Virginia’s Denny Hamlin Drives No. 11 Toyota Camry to Third Place Finish
In his 300th career start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Joey Logano came away victorious in the TOYOTA OWNERS 400. After starting the race in the rear of the field because of a transmission change to the Team Penske No. 22 car before the 300-mile race, Logano found his groove around the Action Track to ultimately prevail earning his second career win at Richmond International Raceway.
“Coming from the back, being the 300th start and pulling into victory lane, man, that feels good,” said Logano. “I drove my guts out there. We ended up with the winning car, something I’m really proud of…”
Logano gained the lead after a late race restart to fend off his teammate Brad Keselowski and finish the race with a 0.775 second margin of victory. It was Logano’s first victory and eighth top ten finish of the 2017 season. In nine career starts at Richmond, this was Logano’s fifth top five finish. He previously won the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 in April 2014.
Finishing third in Sunday’s competition was Virginia’s own Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. In his strong day at Richmond, Hamlin led a total of 59 laps in the 400-lap race.
“I thought the lines moved around and there was a lot of racing all over most of the day and it was good all around,” said Denny Hamlin on the competitive racing at America’s Premiere Short Track.
Rounding out the top five in Sunday’s race was driver of the No. 17 car for Roush Fenway Racing, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who finished fourth and Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 car for Stewart-Haas Racing, in fifth.
In the first-ever stage race in the Monster Energy Series at Richmond, Matt Kenseth, driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota Camry, captured the green-checkered flag in Stage 1, while Keselowski took Stage 2. Kenseth led the most laps of the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 at 164 followed by Keselowski at 110 laps led.
NASCAR returns to Richmond on September 8-9 for the fall race weekend, presented by Who’s Your Driver, to crown the inaugural Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season champion over Fan Appreciation Weekend. Witness history in the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday, September 9 as a regular season champion will be crowned along with Dale Earnhardt Jr’s final regular season race. On Friday, September 8, the rising stars of tomorrow will compete in the Virginia529 College Savings 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race.
Tickets are on sale now. Visit rir.com or call 866-455-7223 to purchase.
About Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is America’s Premier Short Track annually hosting two NASCAR race weekends, featuring the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series, on a ¾-mile D-shaped oval. Richmond is a regional leader for events including sports, live music and consumer trade shows. The Richmond Raceway Complex’s 1,000 plus acre multipurpose facility hosts more than 200 live events annually including concerts with top national recording artists at The Classic Amphitheater. To learn more, visit rir.com and richmondracewaycomplex.com.
