Posted on by Holly Cain

Kyle Larson claimed his first pole position of the 2024 season Saturday afternoon to lead an all-Hendrick Motorsports front row for Sunday’s Toyota Owner’s 400 at Richmond Raceway (7 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Larson’s time of 22.438 seconds (120.332 mph) just bettered his teammate Chase Elliott’s mark of 22.440 seconds (120.321 mph) around the three-quarter mile Richmond oval – good enough to earn the 2021 Cup Series champion and defending Richmond race winner the 17th pole position of his career.

“Definitely helps for sure,” Larson said of his effort. “Having the No. 1 pit stall here means a lot. So happy to do that. Happy to be in Group A for sure, and then the sun coming out a little bit there helps.

“Chase got real close there, so I was a bit nervous. Awesome day for Hendrick Motorsports. … Good to be on the pole. We’ll see if it translates in tomorrow’s race.”

RELATED: Starting lineup | At-track photos

Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain will start third, followed by Hendrick driver Alex Bowman and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace.

Front Row Motorsports’ Todd Gilliland, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs, and Team Penske teammates Austin Cindric and Joey Logano rounded out the top-10 qualifiers at Richmond.

Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford had been fastest in Group A during first-round qualifying, as had Elliott, whose 122.095 mph lap was quickest overall in the opening round.

Of note, Denny Hamlin just missed advancing to the second round in qualifying, and the four-time Richmond winner will start 11th in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, who posted the fastest 30-lap average speed in practice, will start 12th.

Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, last week’s winner at the Circuit of The Americas road course, will roll off 13th. He is the first multi-race winner of the season, with victories in the Daytona 500 and COTA. He’ll start alongside RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher, the summer Richmond race winner last season.

Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch, who leads all active drivers with six Richmond victories, will start 15th.

Practice recap

Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was quickest in practice at 121.836 mph over Joey Logano (121.490 mph) and Chris Buescher (121.463 mph).

MORE: Practice results

John Hunter Nemechek (121.403 mph) and Alex Bowman (121.354 mph) completed the top five.

The remaining top 10 fastest drivers in practice were Ty Gibbs (121.277 mph), Ryan Blaney (121.207 mph), Josh Berry (120.849 mph), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (120.530 mph) and Justin Haley (120.417 mph).

Posted on by Zack Albert

RICHMOND, Va. — Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell knew questions about their run-in at Circuit of The Americas were coming after their arrival at Richmond Raceway one week later. Bell lived up to his last name when the question came first in his Saturday morning availability, mimicking a game-show sound: “Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner!”

The answer from both NASCAR Cup Series drivers — former teammates who raced for the same spot of real estate on the Texas road course last Sunday – was that they had spoken by phone and tried to sort out their on-track differences. As for how they’ll race each other moving forward, starting with this Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 (7 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Richmond, Busch said he expects to compete against Bell with a slightly different approach for now.

“Run him harder for a little bit until he concedes that he’s sorry on the race track,” Busch said, “and then get back to normal.”

RELATED: Weekend schedule: Richmond | At-track photos

Busch wound up with the short end of their collision in last weekend’s event, with his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet sent spinning after a dive-bomb move from Bell in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Bell drove on to a runner-up finish in his pursuit of eventual winner William Byron, and Busch salvaged ninth place in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

Busch confronted Bell on pit road post-race, angrily pointing fingers and hinting about potential retribution. That prompted Bell to reach out this week in an effort to smooth the rough waters.

“I mean, I was surprised that he called me back,” Bell said. “You know, I called him Monday and he didn’t answer, and then I thought that that was going to be the end of it. And I was really happy that he called me back and we had a conversation, and it was a good conversation. We don’t have a lot of run-ins, but the two times that we have had run-ins, he’s been on the losing side of it. So, I’ll just race him with respect, as I’ve always tried to, and it is what it is.”

Busch said returning the call was a means to explain his point of view, saying that Bell’s maneuver came as a shock.

“I mean, just to give more of my side than what I said on pit road, and to have him give a greater understanding and to my objectives and what I’ve got going on versus what he might think that he’s got going on,” Busch said. “Think he understood that, and then heard his side of it. Didn’t really believe much into it when I didn’t even give consideration to him making a move, because he was four (car) lengths back, and then all of a sudden, he was there. So like, I knew he was back there, but too far to do anything. And I got hit, so it is what it is.”

