Posted on by Staff Report

Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150

Richmond Raceway

21 Rr Virginiaracinglovers150 Modified 4c

  • Practice 1 results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing Co. 21.142 127.708 6 31  —
2 51 Justin Bonsignore Coastal Fiber LLC 21.287 126.838 5 35 0.145
3 32 Tyler Rypkema Northern Drilling/Musco Lighting/Make-a-Wish 21.292 126.808 5 24 0.15
4 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 21.317 126.659 6 36 0.175
5 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric 21.321 126.636 7 25 0.179
6 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 21.353 126.446 9 26 0.211
7 7 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive 21.398 126.18 9 29 0.256
8 22 Kyle Bonsignore Munns Automotive/Chalew Performance 21.405 126.139 9 21 0.263
9 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 21.407 126.127 4 31 0.265
10 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc/LFR 21.443 125.915 4 23 0.301
11 38 Bobby Labonte Pace-O-Matic 21.471 125.751 25 25 0.329
12 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 21.537 125.366 8 26 0.395
13 23 Carson Loftin* L&R Transmissions/LeBleu Water 21.547 125.307 8 30 0.405
14 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 21.593 125.041 10 25 0.451
15 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 21.623 124.867 10 33 0.481
16 14 Bobby Santos AdvantageTrucks.com 21.644 124.746 28 32 0.502
17 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 21.664 124.631 13 32 0.522
18 77 Ryan Newman Curb Records/Cassella Waste Systems 21.736 124.218 2 17 0.594
19 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports/FX Caprara 21.783 123.95 11 16 0.641
20 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 21.794 123.887 12 13 0.652
21 25 Brian Robie Maurice Enterprises 21.797 123.87 14 50 0.655
22 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 21.805 123.825 22 32 0.663
23 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 21.813 123.779 22 24 0.671
24 17 Marcello Rufrano* Wheeler’s Auto Sales 21.97 122.895 6 24 0.828
25 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Avenue Landscape Supply 22.319 120.973 23 25 1.177
26 97 Bryan Dauzat Brother in Laws Motorsports 23.041 117.182 18 37 1.899
27 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 25.739 104.899 1 1 4.597
  • Final practice results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Coastal Fiber LLC 21.118 127.853 23 23  —
2 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 21.159 127.605 10 19 0.041
3 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric 21.21 127.298 19 23 0.092
4 7 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive 21.327 126.6 12 21 0.209
5 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 21.328 126.594 2 19 0.21
6 14 Bobby Santos III AdvantageTrucks.com 21.354 126.44 16 17 0.236
7 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 21.372 126.334 2 29 0.254
8 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 21.422 126.039 2 33 0.304
9 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 21.422 126.039 2 20 0.304
10 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 21.458 125.827 3 8 0.34
11 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc/LFR 21.461 125.81 9 9 0.343
12 22 Kyle Bonsignore Munns Automotive/Chalew Performance 21.464 125.792 3 19 0.346
13 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 21.471 125.751 11 16 0.353
14 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 21.477 125.716 1 23 0.359
15 38 Bobby Labonte Pace-O-Matic 21.51 125.523 13 26 0.392
16 23 Carson Loftin* L&R Transmissions/LeBleu Water 21.533 125.389 2 24 0.415
17 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 21.569 125.18 12 13 0.451
18 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing Co. 21.576 125.139 10 31 0.458
19 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports/FX Caprara 21.595 125.029 9 12 0.477
20 77 Ryan Newman Curb Records/Cassella Waste Systems 21.682 124.527 6 15 0.564
21 25 Brian Robie Maurice Enterprises 21.793 123.893 17 23 0.675
22 17 Marcello Rufrano* Wheeler’s Auto Sales 21.897 123.305 12 12 0.779
23 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 21.901 123.282 5 5 0.783
24 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Avenue Landscape Supply 22.229 121.463 11 29 1.111
Posted on by Steve Luvender

NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 continues at Richmond Raceway.

With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players select one car per race, but there’s a simple twist: once they’ve made the pick, they can’t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car will be selected exactly once … a survivor pool, by another name.

Follow along weekly as our panel of pickers — Dustin Albino from Jayski, along with Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com — embarks on a season-long journey to think like strategists and prove their picking prowess.

We’ll also feature a fourth “community” 36 for 36 pick each week, as decided by fan vote on the r/NASCAR subreddit. Can the collective vote topple our trio of full-timers?

Standings after Race 6 of 36:

RankNamePointsBehind
T-1Steve Luvender284—
T-1Dustin Albino284—
3Cameron Richardson235-49
4r/NASCAR Community219-65

Race 7 of 36: Richmond

Despite its twists and turns, Circuit of The Americas didn’t shake up the standings much last week. Dustin Albino’s pick of Todd Gilliland netted 18 points, while r/NASCAR and Cameron Richardson selected Austin Cindric, good enough for 26 points. Steve Luvender extended his points lead slightly by picking fourth-place finisher Alex Bowman.

