Ahead of each NASCAR race weekend, Kickin’ the Tires previews the upcoming races, looking at the storylines entering the events while highlighting when and where to watch them.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, April 20
NASCAR XFINITY Series practice: 8:00-8:45 a.m.
NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice: 9:40-10:25 a.m. (FS1)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice: 11:00-11:55 a.m. (FS1)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice: 12:35-1:25 p.m. (FS1)
NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying: 4:05 p.m. (FS1)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying: 5:30 p.m. (FS1)
NASCAR XFINITY Series ToyotaCare 250: 7:00 p.m. (FS1)
Saturday, April 21
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400: 6:30 p.m. (FOX)
(All times ET)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Race Name: Toyota Owners 400
Track: Richmond Raceway (Richmond, Virginia)
Race Length: 400 laps, 300 miles
Race Stages (Laps): 100, 100, 200
Track Length: 0.75 miles
Track Record: 130.599 mph (Jeff Gordon, 2013)
What Happened Last Year: Joey Logano beat out teammate Brad Keselowski to earn what seemed to be a playoff-clinching win in a rare Richmond race scheduled to run during the day. Logano’s No. 22 Ford would later be deemed encumbered, leading to a penalty that ultimately kept him from making the playoffs. The race would also be altered, having reverted back to a night race for 2018
(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)
One Last Short Track
The past month of Cup Series action has seen the tour compete twice on short tracks. Now the field is off to Richmond for what will be their final short-track race for the next four months.
Many of the familiar players have contended for wins thus far. Kyle Busch won at Bristol. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson showcased their traditional short-track speed and prowess to compete for stage-and-race wins.
There have also been a few surprises.
Clint Bowyer finally broke through at Martinsville Speedway to earn his first win in six years, claiming a spot in the postseason and five playoff points to carry with him. Ryan Blaney led a plethora of laps at Bristol before a crash in lapped traffic ruined his day, and drivers like Darrell Wallace Jr., Alex Bowman and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. showed impressive pace at one or more points in the opening two events.
It’s difficult to tell how much the short-track results will affect teams when they move back to the standard intermediate ovals for the majority of the spring and summer months. But given that both Martinsville and Richmond will be revisited during the playoffs, expect each organization to put emphasis on running well and gathering data this weekend in Virginia.
Joey Logano’s Richmond Return
Last season’s spring Richmond race saw Joey Logano earn an encumbered victory that would ultimately spoil his entire season.
One year later he’s still yet to return to Cup victory lane.
Logano fell apart over the final 28 races of 2017, finishing outside of the top 20 in 13 races while earning only nine top 10s. As a result the Connecticut native dropped back to 17th in the standings, missing the playoffs for the first time in his Team Penske tenure and causing many to question the No. 22 team heading into the offseason.
The 2018 season has started off much stronger for Logano. The 27-year-old has yet to win, but he’s sitting second in the standings with top 10s in all but one of his first eight starts.
At the rate he’s going, Logano should be due for a return trip to victory lane sometime in the near future. What better location than the track, and race, that started the slump?
Toyota Owners 400 Entry List
Entry
Car No.
Driver
Team
1
00
Landon Cassill
StarCom Racing
2
1
Jamie McMurray
Chip Ganassi Racing
3
2
Brad Keselowski
Team Penske
4
3
Austin Dillon
Richard Childress Racing
5
4
Kevin Harvick
Stewart-Haas Racing
6
6
Trevor Bayne
Roush Fenway Racing
7
8
Daniel Hemric
Richard Childress Racing
8
9
Chase Elliott
Hendrick Motorsports
9
10
Aric Almirola
Stewart-Haas Racing
10
11
Denny Hamlin
Joe Gibbs Racing
11
12
Ryan Blaney
Team Penske
12
13
Ty Dillon
Germain Racing
13
14
Clint Bowyer
Stewart-Haas Racing
14
15
Ross Chastain
Premium Motorsports
15
17
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Roush Fenway Racing
16
18
Kyle Busch
Joe Gibbs Racing
17
19
Daniel Suarez
Joe Gibbs Racing
18
20
Erik Jones
Joe Gibbs Racing
19
21
Paul Menard
Wood Brothers Racing
20
22
Joey Logano
Team Penske
21
23
Gray Gaulding
BK Racing
22
24
William Byron
Hendrick Motorsports
23
31
Ryan Newman
Richard Childress Racing
24
32
Matt DiBenedetto
Go Fas Racing
25
34
Michael McDowell
Front Row Motorsports
26
37
Chris Buescher
JTG Daugherty Racing
27
38
David Ragan
Front Row Motorsports
28
41
Kurt Busch
Stewart-Haas Racing
29
42
Kyle Larson
Chip Ganassi Racing
30
43
Darrell Wallace Jr.
