Posted on by Track Release

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (March 30, 2023) – The winningest NASCAR Cup Series drivers in North Wilkesboro Speedway history, Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip, will serve as co-Grand Marshals for the highly anticipated May 21 NASCAR All-Star Race.

NASCAR will return to the historic short track for the first time since 1996 with the two NASCAR Hall of Famers slated to give the command to start engines.

RELATED: At-track photos: North Wilkesboro testing

“Returning to North Wilkesboro Speedway during NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season will be the most nostalgic highlight of a year where we remember the past by paying tribute in the present,” said Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith. “We are honored to recognize and celebrate two true icons of NASCAR’s history, Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip, during an All-Star Race weekend that will feature the rebirth of one of our sport’s original race tracks.”

Both legends have plenty of history with the track, as Petty’s 15 victories and Waltrip’s 10 can attest. The pairing also collected a combined 284 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series wins (200 for Petty, 84 for Waltrip) and an incredible 10 championships (seven for Petty, three for Waltrip) in their storied careers. Additionally, Waltrip holds the honor of winning the inaugural NASCAR All-Star Race in 1985 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Today, Petty continues his service to the sport. He owned a NASCAR Cup Series team for decades and, this year, began serving as the team ambassador for Legacy Motor Club. Waltrip retired from full-time driving at the end of the 2000 season and served as an acclaimed NASCAR on FOX color analyst from 2001-19.

The NASCAR All-Star Race format and additional dignitaries will be announced at a later date.

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

After voyages to superspeedways, the West Coast and the longest circuit on the schedule in Austin, Texas, NASCAR nestles into a series of legacy tracks for the next month beginning with a trip to the “Old Dominion” — Virginia’s Richmond Raceway.

Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will mark the 133rd Cup race at the 0.75-mile oval short track, the third most of any track behind Martinsville Speedway (148) and Daytona International Speedway (151) to host a premier series event. Richmond will be followed by two unique short tracks in Bristol Motor Speedway (April 9) and Martinville (April 16) to cap a three-race stretch on sub-1-mile ovals.

Before the green flag drops, check out trends to follow during the race, notable moments at the track, tire info and the weekend schedule of action.

RELATED: Richmond’s history cherished by all | Odds for Sunday

MENDING FENCES 🤝

Tempers were hot following last weekend’s race at Circuit of the Americas and while short-track action could bring more intensity, there’s got to be something to the state phrase “Virginia is For Lovers.”

Especially for Trackhouse Racing, the teammate pair of Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez will need to set aside differences after their intramural confrontation on pit road at COTA. On Wednesday, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney offered his perspective when he’s had on-track disagreements with his teammates Joey Logano and Austin Cindric.

“It’s important to try to set things straight when you and a teammate have a run-in because you can’t be walking around the race shop and crew members, you can’t have them being mad at each other, too,” Blaney said. “It’s a weird situation between those guys. It’s like, ‘Oh, my driver is mad at the teammate driver. Should we be mad at each other, too?’ Then it’s a weird dynamic in the shop, so those things have to be dealt with quickly.”

MORE: Blaney on teammate relationships | Marks on Suárez-Chastain incident

📈 TRENDS TO WATCH 📉

— Joe Gibbs Racing has won six of the last nine Cup races at Richmond

—  Kyle Busch has scored a top-10 finish in the last 10 races at Richmond

— Five different drivers have won the last five Richmond races.

— Five of the last six short track races were won from a start position of 13th or worse (Via Racing Insights)

— The driver who led the most laps failed to win the last four Richmond races (Via Racing Insights)

RELATED: Projected Richmond results

NOTABLE MOMENTS 🎥

1986: Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip wreck from the lead in closing laps | WATCH

2008: Kyle Busch spins Dale Jr. in closing laps | WATCH

2016: Edwards moves Kyle Busch on final lap to win | WATCH

2019: Truex scores first Cup Series short-track win | WATCH

ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️

Saturday, April 1

— 10:05 a.m. ET: Cup practice (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

— 10:50 a.m. ET: Cup qualifying (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Sunday, April 2

— 3:30 p.m. ET: Toyota Owners 400 (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

MORE: Full weekend schedule at Richmond, Texas

RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞

Sunday sees the return of the rules package that drops the rear spoiler from four inches to two inches. Several updates were made to the underbody of the car, such as the removal of three diffuser strakes, engine panel strakes and trimming of the diffuser’s outer fencing.

