LVH Super Book Odds to Win 2012 Aaron's 499 at Talladega

Betting at Talladega is always a crap shoot because it's so volatile (Getty)

AARON'S 499
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2012

KEVIN HARVICK 8
DALE EARNHARDT JR 8
KYLE BUSCH 12
JEFF GORDON 12
TONY STEWART 12
JIMMIE JOHNSON 12
CARL EDWARDS 12
MATT KENSETH 15
KASEY KAHNE 15
DENNY HAMLIN 15
GREG BIFFLE 15
BRAD KESELOWSKI 15
JAMIE McMURRAY 20
KURT BUSCH 25
JOEY LOGANO 30
CLINT BOWYER 18
JUAN MONTOYA 35
MARTIN TRUEX JR 30
JEFF BURTON 20
RYAN NEWMAN 40
AJ ALLMENDINGER 40
MICHAEL WALTRIP 40
PAUL MENARD 40
MARCOS AMBROSE 50
ARIC ALMIROLA 100
REGAN SMITH 100
TREVOR BAYNE 60
DAVID GILLILAND 100
BOBBY LABONTE 100
DAVID RAGAN 100
DAVE BLANEY100
LANDON CASSILL 100
CASEY MEARS 100
FIELD 30

2012 Aaron's 499: Talladega Odds & Ends

At Talladega Superspeedway:

History

·         Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 14, 1969.

·         The name changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989.

·         Fourth repaving completed on Sept. 19, 2006.

 

Notebook

·         There have been 85 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega Superspeedway since the track opened in 1969; two a year every year except the inaugural season, which had just one.

·         Richard Brickhouse won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         Bobby Isaac won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole in September 1969. Isaac won the first three poles there.

·         35 different drivers have won poles. Bill Elliott leads all drivers with eight poles.

·         41 different drivers have posted victories, led by Dale Earnhardt Sr. (10). Twenty drivers have won more than once.

·         Jeff Gordon leads all other active drivers in victories, with six. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is second among active drivers in victories with five.

·         Richard Childress Racing has won more than any other organization at Talladega with 12 wins.

·         33 of 85 races have been won from a top-two starting positions, including 13 from the pole; 23 have been won from a starting position outside the top 10. The most recent driver to win from the pole was Jeff Gordon in 2007 (spring).

·         The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 36th, by Jeff Gordon in 2000.

·         Mark Martin’s pace in the 1997 spring race set an all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup record for the fastest race ever. He won the caution-free race with an average speed of 188.354 mph and covered the 500-mile distance in two hours, 39 minutes and 18 seconds.

·         The 2010 spring race set the all-time and track records for lead changes (88) and lap leaders (29). Last season’s spring race tied the 2010 record for most lead changes with 88 (amongst 26 lap leaders). The previous highs were 75 lead changes (set on May 6, 1984) and 28 lap leaders (set on Oct. 5, 2008). Both previous records also were set at Talladega.

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. had four consecutive victories (October 2001 through April 2003), the most ever by a driver there. Buddy Baker (three – May 1975 through May 1976) is the only other driver to win more than two consecutive races there.

·         Since the inception of electronic scoring in 1993, every race that has ended under green has had a margin of victory under half a second.

·         The 2011 spring race tied the 03/16/2003 Darlington race won by Ricky Craven for the all-time record of the closest series finish (0.002 seconds) since the inception of electronic scoring.

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Talladega Superspeedway winner: Bobby Hillin Jr. (07/27/1986 – 22 years, 1 month, 22 days).

·         Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Talladega Superspeedway winner: Harry Gant (05/06/1991 – 51 years, 3 months, 26 days)

Talladega Superspeedway Data

Race #: 10 of 36 (05-06-12)

Track Size: 2.66 miles

Race Length: 500 miles

·     Banking/corners: 33 degrees

·     Banking/Frontstretch: 16.5 degrees

·     Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 4,300 feet

·     Backstretch: 4,000 feet

Top 12 Driver Rating at Talladega
Jeff Burton	91.3
Dale Earnhardt Jr	90.2
Denny Hamlin	88.7
Joey Logano	88.6
Brian Vickers	87.3
David Ragan	87.1
Kurt Busch	86.2
Tony Stewart	84.3
Matt Kenseth	83.7
Jeff Gordon	82.6
Jimmie Johnson	81.9
Juan Pablo Montoya	81.8

