#42- Juan Pablo Montoya, #1-Jamie McMurray, #43-Aric Almirola and #9-Marcos Ambrose are scheduled to be testing the new Gen-6 car on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at Richmond International Raceway in advance of the Saturday, April 27, Toyota Owners 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Tickets for the Toyota Owners 400 can be purchased online at www.rir.com or by calling 866-455-7223.(RIR), the test is closed and NOT open to the public.(3-22-2013) UPDATE: the testing has been moved to Monday and Tuesday, April 1-2.(RIR)(3-25-2013) UPDATE 2: Although the much-anticipated debut of NASCARs Gen-6 car in a points-paying race at Richmond International Raceway is scheduled for the Saturday, April 27, Toyota Owners 400 Sprint Cup Series race, the first time it hits the pavement will be this Monday. Earnhardt Ganassi drivers Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya will be joined by Richard Petty Motorsports drivers Marcos Ambrose and Aric Almirola when they test at RIR, and the grandstands are open for fans to watch, for free. The test is scheduled for Monday, April 1. The Colonial Grandstands in Turn 4 will be open from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., free of charge. With many kids on Spring Break, this is a great opportunity to enjoy a fun-filled afternoon in Richmond. Fans coming out to Richmond International Raceway may enter at the Service Gate, located on Meadowbridge Rd., one gate away from the main entrance at the corner of Laburnum Ave. and Meadowbridge Rd. Attendants will guide fans to a parking area and will be instructed where to go to enter the grandstands.(RIR)(3-28-2013) UPDATE 3: Four NASCAR drivers turned laps at Richmond International Raceway during a test session Monday, marking the first time NASCARs Gen-6 car has run at Americas Premier Short Track. #42-Juan Montoya, #1-Jamie McMurray, #9-Marcos Ambrose and #43-Aric Almirola will be back Saturday, April 27, for the Toyota Owners 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Cool track temperatures this morning made it easy for the drivers to find grip, resulting in blistering speeds that would challenge the official track qualifying record, which Brian Vickers set in 2004 (20.772 seconds, 129.983 mph). ‘The track is extremely fast’ said Almirola. ‘When we rolled out on the track at 9:00 this morning, it was still kinda cool and the track had a lot of grip. We were running lap times close to the pole speed in race trim. Really surprised at how fast the track was and how fast our cars were.” All four drivers will test again tomorrow at RIR, as they search for valuable data to be used at the upcoming April 25, 26 & 27 NASCAR weekend in Richmond.(RIR)
