FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: RICHMOND NOTES
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will feature its third short track race in the last four weeks as Richmond International Raceway plays host to the tour this weekend. Here’s a look at how Ford has fared at the three-quarter mile track over the years.
GOLDSMITH GOLDEN
The first time Ford went to victory lane in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond International Raceway was on May 5, 1957, when Paul Goldsmith started seventh and won the Richmond 250. That was his second win of the season and came on a day that Ford dominated from start to finish by leading all 200 laps. Pete DePaolo fielded three cars under his DePaolo Engineering sponsorship and watched as Fireball Roberts jumped to the lead and held it for the first 159 laps before Goldsmith came on and passed him with 41 laps remaining. Goldsmith went on to win the race by one lap with Roberts finishing second and Marvin Panch third to give Ford and DePaolo a sweep of the top three spots. Goldsmith ended up winning a career-high four races with Ford that season, which included victories in Greensboro (NC), Lancaster (SC), and Raleigh (NC).
KYLE PETTY’S FIRST WIN
The Wood Brothers have 98 all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory and many of those have been first-time wins for whoever was lucky enough to be behind the wheel. Kyle Petty was that man in the mid-1980s and on Feb. 23, 1986, found himself in the right place at the right time. Driving the No. 7 Ford for Glen Wood – the car carried that number because of sponsor 7-Eleven – Petty was the beneficiary of an ongoing battle between Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt. After Waltrip passed Earnhardt to take the lead with two to go, Earnhardt made contact with Waltrip and both cars went spinning into the wall. Others got collected in the aftermath, but Petty was able to get through unscathed and took the checkered flag under caution for his first series triumph.
BURTON WINS BATTLE OF THE JEFFS
Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon waged a memorable battle at RIR on Sept. 12, 1998, in the Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 in which Burton emerged victorious. The two drivers exchanged the lead eight times during the middle stages of the 400-lap feature until Jimmy Spencer joined them. Those three combined to lead the final 259 laps, but the winner was in doubt until the very end as Gordon steadily chased down Burton, who grabbed the top spot from Spencer with 40 to go. Gordon was on Burton’s bumper as the two took the white flag, and he dove to the inside as they entered turn three. Burton maintained his high line and got enough momentum off turn four to win by half-a-car length (.051 seconds).
A PENSKE SEASON SWEEP
Thanks to Team Penske, Ford dominated the 2014 season at RIR as both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski made it to victory lane. Keselowski clinched the top seed for the ensuing Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with a dominating performance that saw him lead all but 17 of the 400 laps, including the final 274 circuits. The win was his fourth of the season and marked the third time Ford has swept both NSCS races at the three-quarter-mile track, and the first since 1997. Logano won the first RIR race after passing Matt Kenseth with four laps to go to claim his fifth career series victory.
FORD NASCAR SPRINT CUP WINNERS AT RICHMOND
1957 – Paul Goldsmith
1959 – Tom Pistone and Cotton Owens
1960 – Speedy Thompson (2)
1963 – Ned Jarrett (2)
1965 – Junior Johnson (1)
1968 – David Pearson (1)
1969 – David Pearson (1)
1970 – James Hylton (1)
1979 – Bobby Allison (2)
1980 – Bobby Allison (2)
1981 – Benny Parsons (2)
1984 – Ricky Rudd (1)
1986 – Kyle Petty (1)
1988 – Davey Allison (2)
1990 – Mark Martin (1)
1992 – Bill Elliott (1)
1993 – Davey Allison (1)
1994 – Ernie Irvan (1)
1995 – Rusty Wallace (2)
1996 – Ernie Irvan (2)
1997 – Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett
1998 – Jeff Burton (2)
1999 – Dale Jarrett (1)
2001 – Ricky Rudd (2)
2002 – Matt Kenseth (2)
2005 – Kurt Busch (2)
2013 – Carl Edwards (2)
2014 – Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski
