FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: RICHMOND NOTES
Richmond Raceway will play host to a pair of NASCAR events this weekend as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Cup Series take to the track on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, respectively. Ford won both series events at the short track last season as Grant Enfinger (NCWTS) and Brad Keselowski (NCS) took home checkered flags.
This Week’s Schedule:
Saturday, Apr. 17 – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, 1:30 p.m. (FS1)
Sunday, Apr. 18 – NASCAR Cup Series, 3 p.m. (FOX)
FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT RR
- Ford has 33 all-time series wins at Richmond.
- Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano each have two Ford wins at RR.
- Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick also have one career series win apiece.
FORD IN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES AT RR
- Ford has three all-time series wins at Richmond.
- Grant Enfinger won last year’s event, which was the first at the track in 15 years.
- Greg Biffle and Rick Carelli have the other Ford wins at RR.
BACK-TO-BACK FOR BK?
Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski will be going for his second straight NASCAR Cup Series win at Richmond Raceway this weekend after taking last year’s event in dominating fashion. Keselowski led 192-of-400 laps in recording his second career Cup win at the Virginia short track, and automatically advanced to the Round of 12. Overall, Ford led 297 laps on the night and had five drivers finish in the top 10, including Joey Logano (3rd), Kevin Harvick (7th), Aric Almirola (8th) and Clint Bowyer (10th). In 22 career starts at Richmond, Keselowski has 6 top five and 12 top-10 finishes.
RICHMOND ONE OF LOGANO’S BEST
It would be easy to look at Joey Logano’s two career wins at Richmond and say it’s got to be one of his best tracks on the circuit, but the statistics provide further proof. In 23 career starts, Logano has 10 top 5 and 13 top 10 finishes, which gives him an average finish of 10.8. That’s tied for his second-best average finish on tracks where he’s run at least five races, matching the 10.8 mark in 12 starts on the Indianapolis oval. The only track where Logano has a better average finish is Las Vegas, where his two wins and 11 top-10 finishes in 16 starts works out to an 8.4 average finish.
HARVICK A CAREER TOP-10 FINISHER AT RICHMOND
Another Ford driver who has experienced consistent success at Richmond is Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick. This weekend will mark his 40th career Cup Series start at the track, which is one of five on the circuit where Harvick has an average finish in single digits. Harvick’s average finish of 9.7 comes on the strength of three wins and 26 top 10 finishes. The other four tracks that statistically are Harvick’s best include: Homestead (7.3), Indianapolis (8.6), Phoenix (8.8) and Kansas (9.3).
RICHMOND CUP HIGHLIGHTS
GOLDSMITH GOLDEN
The first time Ford went to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond 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 99 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories 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 Glenn 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 RR 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 RR as both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski made it to victory lane. Keselowski clinched the top seed for the ensuing Chase 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 swept both NCS races at the three-quarter-mile track, and the first since 1997. Logano won the first RR race after passing Matt Kenseth with four laps to go to claim his fifth career series victory.
FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES 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
2017 – Joey Logano (1)
2020 – Brad Keselowski
FORD NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT RICHMOND
1999 – Greg Biffle
2000 – Rick Carelli
2020 – Grant Enfinger
