Turner Scott Motorsports NASCAR Nationwide Series News & Notes: Richmond International Raceway
Nelson Piquet Jr.
No. 30 Delavaco Chevrolet Camaro
Richmond International Raceway | ToyotaCare 250
April 26, 2013
Welcome to Richmond…Nelson Piquet Jr. will be making his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) start at Richmond International Raceway on Friday night, having only previously raced at the 0.75-mile short track in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race last fall where he finished 17th.
This Week’s Camaro…The No. 30 Delavaco team will have chassis TSM-335 for this Friday’s race at Richmond International Raceway. TSM-335 was previously used at Phoenix International Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway.
Texas Recap….Making his first career NNS start at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks ago, Nelson Piquet Jr. looked to gain momentum in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 before heading into the off-weekend. Piquet Jr. and his No. 30 WORX Yard Tools team started the weekend by qualifying 19th at the 1.5-mile oval. Piquet Jr. was able to drive his WORX Yard Tools Chevrolet Camaro to an 18th-place finish.
X Games Recap…This past weekend, Piquet Jr. went to Brazil to participate in the Global RallyCross race at X Games Foz do Iguacu. The Brasilia, Brazil native finished 11th overall in the event. “The experience racing in Global RallyCross was fantastic and I really got into the series,” said Piquet Jr. “ESPN puts on an incredible show. If I have an opportunity to race the next X Games event in Barcelona, I’ll do it. Â Otherwise, I’ll be competing again when the season moves to the U.S.”
Welcome Delavaco…For the first time this year, Piquet Jr. will display the No. 30 Delavaco colors on Friday Night at Richmond International Raceway. The Delavaco Group (“Delavaco”) is a private equity and merchant banking firm focused on investments in the real estate, retail, and resources sectors. Delavaco’s objective is to combine access to capital, industry expertise, and extensive capital markets experience to create significant value in its investment portfolio. Â Delavaco is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with an additional office in Toronto, Ontario.
Watch and Listen…The ToyotaCare 250 can be seen live on Friday, April 26 on ESPNEWS. Â Race coverage will begin at 7:00 p.m. EDT. The event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as SiriusXM Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Crew Chief Chris Carrier on Richmond:
“Richmond is a short track with long straightaways. It has two grooves that make for some great side-by-side racing. Â Richmond reminds me of a 0.75 mile Fontana. It takes a good motor, down force and grip to make a good lap around that place. I love running under the lights at Richmond and am looking forward to a great weekend. ”
Nelson Piquet Jr. on his return to Richmond:
“I am looking forward to returning to Richmond and the Nationwide Series this weekend. This will be the first time I have been in a Nationwide Series car at this track. I am looking forward to practice on Thursday so I can get some laps under my belt. Chris Carrier and the guys at Turner Scott Motorsports have worked hard to get my Delavaco Camaro ready to race. I hope we can go into Richmond and contend for a good finish.”
NNS results at Richmond International Raceway:
Nelson Piquet Jr. will be making his first NNS start at Richmond International Raceway in the ToyotaCare 250
Justin Allgaier
No. 31 Brandt Chevrolet Camaro
Richmond International Raceway | ToyotaCare 250
April 26, 2013
Under the Lights…Following a one-week hiatus, the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) returns to the track at Richmond International Raceway (RIR) Friday evening for its second-consecutive night race. Justin Allgaier has two previous short-track starts this year at Phoenix International Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS). Both events resulted in top-5 starting positions and top-10 finishes, with Allgaier earning the Coors Light Pole Award at BMS.
Honor and Remember…The Gold Star Family program in partnership with Honor and Remember will host the family of Chesterfield, Va. native and U.S. Army SGT Jeffrey Reed at RIR. Reed lost his life March 2, 2009 in Balad, Iraq from wounds he suffered after a grenade hit his vehicle. Reed was just 15 days from returning home from his second deployment after being in Iraq for 14 months. Reed’s family will spend time with Justin on the No. 31 BRANDT hauler Friday afternoon.
