Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Toyota Owners 400

Richmond Raceway Data
Season Race #: 9 of 36 (04-18-21)
Track Size: 0.75-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 14 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 14 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 8 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees
Frontstretch Length:  1,290 feet
Backstretch Length:  860 feet
Race Length: 400 laps / 300 miles
Stage 1 Length: 80 laps
Stage 2 Length: 155 laps
Final Stage Length: 165 laps

Top 12 Driver Ratings at Richmond
Kyle Busch…………………………. 110.6
Kevin Harvick……………………… 110.3
Denny Hamlin……………………… 106.8
Brad Keselowski………………….. 100.9
Kurt Busch…………………………… 94.2
Martin Truex Jr……………………… 92.2
Joey Logano………………………… 92.2
Kyle Larson………………………….. 89.2
Ryan Newman………………………. 87.3
Chase Elliott…………………………. 86.3
Aric Almirola…………………………. 77.5
Tyler Reddick……………………….. 76.5

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2020 races (31 total) among active drivers at Richmond Raceway.

Qualifying / Race Data

Note: The Spring 2020 Richmond Raceway NASCAR Cup Series event was rescheduled last season due to the pandemic. The NASCAR Cup Series only competed at the track once in 2020.

Track Qualifying Record:

Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet

130.599 mph, 20.674 secs.

September 4, 2013

Track Race Record:

Dale Jarrett, Ford

109.047 mph, (02:45:04),

September 6, 1997

2020 Playoff Race Pole Winner:

The Sept. 12, 2020 Playoff race at Richmond decided the starting lineups by Metric Qualifying. Kevin Harvick started on the pole.

2020 Playoff Race Winner:

Brad Keselowski, Ford

101.868 mph, (02:56:42)

September 12, 2020

At Richmond Raceway:

HISTORY

• Originally known as the Atlantic Rural Exposition Fairgrounds, Richmond Raceway held its first race in 1946 as a half-mile dirt track.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway was held on April 19, 1953 and won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Lee Petty in a Petty Enterprises Dodge with an average speed of 45.535 mph.
• In 1955, Paul Sawyer and former driver Joe Weatherly bought the property. Track was then known as Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds.
• The spring 1964 race was run on a Tuesday night under temporary lighting.
• The track name changed to Virginia State Fairgrounds in 1967.
• The track surface was changed from dirt to asphalt between races in 1968.
• The track name changed to Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in 1969.
• The track was re-measured to .542-mile in 1970.
• The track was rebuilt as a three-quarters-mile D-shaped oval following the Feb. 21, 1988 race.
• The first race under permanent lights was Sept. 7, 1991.
• In 1999, International Speedway Corporation purchased the raceway and surrounding property. It was the first season with both races as night races and the track was renamed to Richmond International Raceway.
• In 2017, the track underwent renovations to upgrade the amenities for fans and in the process changed the name of the track to Richmond Raceway.
• In total, there have been 128 NASCAR Cup Series races at Richmond Raceway, one event from 1953 – 1958 and two races per year since 1959 to 2019. Due to the pandemic in 2020, the series only raced at Richmond once that season.

STARTS

• A total of 514 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway; 337 drivers have competed in more than one Cup race at Richmond.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Richmond Raceway with 63; followed by NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin with 56, Ricky Rudd and Terry Labonte have 55.
• Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Richmond with 39 each.
• Dick Rathmann (two series starts) leads the series in average starting position at Richmond Raceway with a 2.0.
• Kyle Larson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Richmond Raceway with an 9.0; followed by Denny Hamlin with a 9.9.

