Richmond | The MotorSportsNews.Net(work)

Richmond Raceway & Sheetz Partner on the Naming Rights to RICHMOND NATION Season Ticket Program

by MikeMarch 13, 2021

RICHMOND, Va. (March 10, 2021) – Richmond Raceway and Sheetz extend their multi-year partnership to include the naming rights of the track’s long-time season ticket program, RICHMOND NATION. The nation’s fastest-growing family-owned and operated convenience retailer will continue as the Official Convenience Store of Richmond Raceway. The official name of the season ticket program will now be RICHMOND NATION presented by Sheetz. (more…)

NASCAR Cup Series News & Notes – Phoenix Raceway

by MikeMarch 11, 2021

Under the warm, dry desert sun and amidst the cacti in the Estrella Mountains sits a gem of a facility known as Phoenix Raceway, and this weekend it sets the stage for the NASCAR Cup Series competitors to do battle on its 1-mile track for the 50th-time in series history. (more…)

Richmond Raceway & Go Bowling Strike with Renewal of Go Bowling 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Entitlement

by MikeFebruary 9, 2021February 9, 2021

RICHMOND, Va. (Feb. 4, 2020) – Richmond Raceway extends its relationship with the bowling industry as Go Bowling returns for the fourth consecutive season as the entitlement sponsor for the fall NASCAR Xfinity Series race. This year’s race will be pivotal at the second to last of the Xfinity Series regular season on Sept. 11. (more…)

The End of the Line for Jimmie Johnson / Who Are Your Playoff Picks?

by Chuck AbramsAugust 31, 2020

Daytona proved to be the end of the line for 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Instead of transferring to the playoffs for his record-setting quest of 8 championships, he will be on the outside looking in. (more…)

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Bristol I

by MikeMay 30, 2020

NASCAR makes its return to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend with the NASCAR Cup Series set to roll Sunday afternoon for 500 laps at ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile.’ A Jack Roush Ford has visited victory lane 18 times at Bristol, including 11 times in the Cup Series. Ryan Newman will pilot the No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang and Chris Buescher will pilot the No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang.

Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile)
Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500

Sunday, May 31, 2020 | 3:30 p.m. ET

FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

Ryan Newman, No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang
Chris Buescher, No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang

NASCAR Returns to Action

Following four races in the Carolinas as part of NASCAR’s return to the track, the focus shifts to ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile’ in Bristol, Tennessee, as the NASCAR Cup Series battles for 500 laps Sunday afternoon.
Following action at Bristol, the NCS will enjoy its first midweek off since the return before heading to Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 7 for the 10^th points race of 2020.
Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.

Thursday Recap, Sunday Preview

Ryan Newman found himself in the top-15 at the start of the final stage in Thursday night’s 208-lap event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, before crossing the line 17^th in the Roush Performance Ford. Teammate Chris Buescher earned a stage point in the opening 55 laps at Charlotte before going on to finish 22^nd.
The focus again shifts to a short track with Bristol, which happens to be a favorite of both Newman’s and Buescher’s.

Starting Lineup Procedures at Bristol

NASCAR announced this week the starting lineup for Bristol would be determined by a random draw based on teams’ order in owners points. Both Buescher and Newman – 20^th and 21^st, respectively – fall within the 13-24 group, with their random draw coming from charter teams in those positions. Newman drew the 17^th starting spot for Sunday, while Buescher drew 19^th.

Runner Up

Roush Fenway’s storied history at Bristol began on April 10, 1988 with the No. 6 NCS car earning a second-place finish. Since that time, in addition to the organization’s 11 NCS wins at the track, Roush Fenway Fords have finished second at Bristol on 15 occasions (7 NCS, 4 NXS, 4 NGROTS).

One-Two Punch

Roush Fenway’s most recent victory at Bristol came after sweeping the top two positions in the March 2014 event with former driver Carl Edwards taking the victory and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. coming home in second. Edwards led the final 78 laps of the event to earn the victory.