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (14 total) at Talladega.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2011 pole winner: Jeff Gordon, 178.248 mph, 53.723 seconds

2011 race winner: Jimmie Johnson, (156.261 mph, 04-17-11)

Track qualifying record: Bill Elliott (212.809 mph, 44.998 seconds, 04-30-87)

Track race record: Mark Martin (188.354 mph, 05-10-97)

 

Driver Ratings for Winners

Driver	Year	Driver Rating	Series Driver Rating Rank
Jimmie Johnson	2011 Spring	82.5	11th
Kevin Harvick	2010 Spring	74.7	20th
Brad Keselowski	2009 Spring	Debut at track	None
Kyle Busch	2008 Spring	95.0	2nd
Jeff Gordon	2007 Spring	97.1	3rd
Jimmie Johnson	2006 Spring	73.4	17th

* Pre-Race Driver Ratings of the year the driver won at Talladega (last six spring races).

 

NASCAR in Alabama

·         There have been 104 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Alabama.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Talladega Superspeedway	Talladega	85
Birmingham International Raceway	Birmingham	8
Chisholm Speedway	Montgomery	1
Dixie Speedway	Birmingham	1
Huntsville Speedway	Huntsville	1
Lakeview Speedway	Mobile	2
Montgomery Motor Speedway	Montgomery	6

·         66 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Alabama.

·         There have been seven race winners from Alabama in NASCAR’s three national series:

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Bobby Allison	84	2	0
Davey Allison	19	0	0
Neil Bonnett	18	1	0
Donnie Allison	10	0	0
Red Byron	2	0	0
Steve Grissom	0	11	0
Rick Crawford	0	0	5

Kyle Busch Busch Wins Fourth Consecutive Richmond Spring Race

USA Today

Kyle Busch showed he still has it at Richmond (Getty)

RICHMOND, Va. – While cautions remained scarce during Saturday night's Capital City 400, Kyle Busch can thank the final one for putting him back in victory lane.

Losing sight of Tony Stewart's Chevrolet as the race wound down at Richmond International Raceway, Busch caught a break on lap 388 when debris brought only the fifth yellow of the night. He took advantage by beating Stewart off pit road for the lead on lap 388 before holding off Dale Earnhardt Jr. after the final restart for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of the season, ending a 22-race drought dating back to last season.

"No catching Stewart without that caution," Busch admitted.

"I kept trying and staying with (Stewart) there early in that run to get him the pressure and use up his tires a little bit," added Busch, who led twice for 32 laps for his fourth consecutive spring victory at Richmond.

"And I could see him doing some of that, but then my car just started getting a little bit too tight in the center and a little bit too loose off where I started losing ground, and once I about couldn't see him anymore, I figured, OK, I'm going to save what I've got here and just try to make it to the end here."

The win capped a successful weekend that included his first triumph as a Nationwide Series owner on Friday night, when older brother Kurt drove a Toyota Camry to the win in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250.

But mostly, it put a bow on a wild final 100 laps featuring a controversial restart that remained the talk of the garage afterward. Carl Edwards, whose No. 99 Ford led a race-high 206 laps after starting second, got a big jump on the lap 319 restart that NASCAR officials quickly determined was too soon and way ahead of Stewart, the actual race leader.

Edwards contended that he was the race leader based on the scoring tower and radio communication with NASCAR, but the sanctioning body said it was Stewart that should have led the field to green and hit Edwards with a drive-through penalty that dropped him to 15th and out of the running.

 "Right before that start my spotter (Jason Hedlesky) was told by NASCAR officials that the 99 was the leader," he said. "Jason told me and I had a split second to decide what I was going to do. I thought, 'OK, NASCAR made a mistake and they lined us up wrong.'

"It looked like Tony waited or spun his tires so they black-flagged me."

Stewart, meanwhile, thought he was the leader and lined up on the inside as a esult. That moment became moot when he yielded the lead to Busch and faded after the restart, but he was clear about the restart.

"We were the first one to line up, and we were the leader on the board," said Stewart, who led four times for 118 laps. "So I don't know how much clearer it could be that we were the leader. If that was the case then they should have put the caution out and given (Edwards) the opportunity to choose the lane that he wanted. It's a miscommunication between upstairs and the drivers."

But the incident typified a weird sequence that began on lap 305 with green flag pit stops. As Busch was pitting with the lead, Jeff Burton hit the wall between Turns 3 and 4 to bring the fourth caution and Edwards was slamming the brakes hard on his Ford to avoid speeding on to pit road and drawing a penalty, pushing him past the entry point.

Read More Here...

Richmond Results

Final Richmond Driver Ratings Following All Practice Sessions

Micah Roberts’ Top 10 Driver Ratings
Capital City 400
Richmond International Raceway
Saturday, April 28, 2012 -  4:46 pm (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds         Practice 1   Practice 2   Qualified    Phoenix*

 1. Kyle Busch 5/1                     23rd             5th              5th           6th
Won last three spring races; has a track best average finish of 5th in 14 career starts.
 2. Clint Bowyer 25/1                  4th              6th            23rd          30th
2008 winner with 10.5 average finish; was the star of both practices using Phoenix car.
 3. Denny Hamlin 6/1                10th            15th             7th            1st
Two-time fall winner with a second best 7.6 average finish position for the native Virginian.
 4. Jimmie Johnson 7/1              6th            11th            27th           4th
Three-time winner, the last coming in fall of 2008, with 17.6 average finish; using new car.
 5. Mark Martin 30/1                   1st             13th            1st            9th
1990 winner with 17 top-5’s and average finish of 12.2; had second best overall practices.
 6. Kevin Harvick 9/1                 12th            25th            3rd           2nd
Two-time winner, including last fall, with average finish of 11.5; using runner-up Phoenix chassis.
 7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 20/1        15th             1st            10th         14th
Three-time winner, the last coming in 2006, with an average finish of 14.4; using Phoenix chassis.
 8. Martin Truex Jr. 30/1            11th            20th            8th           7th
Best finish of fifth came in 2008, but is currently in great form had great average practice speeds.
 9. Jeff Gordon 8/1                     14th              4th            6th           8th
Two-time winner, last coming in 2000, with average finish of 14.5 that includes 24 top-10’s.
10. Brad Keselowski 12/1           8th             12th          16th           5th
Ran more practice laps than anyone in both sessions with fast 10 consecutive lap averages.

* Results from the Phoenix Cup race held March 4, 2012, a track that translates well to Richmond because of its similar banking and size.

Note: Practice 1 was a two-hour session that offered the most valuable data of the two practices.   

Odds courtesy of the LVH Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights and post-practice analysis on the race, go to VegasInsider.com, TheLinemakers.com or follow MicahRoberts7 on Twitter.

Denny Hamlin won at Phoenix in March (Getty)

Betting Notes
This race should probably come down to Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch again, just as it did last spring when they finished 1-2. They weren’t necessarily the stars of practice, but Kyle Busch showed enough on longer runs to suggest he’ll be back up to his usual Richmond self and Hamlin has all that winning information from Phoenix, a track that translates very well to Richmond.

The stars of Friday’s practices were Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin and to a degree, Brad Keselowski, all of whom are worth taking a shot at with some of the high prices offered between them. Bowyer not only has a great history at the track, but looked to be the star in practice. Same goes for Martin who goes for his first win at Richmond since 1990, yes, over two decades ago.

Keselowski’s team found all kinds of good stuff in practice as they were fast in single laps, average times and 10-consecutive lap averages while running the most laps. If I had to pick one driver to knock off the Gibbs duo, it probably would be the No. 2 car.

Matchup of the Week: Brad Keselowski +110 vs. Kasey Kahne
For all the reasons above, I like Keselowski in this match-up, on top of his great Phoenix run. It gets even better if getting plus-money.

You never want to bet against Jimmie Johnson, but over the years he’s been kind of feast or famine which is why he has such a high average finish at Richmond. He’ll be matched up against several top tier drivers that might present some value.

I also find it hard to back Greg Biffle here even though he’s on a career run. He hasn’t finished inside the top-10 since 2006 and just by the law of averages, a bad luck race always hit’s the points leader at some juncture and Richmond seems like the ideal spot for him to experience his.  

Starting Lineup
      

Richmond Practice Notes: Junior Fastest in Final Session, Kyle and Clint Look Sharp

By Micah Roberts

The kid may speak the truth this week

With less than five minutes remaining in Friday’s final Richmond practice session, Dale Earnhardt Jr laid down the fastest lap at 123.853 mph while running a mock qualifying lap. Almost half the drivers in the field used the 45 minute session to finalize their qualifying set-up after getting enough data in race trim during the two-hour session run earlier in the day.

Carl Edwards was second fastest and captured what was the top speed (123.706) of the session during his first lap until Junior topped it. Edwards didn’t run more than two laps until the late stages of practice and finished with a total of eight laps run.

Landon Cassill (123.209) was third fastest followed by Jeff Gordon (123.113)  and Kyle Busch (122.783). Gordon gained his top speed in the last of his 11 laps run while Busch captured his in the second of his 39 laps.

Busch has won the last three spring Richmond races, but didn’t get off to great start in the first session making it appear he might not be in too good of shape to make it four in a row. He missed out on a good run the early part of the session when the track was cool and his 23rd fastest speed from that practice doesn’t necessarily give the proper reading. Busch got better as the two-hours went on and it carried over into the final practice

Brad Keselowski had the 12th best lap, but ran a total of 62 laps, 13 more than the next closest (Joey Logano) and he looked great doing it. Keselowski had the second best 10 consecutive lap average behind Mark Martin. Just behind Keselowski in the category was Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Busch.

Aric Almirola also stood out in the final practice with the eighth best 10 consecutive lap average while having only 18th fastest single lap, a continuance from a strong first practice.

Only 21 drivers ran at least 10 consecutive laps.

Practice 2 Top-5 Speeds:
1) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 123.853
2) Carl Edwards 123.706
3) Landon Cassill 123.209
4) Jeff Gordon 123.113
5) Kyle Busch 122.783

Final Practice Speeds



Martin Fastest in First Practice, But Bowyer Looks the Best

Clint Bowyer has the look of a winner in practice (Getty)

It only took the first 10 minutes of the Friday’s two-hour practice session at Richmond to figure out who was the fastest and there was little doubt from everyone that that those top times couldn’t be matched due to the track getting much warmer. Mark Martin laid down the fastest lap of the session at 126.707 mph showing once again that Michael Waltrip Racing is fast on just about every track put in front of the team.

Greg Biffle came in second fastest (126.186) and looks like his current form holds more weight than his recent past performances at Richmond. Biffle’s last top-10 finish at Richmond came in the fall of 2006. Paul Menard was third fastest (126.139), but shortly after smacked the wall and was forced to go with their back-up car, a car they never got set properly in the short amount of time they had after finally getting it on the track.

2008 Richmond winner Clint Bowyer finished with the fourth fastest lap (126.133) followed by Joey Logano (125.997) and Jimmie Johnson (125.886).

Brad Keselwoski ran the most laps (82) of the session and also had the eighth fastest lap.

The two favorites to win Saturday night’s race are Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. Hamlin was solid with the 10th fastest lap while Busch came in 23rd.

The fastest average speed of the session among all drivers that ran at least 50 laps belonged to Bowyer (120.227), Marcos Ambrose (120.219) and Aric Almirola (120.202). Those who were impressive running less than 50 laps were Martin Truex Jr, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick. Harvick had to make a transmission change during the session. Bowyer’s times are the more impressive because he ran 72 laps.   

Matt Kenseth had the best 10 consecutive lap average followed by Bowyer and Carl Edwards, but perhaps the best sign of all was Kyle Busch coming in sixth in this category only because he did it late in the session from lap 41 through 50 while the others all did it early.

The final 45 minute practice session is scheduled for 2:25 pm (ET) with qualifying set to begin at 5:35 pm.

Practice 1 Speeds

Richmond Preview: Kyle Busch Comes Alive This Week

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Look for Kyle Busch to get back into shape this week (Getty)

This week’s race at Richmond marks the quarter mark of the season with several storylines swirling that have the season shaping up as one of the most unique in recent history. We’ve had six different winners in the first eight races with none of them coming from Jimmie Johnson. We have Greg Biffle with a commanding 15-point lead in the standings and fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. sitting fourth only, 21-points behind and mattering once again. Best of all, though, might be the story of Martin Truex Jr. who currently sits second in points after a dominating runner-up performance last week at Kansas.

It’s been very rare over the last decade to see a team consistently perform at a high level that isn’t part of one of the power networks of Hendrick, Roush, Gibbs, Childress and more recently, Stewart. Running a quality NASCAR operation takes a lot of money and every once in a while, you’ll see an outsider step in and perform well over a small stretch on a particular type of track, but not at the magnitude of what Truex Jr. is doing right now with Michael Waltrip Racing.

Waltrip has won as an owner twice with David Reutimann, but the wins never carried over on a consistent basis. After a 12th-place finish at Daytona, Truex Jr. has rapidly moved up the charts with one strong performance after another on all types of tracks to now being second in points. His runner-up finish at Kansas last week was his fifth straight race of finishing eighth or better that includes short tracks, 1.5 and 2-mile tracks.

“Everyone continues to do such a great job at Michael Waltrip Racing," Truex said earlier this week. "It’s been a lot of fun and I really enjoy going to the track each weekend especially when we are running like this. We just need to keep this thing going. We’ve been on one heck of a roll over the last 12 or so races. I realize it is early in the season, but we are right where we want to be. I feel like we are still getting better as a team so I am really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish. It is so nice to be a part of Michael Waltrip Racing. I feel like I am contributing to MWR and help building it. This whole experience has really been good for me not only as a driver, but as a person so I owe a lot to Michael Waltrip, Rob Kauffman and my sponsor NAPA AUTO PARTS.”

While Truex Jr. may be disappointed about not getting his first win since 2007, he has to be plenty excited about the bigger picture which suggests he’ll be a contender right there with the Stewart’s, Johnson’s, Kenseth’s and Biffle’s for a championship. MWR has something clicking right now and a win is definitely in their future soon. Maybe not this week, but the best guess would be at all tracks similar to Kansas and Texas, which is quite a few.

The driver we can expect to win this week is Kyle Busch, who has been rather ordinary thus far for such an extraordinary driver. Over his career at Richmond, no one has been better. Busch has averaged a fifth-place finish in his 14 starts with three wins and four runner-up finishes. He has won this Saturday night spring race the last three seasons in a row which is why he is the favorite to win despite the sluggish 2012 start.

Despite all his great success at Richmond, Busch still doesn't have an answer to why he's so good at the track.

“I’m not sure exactly what it is about Richmond that fits my style," Busch Said. "When I first went there in the Trucks, I was terrible. And then they repaved the place and I went there in a Nationwide car with Hendrick Motorsports and pulled off a win right away. It’s been a good track for me ever since then with both the Nationwide and the Cup Series and I have just taken a liking to it. You have to be so technical there. The speeds are really high, but yet it’s a short track. You really have to be on top of your game to be sure the car stays under you.”

Not far behind Busch in the honors department is one Virginia’s own, Denny Hamlin who sports a second best 7.6 average finish at Richmond. The Capital of the Confederacy gets rocking in these Saturday night races and no one gets the type of love Hamlin does and he’s rewarded them with two wins in the fall event, the last coming in 2010. Everything about the Richmond track suits Hamlin style and now he comes in fresh off a Kansas win and is one of only two drivers with two wins on the season. Look for the two Gibbs teammate to slug it out for the win.

Kevin Harvick is a two-time Richmond winner, including the last race held there last fall. He'll be driving the same chassis he was a runner-up finisher with at Phoenix earlier this year and is looking forward to this week's busy schedule.

“Richmond (International Raceway) has been a great track for me," Harvick said. "I really like the short-track style racing, so I’m looking forward to the race. I’ll be driving in both the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races this time, so the extra track time never hurts. As far as going back with a new team, we just need to keep our focus. The No. 29 team is doing well so far this season, but we just need to quit making the little mistakes and put a whole day together to come out ahead.”

Harvick rarely has a bad run at Richmond and has been right up there with Busch and Hamlin competing for wins the last five seasons. The fact that he's bringing his Phoenix chassis this week should also be a sign that he'll do well beyond all his past exploits. Phoenix and Richmond both translate well with each other and we can carry the data from those two races over to New Hampshire, another short flat track.    

