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Richmond Raceway
Motorsport track in the United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Richmond Raceway (RR) is a 0.750 mi (1.207 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It currently hosts one NASCAR Cup Series race weekend and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.[2] It formerly hosted events such as the NASCAR Xfinity Series, International Race of Champions, Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown, and the USAC sprint car series. Richmond Raceway's "D" shape allows drivers to reach high speeds.
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Nicknamed the "Action Track" and "America's Premier Short Track", Richmond sold out 33 consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races before the streak ended in September 2008 due to the Great Recession as well as the impact of Tropical Storm Hanna.[3] Richmond has hosted the final "regular-season" race, leading up to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, each year since the format was introduced in 2004 until 2018 when its second weekend was moved into the playoffs. In 2022, their second race weekend was moved into the Summer. In 2025, the first race weekend was removed, with the Cup Series race moving to Mexico City.
Before 2019, the raceway had a track seating of 59,000.[1]
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History
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Early history
Racing sports has a long tradition in Virginia, dating back to colonial English times.[4] From 1898 to the First World War, the Deep Run Hunt Club in the Northside area of Ginter Park was the site of the club's somewhat annual steeplechase race.[5] After a decade hiatus, the annual races were moved to Curles Neck in 1928.[5]
The 1946 AAA Championship Car season was unique in that it was the first post-war IndyCar race and because the Atlantic Rural Exposition had built a new state fairgrounds at the old Strawberry Hill Farm near Ginter Park.[6][7][5] The ½ -mile[8] dirt track would be suitable for both annual "Strawberry Hill" horse races and car races, and was known as the "Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds Track", "Strawberry Hill",[9] and "Strawberry Hill Raceway"[10] On October 12, 1946, Ted Horn gained the distinction of winning the track's first race in an open-wheel Indy-style car.[11]
Two years later, when the NASCAR schedule was being formed, this short track joined several others on the circuit.[12] In 1953, the track began hosting the Grand National Series with Lee Petty winning that first race in Richmond.[13] The original track was paved in 1968.[13] In 1988, the track underwent a major renovation into its present D-shaped configuration, with a wider surface, banking in the turns, and expansion in length to .75 of a mile.[11]
The name for the raceway complex was "Strawberry Hill" until the Virginia State Fairgrounds site was bought out in 1999 and renamed the "Richmond International Raceway". The Strawberry Hill Races, which are a series of steeplechase horse races, were formerly held on the third Saturday of April at the Richmond Raceway Complex. In 2001, the races were moved to Colonial Downs in New Kent County, Virginia's first Thoroughbred racetrack.[14]
Recent history
Track president Dennis Bickmeier announced that RIR was renamed to "Richmond Raceway", part of a $30 million renovation of the infield known as Richmond Raceway Reimagined.[15]
In 2021, after NASCAR partner and online sports gambling company WynnBET launched a mobile betting app accessible to Virginia residents, it was announced that a sports betting lounge would be built at Richmond Raceway.[16]
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NASCAR-sanctioned races
Richmond Raceway is home to one NASCAR race in both the Cup Series and Truck Series.
There are a pair of fall races, usually held on the second or third weekend of August. The 250-lap (187.5 miles) Craftsman Truck Series race is currently sponsored by WWEX and is named the Worldwide Express 250.[17] The 400 lap (300 miles) fall Cup race is currently sponsored by Cook Out and is named the Cook Out 400.[18]
Until 2005, Richmond was home to a fall Craftsman Truck Series race. Starting with the 2006 schedule, that date was transferred to Talladega Superspeedway, and the series did not return to Richmond until 2020.[19]
Until 2024, there were a pair of spring races, usually held on the first weekend of April. The Xfinity race was 250 laps (187.5 miles) and was named the ToyotaCare 250.[20] The NASCAR Cup Series race was 400 laps (300 miles) and was named the Toyota Owners 400.[20] The Cup Series date was moved to Mexico City for the 2025 season. With no Cup race to anchor a weekend, the Xfinity race was removed from the schedule.
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Races and events
Current races
- NASCAR Cup Series
- Cook Out 400 (August)
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
- Worldwide Express 250 (August)
Previous races
- AAA Sprint Cars (1946–1948, 1952–1953)
- AAA Stock Car (1952)
- ARDC midgets (1946–1948)
- Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown (2011–2013)
- IndyCar Series
- Indy Richmond 300 (2001–2009)
- International Race of Champions (2004–2005)
- NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
- UNOH 100 (2011–2015)
- NASCAR Convertible Division (1957–1959)
- NASCAR Grand American (1968–1970)
- NASCAR Goody's Dash Series (1975, 1976, 1979–1981)
- NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast Series (1991)
- NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 (1953–2019, 2021–2024)
- NASCAR Sportsman Series (1990)[21]
- NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250 (1982-1984, 1990-2020, 2022-2024)
- NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (1990–1993, 1997, 1999–2002)
- URC sprint cars (1956, 1960)[22]
- USAC Silver Crown Series
- USAC Honda National Midget Championship
Records
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Perspective
- NASCAR Cup Series qualifying: Jeff Gordon, 20.674 sec. (130.599 mph, 210.180 km/h); 2013
- NASCAR Cup Series race: Dale Jarrett, 2 hrs. 45 min. 4 sec. (109.047 mph, 175.494 km/h); 1997
- NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying: Kyle Busch, 20.874 sec. (129.348 mph 208.165 km/h); 2004
- NASCAR Xfinity Series race: Dale Jarrett, 1 hr. 47 min. 13 sec. (104.928 mph, 168.685 km/h); 1995
- IndyCar Series qualifying: Sam Hornish Jr., 15.3197 sec. (176.244 mph, 283.637 km/h); 2005
- Rusty Wallace Race Experience Fastest Non Professional Driver: Paul Delagrange, 20.894 sec. (129.412 mph): 2020
NASCAR Cup Series records
 |
(As of 9/10/11)
| Most wins | 13 | Richard Petty |
| Most top fives | 34 | Richard Petty |
| Most top tens | 41 | Richard Petty |
| Most starts | 63 | Richard Petty |
| Most poles | 8 | Richard Petty, Bobby Allison |
| Most laps completed | 21,135 | Richard Petty |
| Most laps led | 5,142 | Richard Petty |
| Highest avg. start* | 3.7 | Bobby Isaac |
| Highest avg. finish* | 5.0 | Kyle Busch |
* minimum 10 starts [23]
Race lap records
As of September 2020, the fastest official race lap records at Richmond Raceway (formerly Richmond International Raceway) are listed as:
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References
External links
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