The GEICO Restart Zone returned to its 2022 dimensions after it was extended for the first five races of this season.

Cup cars will run the same tire codes that were used last season at Richmond in the first year of the Next Gen car. With Richmond being a track with high tire wear, teams will be issued nine sets of tires for the 400-lap event.

In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.

If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty, plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members’ eligibility to participate in other series.

After the race at Phoenix, competition officials issued a safety violation for the loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle (Sections 8.8.10.4 A&C) to the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driven by Aric Almirola. Crew members Ryan Mulder (front tire changer) and Sean Cotten (jack) were suspended for two races.

RELATED: See rules changes for 2023

FAN REWARDS 🫵

Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.

There’s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.

Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.

JOIN TODAY

FANTASY LIVE 🏆

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.

How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week, in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.

NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

Patrick Emerling is going to be a very busy man this weekend at Richmond Raceway.

Emerling, the co-owner of Emerling-Gase Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, will be racing in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race — the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 — on Friday. On Saturday, he’ll shift his attention to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and pilot the No. 53 Chevrolet he co-owns with Joey Gase in the ToyotaCare 250.

He’s the only driver competing in both events.

RELATED: Watch the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 on FloRacing at 6:30 p.m. ET

“It’s not really that tough of a transition,” Emerling said of switching from a Modified to an Xfinity Series car on consecutive days. “The more I have an opportunity to drive the Xfinity cars, the more I can figure them out a little bit.

“It’s not that one car is harder than the other to drive, they’re slightly different skill sets, I believe.”

This won’t be the first time Emerling has pulled double duty with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Xfinity Series. He’s done it multiple times, including in 2021, when he raced in both divisions at Richmond on consecutive days.

When it comes to competing at Richmond, Emerling compared racing on the track’s surface to racing on ice due to the lack of grip provided by the asphalt surface. He believes that’s where his years racing a Modified will benefit him the most.

“It kind of feels like you’re driving on ice shortly into the run,” Emerling said. “I feel like in the Xfinity cars the tires fall off and they stay falling off, whereas the Modified tires will keep on dropping off a cliff until you’re spinning out.

“It takes a lot of finesse. In the Modified that’s one of my stronger suits. It’s one of those tracks where you definitely have to finesse the car around, easy on and off the gas. You’ve got to utilize throttle control.”

Emerling’s luck at Richmond has, thus far, been lackluster with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

In 2021, Emerling qualified second at Richmond, but a broken panhard bar relegated him to a 25th-place finish. Last year he fell out of the race early following a flat tire and subsequent crash.

This time around he believes he’ll be among the contenders at the front of the field Friday evening when he battles drivers like Jon McKennedy, Ron Silk, Doug Coby, Justin Bonsignore, Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte, among others.

“As far as expectations, with the Modified we’re planning on being in contention to win,” Emerling said. “With the Xfinity car, we just want to have a solid points day and try to beat the cars we’re trying to race in points.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR fined Daniel Suárez of Trackhouse Racing $50,000 for a behavioral penalty after a post-race incident March 26 at Circuit of The Americas. The sections cited in the NASCAR Rule Book were 4.4.B&D NASCAR Member Conduct, contact with another vehicle on pit road after the race.

After the cooldown lap of the NASCAR Cup Series race at COTA, Suárez repeatedly contacted the back bumper of Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet as the duo entered pit road, moments after nudging teammate Ross Chastain aside to get to Bowman.

The collision between Suárez and Bowman took place feet from a NASCAR official near pit entrance who was directing drivers where to go. Suárez hit Bowman’s car twice before Bowman brake-checked the No. 99 car.

