History

·        Originally known as the Atlantic Rural Exposition Fairgrounds, Richmond International Raceway held its first race in 1946 as a half-mile dirt track.

·        The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was April 19, 1953 won by Lee Petty.

·        The spring 1964 race was run on a Tuesday night under temporary lighting.

·        The track name changed to Virginia State Fairgrounds in 1967.

·        The track surface was changed from dirt to asphalt between races in 1968.

·        The track name changed to Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in 1969.

·        The track was re-measured to .542-mile for 1970.

·        The track was rebuilt as a three-quarters-mile D-shaped oval following the Feb. 21, 1988 race.

·        The first race under permanent lights was Sept. 7, 1991.

·        The first season with both races as night races was 1999.

Notebook

·        There have been 114 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond International Raceway, one NSCS event from 1953-1958 and two races per year since 1959.

·        471 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond; 304 in more than one.

·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Richmond with 63. Terry Labonte and Mark Martin lead all active drivers with 55 starts.

·        Buck Baker won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Richmond in 1953 with a speed of 48.465 mph.

·        52 drivers have Coors Light poles at Richmond, led by Richard Petty and Bobby Allison with eight each. Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin lead all active drivers with five each.

·        Seven drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Richmond. Bobby Allison holds the record for most consecutive poles at Richmond with five (1972-1974).

·        Youngest Richmond pole winner: Brian Vickers (5/15/2004 – 20 years, 6 months, 21 days).

·        Oldest Richmond pole winner: Mark Martin (4/28/2012 – 53 years, 3 months, 19 days).

·        47 different drivers have won at Richmond International Raceway, led by Richard Petty with 13. Kyle Busch leads all active drivers with four.

·        Petty Enterprises has the most wins at Richmond in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 15; followed by Hendrick Motorsports with 10, Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing with nine each.

·        Chevrolet leads the series in wins at Richmond with 36 victories; followed by Ford with 28 wins.

·        22 of the 114 (19.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond International Raceway have been won from the Coors Light pole. Only three active drivers have been able to accomplish the feat: Kasey Kahne (2005), Jimmie Johnson (2007) and Kyle Busch (2010).

·        The pole starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing the more winners than any other starting position at Richmond (22).

·        35 of the 114 (30.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond have been won from the front row: 22 from the pole and 13 from second-place.

·        90 of the 114 (78.9%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond International Raceway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·        12 of the 114 (10.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond International Raceway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Richmond International Raceway was 31st, by Clint Bowyer in the spring of 2008.

·        Youngest Richmond winner: Richard Petty (4/23/1961 – 23 years, 9 months, 21 days).

·        Oldest Richmond winner: Harry Gant (9/7/1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 28 days).

·        Bobby Allison and Richard Petty are tied for the lead in runner-up finishes at Richmond with nine each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six.

·        Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Richmond with 34. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 18; followed by Jeff Gordon with 16.

·        Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Richmond with 44. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 30; followed by Terry Labonte with 28.

·        Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Richmond International Raceway with a 7.805.

·        Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Richmond International Raceway with a 6.529.

·        Three active drivers have a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series average finish in the top 10 at Richmond: Kyle Busch (6.5), Denny Hamlin (8.0) and Clint Bowyer (9.0).

·        Four drivers have come from outside the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cut-off to make the Chase at Richmond:

o   Jeremy Mayfield in 2004 made up a 55-point deficit

o   Ryan Newman in 2005 made up a one-point deficit

o   Kasey Kahne in 2006 made up a 30-point deficit

o   Brian Vickers in 2009 made up a 20-point deficit

·        Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin are the two drivers that clinched the Wild Card in 2011 to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Keselowski was 11th in points with three wins; Hamlin was12th in points with one win.

·        Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon are the two drivers that clinched the Wild Card in 2012 to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Kahne was 11th in points with two wins; Gordon was 12th in points with one win.

·        There have been two NSCS race resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Richmond International Raceway: spring of 2008 (400/410) and spring of 2013 (400/406).

·        Only four of the 114 races at Richmond International Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions: spring of 1962, spring of 1977, spring of 1982 and spring of 2003.

