Ever seen a movie preview that made you want to go see the main feature? Are you staying in town and wondering what to do during Spring Break? Richmond International Raceway has just the thing. We want you to join us as we preview some of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ biggest names on Wednesday, April 8 when they take to the track to prepare for the main feature, the Saturday, April 25 TOYOTA OWNERS 400. Check the full guest list: #24-Jeff Gordon, #14-Tony Stewart, #2-Brad Keselowski, #15-Clint Bowyer, #42-Kyle Larson, #11-Denny Hamlin, #3-Austin Dillon, #6-Trevor Bayne, #43-Aric Almirola, #13-Casey Mears, #78-Martin Truex Jr, and #47-AJ Allmendinger. Fans are invited to attend testing on Wednesday, April 8 from 10:00am-5:00pm. Sit in the grandstands and enjoy a sneak peek of what’s to come in a few short weeks. To access the grandstands, enter through the Main Gate on the corner of Laburnum Avenue and Richmond-Henrico Turnpike. Once in the gate, park near the Virginia is For Lovers Frontstretch Gate and Gate 70, located in Turn 4. Fans can enter the grandstands through Gate 70 only.(RIR) Teams will also test on Tuesday, but the track is close to the public then.(4-7-2014)
UPDATE: The engineers and mechanics who hunched over an array of computers plied their trade with typical high-tech flair during Wednesday’s open NASCAR test at Richmond International Raceway, analyzing data feeds and crunching numbers while their drivers made the rounds. The seven-hour session, which started 2 1/2 hours late because of early morning rain, came on the heels of Tuesday’s rain-delayed Goodyear tire test here, where teams confirmed the rubber that will be used in the springtime 400-lapper. But in addition to making tires work, teams used the extra time to try different setups that may pay dividends in a little over two weeks. Thirteen drivers added the Richmond detour before heading to this weekend’s racing at Texas Motor Speedway, driving cars equipped with ride-height sensors and pitot tubes to measure wind velocity. Additionally, three “wheel-force” cars “ one for each manufacturer and marked with a “W” beside their number on the scoring sheet “ also made the trip, each outfitted with a complex sensor attached to each wheel to measure load on the tires. The information from those three cars “ with Team Penske representing Ford, JTG-Daugherty Racing for Chevrolet, and Joe Gibbs Racing for Toyota “ would be shared within each manufacturer network. Tuesday at Richmond, teams tested tires for nearly four hours after steady showers pushed back the on-track schedule. Goodyear will employ zone-tread technology “ using two different rubber compounds, one for improved endurance and one for enhanced traction, in a single tread “ on its right-side tires. The left-side tire compound will remain the same as the one teams raced on last September.(NASCAR.com)(4-9-2015)