Suárez’s frustration seemed to stem from a double-overtime restart that saw him go from inside the top five down to a 27th-place finish after contact in the braking zone entering Turn 1. Chastain bumped Bowman into Suárez, sending the seventh-year veteran into 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr., spinning Truex and flattening Suárez’s right-front tire. Bowman and Chastain continued on to finish in third and fourth place, respectively.

Suárez confronted Bowman and Chastain upon exiting his vehicle to discuss the incidents.

RELATED: Breaking down late-race aggression | What team owner Marks had to say

Trackhouse Racing co-owner Justin Marks said Monday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio he would “rather have two guys mad about losing” than shrugging off their chances to win.

Posted on by Staff Report

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel ruled Wednesday to amend the L2-level penalties issued to Hendrick Motorsports for unapproved parts modifications entering the March 12 weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

The decision upholds the fines of $100,000 issued to the Nos. 5, 9, 24 and 48 NASCAR Cup Series teams, respectively, as well as the four-race suspensions handed down to the four crew chiefs. However, each team is restored 100 owners points and 10 playoff points. Kyle Larson, William Byron and Alex Bowman receive the same points back from the initial reduction. NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry drove the No. 9 Chevrolet at Phoenix in place of the injured Chase Elliott and was not penalized as he does not compete for Cup points.

“We are pleased that the National Motorsports Appeals Panel agreed that Hendrick Motorsports violated the rule book,” NASCAR released in a statement. “However, we are disappointed that the entirety of the penalty was not upheld. A points penalty is a strong deterrent that is necessary to govern the garage following rule book violations, and we believe that it was an important part of the penalty in this case and moving forward. We will continue to inspect and officiate the NASCAR garage at the highest level of scrutiny to ensure a fair and level playing field for our fans and the entire garage.”

No. 5 crew chief Cliff Daniels, the No. 9’s Alan Gustafson, the No. 24’s Rudy Fugle and the No. 48’s Blake Harris are eligible to return to their respective pit boxes for Martinsville Speedway weekend. While the organization chose to appeal the penalties, the team elected to keep its four crew chiefs sidelined for the Cup events at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Circuit of The Americas.

“We are grateful to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel for their time and attention,” team owner Rick Hendrick said in a press release. “Today’s outcome reflects the facts, and we’re pleased the panel did the right thing by overturning the points penalty. It validated our concerns regarding unclear communication and other issues we raised. We look forward to focusing on the rest of our season, beginning with this weekend’s race at Richmond.”

NASCAR discovered and confiscated the hood louvers from all four Hendrick cars before practice on March 10, but allowed the teams to practice before taking the parts back to the R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further examination. Hendrick replaced the louvers after practice and all four cars passed technical inspection before Byron won the Cup race at Phoenix.

The hood louvers – which you can see on this Next Gen 3D model – are openings or vents in the hood that serve as a release point for ducts that transfer air out of the radiator. The system is intended to decouple engine performance from aero performance, offsetting the practice of teams taping off air intakes and placing undue pressure and heat strain on the car’s engine.

In the initial penalty report, the following sections of the 2023 NASCAR Rule Book were cited: Section 6.1 Time/Manner/Location; 14.1.C,D&Q Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules; 14.5.4.2.A Radiator Duct. The penalties issued were the loss of 100 championship owner points and 10 playoff points to the Nos. 5, 9, 24 and 48; the loss of 100 championship driver points and 10 playoff points to Larson, Byron and Bowman; and a $100,000 fine and four-race suspension to Daniels, Fugle, Harris and Gustafson.

The Appeals Panel members for this hearing were Kelly Housby, Dixon Johnston and Bill Lester.

Posted on by Press Release

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Hunter Brown and his younger sister, Haley, used to spend their Saturday nights at the race track helping and cheering on Eddie Humphrey. Now the Jacksonville siblings will race each other for the first time in Saturday’s Spring Duel at New River All-American Speedway.

Hunter Brown, a 26-year-old truck driver for his dad’s company, and Haley Brown, a 22-year-old a procedural room medical assistant, have both purchased Bomber cars and, with the help of Humphrey, are ready to strap in the cockpits of their race cars in the NASCAR-sanctioned division.

