Storylines: Richmond
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
Anytime, Anywhere for Busch
Next!
That’s the battle cry for Kyle Busch throughout this young season. Seemingly, whatever you throw at him, he conquers. In NASCAR’s three national series, Busch has won at a restrictor plate track, a road course, a 1.5-miler, a 2-miler and a one-miler.
What’s left? He still needs a short track win and a win at one of the two 2.5-mile flat tracks (Pocono and Indy). Busch can check off one of those this weekend, when both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to the .75-mile Richmond International Raceway short track.
A win would be a nice birthday gift for the soon-to-be 23 year old. Busch turns 23 on Friday, and has already had a stellar career. He has 28 victories in NASCAR’s three national series — NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (6), NASCAR Nationwide Series (14) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (8). Rob Moroso is next with six (all in the Nationwide Series) before he turned 23.
Best Finishes in Brightest Spotlights for JPM: Montoya in Coveted Top 12 Position
Juan Pablo Montoya has a flare for coming up big on the biggest of stages, that’s for sure. Montoya has runner-up finishes at two of NASCAR’s most noted tracks - Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year and Talladega Speedway last Sunday.
But his second-place finish at Talladega put him in unchartered territory - the top 12 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.
For the first time in his short NASCAR career, Montoya is inside the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cut-off. His previous best points position was 15th after the fourth race of 2007, his rookie season.
Happy Anniversary? - Earnhardt Aims to Snap 71-Race Win Drought at Site of Last Victory
Dale Earnhardt Jr. had strong car at Talladega - proven by his comeback after an accident that could have ended his race.
Earnhardt finished 10th at Talladega after falling to 29th with five laps to go to retain his third-place points position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. Check out his running position over his final five laps:
Lap 184: 29th
Lap 185: 28th
Lap 186: 20th
Lap 187: 14th
Lap 188: 10th
Earnhardt, and the rest of Talladega’s Sea of Green, hope the trend of improvement continues at Richmond, the site of his last win - back in 2006, 71 races ago.
Happy Homecomings? - Hamlin Shoots for Home Track Sweep
With his win at Martinsville earlier this season, Denny Hamlin checked one of his home tracks off the list.
But this one’s his Holy Grail.
Like Tony Stewart’s quest for a win at Indy, teammate Hamlin has made it known that a victory at Richmond International Raceway would mean everything to him.
He’s come excruciatingly close. He finished second there in his first Richmond start in 2006 - which, by the way, was won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. - and had finishes of third and sixth in the two races last season.
DEI Celebrates Dale Earnhardt Day
Dale Earnhardt Inc. will celebrate Dale Earnhardt Day on Tuesday, April 29, the birthday of the seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion.
The festivities in memory of The Intimidator include autograph sessions at DEI’s Moorseville, N.C. headquarters with current DEI drivers Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., Regan Smith and Aric Almirola, as well as the unveiling of a mosaic in Earnhardt’s honor.
Fans Come First at Richmond
Where else but NASCAR will you see the fans front and center? This weekend’s race is named after a fan for the second consecutive season. This time meet Dan Lowry, the namesake for this weekend’s Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Lowry, a 29-year-old from New Waterford, Ohio, won the contest after submitting a story recalling a moment when he was working thousands of miles away from home in Venezuela. He wandered into a local restaurant where he didn’t recognize any of the labels behind the bar until he a Crown Royal bag that immediately reminded him of the fond memories of home.
This weekend, the Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond International Raceway demonstrates how NASCAR and its teams, tracks and sponsors are making the sport’s fans its true stars…in ways that give fans NASCAR immortality.
• Fans served as the Grand Marshal of a race (The Nicorette 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8, where 300 fans who stopped smoking gave the “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines” command).
• One lucky fan will be allowed to put his or her marriage proposal on Carl Edwards Office Depot Ford (at the NASCAR Sprint All- Star Challenge on May 17 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway)
• Sometimes, they even put a fan’s face on the actual race car, such as Hellmann’s putting a 67-year old grandfather Ron Bernheim on Kasey Kahne’s Nationwide Series ride at Texas Motor Speedway, and Best Western putting three year old Benjamin Tedeschi on David Reutimann’s car at Phoenix International Raceway.
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
Hamilton Storms Back into Top 10
Standings leader Clint Bowyer is the defending race winner at Richmond. He’s 27 points ahead of second-place Carl Edwards, who won this race in 2005. Series-only drivers make up half the top 10, including Bobby Hamilton Jr. in 10th. After finishing third at Talladega last week - his best finish since a second place at Nazareth in 2004 - Hamilton Jr. is making his first top-10 standings appearance of the season. The feat is especially considering he didn’t race in Mexico City two weeks ago (road-course specialist Boris Said ran the No. 25 Ford). His dad, Bobby Hamilton Sr., won at Richmond in 1989, his only NASCAR Nationwide Series victory.
New Teams, New Faces in Richmond Garage
Jeff Green, the 2000 series champion, looks to make his season series debut for Key Motorsports, a team that has been plying its trade in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He won this race at RIR in 2000. One more driver is aiming for his series debut — Ryan Hackett. Hackett, 25, from La Plata, Md., has experience on dirt and in NASCAR late model competition.
Tie One On: Harvick Looks to Match Martin
Although Kyle Busch fell one race short in an effort to tie Sam Ard’s consecutive victories mark at four last week at Talladega, another driver has a shot at tying a series mark at Richmond. Kevin Harvick, the two-time series champion, has four wins at the track - three of them in succession over the last five races. The track record is five by Mark Martin, the series all-time leader in wins (48) and poles (30). Harvick is also seeking his 200th series start.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
Hornaday in Familiar Territory - Back on Top
It’s taken five races but 2007 champion Ron Hornaday Jr. is back atop the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings. Hornaday, who led the first one-two finish for Kevin Harvick Inc. at Kansas Speedway on April 26, is the first defending titlist to head the points since Bobby Hamilton in 2005.
Rivals No More - Sprague a Team Player
Quick answer to the question “Can a pair of three-time champions and former rivals co-exist?” Jack Sprague, who finished second to teammate Hornaday at Kansas, was disappointed he didn’t win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 but was pleased to share the glory with KHI teammate Hornaday.
Braun Ready for Big Time
A rookie shines. It wasn’t pretty - and there was controversy in his dealings with several series veterans - but 19-year-old Colin Braun recorded the best finish (third) by a Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate since Roush Fenway teammate Erik Darnell’s third-place performance in the 2006 season finale. Braun’s on a hot streak, also winning his first national series pole at the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Mexico City.
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