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

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