The older Brown will be making his second career start just a couple weeks removed from a runner-up finish in his debut after purchasing an Acura Integra previously driven by Wayne Phillips.

“That was wild,” Hunter said. “That was definitely not expected. I wasn’t even planning to race Saturday to be honest with you. We were just shaking the car down. Eddie told me to take the car to the track, we went to practice, car felt good during practice. Then I went out and qualified third and he said, ‘There was one thing to do now is race.'”

RELATED: New River All-American shines in NASCAR debut

Hunter Brown
Hunter Brown

When New River All-American Speedway operated under the Coastal Plains Raceway banner in the 2000s and early 2010s, Hunter attended the races to help Eddie Humphrey as Haley cheered Humphrey on.

“Whenever I was younger, I used to help him,” Hunter said. “Just being around it, I wanted to do it. I started building a car, and it was going too slow, so I went and bought one. That’s pretty much it.”

Watching her older brother compete gave Haley the drive and desire to race, as well. Haley purchased a Toyota Celica, which is the most common car in the four-cylinder class in the Eastern North Carolina racing scene.

“I sat in the pits when I was younger with Eddie Humphrey when I was 8,” Haley said. “That’s when I first started going to the round track and used to always watch him race. As soon as he won, I would always run up there to be in the winner’s circle with him. [Hunter] went and bought a car, and I saw him finish second, so I decided I was going to be in the winner’s circle, too.”

After a runner-up finish on March 18, Hunter is returning to the track with confidence and has his sights set on victory.

“I’m going to go out there and drive the wheels off of it,” Hunter remarked. “I’m going to do everything I can to be back where I was at. It’s going to be fun, have a little competition in the family going on, a little bumping and rubbing.”

Haley has more subdued expectations for her debut, with her focus being on logging laps and finishing the race. She does, however, hope to eventually outrun her older brother.

“Girl power,” Haley said. “We’re going to give it all we’ve got.”

While Hunter wants to win, he also said he will be there to cheer on his little sister if she outruns him.

The two siblings will compete in the 25-lap Bomber feature, which is part of Saturday’s 10-race card at the Spring Duel, which is the third NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series event of the season at New River All-American. The Spring Duel is headlined by the season-opening doubleheader for the Grand National Super Series and twin races for Super Trucks and Chargers. Legends, Bandoleros and Champ Karts will also be in action.

Tickets are available online at newriverspeedway.com/tickets and at the gate (cash only) for just $10.

Posted on by Staff Report

Although he didn’t play a part in Sunday’s high-profile, post-race incident, Ryan Blaney understands all too well the importance of maintaining cordial relationships with teammates and, when necessary, mending them, too.

Following late-race fireworks on Sunday at Circuit of The Americas between Alex Bowman and Trackhouse Racing teammates Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez, the No. 12 Ford driver for Team Penske relayed his thoughts on teammate conflict and the importance of working through any issues that could arise from such tension.

RELATED: Aggression at COTA reaches boiling point with Suárez, Chastain and Bowman

Although tending to certain driver relationships might only require “a nail” of effort, Blaney believes that “you have to mend those fences” regardless. However, when it comes to a teammate, relationships have to be accounted for more succinctly with “screws, wire and maybe even a little bit of glue.”

Such a mindset comes from forging relationships with fellow Team Penske teammates Austin Cindric and Joey Logano.

“Just because you’re trying to work together, and at the end of the day, everybody is gonna come together, no matter if you’re a teammate, worst enemies, best friends, you’re gonna get into it with everybody, intentional or not, and those things just happen,” Blaney said in a Wednesday teleconference with reporters. “The teammate side, Joey [Logano] and I have had a couple run-ins over the years, me and Austin [Cindric], and you get over that stuff. You talk about it. You get over it, and you move on from it. Those things you have to do, I think, fairly quickly. There is still probably something in the back of your head, but at the same time, you’re a team, and if you’ve got two teammates pissed off at each other, that doesn’t help the camaraderie of the whole organization.

