Brad Keselowski, driver of the #22 SKF / Discount Tire Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2013 Photo – Patrick Smith/Getty Images
All night long it was Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Busch battling up-front. The drivers exchanged the lead multiple times over the course of the race. When it was all said and done, Keselowski emerged victorious. All three drivers held the lead at some point with less than 35 laps to go, but the last pass for the lead Keselowski made with ten laps to go led him to victory. It wasn’t a dominant performance by Keselowski, but it was good enough to get him to victory lane. Continue reading →
Kyle Busch leads the last restart of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Capital City 400 Presented by Virginia Is For Lovers at Richmond International Raceway April 28, 2012 Photo – Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
‘Rough,’ ‘tight,’ and ‘close’ are three words that could describe Richmond International Raceway. Fans love this track because of the ‘close’ corridor racing it features. Along with ‘tight’ racing comes carnage and races at Richmond tend to see their fair share of ‘tough’ beating and banging competition.
A driver who just about owns the keys to victory lane at Richmond is Kyle Busch. Busch won the last four Spring races at the track and will be going for five on Saturday night. Busch will do just about anything to win and that is one reason to believe this weekend’s race is a must-watch event.
The Toyota Owners 400 will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2013 and the green-flag will wave at 7:44 PM EST. The winner decision comes after a grueling 400 laps and 300 miles. Saturday night’s weather is forecast as mainly clear with some clouds, a low of 49 F and only a 20% chance of rain. A TV broadcast of the race is on FOX and a radio version of the race is on MRN.
Kyle Busch has absolutely dominated this track in the past and will likely be out front again on Saturday. Even when Busch has a not-so-good season, he still manages to win the Spring Richmond race. With Busch’s teammate, Denny Hamlin, still sidelined due to injury, Busch is the overwhelming favorite for this race. Last year, Busch broke out of his slump and took the victory. This season, he is still on a hot start and could easily dominate this race and end up in victory lane for a fifth straight time on Saturday.
Over the past few weeks, NASCAR has issued several penalties and fines and heading into this weekend, a few teams are waiting out an appeal on their penalties. Last week’s race winner, Matt Kenseth, was the victim of NASCAR’s harshest penalty. He received a dock of 50 driver points and a suspension of his crew chief, Jason Ratcliff, after his engine failed post-race inspection last weekend. Joe Gibbs Racing is appealing the fines and suspensions so Ratcliff will still be at the track until the appeal is heard. Joe Gibbs Racing now joins Penske Racing in the waiting area for their appeal process to take place.
While Kenseth is basically stripped of his win last weekend, Jimmie Johnson continues to stay on top of the point standings. Johnson’s teammate, Kasey Kahne, is now in second place and Brad Keselowski trails both in third. Richmond hasn’t always been nice to Johnson and he could end up losing the points lead after Saturday night’s race. Anything can happen on a short-track and that could mean a major points shake-up after the race.
The racing at Richmond never disappoints and this weekend’s race gives fans reason to expect another good one. Obviously, many are expecting Kyle Busch at his best this weekend, but other Toyota drivers including Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth could easily be competing with Busch for the win. Toyota drivers always seem to do the best at Richmond and it will only be fitting for a Toyota driver to win in a race they sponsor. Action will be the word used most on Saturday night and our anticipation keeps growing for that action. This weekend’s race will be a good one and could feature some fantastic racing which we’ve been accustomed to seeing so far this season. Continue reading →
Veteran Automotive Executive Brings Global Experience in Engineering Strategy, Product Development and Finance
NASCAR announced April 25, 2013 that Eugene (Gene) Stefanyshyn has been named Vice President, Innovation and Racing Development to drive continual improvements in racing performance. He will be based at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C.
In this role, Stefanyshyn will lead and shape NASCAR’s future approach to Competition by utilizing and developing innovations that advance the racing product and fan experience. Additionally, he will work in close collaboration with other NASCAR departments and industry stakeholders to develop a leading edge culture for NASCAR surrounding engineering and technology. Continue reading →
Driver Cameron Hayley waits by his car before the K&N West Pro Series- Brainerd 125 race at the Brainerd International Raceway on May 26, 2012 Photo – Adam Bettcher/Getty Images
Cameron Hayley of Calgary, AB Canada will be heading over to Richmond Virginia for The NASCAR K&N East Pro Series race on Thursday, April 25th.
At just 16 years old Hayley normally competes full-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro West Series but he says that’s just not enough! Hayley states:
“I want to get as much experience as possible so we thought the Richmond race is another one that we need to hit! I want to learn and know as many race tracks as I can”
When Hayley entered his first NASCAR K&N Pro race at 15-years-old he finished an astounding second. After his recent Daytona UNOH Battle At The Beach win, he finished second again in March at Phoenix! Can he keep up the winning pace? Time will tell.
Hayley’s racecars are transported cross-country and he says,
“I just can’t wait to race Richmond. There’s a lot of history there and we are expecting a huge entry list too. Some of the best in our series will be out there to try and win.”
The Team hopes to keep their momentum going! They haven’t raced since early March due to a break in the schedule. After winning Daytona and finishing Phoenix with a very strong second place they are hungry for more top finishes.
Hayley is racing for the Championship this year and he wants every advantage he can find. As one of NASCAR’s ‘Next 9’ drivers to watch, his goal is to move up NASCAR’s ladder into one of the national series in the next few years. He says getting more experience now will pay off later.
Cameron Hayley is our guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR Talk this Monday, April 29th from 8 to 10pm ET. Fans can call 347-996-5176 for Q&As.