How will our pickers play Richmond? It’s still early in the season — nobody wants to spend their top teams in March — but recent races at Phoenix and Bristol might provide some hints at who has speed on this short track.

Jayski’s Dustin Albino: No. 41, Ryan Preece

Dustin’s pick last week: No. 38, Todd Gilliland
Points earned last week: 18 (27th-place finish)
Total season points: 121 (second place)

Dustin: When you think of Ryan Preece, you think of short tracks and Richmond certainly fits the bill. The No. 41 team’s brightest spot during the 2023 season came in the summer race at Richmond, placing fifth — Preece’s first top-five finish in the Cup Series on a non-superspeedway. As he was still getting adjusted to Stewart-Haas Racing, he finished 18th in this race one year ago. If he can split the difference in those finishes and possibly score a handful of stage points, it would make for a solid points day.

NASCAR.com’s Steve Luvender: No. 3, Austin Dillon

Steve’s pick last week: No. 48, Alex Bowman
Points earned last week: 33 (fourth-place finish)
Total season points: 186 (first place)

Steve: While I’m enjoying a healthy points lead, I’ve also employed a relatively aggressive strategy compared to my friends. It’s going to catch up with me soon if I’m not careful. I still have all four Joe Gibbs Racing cars on the board — and I suspect they’ll be tough to beat this weekend — but I’m instead picking Austin Dillon. Sure, Richmond’s not necessarily a standout track for the No. 3, and Dillon hasn’t scored a single top-10 finish yet in 2024. (Optimistic, I know!) However, one stat stands out to me: in the four Richmond races in the Next Gen car, Dillon’s finished in the top 10 twice. Picking up a third Sunday would be a delight, and I’ll save my JGR picks for another time.  

NASCAR.com’s Cameron Richardson: No. 4, Josh Berry

Cameron’s pick last week: No. 2, Austin Cindric
Points earned last week: 26 (19th-place finish)
Total season points: 106 (fourth place)

Cameron: This upcoming two-week stretch at Richmond and Martinsville will be pivotal in determining Stewart-Haas Racing’s trajectory for the season. In a high-pressure situation filling in for Chase Elliott in the spring Richmond race last year, Berry took the No. 9 Chevy to a second-place result. Despite being with an entirely new team for his rookie campaign, I like Berry here to break through for his first top-10 result of 2024.

r/NASCAR Community: No. 11, Denny Hamlin

r/NASCAR’s pick last week: No. 2, Austin Cindric
Points earned last week: 26 (19th-place finish)
Total season points: 119 (third place)

Redditors aren’t messing around this week. By virtue of votes, the r/NASCAR community selected four-time Richmond winner Denny Hamlin, who’s among the favorites to contend Sunday. While commenters contemplated choosing Ryan Preece or Josh Berry, they ultimately decided to go big and select the No. 11. 

From this week’s voting thread: 

u/PrimalCookie: “IMO the only reason to not use Denny this week would be to save him for the fall race. I say we just send it now.”

u/KrustyWaffles6: “Send it now. Toyota has been on fire lately and it’s Dennys home track.”

You said it, KrustyWaffles6. 

Check back next week to see how our pickers fared at Richmond as the season-long 36 for 36 journey continues.  

And, if you’ve got a competitive itch beyond meticulously managing your Fantasy Live lineup each week, feel free to save or print your own 36 for 36 sheet and see if you can beat our pickers and the Reddit community!

Posted on by Alex Cadavid

On Thursday NASCAR unveiled its newest Hall of Fame exhibit commemorating the inaugural Chicago Street Race from the 2023 season, which was the first street circuit event in the sport’s 75-year history.

Race winner and current Xfinity Series driver Shane van Gisbergen, alongside Julie Giese, president of the Chicago Street Race, unveiled the exhibit and reflected on the monumental event that has since sparked a new dawn for stock car racing.

RELATED: 2024 Chicago Street race info | Visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame

“It was very different taking the race to downtown Chicago,” said Giese. “[Last year’s] event itself, over 85% of our attendees were at their very first NASCAR race. It was about introducing our sport to a new audience and celebrating the city of Chicago and being able to race in such an iconic location.”

The 2023 Grant Park 220 was destined to be something the NASCAR world had never seen before, and the result from the weekend transformed how the industry can host events in major cities, showcasing the sport on a whole new level.

close up the Chicago Street Race exhibit
Rachel Horton | NASCAR.com

Situated next to the 2023 season Memorable Moments portion of the Hall of Fame, the Chicago Street Race exhibit is a meticulously curated collection of artifacts ranging from van Gisbergen’s race-worn firesuit and boots to various memorabilia items from the race weekend.

“To have my own piece of it in here is a real privilege; I had a look around here before the Chicago race last year, and to now have something in here is pretty epic,” van Gisbergen said. “To add to what it is a cool story to not only my career but the sport’s history is really special to be a part of.”

