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.
Following a post-race incident on track, things escalated in the driver motorcoach lot between Richard Childress Racing and Turner-Scott Motorsports, resulting in two individuals being arrested.
Brad Keselowski won the 26th Annual ToyotaCare 250, his 21st victory in 196 NASCAR Nationwide Series races and his first victory of the season. Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers and Regan Smith rounded out the top 5.
Following his win at Kansas Speedway, NASCAR deemed Matt Kenseth's motor to be illegal. A connecting rod was found to be approximately 2.7 grams underweight when NASCAR weighed it during the tear down of the race winning No.20 car from Kansas. The other seven connecting rods were each a few grams to the good and perfectly legal.
Kaulig Racing's first technical director will replace Andrew Dickeson and work as Ty Dillon's interim crew chief at Martinsville and Homestead to cap off the 2026 Cup Series season.
Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team head to Martinsville Speedway, the Wood Brothers’ home track, carrying momentum from a strong second half of the NASCAR Cup Series season
Specialist suppliers stock everything from suspension bushings to full brake overhaul kits, and finding parts for a Porsche built in the 1980s is often cheaper than servicing a five-year-old family sedan at a dealership.