Bell and Busch have a long history of working hand in hand. Bell was introduced to NASCAR’s national series ranks under the banner of Kyle Busch Motorsports, and he produced a Craftsman Truck Series championship for the organization in 2017. The two were also linked as teammates for Joe Gibbs Racing as Bell progressed through the Xfinity and then Cup Series, up until Busch’s departure for the Childress team ahead of last season.

Bell says the two have remained close, especially as Busch’s 8-year-old son, Brexton, ventures into the dirt-track racing world that Bell knows so well. But Busch also admits that he’d hoped that his mentorship of Bell years ago would have afforded him some extra care in how they compete today.

“Yeah, it’s definitely frustrating, especially when they’re the KBM alums, right?” Busch said. “When you’re racing against guys that have come through KBM, and you’ve helped them along the way, and you feel as though they’re taking that extra 10% rather than giving a little bit out of respect, but everybody’s got their own race out there, and they try to do what they need to do. Obviously, Christopher’s in really good stuff, at a really good place, and he needs to understand that.”

Posted on by Tadd Haislop

RICHMOND, Virginia — Justin Bonsignore, a three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, entered Friday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 at Richmond Raceway with 40 series victories on his resume.

For myriad reasons, No. 41 was different.

A notable level of jubilation overcame Bonsignore’s team on pit road as the driver beat rival Ron Silk to the checkered flag in a thrilling finish. That joy transferred to Victory Lane, where Bosignore for the first time in his career was greeted in triumph not only by his wife, but also by his son. An already-charged crowd of friends, family, crew members and sponsors roared when Justin embraced 4-month-old Evan for the first time in a winner’s circle.

The 36-year-old from Holtsville, New York repeated the refrain multiple times throughout post-race interviews: This simply was not a race he was going to lose.

Mods at Richmond: Results | Highlights

“This gives a little look behind our team,” he said. “This is tough. [Crew chief] Ryan Stone is the only paid, full-time employee on our team; everybody else is a volunteer. Sometimes it’s too much. We got home from [the season-opener at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway], and we were having some really tough conversations of where we were going to go in the future with things.

“But the team proved tonight with good pit stops and hard work all day that we all are still really motivated. And a last-lap battle like that is always going to charge you up. And, to top it off, having my son and my wife here for his first Victory Lane.”

This is a team that broke out with three Modified Tour titles in four years from 2018-21. Bonsignore did that on the heels of Doug Coby’s four consecutive championships from 2014-17. (Coby also won in 2012 and 2019; six titles in eight years.) Bonsignore’s team feels it took over as the squad to beat when it delivered those championships.

Now, though, Bonsignore is locked into a rivalry with Silk, the defending champion who is trying to steal Bonsignore’s role as the driver to beat each race. That’s what makes Bonsignore’s wins over Silk so satisfying.

“We’re trying to stay a step ahead of that, or at least maintain,” Bonsignore said. “These are tough championship battles. So yeah, it was charged up.”

On Friday, Bonsignore was so hyped after beating Silk that his mind had nowhere else to go. He said he reached the backstretch of his victory lap before he remembered he would be able to celebrate a win with his newborn son, a realization that delivered yet another wave of emotions.

After he had time to collect his sentiments, Bonsignore was reminded he’s now one win away from tying Modified racing legend Ted Christopher for third on the all-time Tour wins list. Ironically, the series’ next race takes place at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, where Bonsignore and Christopher are tied for second in Tour victories.

The realization delivered yet another factor making Friday’s win so massive.

“These are guys who are legends of the sport, and our community in the New England area,” Bonsignore said of Christopher and other record-holders. “It’s a lifestyle. I don’t think people understand how crazy we are about Modified racing.

“We all have a chip on our shoulder that we think there’s no racing better than what we do. So to have my name mentioned with those guys is really cool.”

(Photo: Emily Morgan/NASCAR)

Silk, who won February’s season-opener at New Smyrna, settled for second Friday at Richmond despite an incredible effort in the closing laps. He and Bonsignore ran side-by-side for the virtual entirety of the last green-flag run.