History and Hot Streaks at “Thunder Valley”

Roush Fenway’s history at Bristol has been one of hot streaks, including trips to victory lane in nine of the last 16 seasons at the famed short track. Roush Fenway swept the track in 2003 and put a NCS car in victory lane at least once in every season from 2002-2008.

Thunder Rolls

Roush Fenway has earned five victories, 23 top-five finishes, 37 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 15.8 at Bristol in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Former Roush Fenway driver David Ragan earned the organization’s most recent Xfinity victory at the .533-mile short track in the Aug. 2009 event.

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has started 212 NCS races at Charlotte, recording eight total wins with 46 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. RFR Fords have an average finish of 16.3 with 2627 laps led all-time.

Roush Fenway Bristol Wins

1993-2 Martin Cup

1996-1 Martin NXS

1997-1 Burton NXS

1998-2 Martin Cup

2002-1 Busch Cup

2003-1 Busch Cup

2003-2 Busch Cup

2004-1 Busch Cup

2004 Edwards Truck

2005-2 Kenseth Cup

2006-2 Kenseth Cup

2006 Martin Truck

2006-2 Kenseth NXS

2007-1 Edwards NXS

2007-2 Edwards Cup

2008-2 Edwards Cup

2009-2 Ragan NXS

2014 -1 Edwards Cup

Ryan Newman | Bristol I Advance

by MikeMay 29, 2020

Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 – Sunday, May 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

NASCAR Returns to Action

Following four races in the Carolinas as part of NASCAR’s return to the track, the focus shifts to ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile’ in Bristol, Tennessee, as the NASCAR Cup Series battles for 500 laps Sunday afternoon.
Following action at Bristol, the NCS will enjoy its first midweek off since the return before heading to Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 7 for the 10^th points race of 2020.
Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.

Wednesday Recap, Sunday Preview

Ryan Newman found himself in the top-15 at the start of the final stage in Thursday night’s 208-lap event from Charlotte Motor Speedway, before crossing the line 17^th in the Roush Performance Ford.
The starting lineup for Bristol will be determined by a random draw based on teams’ order in owner points. Newman and the No. 6 team are 21^st in owner points, meaning he will be in the same group alongside teammate Chris Buescher to draw for starting spots 13-24.

Newman Historically at Bristol Motor Speedway

Newman makes his 37^th start at Bristol on Sunday, where he carries an average finish of 15.4. He has 19 top-10 finishes overall including two top-fives.
Newman’s best finish at ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile’ came in the fall of 2004 when he finished second after starting fourth. He also finished fifth in the 2015 spring event. In the last five events overall, Newman has three top-10s and an average result of 9.6.
The 19-year Cup Series veteran crossed the line ninth in last season’s spring event and followed that with an 11^th-place run in the fall. He has an overall average starting spot of 12.2 with three career poles (2003, 2004, 2001).
Newman has an additional nine combined starts in the Xfinity and Truck series, winning in NXS action back in 2005. He earned the pole in the NXS in 2006 and finished 10^th or better in five NXS starts overall. He recorded a fourth-place result in the No. 2 truck in 2009.

Scott Graves at Bristol Motor Speedway

Graves will call his ninth NCS race at Bristol on Sunday. With an overall average finish of 14.5, he led Newman to a ninth-place run in the 2019 spring race.
Graves also called seven Xfinity Series events at Bristol dating back to 2012, recording one top five with Chris Buescher (2015) and two additional top-10s with Buescher (2014) and Daniel Suarez (2016).

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at Bristol:
“I’m for one excited to get back to a short track and see what we’ve got at Bristol this weekend, one of my favorite tracks we go to. Our team put together a couple solid runs last year and proved we had some raw speed, so we are looking forward to improving on that this weekend. Glad to have Castrol on the car, my first race with them this season, and excited to put on a good run in our Castrol Ford.”

On the Car
Castrol returns to the No. 6 machine this weekend for its second race of 2020. The high-performance lubricant brand signed as the team’s official oil partner in January and will serve as the primary for select races in 2020.

About Castrol
Castrol, a global leader in lubricant technology, serves customers and consumers in over 140 countries in the automotive, marine, industrial and energy production sectors. Our branded products are recognized globally for innovation and high performance through our commitment to premium quality products, highly responsive services and cutting-edge technology. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please visit www.castrol.com/us.