Tony Stewart is a three-time winner at Richmond, but hasn’t had one since 2001. He won three times in his first four years, but none since which is kind of odd. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been competitive. He’s had four runner-up finishes over that span, but only a best of seventh last fall with his new team.

Jimmie Johnson is a three-time Richmond winner, but hasn’t won there since 2008. Hendrick Motorsports has been searching for their 200th Sprint Cup win since Johnson won at Kansas last fall and it’s been hard to come by with most of the pressure on him while his teammates give little indication of helping.

One of those teammates, Earnhardt Jr, might be ready to offer support this week. He’s got three wins at Richmond and is getting close to snapping his own winless streak. It seems like an eternity since Junior last won, and because of that, the Richmond Rowdies might tear the place down if finally does win.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #18 Kyle Busch (6/1)
2) #11 Denny Hamlin (7/1)
3) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr (15/1)
4) #29 Kevin Harvick (12/1)
5) #48 Jimmie Johnson (7/1)   

Driver Notes & Quotes for the 2012 Richmond 400

Saturday night racing in the Capital of the Confederacy (Getty)

JIMMIE JOHNSON ON RACING AT NIGHT: “As a fan, I love the night race. As a driver, we are in a rhythm of day racing. It’s so tough to save your energy, even grab a nap so that you are ready for the night. That aspect is hard, but I love racing under the lights. Once I’m in the moment, it’s great, but it’s a long day waiting for the race to start.”

JOHNSON CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis No. 715 is a new chassis and serves as the primary for Johnson at Richmond. Chassis No. 689 serves as the backup.

KASEY KAHNE CHASSIS CHOICE: For Saturday's race, crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-663. Kahne started 10th in this car at Phoenix International Raceway in March before an early incident sent him to the garage for repairs. Kahne finished that event 34th. The No. 5 team also raced the car four times in 2011 with driver Mark Martin notably collecting a top-10 finish at Richmond in September.

DALE EARNHARDT JR CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-709. Earnhardt last raced this chassis to a 14th-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway in March.

TONY STEWART CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis No. 14-710 - This is a brand-new racecar that has never turned a wheel on the racetrack, but it has seen numerous hours in the wind tunnel. The Capital City 400 marks Chassis No. 14-710’s on-track debut.

KURT BUSCH CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend’s Richmond 400 will be the second race of the 2012 season for this chassis. This is the same car the No. 51 Phoenix Racing team competed with at Phoenix International Raceway in March. Busch started 19th and led two laps en route to a 15th-place finish. This car was built in June 2011 and used by the No. 51 Phoenix Racing team a handful of times last season. Landon Cassill finished 29th at Phoenix in chassis No. 662 in November 2011. The car was also used in events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon in July and September 2011, scoring 26th- and 30th-place finishes, respectively.

KEVIN HARVICK ON RICHMOND: “Richmond (International Raceway) has been a great track for me. I really like the short-track style racing, so I’m looking forward to the race. I’ll be driving in both the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races this time, so the extra track time never hurts. As far as going back with a new team, we just need to keep our focus. The No. 29 team is doing well so far this season, but we just need to quit making the little mistakes and put a whole day together to come out ahead.”

“Richmond (International Raceway) is just one of those places that is short-track style racing, but it has enough speed to where it has that 1.5-mile track feel to it because the front straightaway is so fast. The great thing about Richmond now is the tires fall off so much. The cars slide around a lot. You have to really work on the mechanical setup of the car.”

HARVICK CHASSIS CHOICE: Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 365 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This chassis was used by the No. 33 RCR team during the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season, and Harvick most recently drove it to a second-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway in March.

PAUL MENARD CHASSIS CHOICE: Menard will pilot Chassis No. 380 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet is a brand new addition to the RCR fleet and will log its first laps during Friday’s practice session.

JEFF BURTON CHASSIS CHOICE: Burton will race chassis No. 367 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 31 Chevrolet, built new for the 2012 season, was utilized in February at Phoenix International Raceway where engine issues thwarted Burton’s top-five run and relegated him to a 33rd-place finish.