·        Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond International Raceway six times; most recently the fall of 2008.

·        Bobby Labonte (9/11/1993) and Brian Vickers (5/15/2004) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Richmond.

·        Tony Stewart (9/11/1999) and Kasey Kahne (5/14/2005) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Richmond.

·        Eight drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Richmond International Raceway. Richard Petty leads the series in consecutive wins at Richmond after posting seven consecutive wins from the fall of 1970-1973. Terry Labonte (1994-1995) and Jimmie Johnson (2007 sweep) are the only two active drivers with consecutive wins at Richmond.

·        All of the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Richmond International Raceway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart won at Richmond in their second appearance.

·        Terry Labonte competed at Richmond International Raceway 32 times before winning in 1994; the longest span of any the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup winners.

·        Terry Labonte (32), Joe Nemechek (18), Kevin Harvick (11) and Jimmie Johnson (10) all made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Richmond International Raceway.

·        Bobby Labonte leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Richmond without visiting Victory Lane at 41.

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond International Raceway was the (9/12/1998) race won by Jeff Burton with a MOV of 0.051 second.

·        Two female drivers have competed at Richmond in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Janet Guthrie	13	12	2/27/1977
Janet Guthrie	14	12	9/11/1977
Danica Patrick	30	29	4/27/2013

 

Richmond International Raceway Data

Season Race #: 26 of 36 (09-07-13)

Track Size: 0.75-miles

Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 14 degrees

Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 14 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 8 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees

Frontstretch Length:  1,290 feet

Backstretch Length:  860 feet

Race Length: 400 laps / 300 miles

 

Top 12 Driver Rating at Richmond

Denny Hamlin........................... 117.8

Kyle Busch............................... 113.0

Kevin Harvick........................... 111.1

Clint Bowyer............................. 100.4

Tony Stewart.............................. 96.5

Jeff Gordon................................ 95.7

Mark Martin................................ 92.2

Ryan Newman............................ 91.1

Jimmie Johnson......................... 90.9

Kurt Busch................................. 90.0

Carl Edwards............................. 88.9

Kasey Kahne.............................. 87.3

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (17 total) among active drivers at Richmond International Raceway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 127.023 mph, 21.256 secs. 9-6-12

2012 race winner: Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 100.019 mph, (02:59:58), 9-8-12

Track qualifying record: Matt Kenseth, 130.334 mph, 20.716 secs. 4-27-13

Track race record: Dale Jarrett, Ford, 109.047 mph, (02:45:04), 9-6-97

NASCAR in Virginia

·        There have been 280 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among nine tracks in Virginia.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Martinsville Speedway	Martinsville	129
Richmond International Raceway	Richmond	114
South Boston Speedway	South Boston	10
Langley Field Speedway	Hampton	9
Old Dominion Speedway	Manassas	7
Southside Speedway	Richmond	4
Starkey Speedway	Roanoke	4
Norfolk Speedway	Norfolk	2
Princess Anne Speedway	Norfolk	1

·        169 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Virginia.

·        19 drivers from Virginia have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; 11 have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Joe Weatherly	25	0	0
Ricky Rudd	23	1	0
Denny Hamlin	22	11	2
Jeff Burton	21	27	0
Curtis Turner	17	0	0
Ward Burton	5	4	0
Glen Wood	4	0	0
Elliott Sadler	3	9	1
Emanuel Zervakis	2	0	0
Lennie Pond	1	0	0
Wendell Scott	1	0	0
Tommy Ellis	0	22	0
Jimmy Hensley	0	9	2
Rick Mast	0	9	0
Hermie Sadler	0	2	0
Elton Sawyer	0	2	0
Stacy Compton	0	0	2
Jon Wood	0	0	2
Jeb Burton	0	0	1

 

RICHMOND-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

 

Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota)

·        Two wins, three top fives, nine top 10s

·        Average finish of 9.1

·        Average Running Position of 9.8, fourth-best

·        Driver Rating of 100.4, fourth-best

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 116.451 mph, fifth-fastest

·        4,771 Laps in the Top 15 (79.3%), fifth-most

·        467 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most

 