Chris Buescher | Bristol I Advance

by MikeMay 29, 2020

Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 – Sunday, May 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

NASCAR Returns to Action

Following four races in the Carolinas as part of NASCAR’s return to the track, the focus shifts to ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile’ in Bristol, Tennessee, as the NASCAR Cup Series battles for 500 laps Sunday afternoon.
Following action at Bristol, the NCS will enjoy its first midweek off since the return before heading to Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 7 for the 10^th points race of 2020.
Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.

Wednesday Recap, Sunday Preview

Track position proved to be key in Thursday’s 208-lap event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as Chris Buescher crossed the line 22^nd in his Fastenal Ford.
The starting lineup for Bristol will be determined by a random draw based on teams’ order in owner points. Buescher and the No. 17 team are 20^th in owner points, meaning they will draw for a starting spot in positions 13-24.

Buescher Historically at Bristol Motor Speedway

Buescher will make his 10^th Cup start at Bristol on Sunday. In nine prior starts, he has an average finish of 23.4 with one top-10, a fifth-place finish in the summer of 2016.
Buescher most recently finished 17^th last summer in the No. 37 machine, and also finished top-20 a year prior (19^th) in 2018.
He has an average starting position of 24.1, including a career-best 12^th-place finish in 2016.
In five Xfinity Series starts at Bristol, Buescher has three top-10 runs, including a career-best third in 2015.

Luke Lambert at Bristol Motor Speedway

Lambert will be atop the box for his 16^th NCS race at Bristol on Sunday. In 15 prior starts, he has five top-10s with a career-best fifth in the spring of 2015 with Ryan Newman. His average finish is 15^th.
Dating back five events at ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile,’ Lambert has finished 12^th or better in all but one race, including a 12^th-place run with Daniel Hemric last summer.
Lambert is a former winner at Bristol in the NXS, bringing home one of his four career Xfinity wins back in the 2012 spring race. He and Elliott Sadler started fourth in the No. 2 machine and led the final 36 laps for the victory.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Bristol:
“I’m excited to get down to my favorite track in Bristol. The 17 crew and the guys at the shop have some good notes in years past at that track. We feel pretty good about our short track program and we’re looking forward to unloading on Sunday and proud to have SunnyD back on the car.”

On the Car
Iconic brand and thirst-quenching favorite SunnyD returns to the No. 17 machine this weekend at Buescher’s favorite track, Bristol Motor Speedway, in the brand’s second race of 2020.

About SunnyD
The iconic SunnyD® brand is owned by Harvest Hill Holdings, a Brynwood Partners owned beverage company. The 54-year-old SunnyD® brand is a leading chilled juice drink in the U.S. In addition to the SunnyD® brand, the company markets the Juicy Juice®, Little HUG®, and Daily’s® beverage brands. Harvest Hill’s products are widely distributed through leading retailers in the U.S. and Canada.

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Charlotte II

by MikeMay 27, 2020

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Charlotte II

The NASCAR Cup Series hits the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway for its second event in four days with a shorter, 310.6-mile event under the lights. After Chris Buescher’s top-10 finish in Sunday’s Coke 600, Jack Roush has 80 top-10 runs at the oval at CMS all-time, the fourth-most of any track on the circuit for the NASCAR Hall of Fame owner.

Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-Mile)
Alsco Uniforms 500

Wednesday, May 27, 2020 | 8 p.m. ET

FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

Ryan Newman, No. 6 Roush Performance Ford Mustang
Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang

NASCAR Returns to Action

NASCAR continues its return to racing Wednesday with the fourth Cup Series event in a 10-day span as Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts its second consecutive race – this time a condensed, 310.6-mile shootout.
From Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 to Wednesday, cars will turn nearly 1000 miles this week alone as the series is slated for its eighth points race overall of 2020, and fourth in the return of the sport. Following Wednesday’s race, the NCS will then hit five different tracks from May 31 – June 21 in the remainder of the announced scheduled to date.
Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.