JAMIE McMURRAY CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis #1206 - Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and the No. 1 McDonald’s team will bring Chassis #1206 to Richmond International Raceway this weekend. This chassis first saw track time this year at Phoenix International Raceway, leading one lap before retiring from the race due to an engine failure.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis #1203 - Crew Chief Chris Heroy and the No. 42 Target team will bring Chassis #1203 to Richmond International Raceway this weekend. This chassis made its debut this year at Phoenix International Raceway, finishing 11th.

CARL EDWARDS ON RICHMOND: “Richmond is a fun race track. We ran in the top five in both races there last year so I feel like we’ve got a really good shot at going there and competing for a victory. Last time we had the fastest car and we have made great gains in our short-track program over the last few years. We led 113 laps at Richmond last fall and finished second, so our plan is to improve on that this weekend.”


EDWARDS CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 99 team will be bringing chassis RK-801 to Richmond this weekend. This was a brand new chassis at Phoenix in March when Edwards finished 17th after running out of fuel on the final lap.

GREG BIFFLE ON RICHMOND: “Richmond has been a hit or miss track for us, it’s kind of been like Martinsville, but not as bad. We look forward to having a good run at Richmond this weekend. Richmond is definitely a driver’s track. It allows for really good racing and the night race this weekend will be exciting for the fans no matter what. We have a better brake package, lighter cars and I think we’ll have a good run."

BIFFLE CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-778 - Last ran Phoenix – finished third; Backup: RK-759 - Last ran Phoenix in ’11 as the No. 6 – finished 33rd.

MATT KENSETH ON RICHMOND: “I think that both the drivers and the fans love the racing action at Richmond. It’s a great track because there’s enough room to maneuver around without running into someone or getting run into. It’s also a place where we can get a lot of speed on the straightaways, so that also makes it exciting for the fans as well. Night racing provides for a little more consistency with the track, since conditions usually don’t change too much once the sun is down, so we’ll see what our Ford EcoBoost has in store for us this weekend.”

KENSETH CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary - RK-802 (Last run at Bristol)

ARIC ALMIROLA CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 43 Smithfield Ford will be chassis number 804. This is the same chassis the team ran at Phoenix earlier this year.

MARCOS AMBROSE CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 805 for this weekend’s race at Richmond International Raceway. This Stanley Ford was run previously this season at Phoenix.

KYLE BUSCH ON WHY RICHMOND SUITS HIS STYLE: “I’m not sure exactly what it is about Richmond that fits my style. When I first went there in the Trucks, I was terrible. And then they repaved the place and I went there in a Nationwide car with Hendrick Motorsports and pulled off a win right away. It’s been a good track for me ever since then with both the Nationwide and the Cup Series and I have just taken a liking to it. You have to be so technical there. The speeds are really high, but yet it’s a short track. You really have to be on top of your game to be sure the car stays under you.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR ON HIS PERFORMANCE THIS SEASON: “Everyone continues to do such a great job at Michael Waltrip Racing. It’s been a lot of fun and I really enjoy going to the track each weekend especially when we are running like this. We just need to keep this thing going. We’ve been on one heck of a roll over the last 12 or so races. I realize it is early in the season, but we are right where we want to be. I feel like we are still getting better as a team so I am really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish. It is so nice to be a part of Michael Waltrip Racing. I feel like I am contributing to MWR and help building it. This whole experience has really been good for me not only as a driver, but as a person so I owe a lot to Michael Waltrip, Rob Kauffman and my sponsor NAPA AUTO PARTS.”

CLINT BOWYER ON RICHMOND: “Richmond is one of my favorite racetracks. It’s one of those racetracks that we’ve always run well at – I’ve won in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series and it’s a track that I always look forward to going to. I love night races, but I don’t like the night schedules because there is nothing to do all day. I want to race and hate the waiting.”

BOWYER CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 15 5-hour ENERGY team will race chassis No. 712 at Richmond. Bowyer finished 30th with No. 712 in Phoenix after struggling with multiple cut tires early in the race. Chassis No. 718 will serve as the backup and previously served as backup at Phoenix and Bristol but never raced.