Kurt Busch (No. 78 Furniture Row/Sealy Chevrolet)

·        One win, four top fives, eight top 10s

·        Average finish of 17.9

·        Average Running Position of 15.1, 11th-best

·        Driver Rating of 90.0, 10th-best

·        331 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

·        772 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most

·        405 Quality Passes, seventh-most

 

Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's American Heritage Chocolate Toyota)

·        Four wins, 12 top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 6.5

·        Average Running Position of 7.7, third-best

·        Driver Rating of 113.0, second-best

·        519 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 116.818 mph, second-fastest

·        5,934 Laps in the Top 15 (87.1%), second-most

·        509 Quality Passes, third-most

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet)

·        Three wins, nine top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 13.8

·        Average Running Position of 15.2, 12th-best

·        Driver Rating of 85.6, 13th-best

·        320 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

·        885 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most

·        380 Quality Passes, 13th-most

 

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Kellogg’s/Frosted Ford)

·        Three top fives, nine top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 14.4

·        Average Running Position of 15.1, 10th-best

·        Driver Rating of 88.9, 11th-best

·        268 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

·        875 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 116.319 mph, 12th-fastest

·        4,010 Laps in the Top 15 (58.8%), 10th-most

·        399 Quality Passes, 10th-most

 

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet)

·        Two wins, 16 top fives, 25 top 10s; five poles

·        Average finish of 14.3

·        Average Running Position of 13.9, eighth-best

·        Driver Rating of 95.7, sixth-best

·        319 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 116.416 mph, sixth-fastest

·        4,227 Laps in the Top 15 (62.0%), ninth-most

·        400 Quality Passes, eighth-most

 

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota)

·        Two wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s; two poles

·        Average finish of 8.1

·        Series-best Average Running Position of 5.9

·        Series-best Driver Rating of 117.8

·        Series-high 582 Fastest Laps Run

·        Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 116.882 mph

·        5,221 Laps in the Top 15 (93.1%), third-most

·        400 Quality Passes, eighth-most

 

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)

·        Three wins, seven top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 11.3

·        Average Running Position of 7.6, second-best

·        Driver Rating of 111.1, third-best

·        445 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 116.721 mph, third-fastest

·        Series-high 6,310 Laps in the Top 15 (92.6%)

·        Series-high 575 Quality Passes

 

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet)

·        Three wins, five top fives, eight top 10s; two poles

·        Average finish of 16.3

·        Average Running Position of 15.0, ninth-best

·        Driver Rating of 90.9, ninth-best

·        252 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

·        763 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 116.328 mph, 10th-fastest

·        3,990 Laps in the Top 15 (58.5%), 11th-most

·        398 Quality Passes, 11th-most

 

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet)

·        One win, four top fives, seven top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 18.2

·        Driver Rating of 87.3, 12th-best

·        336 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

·        817 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 116.330 mph, ninth-fastest

·        397 Quality Passes, 12th-most

 

Ryan Newman (No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet)

·        One win, five top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 11.8

·        Average Running Position of 11.7, fifth-best

·        Driver Rating of 91.1, eighth-best

·        821 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most

·        5,165 Laps in the Top 15 (75.8%), fourth-most

·        510 Quality Passes, second-most

 

Martin Truex Jr (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)

·        One top five, two top 10s

·        Average finish of 23.7

·        Average Running Position of 16.8, 17th-best

·        Driver Rating of 80.3, 18th-best

·        324 Quality Passes, 17th-best

·        3,306 Laps in the Top 15 (55.0%), 16th-most

 

Chase Contenders

The Top 10

Following Race 25 of 36

                                                                                Rank          Season

                                                                                                    Last            Driver

Driver                                    Points    Wins       Poles         Week         Rating

1. Jimmie Johnson          837       4           2              1           106.6

2. Clint Bowyer                809       0           0              2             93.9

3. Kevin Harvick              795       2           0              4             93.1

4. Carl Edwards               795       1           1               3             94.0

5. Kyle Busch                  786       4           3               5           102.6

6. Matt Kenseth               768       5           2               6          108.8

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.        750       0           1               7             94.8

