“I like Richmond, I think it is a great track for racing and for the fans in general. It’s kind of an in-between track. Fans get to experience the thrill of speed while also getting the feel of side-by-side racing. Unlike most short tracks you get a lot of side-by-side racing in the corners at Richmond.
“Richmond is always a fun race track. It drives like a mile-and-a-half, like a superspeedway, but yet it’s got little short corners. There’s big, long, fast straightway and little tight corners, lots of technique to getting around Richmond.
Perdue Foods will be riding along with Jeffrey Earnhardt when he challenges Richmond International Raceway in Friday’s ToyotaCare 250 Nationwide Series race. JD Motorsports with Gary Keller announced the Perdue sponsorship Tuesday. The partnership renews a very special relationship for Perdue, which once worked with and sponsored Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jeffrey’s grandfather and one of NASCAR’s all-time greatest drivers.
Austin Theriault will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut this season, as JR Motorsports has signed him to drive three races in the No. 5 Chevrolet.
“Getting to pick my favorite tailgate at Talladega last year, thanks to Coca-Cola Zero, was pretty cool, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the fans can come up with this year to impress me. There’s an abundance of creativity out there. And for me, it’s fun spending time with the fans and getting to check out where they party.
"Richmond is another track that I've never been to. I've heard it's fun and a little tricky, but one good thing is that Philippe (Lopez) and the team have run well there in the past. They have the baseline figured out, so it will be about going there and turning laps and getting used to the track.
"Each year I look forward to race at my hometown track in front of my loyal Virginia fan base. My excitement level is higher than normal, since this week I'll be running a special green paint scheme on my No. 11 OneMain Financial Toyota.
Richard Childress has nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories as a car owner at Richmond International Raceway - five with Dale Earnhardt, three with Kevin Harvick and one with Clint Bowyer. Additionally, in 141 starts at the Richmond, Va. track, RCR drivers have claimed 36 top-five and 65 top-10 finishes.
Aric Almirola and the No. 43 Smithfield Foods team have proved they are a force to be reckoned with at short tracks this season. The team currently has an average finish of 8.6 at tracks one mile or less. They head to Richmond (Va.) International Raceway poised to continue that success and look to head to Victory Lane at Smithfield Foods' home track.
Kyle Petty registered the first win of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career at Richmond International Raceway on Feb. 23, 1986 driving for the Wood Brothers.
The 2024 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion from Riverton, Illinois, etched his name as a two-time champion by 14 points with a top-10 result in the 2026 finale at Homestead that was won by Brandon Jones.
Allgaier and the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team captured the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver championship, complementing Chevrolet’s 10th consecutive manufacturer crown and completing a sweep of the series’ driver and manufacturer titles.
Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Close Out 2026 Season with Strong Fourth-Place Showing at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Ultimately Finishing Second in the Point Standings
Brandon Jones capped off 2026 with a victory in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to give Toyota its 700th win in NASCAR competition.
Justin Allgaier captured the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship in his 10th season driving for JR Motorsports at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
