Records
Date Series Driver Speed
9/6/97 Sprint Cup Race Dale Jarrett 109.00
5/15/04 Sprint Cup Qualifying Brian Vickers 129.983
9/11/09 Nationwide Race Carl Edwards 101.00
5/14/04 Nationwide Qualifying Kyle Busch 129.348
9/4/03 Camping World Truck Race Tony Stewart 91.00
9/8/05 Camping World Truck Qualifying David Starr 126.648
Sprint Cup Series
Upcoming Race May 1
Crown Royal Presents The Heath Calhoun 400
Track Facts
Richmond International Raceway
Location: Richmond, VA
Banking/Turns: Oval
Distance: 0.75 miles
Shape: Oval
Race 10 of 36 on Sprint Cup circuit
When:May 1, 2010 7:44 pm EDT
Laps:400
Track Length:0.75 miles
Race Length:300.00 miles
Most Cup Wins (since 1975)
* Rusty Wallace 6
* Darrell Waltrip 6
Sprint Cup Nationwide Camping World Truck
Date Race Name Pole Winner Race Winner Make Purse
5/2/09 Crown Royal Presents the Russ Friedman 400 Brian Vickers Kyle Busch Toyota $5,176,906
9/12/09 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Mark Martin Denny Hamlin Toyota $5,196,568
5/3/08 Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 Denny Hamlin Clint Bowyer Chevrolet $5,137,427
9/7/08 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Kyle Busch Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet $5,157,089
5/6/07 Crown Royal Presents the Jim Stewart 400 Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet $5,032,994
9/8/07 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet $5,057,510
5/6/06 Crown Royal 400 Greg Biffle Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet $4,931,502
9/9/06 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Denny Hamlin Kevin Harvick Chevrolet $4,955,081
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
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"Everybody talks about how important brakes are at Richmond, but the truth is if a team can get their car to turn, the brakes become a non-issue. Drivers overuse the brakes trying to get a stubborn car to get through the corners and that's when you run into problems. But the driver that wins the race won't talk about brakes, he'll talk about how good his car handled."
Statistics: Courtesy of Racing Recall
DODGE DRIVERS:
Kurt Busch -- No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
"Richmond has been a great track for me in the past. I felt like I've had some solid runs, and I've had run where we've left scratching our heads. We finished second the last time that we raced at Richmond and we hope to build on that. We've been testing at Gresham Motorsports Park just trying to gain on our short-track program. We were third at Bristol earlier this year, so we think we'll be strong. It's one of those pivotal races in the season because Richmond is the cut-off race to the Chase in the fall. You better be good there in May to be good there in September."
Sam Hornish Jr. -- No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger
"I've always enjoyed racing at Richmond International Raceway and have been able to find success there in both the IndyCar Series as well as in NASCAR. Last season, the Mobil 1 team earned top-10 finishes in both races at Richmond and we are all excited to return and hopefully race for similar results. Richmond is a multi-groove racetrack and that makes for exciting racing for drivers and fans alike. Patience is key at short tracks. You have to put yourself in position to be there at the end of the race when it matters most."
Brad Keselowski -- No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger
"Richmond is a place where I'm still learning and getting experience in the Cup cars. It's an awesome racetrack and there is a reason that all of the drivers put it on their short list of favorite tracks. I qualified well there last year and I think we'll race well when we go back this weekend. Racing under the lights on a Saturday night at Richmond is some of the most exciting racing of the year. We need a good, solid race to gain the points we lost at the end of the race at Talladega."
FROM THE CREW CHIEFS
Travis Geisler, crew chief, No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge
"Saturday night at Richmond always produces exciting racing. The track seems to widen out during the race and allows for some great-side-by-side racing. The Mobil 1 Dodge is ready to go and repeat our strong performances at Richmond last season. It is important to get the car turning well through the center of the corners while still having the rear secure under throttle on exit. We will focus on these keys during our practice on Friday to get the car dialed in for Sam."
Jay Guy, crew chief, No. 12 Penske Dodge
"Richmond is a fast short track that has a lot of challenges. It almost drives like a speedway because the corner speed is very high. It takes the right balance of having the car turn in the center without giving up forward drive off the corner. Fuel mileage and pit strategy come in to play at times so you need to make sure you stay on top of that throughout the race. Richmond is a track where a driver can make a big difference and I feel that plays into our hands with Brad behind the wheel."
-source: dodge motorsports
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
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Dodge Motorsports NSCS Race Advance - Crown Royal presents the Heath Calhoun 400 - Richmond
4/27/2010
Dodge Motorsports NSCS Race Advance
Crown Royal presents the Heath Calhoun 400
Richmond International Raceway
Saturday, May 1, 2010
THE DODGE BOYS
• Dodge has 206 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins.
• Dodge’s most recent win came at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kurt Busch led 129 laps en route to victory in the Kobalt Tools 500.
• Dodge claimed four Sprint Cup Series victories in 2009.
• Dodge teams have posted 46 wins since the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001 after being out of the sport since 1977.
• Dodge has posted wins each season since it’s return in 2001 including seven wins twice (2002 and 2006).
DODGE HISTORICAL DATA
• First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win: Lee Petty, 2/1/53, West Palm, Fla., 100 miles, .5-mile track.
• First Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win at RIR: Lee Petty, 04/19/1953, 1953 Richmond 200, 45.535 mph avg. speed.
• Last Dodge NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win at RIR: Kasey Kahne, 05/11/2005, Chevy 400, 100.316 mph avg. speed.
DODGE AT RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
• Dodge has 17 wins at Richmond including three since the manufacturer returned to NASCAR’s premier series in 2001.
• Lee Petty drove a Dodge to victory in the first NASCAR race at Richmond in1953; a 200-lap event on what was then a .5-mile dirt track.
• Dodge winners at Richmond in addition to Petty include Buck Baker, David Pearson, Cotton Owens, Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, Dave Marcis, Neil Bonnett, Ryan Newman, Jeremy Mayfield and Kasey Kahne.
• Dodge’s Kurt Busch has the fifth-best driver rating of 97.0 among active Cup drivers at RIR.
• Dodge earned its last pole position five years ago at RIR (Kahne).
QUICK RACE NOTES
• With his eighth-place finish at Talladega last weekend, Kurt Busch moved up two positions to seventh in the Sprint Cup point standings.
• The three Dodge Chargers of Busch, Sam Hornish Jr. and Brad Keselowski all led laps last weekend in Talladega – this first time the trio has done so this season.
• Keselowski started seventh in his only Sprint Cup start at Richmond.
• Busch is one of only three drivers in the top 12 to have earned a pole in 2010 (M. Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr.).
DID YOU KNOW?
• Sam Hornish Jr. has earned back-to-back, top-10 finishes in the last two Richmond Cup events. Hornish finished sixth at last year’s spring event and eighth in the fall.
• With NSCS and NNS double-headers at the last two NASCAR events (Texas and Talladega), Dodge’s Brad Keselowski has driven a total of 1,652.2 miles in two days, or the equivalent of driving from Richmond International Raceway to Denver, Colorado. He covered the distance in 11 hours, six minutes and 55 seconds (151.2 mph).
IF YOU NEED THEM
• Kurt Busch has scored top-15 finishes in the last three races at Richmond.
• 479 different drivers have competed in the 107 Sprint Cup races at Richmond.
• There have been 47 different race winners at RIR.
• Six drivers have five or more Richmond victories, but none are currently active.
• Qualifying has been canceled six times in 107 races; the most recent was in September 2008.
• 33 Sprint Cup races at RIR have been won from the front row including 21 from the pole.
Statistics: Courtesy of Racing Recall
* Dodge has two wins in the 2010 NNS season (Justin Allgaier -- Bristol and Brad Keselowski -- Talladega).
* Penske Dodge's have recorded two wins along with 10 top-five and 12 top-10 finishes through the first eight races of the season.
JUSTIN ALLGAIER -- No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge
* Earned his first NASCAR Nationwide Series win this year at Bristol Motor Speedway, leading a 1-2 Penske Racing Dodge finish.
* Allgaier extended his top-15 streak to eight races last weekend in Talladega -- the longest of his career.
BRAD KESELOWSKI -- No. 22 Ruby Tuesday Dodge
* Keselowski leads the Nationwide Series driver standings with a 10 point advantage over second place.
* Keselowski earned his seventh consecutive top-five finish of the season with his win at Talladega Superspeedway. It's the longest current top-five streak in the Nationwide Series.
* Brad Keselowski has made seven starts at Richmond International Raceway. He posted a pair of fourth--place finishes last season.
Justin Allgaier, No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge
"I feel that racing at Richmond is as good as it gets. The fans get to see good, close racing - and it's at night, which makes it that much better. You carry a lot of speed down the straightaways and when you get to the corner, it feels like you almost come to a complete stop. It's a fun track, I wish there were more like it on the circuit, but I think that if someone tried to create a similar track, they'd have a hard time perfecting it the way that it's been done there. It truly is a unique race track, and a lot of fun to drive."
Brad Keselowski, No. 22 Ruby Tuesday Dodge
"Richmond is a track that every driver loves. You have room to be really aggressive, which you have to be with the Nationwide cars. We're excited that we got our first win last weekend in Talladega and have got our Nationwide Series program right where we want it to be. We're winning races, leading the points and we're having fun. We just need to try and keep the momentum going into Richmond."
-source: dodge motorsports
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
CAT-BACK Exhaust, CAI, Projector Head Lamps
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Last Updated: Friday, Apr 30, 2010 6:30 pm, EDT
Crown Royal Presents The Heath Calhoun 400
Richmond International Raceway
Order Driver (No.) Car Qualifying Speed
1 Kyle Busch (18) Toyota 127.077
2 David Reutimann (00) Toyota 126.618
3 Jimmie Johnson (48) Chevrolet 126.464
4 Jeff Gordon (24) Chevrolet 126.375
5 Ryan Newman (39) Chevrolet 126.245 6 Brad Keselowski (12) Dodge 126.239
7 Kevin Harvick (29) Chevrolet 126.133
8 Jamie McMurray (1) Chevrolet 126.121
9 Brian Vickers (83) Toyota 126.109
10 Scott Speed (82) Toyota 125.868
11 Mark Martin (5) Chevrolet 125.839
12 AJ Allmendinger (43) Ford 125.792 13 Kurt Busch (2) Dodge 125.769
14 Jeff Burton (31) Chevrolet 125.728
15 Tony Stewart (14) Chevrolet 125.698
16 Juan Pablo Montoya (42) Chevrolet 125.657
17 Marcos Ambrose (47) Toyota 125.640
18 Matt Kenseth (17) Ford 125.558
19 Kasey Kahne (9) Ford 125.447
20 Joey Logano (20) Toyota 125.389
21 Elliott Sadler (19) Ford 125.354
22 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) Chevrolet 125.337
23 Martin Truex Jr. (56) Toyota 125.302 24 Sam Hornish Jr. (77) Dodge 125.278
25 Carl Edwards (99) Ford 125.238
26 Regan Smith (78) Chevrolet 125.203
27 Denny Hamlin (11) Toyota 125.116
28 Bobby Labonte (71) Chevrolet 125.093
29 Paul Menard (98) Ford 125.052
30 Greg Biffle (16) Ford 124.960
31 David Ragan (6) Ford 124.683
32 Robby Gordon (7) Toyota 124.602
33 Travis Kvapil (34) Ford 124.229
34 Kevin Conway (38) Ford 121.507
35 Joe Nemechek (87) Toyota 122.371
36 Mike Bliss (09) Chevrolet 118.786
37 Dave Blaney (66) Toyota 122.211
38 Tony Raines (164) Toyota - 39 Terry Cook (46) Dodge -
40 Casey Mears (36) Chevrolet -
41 David Stremme (26) Ford 120.805
42 Max Papis (13) Toyota -
43 David Gilliland (37) Ford -
44 Clint Bowyer (33) Chevrolet 122.984
45 Reed Sorenson (132) Toyota 123.745
46 Michael McDowell (55) Toyota -
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
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Richmond: Kurt Busch - Friday media visit
Racing series NASCAR-CUP
Date 2010-04-30
Kurt Busch, Penske Racing
HOW WAS YOUR CAR TODAY IN PRACTICE? "We feel pretty good about our chances. Our Miller Lite Dodge was pretty quick right off the truck, basically using the same setup that we raced here last fall where we finished second to the local guy Denny Hamlin. We feel like we've made some gains on the car since the first practice. Overall, I feel like we have a good, strong car. We just have a poor qualifying draw; we have to go out second. That should hurt us. We'll fight our way back from wherever we end up in qualifying. I think our car shows the strength on the longer runs. That's what pays dividends most of the time at Richmond. But, you have to be prepared for all the opportunities for all the green-white checkers at the end. With the setup that Steve Addington has adjusted on, he won the race here last spring with Kyle (Busch) driving. So, I've got notes from his car and notes from my car. We're just trying to throw the best package we can at it."
HOW HAVE YOU AND STEVE ADDINGTON BEEN ABLE TO STAY COOL THE LAST FEW RACES DRIVING FROM THE REAR TO THE FRONT OF THE FIELD DURING THE RACE? "With the opportunity to have three attempts at a green-white checkered, it can almost be a benefit to be one of the last cars on the lead lap when the final pit stop comes about because you can just do the opposite of what the rest of the group is doing because there are some many opportunities to advance your spot. Whether you pit or whether you don't pit, two tires or four tires. The end of these races now, it's anybody's game. We were buried back in the pack the last week. To come back from 29th and finish eighth just in the green-white checkered restarts, you can never say never. You have to keep fighting. For us, I don't know where we'll end up in qualifying, but just having that early draw we'll have to work our way up through the pack. Once the track cools off tomorrow, we'll see how our setup is really gripping the race track."