MORE: Team owner Marks on incident | LISTEN: Suárez’s post-race audio

“So, I’m sure those guys got over it, but like I said, I don’t know their business. It’s important to try to set things straight when you and a teammate have a run-in because you can’t be walking around the race shop and crew members, you can’t have them being mad at each other, too. It’s a weird situation between those guys. It’s like, ‘Oh, my driver is mad at the teammate driver. Should we be mad at each other, too?’ Then it’s a weird dynamic in the shop, so those things have to be dealt with quickly.”

The NASCAR Cup Series field will next race at Richmond Raceway on April 2 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Staff Report

Through six races this season, Kevin Harvick has been a consistent factor in a handful even though he has yet to make a trip to Victory Lane. Slipping down the points standings after a tough race at Circuit of The Americas, Racing Insights predicts that the Stewart-Haas Racing ace will get back on track and into the win column at Sunday’s Toyota Owner’s 400 at Richmond Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The 47-year-old veteran has had success at the Virginia short track, collecting four wins and ending his 65-race winless streak last season with an emotional victory.

Including last August’s victory, Harvick has finished eighth or better in three consecutive races at Richmond and 13 of his last 16 starts — an exceptional run-of-form at such a technical short track. But based on other drivers’ success here, as well, there will be plenty of competition on Sunday.

FANTASY LIVE: Set your roster | See weekend schedule

It’s hard to mention Richmond without acknowledging Joe Gibbs Racing’s incredible grip on the track, literally and figuratively. The organization leads all teams with 18 victories here and has won nine of the last 14 competitions on the 0.75-mile oval, including having a driver lead the most laps in eight of the last 14. As the next team in line for its first victory of the 2023 season, this race could jump-start their season.

—

ONES TO WATCH

DENNY HAMLIN: Hamlin has four wins at Richmond, including last April’s race. He’s nearly a lock to finish in the top 10 and contend for the victory, doing so in 12 of his last 14 at the Virginia track.

KYLE BUSCH: Busch has the best active resume at Richmond with six wins and laps led in 10 of the last 11 races at the track — and he also has 16 of his many wins at short tracks.

TYLER REDDICK: Reddick has surprisingly never finished inside the top 10 at Richmond, but will be aiming to ride his wave of momentum from Circuit of The Americas to a career-best finish.

MARTIN TRUEX JR.: Still searching for an end to his winless drought, Truex should be in the mix at Richmond with three wins and 1,237 laps led over the last 12 races (led in nine) at the track.

AUSTIN DILLON: Don’t write off the driver of the No. 3 this week. Dillon has led 56 laps at Richmond across the last five races, so he has the knowledge to run up front here, finishing top 11 in six of eight.

Projections as of Wednesday, March 29.

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE TOYOTA OWNERS 400

Finish Car No. Driver
1 4 Kevin Harvick
2 11 Denny Hamlin
3 12 Ryan Blaney
4 22 Joey Logano
5 5 Kyle Larson
6 19 Martin Truex Jr.
7 8 Kyle Busch
8 24 William Byron
9 1 Ross Chastain
10 20 Christopher Bell
11 14 Chase Briscoe
12 6 Brad Keselowski
13 48 Alex Bowman
14 10 Aric Almirola
15 45 Tyler Reddick
16 17 Chris Buescher
17 99 Daniel Suárez
18 3 Austin Dillon
19 2 Austin Cindric
20 43 Erik Jones
21 9 Josh Berry
22 23 Bubba Wallace
23 54 Ty Gibbs
24 7 Corey LaJoie
25 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
26 41 Ryan Preece
27 16 AJ Allmendinger
28 21 Harrison Burton
29 34 Michael McDowell
30 31 Justin Haley
31 42 Noah Gragson
32 77 Ty Dillon
33 38 Todd Gilliland
34 15 J.J. Yeley
35 51 Cody Ware
36 78 Anthony Alfredo
37 13 Chandler Smith

 

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

Friday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Richmond Raceway will feature a little extra star power thanks to the additions of Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte to the field.

Newman and Labonte both will be driving for Sadler Stanley Racing, owned by former NASCAR competitor Hermie Sadler and Virginia State Senator Bill Stanley, in the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 (6:30 p.m. ET on FloRacing).