Wednesday Recap, Sunday Preview

Ryan Newman appeared poised for a strong run in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, having powered his Roman Ford inside the top-10, before a faulty battery dropped the team off the pace just over halfway through the race.
Newman recorded a 10^th-place finish in stage one, but with only four cautions over the final 150 laps, he was unable to gain all his laps back to settle for a 28^th-place finish.
Buescher picked up three spots during a hectic final two-lap shootout to bring his Fifth Third Ford home 10^th in the Coke 600. He and the 17 team overcame an early pit road penalty to record their second top-10 of 2020.

Invert Determines Starting Lineup for Wednesday

The NASCAR Cup Series held a qualifying session for Sunday’s Coke 600 – the first and only scheduled qualifying thus far in NASCAR’s return – as Newman qualified 18^th with Buescher 19^th. The top-20 invert is back for Wednesday’s race, with Buescher rolling off 11^th after a 10^th-place run. Newman will fire off 28^th after his finish on Sunday.

Golden Sombrero

Roush Fenway won a record four-consecutive Coca-Cola 600’s from 1999-2002 with drivers Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin. During that span, Roush Fenway led 427 laps, including 201 of 400 laps in the 1999 event.

2006 Dominance in the Coca-Cola 600

Roush Fenway had its best overall outing in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2006, when its five entries averaged a 5.4 finish. Roush Fenway Fords finished third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth while leading 52 laps in the event. In 2002, Roush Fenway posted a one-two finish in the event with Martin and Kenseth battling feverishly for the win and combining to lead 67 laps in the race (with Martin taking the win).

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has started 212 NCS races at Charlotte, recording eight total wins with 46 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. RFR Fords have an average finish of 16.3 with 2627 laps led all-time.

Roush Fenway Charlotte Wins

1992-2 Martin Cup

1995-2 Martin Cup

1998-2 Martin Cup

1999-1 Burton Cup

2000-1 Kenseth Cup

2001-1 Burton Cup

2002-1 Martin Cup

2011-2 Kenseth Cup

1993-2 Martin NXS

1995-2 Martin NXS

1996-1 Martin NXS

1996-2 Martin NXS

1998-1 Martin NXS

1999-1 Martin NXS

2000-1 Burton NXS

2001-2 Biffle NXS

2002-2 Burton NXS

2006-1 Edwards NXS

2011-1 Kenseth NXS

2011-2 Edwards NXS

2015-1 Buescher NXS

Ryan Newman | Charlotte II Advance

by MikeMay 27, 2020

NASCAR Returns to Action

NASCAR continues its return to racing Wednesday with the fourth Cup Series event in a 10-day span as Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts its second consecutive race – this time a condensed, 310.6-mile shootout.
From Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 to Wednesday, cars will turn nearly 1000 miles this week alone as the series is slated for its eighth points race overall of 2020, and fourth in the return of the sport. Following Wednesday’s race, the NCS will then hit five different tracks from May 31 – June 21 in the remainder of the announced scheduled so far.
Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.

Sunday Recap, Wednesday Preview

Newman fought battery issues inside his Roman Ford in Sunday’s long Coca-Cola 600, putting him off the lead lap for the second half of the event. Despite the issues, Newman had fought his way inside the top-10 early on with one stage point after the first segment.
Wednesday’s starting lineup will once again be set by an invert of the top-20 cars, with cars 21-40 starting in their respective finish positions from Sunday, meaning Newman will be gridded 27^th.

Newman Historically at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Sunday marks Newman’s 38^th start at the oval of Charlotte Motor Speedway. He has an overall average finish of 18.4.
Newman has turned in 15 career top-10 finishes at CMS including seven from 2013-17.
Newman has an impressive nine poles at CMS dating back to 2001, by the far the most of any active driver at the 1.5-mile track and tied for second-most of any driver in NASCAR history. Only David Pearson has more with 14, while Newman and Jeff Gordon are tied for second. He swept the pole awards in 2003 and 2007, and also secured the top spot in 2001, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2010.
Newman has five Xfinity Series starts at CMS with one win (2005) and finished top-10 in each race. He also made one start in the truck series there in 2009 finishing fourth in a Kevin Harvick-owned truck.