Richard Petty Motorsports
31
47
A.J. Allmendinger
JTG Daugherty Racing
32
48
Jimmie Johnson
Hendrick Motorsports
33
51
Harrison Rhodes
Rick Ware Racing
34
55
Reed Sorenson
Premium Motorsports
35
72
Cole Whitt
TriStar Motorsports
36
78
Martin Truex Jr.
Furniture Row Racing
37
88
Alex Bowman
Hendrick Motorsports
38
95
Kasey Kahne
Leavine Family Racing
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Race Name: ToyotaCare 250
Track: Richmond Raceway (Richmond, Virginia)
Race Length: 250 laps, 187.5 miles
Race Stages (Laps): 75, 75, 100
Track Length: 0.75 miles
Track Record: 129.348 mph (Kyle Busch, 2004)
What Happened Last Year: Kyle Larson surged late to beat out the dominant Justin Allgaier, earning his first short track win in the Xfinity Series.
What to Watch For
(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)
The Dash
The second round of the Dash 4 Cash is set to run this weekend, and it’ll be contested by a quartet including favorites and surprises.
One candidate will arrive in Richmond after a bit of controversy. Daniel Hemric appeared to earn a bid with a third-place run at Bristol Motor Speedway, but in the 24 hours after the result he was both stripped from, and re-added to the grid after NASCAR found it had misapplied a penalty to Hemric’s No. 21 Richard Childress Racing team.
The early favorites for the incentive program promise to be JR Motorsports teammates Justin Allgaier and Elliott Sadler. The duo each earned a spot with top fives in Tennessee, and they figure to be the pair battling for the $100,000 bonus if things go to plan. Allgaier and Sadler sit among the top names in the Xfinity Series, having each made the Championship 4 in the first two years of the playoff format in NASCAR’s second series.
Playing the role of underdog will be Spencer Gallagher, who earned a Dash 4 Cash opportunity with his first-career top five at Bristol. The 28-year-old has never earned a victory or playoff berth in NASCAR competition, but he’s well on his way to contending for both in 2018.
Gallagher has three top 10s and seven finishes of 14th or better in as many starts this season. The GMS Racing prospect also has a prior top 10 at Richmond from last spring’s Xfinity race.
Prospects Old and New
Both a former and current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series prospect will make their way to Richmond in top-tier equipment.
Noah Gragson will make his Xfinity Series debut at Richmond, piloting the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR).
Gragson makes his way to the tour in the midst of his second year with JGR affiliate Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series. The Nevadan is currently sitting fifth in the Truck point standings, in position to race his way into the playoffs one year removed from a rookie season that saw him earn a victory at Martinsville Speedway.
On the other end of the spectrum comes Halifax, Virginia native Jeb Burton.
The 2002 Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton, Jeb was once listed among NASCAR’s top prospects. He finished fifth in the Truck Series standings in 2013 after a rookie season that saw him claim a win at Texas Motor Speedway.
But the years since haven’t been kind to Burton. The 25-year-old has seen a sponsor (Arrowhead) default on payment, costing him a ride. He’s battled through a rag-tag full season in Trucks (2014), a Cup Series debut year with an underfunded organization in BK Racing (2015).
Over the past two seasons sights of Burton in the NASCAR garage have been fleeting. He made only seven national series starts in 2017, earning a best finish of fourth at Daytona International Speedway in July.
Burton will return to the Xfinity Series garage with Richard Childress Racing this weekend, piloting the No. 3 Chevrolet as he attempts to prove that the talent he showed early in his NASCAR career has merely been hidden by the equipment he’s been in since.
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Weekend Preview: Off to Richmond
By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor
Ahead of each NASCAR race weekend, Kickin’ the Tires previews the upcoming races, looking at the storylines entering the events while highlighting when and where to watch them.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, April 20
NASCAR XFINITY Series practice: 8:00-8:45 a.m.
NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice: 9:40-10:25 a.m. (FS1)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice: 11:00-11:55 a.m. (FS1)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice: 12:35-1:25 p.m. (FS1)
NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying: 4:05 p.m. (FS1)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying: 5:30 p.m. (FS1)
NASCAR XFINITY Series ToyotaCare 250: 7:00 p.m. (FS1)
Saturday, April 21
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400: 6:30 p.m. (FOX)
(All times ET)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Race Name: Toyota Owners 400
Track: Richmond Raceway (Richmond, Virginia)
Race Length: 400 laps, 300 miles
Race Stages (Laps): 100, 100, 200
Track Length: 0.75 miles
Track Record: 130.599 mph (Jeff Gordon, 2013)
What Happened Last Year: Joey Logano beat out teammate Brad Keselowski to earn what seemed to be a playoff-clinching win in a rare Richmond race scheduled to run during the day. Logano’s No. 22 Ford would later be deemed encumbered, leading to a penalty that ultimately kept him from making the playoffs. The race would also be altered, having reverted back to a night race for 2018
One Last Short Track
The past month of Cup Series action has seen the tour compete twice on short tracks. Now the field is off to Richmond for what will be their final short-track race for the next four months.