The race at Richmond marks the anniversary of Newman’s debut with the team. In that event, he qualified fourth, led two laps and finished 13th. He improved upon that result later in the year, winning a non-NASCAR event at North Wilkesboro Speedway and finishing third in the Tour finale at Martinsville Speedway.

Newman believes those results show what the pairing is capable of accomplishing in Modifieds in 2023.

RELATED: Richmond entry list | Streaming | Tickets

Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

“We proved at North Wilkesboro and Martinsville that we’re a good combination,” Newman said in January. “Hermie understands the business of racing; he understands being a driver. I can’t say he completely understands being a crew chief, because I don’t know that he ever has, but I think he understands enough about racing that it’s easy to have a conversation with him.

“Senator Stanley is a combination of a race fan and a car owner that lives and breathes it. He’s ultimately just engaged. He’s a behind-the-scenes guy that most race teams don’t have. It’s good to have him being part of it.”

For Labonte, Friday’s race will mark his first time racing a Modified at Richmond. While he never won a race at Richmond during his NASCAR Cup Series career, he did finish second on two occasions.

There’s no reason to believe Labonte won’t be competitive Friday evening.

“I want to go out there and definitely give it my best and learn as much as I can,” Labonte said. “I’m racing against guys who have done this all their lives or some type of short-track racing all their lives, and I haven’t.

“I really feel like the opportunity we have with Sadler and Stanley — we can be competitive everywhere we go. If we’re not, it’s probably going to lay on me as far as what I don’t know about a track or what this car is going to do or things like that.”

Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman
Bobby Labonte (top) and Ryan Newman (bottom) pictured during NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour practice at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 27, 2022. (Photo: Adam Fenwick)

After two decades, Tim Connolly is back

The last time Tim Connolly raced in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, George W. Bush was president of the United States.

That statistic will no longer be accurate Friday when Connolly, now 62, makes his return to competition in the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150. It will mark the first time Connolly has raced with the Tour since 2002, when he competed in three events for PBM Motorsports.

Connolly’s career path almost had nothing to do with racing. During his college years, he was a standout quarterback at New York’s Ithica College. Knee injuries forced him to retire from football before he had a chance to reach the National Football League.

Still needing to scratch his competitive itch, Connolly picked up racing as a hobby. He made his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start in 1988 and won for the first time in 1993 at Pennsylvania’s Nazareth Speedway.

He became a championship contender after teaming up with legendary team owner Bob Garbarino to drive the famous Mystic Missile No. 4 in 1996. Despite going winless that year, the two stuck together in 1997, and Connolly enjoyed a career year.

Connolly won a career-best four times in 1997 with an astonishing nine poles, plus 11 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. The only driver better than Connolly that year was Mike Stefanik, who scored 10 victories on his way to the Tour championship while Connolly settled for second.

In all, Connolly has won nine times in 187 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts with No. 188 arriving Friday at Richmond.

Tommy Catalano seeking redemption in his return to Richmond

Tommy Catalano (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

Tommy Catalano could practically taste the champagne.

The driver from Ontario, New York was fewer than a dozen laps away from what would have been his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory last season at Richmond.

Unfortunately for him, Justin Bonsignore spoiled the party.

Catalano, who led a race-high 69 laps last year at Richmond, settled for a career-best second during the 2022 edition of the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150. He lost the lead to Bonsignore with 11 laps remaining as he struggled to navigate slower traffic.

It was a heartbreaking result for everyone in the Catalano family, who were on pins and needles in the pits as they watched the 25-year-old Catalano come agonizingly close to his first Tour victory.

The good news is Catalano is heading back to Richmond this Friday to see if he can do one position better.

That could be bad news for the rest of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour field considering how good Catalano was last year a the 0.75-mile, d-shaped oval.