Van Gisbergen will be busier this time around, with a double-duty weekend lined up for him to compete in both the Xfinity and Cup Series races. However, the New Zealander is prepared to face whatever comes his way in Chicago.

“Street circuits are something I’m used to racing in Australia and New Zealand, and I’m sure everyone will be a lot more ready and acquainted with the track this year. So the competition is going to be tough, but I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said van Gisbergen.

Van Gisbergen also got his first dose of how the Xfinity car handles when turning left and right this past weekend at Circuit of The Americas and mentioned what he took away from his first road-course race of the season.

“The brakes are probably the biggest challenge. That’s what I learned on the weekend. And I was really conservative at first and trying to save them for the end. And even so they still went away,” he said.

When asked about how that could translate from the Austin circuit to the Grant Park streets, van Gisbergen added, “I imagine Chicago, especially if you’re following people, the way the air sits in between walls, it doesn’t really move. So you’re gonna have a lot of hot air. It’s gonna be really tough on the brake in the car. So yeah, it’s probably going to be a lot of management.”

With less than 100 days away from the second Chicago Street Race, anticipation is building for what NASCAR has planned for the second year on the Windy City streets.

“I think the biggest thing is really listening to the attendees and hearing and seeing how they experienced the event,” Giese added. “There’s genuine excitement about what we’re doing and just being able to accomplish what we set out to do last year and continue to move the event forward to showcase our sport.” 

SVG will be back to defend his street title in the Grant Park 165 on Sunday, July 7 (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Seth Sharp

Throughout the 2024 NASCAR season, Ken Martin, director of historical content for the sanctioning body, will offer his suggestions on which historical races fans should watch from the NASCAR Classics library in preparation for each upcoming race weekend.

Martin has worked for NASCAR exclusively since 2008 but has been involved with the sport since 1982, overseeing various projects. He worked in the broadcast booth for hundreds of races, assisting the broadcast team with different tasks. This includes calculating the “points as they run” for the historic 1992 finale – the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Here are Ken’s suggestions to watch before this weekend’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway.

1982 Richmond 400

The race was halted and declared official due to a heavy storm after 250 of the scheduled 400 laps but it was nothing short of exciting.

Joe Ruttman looked poised to collect the first victory of his career, which started in 1963 before heartbreak ensued. Ruttman led a career-high 78 laps before his No. 2 Jim Stacy Buick snapped around and slammed into the wall.

While Ruttman’s car was being cleaned up on the frontstretch, the skies opened and drenched the track with rain. Dave Marcis, driving his own No. 71 car, was in the lead and took the victory just six laps later.

Richard Petty gritted out a second-place finish after there was some debate as to whether he was actually leading the event. Petty was sporting a cast on his right foot and had Xfinity Series driver Sam Ard in the pits as a potential relief driver, but Ard was not needed.

Leandra Reilly became the first female pit reporter, as part of the ESPN broadcast team.

1985 Miller High Life 400

Dale Earnhardt held off strong runs and a lot of beating and banging from a handful of some of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers to capture his first victory at Richmond.

Polesitter Darrell Waltrip led a race-high 110 laps before coming home third, behind the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports car of Geoff Bodine. Tim Richmond was another contender throughout the day, after quickly making his way to the front of the field from the 14th starting position.

Richmond held the lead four different times, as Earnhardt and himself traded the lead back and forth a handful of times over the final 150 laps.

The race featured two eye-popping incidents, involving Neil Bonnett and Bill Elliott.

Bonnett was leading the race at the time of his incident, which happened exiting Turn 2. His right front tire locked up before slamming into the fence and coming to a sudden stop.

Elliott also slammed head-on into the wall, this time out of Turn 4.

1985 photo of NASCAR richmond race
NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

1988 Pontiac Excitement 400

February 1988 marked the end of an era for Richmond Raceway as the NASCAR Cup Series raced on the half-mile known as Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway for the final time. After the race, workers immediately started converting the track into a modern-looking facility similar to the one known today.

Richard Petty hopped on a bulldozer after the race was complete to help get the construction work started.

Neil Bonnett, who was making just his second start after being injured in a 1988 crash, led 141 laps en route to victory in the race, which was the first win for RahMoc Enterprises since Bonnett won with the team at Atlanta in 1983.

Bonnett’s victory wasn’t without controversy, as second-place finisher Ricky Rudd claimed that Bonnett was not on the lead lap following green-flag pit stops. Rudd’s team filed an appeal to NASCAR over the debate, but it was ruled that Bonnett was indeed the winner of the race.

Petty, who was beaten up following a scary incident in the Daytona 500, finished third. It was the final top-five finish of his legendary career.

You can watch these three races and hundreds more by visiting NASCAR Classics.

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

The Fords are searching for their first win of the season six races into the 2024 Cup Series campaign, and there is a big opportunity on Sunday (7 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as the manufacturer looks to defend a Richmond Raceway victory with Chris Buescher.

Last year’s 400-lapper was a breakout moment for the Prosper, Texas, native as Buescher rattled off three wins in five races, including back-to-back victories at Richmond and Michigan before closing the 2023 regular season with a victory at Daytona.