Top Five in Average Starting Position at Richmond Raceway (All-Time & Active)

POLES

• A total of 55 different drivers have won at least one pole at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty (1961, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 sweep, 1974, 1975) and Bobby Allison (1972 sweep, 1973 sweep, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1982) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Richmond with eight each.
• Denny Hamlin (2006, 2008 and 2016) leads all active pole winners at Richmond Raceway with three poles; followed by Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick with two each.
• Buck Baker won the inaugural Pole Award at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series in 1953 with a speed of 48.465 mph in an Oldsmobile owned by Bob Griffin.
• 10 different drivers have won consecutive poles at Richmond – Buck Baker (1953, 1956), Ned Jarrett (1960 sweep, 1964 sweep), Rex White (1962, 1963), Richard Petty (1969, 1970 sweep, Bobby Allison (1972-1974), Darrell Waltrip (1983, 1984 sweep, 1985), Alan Kulwicki (1987 sweep), Ted Musgrave (1994 sweep), Joey Logano (2015 sweep) and Matt Kenseth (2017 sweep) – Logano is the only active driver to accomplish the feat.
• Bobby Allison holds the record for most consecutive poles at Richmond with five straight from 1972-1974; Darrell Waltrip has the second-most with four-straight from 1983-1985.
• Youngest Richmond Cup pole winner: Brian Vickers (May 15, 2004 – 20 years, 6 months, 21 days).
• Oldest Richmond Cup pole winner: Mark Martin (April 28, 2012 – 53 years, 3 months, 19 days).
• Nine different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted their first career pole at Richmond Raceway – none are currently active.

• A total of nine different manufacturers have posted at least one pole at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series; led by Chevrolet (46); followed by Ford (34), Dodge (11), Toyota (10), Pontiac (six), Plymouth (five), Mercury (three), Buick (two) and Oldsmobile (two).

WINS

• A total of 52 different drivers have won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway; nine are active this weekend.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway was held on April 19, 1953 and won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Lee Petty in a Petty Enterprises Dodge with an average speed of 45.535 mph.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Richmond Raceway with 13 victories (spring 1961, 1967 sweep, fall 1968, fall 1970, 1971 sweep, 1972 sweep, 1973 sweep, fall 1974 and spring 1975) – the third-most wins by a single driver at a single track in series history behind his 15 wins at Martinsville and North Wilkesboro.
• Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in wins at Richmond with six victories (spring 2009, spring 2010, spring 2011, spring 2012, 2018 sweep).

Active NASCAR Cup Series Richmond Raceway Winners

• A total of 11 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Richmond Raceway:
  • Joe Weatherly (1962-1963)
  • David Pearson (1965, 1966 sweep)
  • Richard Petty (1970, 1971 sweep, 1972 sweep, 1973 sweep)
  • Cale Yarborough (1976-1977)
  • Bobby Allison (1982, 1983 sweep)
  • Dale Earnhardt (1987 sweep, 1990-1991)
  • Rusty Wallace (1989 sweep)
  • Terry Labonte (1994-1995)
  • Jimmie Johnson (2007 sweep)
  • Kyle Busch (2018 sweep)
  • Martin Truex Jr. (2019 sweep)
• Richard Petty leads the series in consecutive Cup wins at Richmond with seven consecutive victories from the fall race of 1970 to the fall race of 1973.
• Youngest Richmond Cup winner: Richard Petty (April 23, 1961 – 23 years, 9 months, 21 days).
• Oldest Richmond Cup winner: Harry Gant (September 7, 1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 28 days).
• A total of 27 different starting positions have led to victories in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway.
• The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the NASCAR Cup Series field, producing more winners than any other starting position at Richmond Raceway with 24 victories.

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Richmond Raceway

• Only three active drivers have been able to win from the pole or first starting position: Kyle Busch (2010), Brad Keselowski (2014) and Denny Hamlin (2016).
• The deepest in the field that a NASCAR Cup Series race winner has started at Richmond Raceway is 32nd, by Kyle Busch in the spring race of 2018.
• Five drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Richmond Raceway – Kasey Kahne (2005), Tony Stewart (1999), Kyle Petty (1986), Neil Bonnett (1977) and James Hylton (1970)
• Michael McDowell leads the NASCAR Cup Series among active drivers with the most series starts at Richmond Raceway without visiting Victory Lane at 19; followed by Aric Almirola with 17 starts.
• In total 37 different organizations have won at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Joe Gibbs Racing leads the NASCAR Cup Series in victories at Richmond Raceway with 16 wins – Tony Stewart (1999, 2001, 2002), Denny Hamlin (2009, 2010, 2016), Kyle Busch (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2018 sweep), Matt Kenseth (2015), Carl Edwards (2016), Martin Truex Jr. (2019 sweep).
• Petty Enterprises has the second-most NASCAR Cup Series wins at Richmond Raceway with 15 victories.