Many of the familiar players have contended for wins thus far. Kyle Busch won at Bristol. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson showcased their traditional short-track speed and prowess to compete for stage-and-race wins.
There have also been a few surprises.
Clint Bowyer finally broke through at Martinsville Speedway to earn his first win in six years, claiming a spot in the postseason and five playoff points to carry with him. Ryan Blaney led a plethora of laps at Bristol before a crash in lapped traffic ruined his day, and drivers like Darrell Wallace Jr., Alex Bowman and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. showed impressive pace at one or more points in the opening two events.
It’s difficult to tell how much the short-track results will affect teams when they move back to the standard intermediate ovals for the majority of the spring and summer months. But given that both Martinsville and Richmond will be revisited during the playoffs, expect each organization to put emphasis on running well and gathering data this weekend in Virginia.
Joey Logano’s Richmond Return
Last season’s spring Richmond race saw Joey Logano earn an encumbered victory that would ultimately spoil his entire season.
One year later he’s still yet to return to Cup victory lane.
Logano fell apart over the final 28 races of 2017, finishing outside of the top 20 in 13 races while earning only nine top 10s. As a result the Connecticut native dropped back to 17th in the standings, missing the playoffs for the first time in his Team Penske tenure and causing many to question the No. 22 team heading into the offseason.
The 2018 season has started off much stronger for Logano. The 27-year-old has yet to win, but he’s sitting second in the standings with top 10s in all but one of his first eight starts.
At the rate he’s going, Logano should be due for a return trip to victory lane sometime in the near future. What better location than the track, and race, that started the slump?
Toyota Owners 400 Entry List
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Race Name: ToyotaCare 250
Track: Richmond Raceway (Richmond, Virginia)
Race Length: 250 laps, 187.5 miles
Race Stages (Laps): 75, 75, 100
Track Length: 0.75 miles
Track Record: 129.348 mph (Kyle Busch, 2004)
What Happened Last Year: Kyle Larson surged late to beat out the dominant Justin Allgaier, earning his first short track win in the Xfinity Series.
What to Watch For
The Dash
The second round of the Dash 4 Cash is set to run this weekend, and it’ll be contested by a quartet including favorites and surprises.
One candidate will arrive in Richmond after a bit of controversy. Daniel Hemric appeared to earn a bid with a third-place run at Bristol Motor Speedway, but in the 24 hours after the result he was both stripped from, and re-added to the grid after NASCAR found it had misapplied a penalty to Hemric’s No. 21 Richard Childress Racing team.
The early favorites for the incentive program promise to be JR Motorsports teammates Justin Allgaier and Elliott Sadler. The duo each earned a spot with top fives in Tennessee, and they figure to be the pair battling for the $100,000 bonus if things go to plan. Allgaier and Sadler sit among the top names in the Xfinity Series, having each made the Championship 4 in the first two years of the playoff format in NASCAR’s second series.
Playing the role of underdog will be Spencer Gallagher, who earned a Dash 4 Cash opportunity with his first-career top five at Bristol. The 28-year-old has never earned a victory or playoff berth in NASCAR competition, but he’s well on his way to contending for both in 2018.
Gallagher has three top 10s and seven finishes of 14th or better in as many starts this season. The GMS Racing prospect also has a prior top 10 at Richmond from last spring’s Xfinity race.
Prospects Old and New
Both a former and current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series prospect will make their way to Richmond in top-tier equipment.
Noah Gragson will make his Xfinity Series debut at Richmond, piloting the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR).
Gragson makes his way to the tour in the midst of his second year with JGR affiliate Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series. The Nevadan is currently sitting fifth in the Truck point standings, in position to race his way into the playoffs one year removed from a rookie season that saw him earn a victory at Martinsville Speedway.
On the other end of the spectrum comes Halifax, Virginia native Jeb Burton.
The 2002 Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton, Jeb was once listed among NASCAR’s top prospects. He finished fifth in the Truck Series standings in 2013 after a rookie season that saw him claim a win at Texas Motor Speedway.
But the years since haven’t been kind to Burton. The 25-year-old has seen a sponsor (Arrowhead) default on payment, costing him a ride. He’s battled through a rag-tag full season in Trucks (2014), a Cup Series debut year with an underfunded organization in BK Racing (2015).
Over the past two seasons sights of Burton in the NASCAR garage have been fleeting. He made only seven national series starts in 2017, earning a best finish of fourth at Daytona International Speedway in July.
Burton will return to the Xfinity Series garage with Richard Childress Racing this weekend, piloting the No. 3 Chevrolet as he attempts to prove that the talent he showed early in his NASCAR career has merely been hidden by the equipment he’s been in since.
ToyotaCare 250 Entry List