RELATED: Richmond schedule | Cup standings

While Buescher referred to Richmond as a track he’s ‘despised’ for most of his career, he returns to the 0.75-mile short track with positivity.

“Last year, I really enjoyed both races,” Buescher said in a Zoom teleconference. “And then being able to be so good there in the fall — not just our car but both of our race cars to the point where we felt like we’re battling each other for the win there through the final stage.”

Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing dominated the last time the Cup Series visited Richmond, leading 190 of the 400 laps as Buescher held off a hard-charging Denny Hamlin on a green-white-checkered restart to secure the victory.

The main takeaway coming out of the new short-track package’s debut at Phoenix was Toyota’s dominance throughout the majority of its roster, but when you look at the results, you’ll find both RFK Fords nestled inside the top five.

Some would say Buescher’s finishes have outperformed the overall speed, but the 31-year-old driver pushed back on such discussion.

“We were able to lead at (three) of the first five races, and the one we didn’t lead any laps at, we finished second in Phoenix, so when I look at that, our speed was certainly there,” Buescher said. “Try to look at the last two weeks. We didn’t qualify good in COTA and then obviously had to start at the back, put us way behind with no cautions to really find ourselves with much opportunity to work up. Our group did a great job on strategy to work our way up. We had a fast race car and were able to to pick them off, but realistically I would call COTA a good day for us running eighth. We did not have race-winning speed there.”

Richmond will mark a pivotal point of the season for both RFK and the entire Ford camp. While Buescher would like to defend his victory at the facility, he won’t push the panic button just yet if the race doesn’t go his way.

RELATED: Buy tickets for Richmond

“I wouldn’t say that one race will decide that. We realize what we’ve had on the year and still working to get a Ford in Victory Lane and that is certainly our goal this week,” Buescher said. “No one sits still in our sport, and everybody is going to be coming at us to try it and be better at Richmond. It will be a good measure on where we have a hold of this new package.”

Sunday will also mark a career milestone for Buescher as it will be his 300th start in the Cup Series. What could be an even better indication for the weekend ahead is that Buescher’s teammate Keselowski was the last Cup driver to win in their 300th start.

Until Buescher straps into his No. 17 Ford this weekend, the upcoming milestone only means one thing at the moment to him.

“That means to me is I’m getting old,” Buescher said. “It has snuck up on me quick. It feels like it wasn’t that long ago we were [in] our rookie season heading into Richmond as an [elimination] race before the playoffs, had won a race there [at] Pocono that year and didn’t have a stellar year. We’re doing all we could to finish in the top 30 in points to think to make sure that we could make the playoffs so certainly a long way removed from that. It’s been a long, long time coming but at the same time feels like that was just yesterday.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. is quite familiar with Sonoma Raceway, a track he’s been racing at in the premier series since 2006 and has won at four times in the last decade.

However, not only was the sun-scorched scenery not its typical brown and yellow — and instead a lush, vivacious green — for Goodyear tire testing Tuesday and Wednesday, but the racing surface also was completely foreign to him after a recent repave.

But, as his fellow tester Josh Berry noted, “it’s still Sonoma.”

The full 12-turn, 2.52-mile circuit underwent its first full repave in 23 years during the offseason, completed in February. The Cup Series will race June 9 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) on Sonoma’s 1.99-mile configuration, using the “chute” that connects Turns 4 and 7 on the full layout.

MORE: Photos from Sonoma tire test | Buy Sonoma tickets

The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing driver and current points leader joined Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Berry to shake down multiple different Goodyear tire codes during the two-day data-gathering sessions. Truex sounded pleased with the results, noting an excess of speed and grip compared to what he’s used to.

“Kind of just figured out the technique to get around this place; the old pavement and the tire wear and all that was kind of part of the magic that we had found and what I feel comfortable with,” said Truex Jr., last year’s Sonoma winner. “So this is a whole new ballgame. … We’re gonna have to approach it a little differently, but (it’s) still the same track and the same kind of lines and things work around here so far for me. So we learned a bunch today, and hopefully (Goodyear will) pick out a good tire and then we can get to work on my car faster.

“I know the track is obviously new pavement, so it’s been getting better and better all day long. It was pretty dirty to start; pretty slick. And as we just ran laps and put rubber down, it feels pretty good. … When we come back, it’ll be a lot hotter, so it’s gonna be different. But always fun to get a little jump on the competition on a repave.”

Bay Cities Paving & Grading and ABSL Construction completed the work in 61 days, culminating on Leap Day. It’s the second Speedway Motorsports track to get fresh asphalt in recent months, with Sonoma joining North Wilkesboro Speedway among the freshly repaved venues in the company portfolio. The work done included milling approximately 1.5 inches off the old track, filling cracks, sealing and adding a specially designed asphalt mixture similar to the compound of the original surface. Speedway Motorsports used a special mix that is expected to create a more “worn-in” surface more quickly, similar to what was recently done at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In addition to the Toyota/Save Mart 350, the Sonoma race weekend will include the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on June 8 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and the ARCA Menards Series West General Tire 200 race on Friday.