This Week’s Camaro…Chassis TSM-333 will once again be put to work in NNS competition this weekend at Richmond International Raceway. This is the same chassis the No. 31 BRANDT Chevy Camaro team used at Phoenix International Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway.
2013 Point Standings…Heading into the seventh race of the season, Allgaier is currently fourth in the NNS point standings. He’s just nine points behind leader Sam Hornish Jr.
It’s a Girl…Justin and his wife Ashley announced this week that they are expecting a baby girl. The couple’s first child is due at the end of August.
Crew Chief Scott Zipadelli on Richmond International Raceway:
“We are taking chassis No. 333 to Richmond [International Raceway], which has performed well for us this season and seems to have a good balance of speed and grip. The track will change quite a bit over the couple of days that we are there, so we have to be prepared to make a lot of changes. It’s really easy to be good in practice but not run well in the race, but I’ve had some good runs there; it’s one of my favorite tracks.”
Justin Allgaier on Richmond International Raceway:
“You have to be very disciplined at Richmond [International Raceway]. The corners are really tight in the middle and on exit, and it’s extremely hard to pass, so track position is very important. Qualifying well at Richmond is a big deal because of track position, but it’s also tricky because we qualify during the day but race at night and the conditions change so much.”
NNS results at Richmond International Raceway:
Starts: 8
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Top 5: 1
Top 10: 3
Laps Led: 0
Average Start: 16.4
Average Finish: 14.1
Kyle Larson
No. 32 Cessna Chevrolet Camaro
Richmond International Raceway | ToyotaCare 250
April 26, 2013
Back On Track…After enjoying a weekend off, the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) heads to Richmond International Raceway for a 250-lap shootout at the 0.75-mile D-shaped oval. Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Larson has one previous start at RIR, starting second and finishing fourth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East’s (NKNPSE) visit to the track last season. The 2012 race is where Larson broke into the top five in the NKNPSE Driver Point Standings and never looked back, capturing the championship later that year.
Up In The Air…Cessna will be returning to take flight with Larson this weekend at Richmond International Raceway after debuting with the rookie NNS driver in the ARCA Racing Series event at Daytona. Cessna, the world’s leading general aviation company, has designed, produced and delivered more than 193,500 airplanes around the globe. This includes more than 6,300 Citation business jets, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world.
Previous Race Recap…Competing in the “Wild Asphalt Circus” at Texas Motor Speedway for the first time in his young career, Larson and his No. 32 Cessna team began the weekend with hopes to capitalize on recent momentum. Rolling off from the 12th-starting spot, Larson maintained his track position through the first 40 laps of the O’Reilly 300 before misfortune ended his hopes of a podium finish. An incident on lap 44 ultimately led to a blown left-front tire, causing extensive damage and relegating Larson to a 32nd-place finish.
Winner, Winner…Larson comes to Richmond fresh off his first career NASCAR top-three series victory, which he captured at Rockingham Speedway on April 14 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). Larson started third in the event and paced the field a dominating 187 of 205 laps before capturing the checkered flag. The win was achieved in only Larson’s fifth NCWTS start.
This Week’s Camaro…This weekend, the No. 32 team will unload chassis TSM-323 at Richmond International Raceway. TSM-323 last hit the racetrack at Phoenix International Raceway in March, where Larson scored a 13th-place finish.
Watch and Listen…The ToyotaCare 250 can be seen live on Friday, April 26 on ESPNEWS. Â Race coverage will begin at 7:00 p.m. EDT. The event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as SiriusXM Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Kyle Larson on Richmond International Raceway:
“Richmond is one of those tracks that I don’t think any team really conquers, so we’re all looking forward to having some extra practice time this weekend. Track position is super important in Richmond; you have to qualify up front because it is extremely difficult to pass. We qualify during the day and race at night, so it’s also a place where you have to be on top of your changes to keep up with the track condition. I had a pretty good race when I came here for the K&N East race last year, so I think this can be a really good weekend for the No. 32 team.”
NNS results at Richmond International Raceway:
Kyle will be making his first career RIR NNS start in the ToyotaCare 250
