Last week at Kansas Speedway, we saw the race winner get stripped of everything but his STP 400 trophy. Will we see excitement of a different kind this weekend at Richmond International Raceway? This is after all the second night race of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and tempers have been flaring since the last short track.
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Richmond International Raceway, or RIR has it is known, is a 3/4-mile, D-shaped, asphalt track located just outside of Richmond, Virginia.
And since we have seen the last three qualifying sessions break track record, I guess I should point out that Brian Vickers holds the qualifying record of 20.722 seconds, 129.983 mph from 2004.
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In this race last year, Kyle Busch capped off a perfect weekend by winning the spring race at Richmond for the fourth consecutive year. The victory snapped a 22-race winless streak for Busch, and came a day after he went to victory lane for the first time as a NASCAR Nationwide Series car owner, as Kurt Busch won the night before. Will Busch go five for five?
Matt Kenseth captured the pole for tonight’s race with a lap of 20.716 seconds, 130.334mph. This is his first pole at the track.
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Coverage for the Toyota Owners 400 from Richmond International begins with prerace coverage at 6pm EST on Fox. Green flag is scheduled to drop at 7:36PM EST. While we don’t know who is singing the national anthem, we do know that there will be a flyover as the 3 North American T-28 Trojans have the honor.
Starting Lineup:
1. Matt Kenseth
2. Brian Vickers (substitute for Denny Hamlin)
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Juan Pablo Montoya
7. Joey Logano
8. Kyle Busch
9. Martin Truex Jr.
10. Mark Martin
11. Marcos Ambrose
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
13. Jamie McMurray
14. Kurt Busch
15. Ryan Newman
16. Jeff Burton
17. Kevin Harvick
18. Dave Blaney
19. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
20. David Ragan
21. Tony Stewart
22. David Reutimann
23. Brad Keselowski
24. AJ Allmendinger
25. David Stremme
26. Jimmie Johnson
27. Josh Wise
28. Carl Edwards
29. Paul Menard
30. Danica Patrick
31. Landon Cassil
32. Bobby Labonte
33. Greg Biffle
34. Aric Almirolla
35. Michael McDowell
36. Travis Kvapil
37. David Gilliland
38. Mike Bliss
39. JJ Yeley
40. Casey Mears
41. Joe Nemechek
42. Timmy Hill
43. Brian Keselowski
My Prediction:
My pick for the race weekend at Richmond International Raceway is Kyle Busch. No shock there, right?!?! The driver of the No. 18 M&M Toyota Camry currently owns the track in the month of April and if you add in the fall race at the track, his average finish is 5.44. Could winning this weekend turn Coach Gibbs’ frown upside down or will the Washington Redskins be the only organization that brightens up the old coach’s demeanor?
Alright NASCAR fans, I want to here from you! Who is your pick to win the Toyota Owners 400?