“I saw some (tire) falloff; actually, more than I thought,” said Chastain, a former road-course winner himself. “Part of it was my sloppy driving on my part; just being a little too greedy. But we had definite grip loss in the car. And it showed in lap time. … I don’t remember how much they said it was, but yeah, I did have it. I had more than I expected for a repave because, I mean, I was worried about it, too. I was worried we’d just come out here and run and you just could run until you run out of fuel and slow down a very small amount, maybe two-tenths or something. But I know we had a lot more than that. And I could feel the grip going away in the tires.”

Despite the noted tire falloff, Chastain did mention the track is “super gripped up” and he was routinely putting down laps 2.5 seconds faster than the track record, “going faster throughout the day as we got rubber into the track” and moved away from clean asphalt. He also mentioned that shifting had changed quite a bit, which will be interesting to see play out when the full field is barreling around the track nestled in California Wine Country.

“We’re in different gears — we’re in second, where we used to be in first; we’re in fifth, where we used to be in fourth,” said Chastain, currently eighth in Cup Series standings. “Everything’s kind of up in the air. Everything’s happening fast. Just trying to stay off the brake pedal and trying to let the car roll, use the tire grip for what it is.”

RELATED: 2024 rules package for short tracks, road courses

For a much different but still valuable perspective, the rookie Berry was able to take in the revamped Sonoma without having much experience at the track — or with road-course racing in general. Still, the short-track ace and Tennessee native offered plenty of feedback as much as it was a learning experience for him and his team.

“I think they did a really good job. Obviously, it’s a lot different than — I’ve only been here once before — but a lot different than what we had last year; a lot more grip,” said Berry, currently in his first year driving the No. 4 Ford, which won in 2017 at Sonoma with Kevin Harvick behind the wheel. “I think the track is gonna continue to get better and get more grip; it’s gonna be a lot faster. It’s been fun to come here and actually test. I don’t have a lot of background in road racing, so this has been a good opportunity for me to just learn and feel different things and obviously go through a lot of different tires. … So I think this week, just wanted to come kind of experience this for myself and learn for myself and work on the team and try to see if we can get better. And I think we’ve done that so far.”

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

Here’s what’s happening in the world of NASCAR with COTA in the rearview and Richmond (Sun., 7 p.m. ET, FOX) right around the corner.

THE LINEUP ️

1️⃣ Could William Byron dominate his way through the season?

2️⃣ Not must win, but must-perform this weekend for Stewart-Haas Racing

3️⃣ How Christopher Bell lost COTA in Stage 2

4️⃣ These drivers are tops on short tracks in the Next Gen era

5️⃣ Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage

William Byron, Rudy Fugle pose in Victory Lane
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

1. Could William Byron dominate his way through the season? 

With a Daytona 500 and road-course victory already on the resume, the 26-year-old driver appears to be well on his way to cementing the No. 24 as the top dog in the Cup Series once again.

Two wins after six races on the Cup calendar match what Byron accomplished last year, as he marched on to six wins in 2023 and reached the Championship 4. Even though his 2024 has been hit or miss, with three finishes outside the top 10, he finished 25th or worse in three races at this point in 2023.

Richmond certainly wasn’t kind to Byron last season with two results outside the top 20, but with the return of night racing around the 0.75-mile facility, the No. 24 team could solve their woes at the track as Byron and crew finished top 10 in six of eight races that concluded under the lights last season.

Based on trends in the Cup Series Playoffs era (since 2014), Byron is looking good to be a lock for a Championship 4 return as the first multi-time winner in each season of the current era has advanced to the title round in nine of 10 seasons. This is the third consecutive year Byron has accomplished the feat.

MORE: Final standings result for first drivers to score multiple wins in a season

While Richmond will be a challenge for the No. 24 team, Byron has won at three of the next six tracks on the schedule (Martinsville, Darlington, Texas) following the weekend in Virginia’s capital.

Sonoma is on tap soon after that stretch and Byron will likely be the favorite for that event as he’s finished top two in the last three road-course races.

2024 is still in its youth, but based on Byron’s current prowess and his success on upcoming tracks, this could be the season that takes him from title contender to No. 1 in the Cup Series.

William Byron drives at Sonoma
Logan Riely | Getty Images

2. Not must-win, but must-perform this weekend for Stewart-Haas Racing

Stewart-Haas Racing hasn’t visited Victory Lane since Kevin Harvick capped off a back-to-back run of wins at Richmond in 2022. With short tracks being the organization’s bread and butter in the Next Gen era, can they finally snap a year-and-a-half winless drought? 

As Stewart-Haas Racing is in a current rebuild state with a fresh driver lineup, there have been subtle signs of its improvement early in the season.

Both Chase Briscoe and Noah Gragson have a pair of top 10s to kick off 2024 and the drivers showed quality pace at both Las Vegas and Phoenix. While Ryan Preece and Josh Berry have yet to find their stride this season, Richmond could flip the script.

The last time NASCAR visited Richmond, SHR was arguably the organization of the day with three top 10s and Briscoe bringing the No. 14 Ford home in 11th. Going back to the spring race in 2023, all four cars finished 18th or better, and rookie Berry finished second while filling in for the injured Chase Elliott at Hendrick Motorsports.

Sunday is the first Richmond night race in the Next Gen era, so there will be few notes to go off, with the new short-track package making its sophomore outing and both practice and qualifying sessions taking place in the middle of the day. As the race will likely be determined by pit strategy and tire conservation, it could play into the hands of Preece and Berry, who come from the local short-track scene where both aspects are paramount to success.

SHR doesn’t need a victory Sunday evening, but Richmond will be pivotal in displaying the trajectory for the organization through the rest of 2024.

Ryan Preece drives at Richmond
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

3. How Christopher Bell lost COTA in Stage 2

NBC’s Steve Letarte and MRN’s Todd Gordon look back at Christopher Bell’s first pit stop of the day at COTA, costing him precious seconds due to a fueling issue. 

4. These drivers are tops on short tracks in the Next Gen era

The usual suspects top the ranks of drivers with the most points scored on short tracks in the Next Gen car, but a few may surprise you ahead of Sunday’s race at Richmond.

DriverPoints
Denny Hamlin443
Christopher Bell417
Kyle Larson416
Ryan Blaney342
Chase Elliott340
Joey Logano338
William Byron333
Ross Chastain328
Chase Briscoe323
Chris Buescher322

5. Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage

Power Rankings: Kyle Busch set to ride COTA fury to Richmond win?

Paint Scheme Preview: See the schemes for Richmond doubleheader

Analysis: What we learned from first road course of 2024

NASCAR senior VP of competition Elton Sawyer: ‘We don’t want to over-officiate’ following COTA

Inside the Race: Explaining Justin Haley’s post-race disqualification

Alex Bowman’s early uptick offsets pressure: ‘It’s our job to turn it around‘

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Exclusive look: Kyle Busch confronts Christopher Bell on pit road

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Posted on by Brandon White

A new season of racing at at Dominion Raceway is set to kick off with one of its newest but most cherished events in the Dickie Boswell Memorial.

Organized in honor of Boswell, a veteran short-track competitor who passed away in 2021, the event includes a full itinerary of racing Saturday evening. Dickie’s son Richard Boswell will be a special guest alongside Chase Briscoe, the NASCAR Cup Series driver for whom he crew chiefs.

Dominion Raceway communications director Brandon Fuller is helping staff put the finishing touches on the track before Saturday’s opener. He looks forward to a night of great racing along with celebrating the life of a competitor that meant so much to the track and its predecessor Old Dominion Speedway.

“We’re excited,” Fuller said. “We’ve been making a few improvements to the facility by painting the walls and getting some new signs up on the backstretch. There’s going to be a few folks from the Old Dominion [Speedway] days chatting it up and sharing stories, so everyone is chomping at the bit to get back into racing.”

Fuller added Dickie perfectly encompassed everything that has made Virginia short-track racing so venerable to fans around the country.

Along with accumulating numerous victories in the region, Dickie ventured into national competition during the 1980s. He scored four top fives in 57 appearances with the modern NASCAR Xfinity Series and entered the Daytona 500 back in 1981, failing to qualify for his lone Cup Series attempt.

Even after he retired from full-time competition, Dickie maintained an active presence within the Virginia short-track community, passing down advice to the current generation of drivers. Fuller said the generosity Dickie displayed to others has made him an endearing figure to everyone at Dominion.

Dickie Boswell
A staple of the Virginia short track community, Dickie Boswell accumulate numerous accomplishments as a driver, but stayed involved in racing after his retirement.

“[Dickie] was a winner, but he was also a people person,” Fuller said. “Everybody called him ‘Honey’ or ‘Boz’ in the pits. He was a racer’s racer and helped other guys in the pits as much as he could, and that goes a long way.

“A very funny guy, and wild, but he could always put a smile on your face.”

Dickie’s passion and hands-on attitude for racing helped shape the identity and tagline of his tribute event, “A race for the racers, by the racers.”

Headlining the festivities is a 200-lap Late Model Stock event that will pay $7,500 to the winner. More than $7,000 in specialty awards for the Dickie Boswell Memorial was raised through donations and sponsorship from the community at Dominion.

Fuller anticipates a strong crowd of competitors for the Late Model Stock race and is optimistic the entry list will include names like Peyton Sellers and defending winner Doug Barnes Jr.

Also on the docket is a 28-lap Legends feature that pays tribute to Jason Theriault, the father of Dominion regular Petr Theriault, who passed away over the offseason. Fuller said Jason was embedded into Dominion’s culture just like Dickie and considers it fitting that both are being honored in the same race.