Notes:

  • Two drivers will be making their NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut appearances Friday night. Cory Dimatteo will pilot the No. 17 for team owner Michelle Davini, and Bryan Narducci will wheel the Ole Blue No. 3 for Boehler Racing Enterprises.
  • Matt Hirschman will race at Richmond Raceway for the first time thanks to a partnership between PeeDee Motorsports and Baker Racing.
  • A familiar face was a late addition to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour entry list for Friday’s race at Richmond. Max McLaughlin, the son of six-time NASCAR Xfinity Series race winner Mike McLaughlin, is scheduled to pilot the No. 77 entry owned by Mike Curb.
Posted on by Holly Cain

Through seven decades of NASCAR competition, Richmond Raceway has not only been a fan-favorite facility but resoundingly one of the competitors’ preferred places to race and win. And the list of those that have hoisted a Richmond trophy reads like a NASCAR Hall of Fame reunion.

In Virginia’s capital, in the heart of the traditional NASCAR landscape, Richmond Raceway has featured some of the most important events in the sport’s history, from Lee Petty’s 1-lap victory over the field in the inaugural NASCAR race there in 1953 to his son’s historic 13 wins spanning three decades; to a modern-day place setting NASCAR’s playoff lineup (2004-18), to now playing a role as a spring and summer venue helping to establish which drivers will vie for the sport’s most cherished trophy.

MORE: See all NASCAR 75 content | Betting odds for Sunday’s race

History is synonymous with the city of Richmond. And NASCAR has contributed plenty of high-speed, dramatic chapters in its milestone 75 years there.

Although its earliest roots are a half-mile dirt track named “Strawberry Hill Raceway,” the Richmond track’s big-league NASCAR history began with Lee Petty’s 1953 win – by a lap – over Dick Rathman in the first NASCAR Grand National Series race at the Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds, as the facility was known by then.

Petty’s son Richard – NASCAR’s “King” – would go on to become the winningest driver in Richmond history with 13 victories — double the tally for any other driver. Ever. And although Richard Petty holds that same top honor at many of the sport’s venues, his work at Richmond is particularly impressive.

Between 1965-1969, Petty and fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer, the late David Pearson, won eight straight races; Petty three and Pearson five.

From 1970-73, Petty won seven consecutive Richmond races, his streak broken in 1974 with Bobby Allison’s victory in the spring 500-lapper. Petty resumed winning the very next race and in all, between 1970-1975, won nine of 10 races, a feat unheard of in today’s NASCAR.

Petty not only “owned” the track for much of his racing days, but in 1988 he actually got behind the wheel of a bulldozer to ceremonially move dirt when the track was transformed into the D-shaped .75-mile track that has annually hosted a pair of important NASCAR Cup Series races ever since.

The best in the sport have traditionally been best at Richmond, its short-track door-to-door competition on a racer’s ideal smooth, wide surface has provided some of the most noteworthy events in NASCAR’s history. NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart earned his first win there in 1999, and NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick – who is retiring at the end of 2023 — earned his most recent, a 60th trophy at Richmond last season.

Two-time series champion Kyle Busch leads all active drivers with six wins, and that includes a modern-day feat of four straight in the spring race between 2009-12, with his most recent coming in 2018.

This weekend’s Toyota Owners 400 (Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is the first in a back-to-back-to-back stretch of NASCAR’s best in short track racing — also including the half-milers at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 9 and then Martinsville Raceway on April 16.

A large part of what makes a track like Richmond so uniquely popular is the combination of rich history and modern-day action at the track appropriately nicknamed the “Action Track.”

So many of the sport’s indelible moments have come at Richmond. From the famous 1986 on-track duel between a pair of NASCAR Hall of Famers, Darrell Waltrip and the late Dale Earnhardt — Kyle Petty avoided the melee and won the race to become the third Petty Richmond winner – to the 1992 photo finish when Bill Elliott’s win over Alan Kulwicki in what is still the closest finish in the track’s history. Add to that a wide assortment of modern-day incredible door-to-door last-lap battles in pursuit of a NASCAR playoff position.

Six of the eight former Richmond winners entered this week – Busch, Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski — have won multiple times there.

This weekend’s race comes on the heels of a dramatic road course race that tested patience, called for talent and roughed up emotions; similar descriptions of what is always reasonable to expect at a short track such as Richmond.

And exactly why Richmond Raceway is a still-vital part of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season, one of the most popular spots on the NASCAR schedule – generation after generation.