"We're here today to confirm the news you received this morning that I've decided to make this season my last as a NASCAR Cup driver. The response just in the last six hours from teammates, colleagues and friends and fans has been incredibly overwhelming."
“Dale Earnhardt Jr. is among the most recognizable athletes in the world, unequivocally serving as the sport’s most popular driver for more than a decade. His passion for the sport will leave an impact on NASCAR that will be felt over its entire history.
“I’m definitely looking forward to hitting the track in Richmond with our Mello Yello Ford Mustang. The car looks great and I can’t thank them enough for coming on board this weekend. I’m ready to get back in the car and rebound after getting caught up in that deal in Bristol. We had a good streak going and I hope we can get back to it in Richmond.”
“It is definitely a fun racetrack,” Allmendinger said. “It is unique. All these short tracks that we go to are so unique, just so different. As a driver, you love something that is different instead of what you are used to going to; like every mile-and-a-half.”
The spring race week at Richmond International Raceway (Richmond) is officially here. From the Toyota PitPass with ferris wheel and Toyota Thrill Ride in the Midway to the return of red stripes to the track walls to Dale Earnhardt Jr’s final day race in Richmond to Track Takeover driven by AAA to the Checkered Flag 5K & Kids Fun Run and more, Richmond’s Toyota spring race weekend is packed. To help navigate the upcoming weekend, we’ve put together a list of what to expect throughout this weekend in Richmond.
“Our short track program has been strong this year so I’m looking forward to Richmond this weekend. Last year, you could run the bottom or the top groove so I expect it to be racy on Sunday. If we can execute on pit-road and keep our Fifth Third Ford up near the front then we should be able to leave Richmond with another top-10 finish. That’s our goal.”
"Richmond is one of those tracks on the schedule that small teams like ours look to for an opportunity for a good finish," said DiBenedetto. "The racing there is tough and it's hard to get a well-balanced racecar on both ends of the track. We had a great run last weekend in the Cosmo Motors No.32 Ford Fusion, but we're ready for another great run this weekend.
“We’re definitely looking to continue to build off of another top-15 finish last week in Bristol and aim for a top-10 this weekend in Richmond. We’ve had a really consistent start to the 2017 season and I am really proud of the effort all of my guys on this AdvoCare team have put forth. We are ready to get after it again this weekend and have another solid run.”
Today, Smithfield Foods' Helping Hungry Homes® initiative, a program focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure, joined forces with Richard Petty and Aric Almirola, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame to donate nearly 250,000 pounds of protein to six North Carolina food banks.
Reed has competed at Richmond International Raceway (RIR) eight times in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS). He made his first career NXS start at the track in 2013, earning a 16th-place finish. His best career finish at the track came in September 2013 when he finished ninth. Reed finished 11th in both Richmond races in 2016.
Tony Stewart is headed to zMAX Dragway for a race he’s enjoyed immensely in his brief NHRA career, as the racing legend looks to pick up another four-wide win at this weekend’s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.
A new face will be behind the wheel of the No. 62 Gracie Foundation Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports for Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
NASCAR’s Cup and O’Reilly Series head to the heart of Alabama and Talladega Superspeedway for the first of two visits in 2026. The two series will be joined by the ARCA Menards Series for a weekend packed of high-stakes, superspeedway racing.