8. Joey Logano               729       1           1            10             90.5

9. Greg Biffle                  727       1           0               9             81.9

10. Kurt Busch                  719       0           1            12             93.8

______________________________________________________

 

ADDITIONAL DRIVERS

11. Jeff Gordon                        713          32. Bobby Labonte           343

12. Kasey Kahne ( 2 wins)     709          33. David Reutimann       341

13. Martin Truex Jr. (1 win)     704          34. Travis Kvapil                336

14. Ryan Newman (1 win)      699          35. JJ Yeley                        332

15. Brad Keselowski                691          36. AJ Allmendinger         308

16. Jamie McMurray                680          37. Timmy Hill                   127

17. Paul Menard                       658          38. Michael McDowell      121

18. Aric Almirola                       640          39. Michael Waltrip           102

19. Juan Pablo Montoya         628          40. Scott Speed                   99

20. Marcos Ambrose               621          41. Ken Schrader                85

21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.          610          42. Terry Labonte                77

22. Jeff Burton                          602          43. Boris Said                       48

23. Tony Stewart (1 win)         594          44. Ron Fellows                   31

24. Casey Mears                      526          45. Alex Kennedy                21

25. David Ragan (1 win)         474          46. Justin Marks                   14

26. Denny Hamlin                    462          47. Victor Gonzalez Jr         10

27. Danica Patrick                    459          48. Scott Riggs                     10

28. David Gilliland                   441          49. Brian Keselowski            9

29. Mark Martin                         422          50. Tomy Drissi                      8

30. Dave Blaney                       383          51. Jacques Villeneuve        3

31. David Stremme                 356          52. Jason Leffler                    1                                    

Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season. After race No. 26, the top 10 earn a berth in the Chase. Spots 11 and 12 – the Wild Cards – will go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20.

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Top 12 at Richmond International Raceway

	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Jimmie Johnson	23	2	3	5	8	1	16.3	90.9
2	Clint Bowyer	15	0	2	3	9	0	9.1	100.4
3	Kevin Harvick	25	1	3	7	16	0	11.3	111.1
4	Carl Edwards	18	1	0	3	9	1	14.4	88.9
5	Kyle Busch	17	1	4	12	13	0	6.5	113.0
6	Matt Kenseth	27	1	1	4	11	1	16.2	83.6
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	28	1	3	9	12	1	13.8	85.6
8	Joey Logano	9	0	0	2	2	1	17.3	73.5
9	Greg Biffle	22	1	0	2	6	1	17.2	80.4
10	Kurt Busch	25	0	1	4	8	1	17.9	90.0
11	Jeff Gordon	41	5	2	16	25	7	14.3	95.7
12	Kasey Kahne	19	1	1	4	7	2	18.2	87.3

* – Based on last 17 races at Richmond International Raceway.

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Wild Card Standings Following Atlanta

Pos	Driver	Wins	Pts Pos	Points	Pts From 10th	Starts	Poles	T5s	T10s	DNFs
1	Kasey Kahne	2	12	709	-10	25	0	8	11	3
2	Martin Truex Jr.	1	13	704	-15	25	0	6	10	3
3	Ryan Newman	1	14	699	-20	25	1	5	11	5
4	Jeff Gordon	0	11	713	-6	25	0	5	11	5
5	Brad Keselowski	0	15	691	-28	25	1	7	11	2
6	Jamie McMurray	0	16	680	-39	25	1	1	5	0
7	Paul Menard	0	17	658	-61	25	0	1	6	1
8	Aric Almirola	0	18	640	-79	25	0	1	5	4
9	Juan Pablo Montoya	0	19	628	-91	25	0	4	7	0
10	Marcos Ambrose	0	20	621	-98	25	1	0	5	2
11	Tony Stewart	1	23	594	-125	21	0	5	8	0
12	David Ragan	1	25	474	-245	25	0	1	1	3

The top-10 drivers will make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Positions 11 and 12 in the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup are Wild Cards, and will go to drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, as long as they are ranked in the top 20 in points. If multiple drivers outside the top 10 tie for wins, the tie-breaker will go to the race winner with the highest points position.