Tag: Richmond International Raceway

We were at Richmond International Raceway for a weekend in April for some pit cruising and fast left turns. While there, we made a discovery. We sat on it for a few days to make sure we weren’t being tracked by a geek squad in black and white checkered helicopters…

We wandered about the garage and saw any number of things we likely shouldn’t have. We took notice of Team Mechanics holding up clipboards while looking over them at what the team in the next stall was doing. We saw the “cheat sheets” drivers use to remember what town they are in, who their sponsors are and which hat to wear. We found the plastic storage bin where NASCAR keeps the yellow Krylon for the lug nuts.

However, it was during qualifying we made our “discovery”. It brought to mind the adage “hide in plain sight” as it was obvious yet so inconspicuous. Everyone is so focused on times and speed and there is so much color on the cars and uniforms that the scene blurs together.

But we saw it. Or should we say… We saw her. (more…)

It may be home for Denny Hamlin but the Busch brothers owned it for the weekend at Richmond International Raceway.

Friday night for the Nationwide “Virginia 529 College Savings 250”, Kurt Busch drove the #54 Monster Energy Toyota to Victory Lane. Denny Hamlin made a run on the final lap to the finish with a drag race to the checkers and was a nose behind at the line. Kevin Harvick seemed to have it wrapped up for most of the race but Busch slipped by with 8 laps to go and took a comfortable lead until Hamlin filled the mirrors. Apparently, Kurt Busch had just enough to hold Hamlin to the line.

The #54 Toyota, by the way, is owned by Kurt’s brother, Kyle, who drove to Victory Lane on Saturday night in the Sprint Cup race.

Denny Hamlin also ran in the top 10 throughout the “Capitol City 400 presented by Virginia is for Lovers” but couldn’t quite make it into the top spot. He rode the #2 slot for a few laps but finished fourth at the end of the night.

Kyle Busch also ran the top 10 all night. He had the lead with 100 to go but Tony Stewart’s #14 car had found footing and was running too well for Busch to hold it at that point in the race. (more…)

The Nationwide Series runs at Richmond International Raceway with the 529 College Savings 250. For the NNS race it is common for Cup drivers to get lots of attention from the press.

Saturday in Richmond, during qualifying, it was evident that the IndyCar crossover, Danica Patrick, is still a novelty for NASCAR news.

Photogs and press surrounded the GoDaddy #7 Chevy when Danica approached the car. Denny Hamlin went by and hardly a lens turned. There went Keselowski… and Kyle Busch… Still, the cameras and mics were on Danica.

Yes, “Missed Gear” was no different. We stayed near the green of the GoDaddy #7… (more…)

NASCAR is a big part of Virginia. Martinsville, Bristol and Richmond have driven NASCAR and a big part of Virginia tourism for many years. To celebrate some of that history, Richmond International Raceway is going back in time a bit and pulling up a name from the past for the Sprint Cup race this Saturday. “Capitol City” was the namesake of the race for many years and will be again this weekend as RIR and the Virginia Tourism Corporation present the main event.

Richmond is celebrating 60 years of racing this year. The “Capital City 400 Presented by Virginia is for Lovers” is the Sprint Cup Series race to crown the weekend. (more…)

See Race Photos Here

Auto racing at 160+ mph is something to see. It is literally a flash of color and sound and wind chasing the wings as they go by. Combine these speeds with a short track setting such as Richmond International Raceway and you get a 5g vertigo festival. It is fun to watch and definately a bit different from a NASCAR Sprint Cup race on the same track. The lighter cars allow for quicker acceleration so the Indy cars shoot out of turns like rockets while NASCAR cars are thrown out of a turn on sheer power and momentum. Another noticeable difference is that the nature of NASCAR racing puts more cars in the same space and sheet metal is bound to get banged up while IRL cars are wide open with all four wheels exposed. While “rubbing is racing” is expected in NASCAR it can be a race ending disaster in IRL. Touching open wheels rotating at these speeds can send two cars in a dozen directions – including straight up. That seems to be frowned upon…

This past Saturday (June 27, 2009) the SunTrust Indy Challenge sped through 300 laps at Richmond International Raceway. With few cautions to shake things up, the race resembled a high speed parade for the majority of laps. It is difficult to pass at Richmond anyway and these cars are so evenly matched the chances at passing on the Richmond track only grow slimmer. The lead changes were mostly taken care of with pit strategy and pit stop speed more than ducking under the inside diving at speed into the turns. Dario Franchitti even apolgized to the fans after race making a mention of the lack of excitement on this particular race day.

All that aside, this race was fun to watch despite tha lack of two-wide turns and chasing through the field. The novelty of the design of these cars in an area known for closed cockpit, left side driving is one thing. The sheer speed, acceleration and quick braking is another. The personality of the race is different, too, but that is harder to put a finger on. Better to go see for yourself.

I found the race, the facility, the fans and the day to be thoroughly delightful from the point of view of a racing fan. My only dissapointment is the same I have at every auto race that does not have a Gordon or an Earnhardt in it. Where are the people. Go to any NASCAR track for a Sprint Cup race and the stands are crowded and the midway is busy. However, put a different kind of car on the same track and the fan response is much different. I’ve said it before. If you are a racing fan, be a “Racing” fan and support as much and as many types of racing as you can.

At the end of this one, Scott Dixon took the checkered in the Target Chip Ganassi #9 while team mate Franchitti rolled in the 2nd spot right behind him in the 10. Graham Rahal took 3rd, Hideki Mutoh was 4th and Danica Patrick grabbed another top 5 and 300 laps were done. Check out photos by clicking here.