have made at least one start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; led by Ricky Rudd with 906 starts.
· 19 drivers from Virginia have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; 11 have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; led by Denny Hamlin and Joe Weatherly with 25 each.
|
Driver |
NSCS |
NXS |
NCWTS |
|
25 |
11 |
2 |
|
|
Joe Weatherly |
25 |
0 |
0 |
|
Ricky Rudd |
23 |
1 |
0 |
|
21 |
27 |
0 |
|
|
Curtis Turner |
17 |
0 |
0 |
|
Ward Burton |
5 |
4 |
0 |
|
Glen Wood |
4 |
0 |
0 |
|
3 |
10 |
1 |
|
|
Emanuel Zervakis |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Wendell Scott |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Lennie Pond |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Tommy Ellis |
0 |
22 |
0 |
|
Rick Mast |
0 |
9 |
0 |
|
Jimmy Hensley |
0 |
9 |
2 |
|
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
|
Elton Sawyer |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
Stacy Compton |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Jon Wood |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
0 |
0 |
1 |
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Milestones – richmond
|
DRIVER |
HAS |
NEEDS |
MILESTONE |
|
549 |
1 |
550th NSCS Start – Earnhardt Jr. is 30th on the all-time NSCS starts list, three starts behind Matt Kenseth in 29th (552). |
|
|
299 |
1 |
300th NSCS Start – Menard is 87th on the all-time NSCS starts list, three starts behind Tiny Lund in 86th (302). |
|
|
274 |
1 |
275th NSCS Top-10 Finish – Kenseth is 19th on the all-time NSCS Top 10s list, nine starts behind Benny Parsons in 18th (283). |
|
|
149 |
1 |
150th NSCS Top-10 Finish – Kahne is 49th on the all-time NSCS Top 10s list, one top-10 finish behind Dick Brooks in 48th (150). |
|
|
124 |
1 |
125th NSCS Top-10 Finish – McMurray is tied with Ernie Irvan for 56th on the all-time NSCS Top 10s list; three top 10s behind John Sears in 55th (127). |
|
|
24,778 |
222 |
25,000 NSCS Laps Led – Gordon can become the sixth driver in NSCS history to lead 25,000 laps. |
|
|
950 |
50 |
1,000 Laps Led In First Nine Races – Harvick can become the eighth driver in series history to lead 1,000 laps or more in the first nine races of a season. |
|
|
#43 car |
199 |
1 |
200 NSCS Wins – The No. 43 car is second on the all-time NSCS wins list, five wins behind the No. 11 car in first (204). |
MORE:
|
NASCAR news |
PLAY: Sign up
|
WATCH: Latest
|
FOLLOW LIVE: Get
|
|---|