Top Five in Cup Organization Wins at Richmond Raceway

• A total of nine different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway.
• Chevrolet leads the series in wins at Richmond with 38 victories; followed by Ford (33), Dodge (17), Toyota (14), Pontiac (11) Plymouth (10), Buick (two), Oldsmobile (two) and Chrysler (one).
• Chevrolet holds the record for the longest streak of consecutive wins in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway with six consecutive victories from 2006-2008.

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

• A total of 58 different drivers have finished runner-up in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Richard Petty are tied for the series-most runner-up finishes at Richmond with nine each; followed by Jeff Gordon with eight.
• Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in series runner-up finishes at Richmond with seven second-place finishes.

Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Richmond Raceway (All-Time & Active)

Top-Five Finishes:

• A total of 136 different drivers have finished in the top-five in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Richmond with 34.
• Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in top-five finishes at Richmond with 18.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Richmond Raceway (All-Time & Active)

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 235 different drivers have finished in the top-10 in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Richmond with 41.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active series drivers in top 10s at Richmond with 26 top-10 finishes.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Richmond Raceway (All-Time & Active)

Average Finishes:

• Lee Petty (seven series starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Richmond Raceway with a 4.857.
• Kyle Busch (27 series starts) leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Richmond Raceway with a 6.9.

Top 20 in Average Finishing Position at Richmond Raceway (All-Time & Active)

LAP LEADERS

• A total of 137 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at Richmond Raceway.
• Richard Petty leads the NACAR Cup Series in laps led at Richmond Raceway with 5,136 laps led in 63 starts.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in laps led at Richmond Raceway with 1,704 laps led in 28 starts.
• The most laps led by the NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Richmond Raceway was 488 laps led of the scheduled 500 (97.6%) by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty on Sept. 13, 1970; he started from the pole.
• The most laps led by a NASCAR Cup Series driver that did not win the race at Richmond Raceway was 381 laps led of the scheduled 407 (93.6%) by Denny Hamlin on May 3, 2008; he started from the pole but finished 24th.
• The fewest laps led by the NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Richmond Raceway was three laps of the scheduled 406 by Kevin Harvick on April 27, 2013; he started the race 17th.

Top 10 Laps Leaders in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway (All-Time & Active)

FEMALE COMPETITORS

• Two female drivers, Danica Patrick and Janet Guthrie have competed at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series. Below are their stats at Richmond:

TRACK / EVENT SPECIFIC STATS

• Since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, Richmond Raceway has produced 33 NASCAR Cup Series races with a Margin of Victory of less than a second.
• The closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway was the race on September 12, 1998 – won by Jeff Burton with a Margin of Victory of 0.051 second over second-place finisher Jeff Gordon.

Top 10 Closest Margin of Victories at Richmond in the NASCAR Cup Series

• Five NASCAR Cup Series races have resulted in NASCAR Overtime at Richmond Raceway:

• Four of the 128 NASCAR Cup Series races at Richmond Raceway have been shortened due to weather conditions:

• Qualifying has been cancelled in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway nine times:

NASCAR IN VIRGINIA

• There have been 531 NASCAR national series races among 10 tracks in the state of Virginia.
• Martinsville Speedway hosted the very first NASCAR national series race in the state of Virginia on Sept. 25, 1949 – the NASCAR Cup Series event was won by Red Byron (Oldsmobile).

VIRGINIA IN NASCAR

• A total of 184 different drivers with their home state recorded as Virginia have made at least one start in a NASCAR national series race.
• 19 drivers from Virginia have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series. 11 of the 19 Virginia native NASCAR winners have won in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• In total the drivers from Virginia have won 262 NASCAR national series races combined.

NASCAR National Series Winners From Virginia

— NASCAR —