This is the first of a four-part series on the 2013 induction class of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, which will be celebrated during ceremonies on Thursday, May 2, in Talladega, AL. The inductees include Rick Hendrick, Dale Inman, Rusty Wallace and Don Schumacher. For ticket information on how fans can attend the event, call 256-761-4725. The 2013 IMHOF Induction ceremonies kick off Aaron’s Dream Weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
Rick Hendrick’s journey began on his family’s tobacco farm, a stone’s throw from the small Virginia community of Palmer Springs. It was there, south of Richmond near the North Carolina border, where his father instilled the value of a hard day’s work and a pure passion for the automobile.
Under the watchful eye of “Papa Joe,” that love of cars led Hendrick into the world of auto racing. At age 14, he made a name for himself by setting speed records at a local drag strip with a self-built 1931 Chevrolet. Two years later, the self-described “gearhead” won the Virginia division of the Chrysler-Plymouth Troubleshooting Contest, a competition for engine builders. He was just 16. Continue reading →
Fast Speeds Highlight First Day of Testing in Advance of the April 25-27 NASCAR Weekend
Four NASCAR drivers turned laps at Richmond International Raceway during a test session today, marking the first time NASCAR’s Gen-6 car has run at America’s Premier Short Track. Juan Montoya, Jamie McMurray, Marcos Ambrose and Aric Almirola will be back Saturday, April 27, for theToyota Owners 400NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Tickets, including seats in Turns 1 & 4, start at $45 in advance and can be purchased by clicking here or calling 866-455-7223. Continue reading →
Fans Invited to Share the Love with Richmond International Raceway & VirginiaTourism Corporation Wednesday, April 3
RIR’s LOVEwork to be Unveiled
Richmond International Raceway is extending an open invitation for any and all to attend the official unveiling of the track’s LOVEwork on Wednesday, April 3, at 11:00 a.m. The unveiling will take place at RIR’s main entrance at the corner of Laburnum Avenue and Meadowbridge Rd. Parking is available by entering the property at the main entrance and proceeding through the main gate. Continue reading →
Martinsville short track racing is on just about every fans’ bucket list of tracks to visit. And for drivers in NASCAR’s élite series, Martinsville is on their bucket list too, whether it comes to racing there for the first time or winning at the historic track. For several, this weekend’s race at Martinsville will be their first as NASCAR drivers in the Camping World Truck Series or Sprint Cup Series. Both rookies and veterans of the sport, look for magic at the flat short track, as they all want to bring home a coveted Martinsville clock.
There are six Camping World Truck Series drivers that have already visited Victory Lane at the 0.526-mile oval. And six others are attempting to make their first NASCAR national series appearance.
Among the group is NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, who debuted in the Kroger 250 on April 17, 2004. Timothy Peters is the only competitor to claim both first series start (2005) and victory (2009) at Martinsville.
Peters, Johnny Sauter, Ron Hornaday Jr., Kevin Harvick, David Starr and Scott Riggs are Martinsville winners expected to compete in Saturday’s race.
Kyle Busch Motorsports brings a pair of first-timers to the event: NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate Darrell Wallace Jr. and Erik Jones. Although this is a first-time visit for Wallce in NASCAR’s truck series, it’s not his first time at the track. Wallace finished third in a 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at the track. He’s 19; Jones is 16.
“I’ve got the same truck that Denny [Hamlin] won with here last year so there’s no reason we shouldn’t be up front,” said Wallace during a recent test day. “It’s going to be key for all of us to learn as much as we can from Kyle [Busch]. If we can pick his brain to get as much as we can, we should be pretty good right off the bat.”
Other debuting are Chase Elliott, 17, son of 1988 NSCS champion Bill Elliott and a NASCAR Next9 driver; Grant Galloway, 18, an Indiana midget racer; Devin Jones, 16, a transplanted Californian racing out of Hickory, N.C., and Jonathan Davenport, a 29-year-old late-model dirt touring competitor.
In the Sprint Cup Series, first-time visits to the .526-mile Martinsville Speedway rarely prove successful for even the biggest of talents. Rattle off the names, and then check out their debuts. Jimmie Johnson – now a seven-time winner at Martinsville – opened his Martinsville career with a 35th-place finish in 2002. Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart finished 20th in 1999. Kevin Harvick, finally a Martinsville winner in 2011, slogged to a 34th-place finish in his début at the Virginia short track.
Among those who blossomed into Sprint Cup stars, the latest and greatest example of immediate Martinsville success is Denny Hamlin, who finished eighth in his 2005 début. It was a foreshadowing of Martinsville brilliance, as the Virginia native has four wins there. He’ll miss this weekend’s race while recovering from a back injury.
All that begs the question: How will Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick fare this Sunday? Because the NASCAR Nationwide Series has only raced at Martinsville once – 2006 – since 1994, neither Stenhouse nor Patrick has much competitive seat time there.
At this point of the season, Stenhouse and Patrick are tied for the Sunoco rookie standings, each with 54 points. Stenhouse is now 12th in point standings, and in contention to become only the second rookie to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – only Hamlin has this distinction so far.
If Patrick makes the field on Sunday, she’ll make history once again as the first female to start a race at Martinsville. Likewise, neither have much short-track experience to lean on in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Patrick has two Bristol starts with a best finish of 28th this season; Stenhouse’s lone short-track start resulted in a 16th at Bristol three weeks ago. Stenhouse did, however, tally three short-track wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, all at Iowa Speedway.
Rick Hendrick’s journey began on his family’s tobacco farm, a stone’s throw from the small Virginia community of Palmer Springs. It was there, south of Richmond near the North Carolina border, where his father instilled the value of a hard day’s work and a pure passion for the automobile.