Scott Graves at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Graves will call his ninth NCS race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Wednesday. In eight prior starts he has an average finish of 17.1 with one top-10 (sixth – 2017).
He also has sixth starts in the NXS atop the pit box, earning four top-10s and one top five. He finished third with Suarez in 2016, and also earned three top-10s with Chris Buescher in 2014 and 2015.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on the Wednesday’s race:
“We’re looking to rebound Wednesday night after an unfortunate turn of events on Sunday. The battery bug bit us throughout the Coke 600, which isn’t a race you want that to happen at. Despite that, we drove our way into the top-10 early on there and were feeling good about the balance. We’ll regroup and get after it again on Wednesday in a much shorter race.”

Chris Buescher | Charlotte II Advance

by MikeMay 26, 2020

Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert

PR Contact: Brandon Lee; blee@roushfenway.com; 704-783-5446

Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 310.6 miles, 208 laps, Stage Lengths: 55-60-93

Alsco Uniforms 500 – Wednesday, May 27 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

NASCAR Returns to Action

NASCAR continues its return to racing Wednesday with the fourth Cup Series event in a 10-day span as Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts its second consecutive race – this time a condensed, 310.6-mile shootout.
From Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 to Wednesday, cars will turn nearly 1000 miles this week alone as the series is slated for its eighth points race overall of 2020, and fourth in the return of the sport. Following Wednesday’s race, the NCS will then hit five different tracks from May 31 – June 21 in the remainder of the announced scheduled so far.
Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.

Sunday Recap, Wednesday Preview

Buescher overcame an early pit road penalty and turned some of the quickest laps in the field to cross the line 11^th in Sunday’s Coke 600. He was later credited with a top-10 finish in the Fifth Third Bank Ford after the disqualification of the No. 48.
The starting lineup for Wednesday night’s 310.6-mile race will once again be set by an invert of the top-20 finishers, meaning Buescher will roll off 11^th in the Fastenal Ford.

Buescher Historically at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Buescher makes his eighth Cup start at Charlotte on Wednesday. Overall he carries an average finish of 19.4 at the 1.5-mile track.
Dating back to his sixth-place run in last season’s Coke 600 – and following Sunday’s result – Buescher now has two-straight top-10 finishes at the CMS oval.
His best qualifying effort at the CMS oval is 18^th (2018), with an overall average starting spot of 22.4.
Buescher also made five starts at Charlotte in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Roush Fenway from 2013-15, earning three top-10 finishes with a best of sixth in 2014.

Luke Lambert at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Lambert will be atop the box for his 14^th NCS race at the CMS oval. Overall he has an average finish of 16.7 in 13 starts.
With he and Buescher’s 10^th-place finish in Sunday’s Coke 600, Lambert has five top-10 runs overall as a crew chief at CMS.
Lambert also called two NXS events at CMS with Elliott Sadler in 2012, finishing fifth and third after earning the pole in the fall race that season.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on Wednesday night’s race:
“Looking back at Sunday, it was nice to finally have a good run and have some things go our way. We were turning some pretty quick laps throughout much of the race, which gives us some good notes and confidence going into Wednesday. It’ll be much shorter, but we have to stay focused coming off a long 600 miles on Sunday. I’m excited to continue this return to racing in our Fastenal Ford.”

On the Car
Fastenal celebrates its 10^th season with Roush Fenway Racing in 2020. The Minnesota company spent three years on the No. 99 before jumping to the No. 17 Cup Series entry, and were the primary partner on the No. 60 Xfinity team that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.

About Fastenal
Fastenal [Nasdaq: FAST] is North America’s largest fastener distributor and a ‘one-stop’ source for hundreds of thousands of OEM, MRO and Construction products. With more than 2,600 stores worldwide, the company supports B2B customers with tailored local inventory and dedicated personnel, who visit regularly, quickly respond to emergency needs, and provide efficient inventory management solutions. Fastenal’s service-oriented business network includes the world’s largest industrial vending program, 14 regional distribution centers, 8 custom manufacturing facilities, thousands of delivery vehicles, and industry-leading sourcing, quality and engineering resources.