Rounding out the rest of the Dickie Boswell Memorial schedule are races for Midgets and Bandoleros.

Fuller believes everything is lining up for the Dickie Boswell Memorial to be successful in its sophomore iteration after rain forced Dominion to split the event across two days last year. Regarding the on-track product, Fuller anticipates drivers to be equal parts aggressive but respectful.

“This is the first race of the season, so everyone is likely going to be taking care of their equipment,” Fuller said. “[The winning paycheck of] $7,500 is a decent chunk of change, but it’s not anything crazy. I don’t think these guys will be too wild, but I do expect good racing all around.”

Dominion Raceway
A healthy crowd of Late Model Stocks are expected to show up for the second running of the Dickie Boswell Memorial on Saturday. (Photo: Dominion Raceway)

No matter how Saturday’s racing action unfolds, Fuller is already brainstorming with the rest of Dominion’s staff on how to make the Dickie Boswell Memorial more special than it already is.

The ideas range from more pre-race entertainment to having an expanded roundtable session with people who were close with Dickie. Fuller is also hoping a scenario can be formulated in which Cup Series competitors can make the one-hour trip from Richmond Raceway to participate in the event.

“I want us to continue aligning [the Dickie Boswell Memorial] with the Richmond [Cup Series] race,” Fuller said. “We coordinated to get Richard Boswell at [Dominion] with his family, so maybe we can get a few more Cup drivers for an autograph session or in the actual race.”

For now, Fuller is focused on making the second edition of the Dickie Boswell Memorial a rewarding experience for everyone involved. He plans to listen intently alongside fans to the stories about Dickie and what made him so revered amongst the Virginia short track faithful.

Dominion Raceway will open their gates to fans at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon for the Dickie Boswell Memorial. The first green flag is set to wave at 5 p.m. ET.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

It’s been more than a decade since Ryan Newman last visited Victory Lane on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

He might have his best shot to end that drought Friday, when the series returns to Richmond Raceway for the running of the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 (6:30 p.m. ET on FloRacing).

Mods at Richmond: Entries | How to Watch

Ryan Newman
(Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

Newman will make his second Modified Tour start of the season Friday evening at Richmond. It marks the fourth straight year the 46-year-old has attempted this race on the popular, 0.75-mile asphalt oval where he won a NASCAR Cup Series race in 2003.

Newman’s first Modified Tour run at Richmond came in 2021, when he started and finished fourth having led six laps.

He ran the race again the next year, starting fourth and leading two laps early before fading to a 13th-place finish.

Newman returned to Richmond for last year’s Modified Tour race and qualified 11th. But a weather-related race postponement to the following day meant he was unable to compete due to a scheduling conflict.

Unlike the last two years, when Newman has driven cars fielded by Sadler-Stanley Racing, the driver from South Bend, Indiana on Friday will pilot the No. 77 entry owned by Mike Curb. It’s the same car that Max McLaughlin drove to a third-place finish last year at Richmond.

This won’t be Newman’s first time driving a Modified owned by Curb. Of his 36 previous starts with the Modified Tour, 19 of them have come in Curb’s cars.

The 2008 Daytona 500 winner already has one NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start under his belt this year. Driving the No. 14 Advantage Motorsports entry, Newman finished 14th after starting 10th in the opening race of the year at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway.

Newman’s last Modified Tour win came in 2011 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Perhaps his next will come Friday at Richmond.

RELATED: Richmond Raceway profile

Austin Beers
Austin Beers (Photo: Rob Branning/NASCAR)

Another round of Beers on tap at Richmond?

One year go, Austin Beers put the entire NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour field on notice with a dominant victory at Richmond.

Not only did the then-20-year-old win the pole for the 150-lap event, but he led more than 100 laps on his way to his first Modified Tour victory.

Beers returns to Richmond this Friday in search of another win as he looks to firmly plant himself as a championship contender alongside drivers like Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore.

Last year, Beers used his win at Richmond as a springboard to a fantastic sophomore season with the series. He added a second win at Lancaster Motorplex and finished the year third in the championship standings while also earning six Mayhew Tool Dominator Pole Awards.

His 2024 season got off to a strong start at New Smyrna last month. He started second, ran near the front most of the night and finished just outside the top five in sixth.

Now he’ll look to become the first driver since Mike Stefanik to win in consecutive events at Richmond.

Marcello Rufrano making Whelen Modified Tour debut

A familiar face to Northeastern racing fans will make his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut Friday evening.

Marcello Rufrano, a regular at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway, will make his series debut aboard the No. 17 entry owned by Michelle and Michael Davini.

Rufrano has enjoyed a successful career in SK Light and SK Modifieds at Stafford. He captured the 2018 track championship in the SK Light division at Stafford and has also earned victories in the SK Modified division at the track.

From North Haven, Connecticut, Rufrano will look to make a name for himself in his first Modified Tour start Friday at Richmond. If things go well, this could be the first of many Modified Tour starts for Rufrano.

At just 23, he still has a long career ahead of him.