YOU SEEM TO GET AROUND RICHMOND WELL. WHAT IS THE SECRET TO GETTING AROUND THIS PLACE FAST? "I feel like one of the biggest keys to success here is to get the car to turn in the center, in the bottom groove. You'll see a lot of guys move up to the middle lane, maybe even the high groove. I feel like I find my most success right on the bottom of the race track, and it takes a car that can turn down there and make it work. When you do that, you're running in a different line than most of the competitors and that allows you to move your way through the field instead of being stuck behind somebody because they're running the same groove that you are."
HOW DO RACE CAR DRIVERS DEAL WITH THE REALITY THAT ON A WEEKLY BASIS, ONLY ONE DRIVER WILL WIN? "You hope that your chance to win comes more often than not. The way that you do that is work on your car the best way that you can in practice, give your car a good setup. My car owner and everyone has always said put yourself in position to win and those wins might come for you. If your car is handling poorly and you don't have a shot at winning, that's when you have to get in your mind that you have to get the best finish that you can today for points and move on to next week because next week, the shoe might be on the other foot."
-source: dodge motorsports
__________________
Rick
Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
Nitro Model: R/T 4X4 Stone White
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Richmond: Brad Keselowski race report
Racing series NASCAR-NS
Date 2010-04-30
Keselowski Wins In Dominating Fashion at Richmond
RICHMOND, Va. (April 30, 2010) -- Brad Keselowski, driver of the Penske Racing No. 22 Ruby Tuesday Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, led 189 laps on his way to an overwhelming victory in the Bubba Burger 250 at Richmond International Raceway on Friday. He had to endure a green-white-checkered flag finish for the second week in a row before preserving the victory with a thrilling, last-lap pass.
The win extends Keselowski's lead in the Nationwide Series driver point standings to 59 points over Kevin Harvick.
The race marked the second one-day show of the year for the Nationwide Series, which meant a busy day for the 26-year-old Penske Racing driver. He began the day with two hours and 50 minutes of Nationwide Series practice at 9 a.m., where he recorded the fourth-fastest lap of 21.774 seconds, or 124.001 mph. In the afternoon qualifying session for the scheduled 250-lap race, Keselowski toured the .75-mile oval in 21.847 seconds, or 123.587 mph.
Upon the drop of the green flag, Keselowski wasted little time in showing the power of his No. 22 Ruby Tuesday Dodge. By lap five, he was running in the second position. He assumed the top spot in the running order on lap 60 and settled into a nice rhythm on the ensuing long green-flag run that followed. When the caution flag fell on lap 95, Keselowski had raced out to a five-second lead in 76 laps. He radioed to crew chief Paul Wolfe that the car was "perfect" and Wolfe elected to make only minor adjustments to the air pressure in the Goodyear tires.
The longer the race stayed under the green flag, the better Keselowski's Dodge Charger ran. Despite three caution flags in between laps 102 and 186, he was able to stay out in front of the pack. With 25 laps remaining in the race, Keselowski had powered to a three-second lead and a victory seemed like a formality. However, the final caution flag flew on lap 244 of the 252-lap event to setup the finish.
While two cars elected to stay out under the yellow flag, Keselowski brought his No. 22 Dodge Charger down pit road for four fresh tires. He restarted the race in the fourth position. Coming off of Turn 4 on the final lap, Keselowski was able to get by the No. 27 of Greg Biffle to secure the eighth victory of his Nationwide Series career.
Keselowski's statistics for the race were impressive. He scored 195 points -- the maximum possible in one race -- while leading 189 laps, his most in a single race in 113 career Nationwide Series starts. He scored a perfect driver rating of 150.0.
Penske Racing teammate Justin Allgaier finished 15th.
"Our car was just so strong tonight," said Keselowski. "Paul Wolfe, the whole Ruby Tuesday team, they gave us a great Dodge Charger. We put it in the right spot at the right time on the green-white-checkered finish. I wanted it to pay off. I knew if we lost this race because we didn't take tires, I would be so mad. So, I came down and got tires, made the right move with Greg (Biffle) on the last lap and it all worked out."
The No.22 Ruby Tuesday Dodge Charger team will move back to the Carolinas for the first time this season for the Royal Purple 200 presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
-source: penske
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Nitro Year: 2007 (1 of 113,000 sold)
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