The good news for Silk in what figures to be a season-long battle for the 2024 Modified Tour championship: He left Richmond with a two-point lead over Bonsignore in the standings.

Trevor Catalano finished third ahead of Bobby Santos III in fourth. Jake Johnson drove the legendary No. 3 Ole Blue Modified to a fifth-place finish.

Coby, Craig Lutz, Kyle Bonsignore, Carson Loftin and Tommy Catalano rounded out the top 10.

Ryan Newman finished 11th. The 2008 Daytona 500 winner took his shot in the waning laps, restarting third and diving to the bottom in Turn 1 to briefly take the lead before drifting up the track and fading.

Bonsignore didn’t love the move, as Newman’s aggression cost him a few spots. But he laughed and noted, “That’s why he’s a NASCAR legend.”

The Modified Tour returns to action Sunday, April 7 as part of Thompson’s annual IceBreaker event. The race is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. ET and will be shown live on FloRacing.

Posted on by Staff Report

Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150

Richmond Raceway

21 Rr Virginiaracinglovers150 Modified 4c

  • Race results
Pos. Car No. Driver Sponsor Laps Diff.
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Coastal Fiber LLC 150  —
2 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 150 0.081
3 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 150 0.4
4 14 Bobby Santos III AdvantageTrucks.com 150 0.588
5 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 150 0.728
6 7 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive 150 0.856
7 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 150 0.953
8 22 Kyle Bonsignore Munns Automotive/Chalew Performance 150 1.105
9 23 Carson Loftin* L&R Transmissions/LeBleu Water 150 1.359
10 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports/FX Caprara 150 1.526
11 77 Ryan Newman Curb Records/Cassella Waste Systems 150 1.528
12 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 150 1.755
13 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing Co. 150 1.819
14 17 Marcello Rufrano* Wheeler’s Auto Sales 150 1.968
15 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 150 2.248
16 25 Brian Robie Maurice Enterprises 150 2.748
17 32 Tyler Rypkema Northern Drilling/Musco Lighting/Make-a-Wish 149 1 Lap
18 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 146 4 Laps
19 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Avenue Landscape Supply 144 6 Laps
20 1 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 143 7 Laps
21 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 134 16 Laps
22 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 96 54 Laps
23 38 Bobby Labonte Pace-O-Matic 70 80 Laps
24 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc/LFR 69 81 Laps
25 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 30 120 Laps
26 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric 12 138 Laps
Posted on by Staff Report

Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150

Richmond Raceway

21 Rr Virginiaracinglovers150 Modified 4c

  • Qualifying results
Pos. No. Driver Sponsor Best Time Best Speed
1 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 21.159 127.605
2 51 Justin Bonsignore Coastal Fiber LLC 21.175 127.509
3 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric 21.197 127.377
4 14 Bobby Santos III AdvantageTrucks.com 21.259 127.005
5 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 21.272 126.927
6 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 21.304 126.737
7 7 Doug Coby Baldwin Automotive 21.313 126.683
8 23 Carson Loftin* L&R Transmissions/LeBleu Water 21.363 126.387
9 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 21.425 126.021
10 22 Kyle Bonsignore Munns Automotive/Chalew Performance 21.428 126.003
11 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc/LFR 21.476 125.722
12 38 Bobby Labonte Pace-O-Matic 21.507 125.541
13 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 21.532 125.395
14 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 21.532 125.395
15 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 21.535 125.377
16 32 Tyler Rypkema Northern Drilling/Musco Lighting/Make-a-Wish 21.547 125.307
17 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 21.568 125.185
18 77 Ryan Newman Curb Records/Cassella Waste Systems 21.577 125.133
19 70 Andy Seuss Rockingham Boat 21.718 124.321
20 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports/FX Caprara 21.758 124.092
21 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing Co. 21.854 123.547
22 17 Marcello Rufrano* Wheeler’s Auto Sales 21.883 123.383
23 25 Brian Robie Maurice Enterprises 21.901 123.282
24 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 22.071 122.332
25 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Avenue Landscape Supply 22.856 118.131
26 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 24.13 111.894
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.”