NOTES:

  • Bobby Santos III will make his first start of the 2024 season Friday at Richmond driving the No. 14 entry for Advantage Motorsports, the same team Ryan Newman drove for at New Smyrna last month.
  • Ron Silk enters Friday’s race as the Modified Tour championship leader after his win last month at New Smyrna. With 23 wins under his belt, Silk sits just three victories behind Cup Series driver Ryan Preece for ninth on the all-time Modified Tour win list.
  • Carson Loftin, widely considered one of the hottest prospects in Modified racing after a string of recent success in the Southeast, will again join the Modified Tour field at Richmond. He was also in the field at New Smyrna, but a mechanical failure forced him to retire from that event early.
  • Two-time NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion Andy Seuss will make his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start at Richmond on Friday. He has 60 previous series starts with a best finish of third in 2017 at Myrtle Beach Speedway.
Posted on by Dustin Albino

When Sammy Smith won in the infancy of his 2023 rookie season at Phoenix Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing, all was looking great. He scored five additional top-five finishes with JGR the rest of the year.

Smith jumped directly from the ARCA Menards Racing Series, running nine races in the Xfinity Series in 2022 to gain experience for what was to come in 2023. His rookie campaign, however, was eye-opening.

“I learned a lot last year,” Smith told NASCAR.com of his rookie season. “Getting to new tracks for the first time — and I was with a new team last year, too. I think that was a combination of both, and every time we went back to a track for the second time, I feel like we performed better and got the car better. I think I was more prepared going there for the second time.”

RELATED: Sammy Smith driver page | About JR Motorsports

Smith was learning rapidly, retaining information like a fire hose. He struggled during the summer months, entering the postseason with seven consecutive finishes of 17th or worse, including a trio of DNFs.

During a playoff surge that nearly saw Smith win his way into the Championship 4 at Martinsville Speedway, JR Motorsports announced he would hop over to the Chevrolet camp for the 2024 season to replace Josh Berry in the No. 8 car. That ended Smith’s four-year run with Toyota.

Smith believed a change of scenery was needed because “it clearly wasn’t working” with JGR.

“A lot of different factors that played into mind of moving over here to JRM and Chevy,” Smith said. “Minus Josh, even last year, Justin [Allgaier] and Sam [Mayer] won a lot of races. Every year, [JR Motorsports] proved to win races. We have a new group around us with Adam Wall (crew chief) and a mixture of guys from last year and some new guys. I have a new spotter for myself.

“Everything is new, and it’s been good so far, so I’m looking forward to continuing it on. There were a lot of things for my future that were better. I wouldn’t pinpoint it as just not working, it was just a combination of a lot of things.”

Smith’s entry into the JRM fold also reunited the team with familiar sponsors Pilot Flying J, TMC Transportation and Allstate Peterbilt, which were a part of the team for five seasons with Michael Annett. Annett has mentored Smith over the years, with his late father Harold helping Smith start his racing career.

“It was really special to be able to welcome Sammy and everyone from Pilot Flying J, TMC and Allstate Peterbilt back to the JRM family,” Kelley Earnhardt Miller, CEO of JR Motorsports, provided in a statement. “We built a great relationship with them going back to when we had Michael here, and they were vital to allowing us to become a four-car operation. To have them return this season is something that we are all extremely proud of, and we can’t wait to see what success lies ahead for Sammy and the entire No. 8 team.”

Smith has leaned on Annett in the past for tidbits and information. But largely, Annett has stayed out of the way and let Smith learn on the fly.

“If I had a little more success, he probably would have leaned on me more,” Annett said of Smith in an interview during the 2023 season. “He’s got a bunch of good people around him that he can lean on that have had great success with where they are and he’s shown that.

“He’s shown he’s got what it takes, and he’s going to get it done.”

Seeing how much success JRM has had in recent years — including a team record 15 wins in 2022, followed by an eight-win season last year — Smith expects to run up front early and often. He’s also been paired with Wall, who previously served as an engineer for Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team in the Cup Series.

“I think the goal every weekend is to go out and win, and we want to do that, but it takes a lot more to get to that goal with processes that you have to do during the week,” Smith added. “For us, it’s a lot different because we don’t really know each other, and it makes it a lot tougher to find that balance of what I need when we show up to the track week in and week out.”

Improvements are visible through the first five events in 2024. Smith is tied with Brandon Jones for the most top 10s within the team (three), while veteran drivers Justin Allgaier and Sam Mayer combine to have three such results. Through the first five races in 2023, Smith’s lone top 10 was the Phoenix victory.

MORE: 2024 Xfinity Series schedule | Smith to drive in four Truck races 

Smith believes it will be building a process before he finds Victory Lane, but he has high expectations for his sophomore season. Smith’s next opportunity to build on that process will come at Richmond Raceway on March 30 (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“As much as we wish we could go out and win right away, it’s probably not going to be like that,” Smith said. “We just have to keep working and I feel like that’s something we can go do, we just have to get into a rhythm.”