AJ ALLMENDINGER CHASSIS CHOICE: AJ and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing #22 Team will be racing their "PRS-808" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Richmond. The team raced the car earlier this season at Phoenix. In that race Dinger started 15th and was involved in an early-race incident that tore the entire back deck lid off the car. He was able to salvage an 18th-place finish out of the day. The "PRS-807" is the backup Dodge Charger for the "Double-Deuce" team. It was in the transporter serving as the backup at Phoenix, Bristol and Martinsville, but has never seen any track time to date.

- FROM TEAM PR RELEASES

2012 Richmond 400 Odds & Ends

At Richmond International Raceway:

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.

·         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 111 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond since the track opened in 1953.

·         The current 400-lap race length was established on the .542-mile measurement in March 1976.

·         Buck Baker won the pole in 1953.

·         Lee Petty won the first race in April 1953.

·         There have been 50 different pole winners, led by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty (eight).

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with five poles.

·         47 different drivers have posted victories at Richmond, led by Richard Petty (13).

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Terry Labonte and Jimmie Johnson (three) lead active race winners.

·         Petty Enterprises has won 15 races at Richmond, more than any other team.

·         63 of 111 races have been won from the top five starting positions, including 22 from the pole.

·         The last driver to win from the pole was Kyle Busch in 2010.

·         The furthest back in the field a race winner has started was 31st, by Clint Bowyer in the 2008 spring race.

·         Kyle Busch (5.0) and Denny Hamlin (7.5) are the only active drivers with an average finish in the top 10.

·         Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Richmond International Raceway winner: Richard Petty (04/23/1961 – 23 years, 9 months, 21 days).

·         Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Richmond International Raceway winner: Harry Gant (09/07/1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 28 days).

·         Kyle Petty became the first third-generation NASCAR race winner when he won his first race at Richmond, on Feb. 23, 1986. Richard Petty posted his first Richmond victory in 1961 and Lee Petty won the very first Richmond race in 1953.

·         Three of the last four races have had a margin of victory less than one second.

Richmond International Raceway Data

Race #: 9 of 36 (04-28-12)

Track Size: .75 miles

Race Length: 300 miles

·     Banking/corners: 14 degrees

·     Banking/straights: 8 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 1,290 feet

·     Backstretch: 860 feet

 

Top 12 Driver Rating at Richmond
Denny Hamlin	117.6
Kyle Busch	114.8
Kevin Harvick	112.6
Jeff Gordon	98.5
Clint Bowyer	96.3
Tony Stewart	95.4
Ryan Newman	93.0
Kurt Busch	92.7
Mark Martin	91.5
Jimmie Johnson	88.6
Carl Edwards	86.4
Jeff Burton	85.6

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (14 total) at Richmond.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2011 pole winner: Juan Pablo Montoya

(128.639 mph, 20.989 seconds)

2011 race winner: Kyle Busch

(95.280 mph, 04-30-11)

Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers

(129.983, 20.772 seconds, 5-14-04)

Track race record: Dale Jarrett

(109.047 mph, 9-6-97)

 

Driver Ratings for Winners

Driver	Year	Pre-Race Driver Rating	Pre-Race Driver Rating Rank
Kyle Busch	2011 Spring	113.8	2nd
Kyle Busch	2010 Spring	111.5	3rd
Kyle Busch	2009 Spring	109.9	3rd
Clint Bowyer	2008 Spring	88.8	11th
Jimmie Johnson	2007 Spring	60.3	30th
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	2006 Spring	65.9	22nd

* Pre-Race Driver Ratings of the year the driver won at Richmond (last six spring races).

 

NASCAR in Virginia

• There have been 275 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Virginia.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Martinsville Speedway	Martinsville	127
Richmond International Raceway	Richmond	111
Langley Field Speedway	Hampton	9
Norfolk Speedway	Norfolk	2
Old Dominion Speedway	Manassas	7
Princess Anne Speedway	Norfolk	1
South Boston Speedway	South Boston	10
Southside Speedway	Richmond	4
Starkey Speedway	Roanoke	4

• 163 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Virginia.
•  There have been 18 race winners from Virginia in NASCAR’s three national series:

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Joe Weatherly	25	0	0
Ricky Rudd	23	1	0
Jeff Burton	21	27	0
Denny Hamlin	19	11	1
Curtis Turner	17	0	0
Ward Burton	5	4	0
Glen Wood	4	0	0
Elliott Sadler	3	7	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