A full moon and short track racing led to plenty of surprises and some not so surprising moments in the 59th Annual Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
After being in the center of controversy following failing post-race technical inspection after the Kansas win, everybody thought we'd see a falter in the Joe Gibbs Racing team. However, that wasn't the case as Kenseth sat on the pole at Richmond before coming home with a strong finish.
After working his way up through the racing ranks, Ryan Reed was given the opportunity to show his skills in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night.
Richmond International Raceway is one of the three jewels on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit Along with Martinsville Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. Saturday night at Richmond should be what the doctor ordered, but it wasn’t for some reason. The beginning, and for that matter, most of the Toyota Owners 400 was an event dominated by two drivers: Matt Kenseth and Juan Pablo Montoya.
Today is Dale Earnhardt Day; a day to remember arguably the greatest stock car driver that ever lived. While most journalists will write about what he did or why he was so good, I have decided to go further than that. I want to talk about the legacy he created and all the different ways this man captured the hearts of millions changing the face of this sport forever.
After two years of miserable races, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing has finally returned back to its old form. Although they haven't quite gotten rid of all the bad luck that seems to haunt the two car organization, the cars seem fast again and have made monumental progress in their overall performance.
Remember when Ricky Rudd and Dale Earnhardt spun at North Wilkesboro on the final lap battling for the win in 1989? How about when Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth crossed the line in nearly a dead heat at Rockingham back in 2004?
As the Toyota Owners 400 was drawing to a close, it looked like Kevin Harvick would catch Juan Pablo Montoya for the lead, making for a thrilling battle between them. However, all heck broke loose when a caution would come out with six laps to go when Brian Vickers would get into the wall.
With late race pit stops and a late green white checkered, Kevin Harvick would go from seventh to first on the final restart to take the victory in the Toyota Owners 400.
The story of the week surrounds the team of Matt Kenseth as NASCAR passed down one of its stiffest penalties in history as it slapped the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team with a 50 point penalty, a $200,000 fine, and suspended Crew Chief Jason Ratcliff for the next seven races.
As the Chase begins, two RFK Racing teams will be vying for NASCAR's 2026 crown. Chris Buescher (10th) and Ryan Preece (16th) are both eying their first Cup Series championship.
NASCAR enters The Chase presented by Mobil 1 following a 2026 regular season marked by broad-based growth across nearly every key area of the business.
