NASCAR Cup Series

“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.

A statement from Richmond International Raceway President Dennis Bickmeier on the retirement announcement of Dale Earnhardt Jr.:

"I want to like Richmond," Buescher said. "I like the idea and I like short track racing. It’s a fun track, but I just haven’t run that well there and that bothers me. I’m going to try and work to make that better and I think our short track program at JTG Daugherty Racing is pretty good.

As Richmond International Raceway (Richmond) is making its final preparations for the upcoming Toyota race weekend on April 28, 29 & 30, America’s Premier Short Track announces its new public address (PA) team that will call the action to the fans in the stands for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race and the ToyotaCare 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race.

Richmond race fans are invited to Kroger Fan Fest at the Kroger store located in the Ridge Shopping Center at 1510 Eastridge Road on Thursday, April 27 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. The free event will include an appearance from AJ Allmendinger along with autograph signing, photo opportunities with fans and a shopping competition with FeedMore.