Backstretch Motorsports

Ragan Looks for Strong Return to RIR

David Ragan, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, is looking forward to racing at Richmond this Saturday night following his season-best fourth place at Talladega last Sunday. Ragan, who grew up short-track racing in Georgia, says Richmond, which is a three-quarter-mile track, is like a bigger, faster short track.

DAVID RAGAN – No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion – “Richmond is an awesome race track. I love racing on Saturday night, racing underneath the lights. That’s always been one of my favorite race tracks growing up watching, because you could pass on the outside, you could run the bottom, 400 laps. It’s a good length, it’s not long race where you have to get out there and ride for a certain amount of time. You can race the whole race. Richmond is an awesome place to race. Plus, it’s close to home so you can be home just a couple of hours after the race, so just about everything about it is good.”

YOU GREW UP RACING ON SHORT TRACKS. DO YOU APPROACH RICHMOND LIKE A BIGGER, FASTER SHORT TRACK? OR, DO YOU APPROACH IT LIKE A SPEEDWAY WHERE YOU HAVE TO BE MORE CAREFUL IN THE CORNERS? “Short track that you can go fast on, definitely, because you’ve got to take care of your brakes, and you’ve got to take care of your car. You just can’t get out there and beat and bang, because you’ll get yourself in trouble and your car won’t perform like it would if it was a clean car. So, like I said, a lot of things about it are good. It’s really a fun track if you can get your car hooked up, and you can move around, pass a little bit. It’s a good place to race.”

Dale Jr. Looks to Find Victory Lane Again at Richmond

In 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded three wins. The 33-year-old driver scored his first and most recent RIR victories exactly six years apart — on May 6, 2000 and May 6, 2006, respectively. Earnhardt has led 322 laps around the track and recorded seven top-five finishes and nine top-10s.

“There is no reason why we shouldn’t show up at Richmond this week and run awesome. Short tracks like Richmond fit my driving style. I was used to running at places like Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway, and I’ve learned how to get around short tracks.”

Earnhardt’s 10th-place finish Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway marked his series-leading seventh top-10 result in nine races this season. He was two spots shy of having eight top-10s when he finished 12th at Texas Motor Speedway on April 6. In 2008, Earnhardt has an average start of 9.4 and an average finish of 10.4.

In 48 races at Richmond, Rick Hendrick’s teams have combined all-time for nine wins, 40 top-five finishes and 70 top-10s. Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, swept the track in 2007. He also claimed the fall pole position, while teammate Jeff Gordon took the May pole at Richmond. Hendrick drivers have finished outside of the top-10 just four times in the 48 events that have been held at the short track since 1984.

This month, the No. 88 Chevrolet will sport two popular paint schemes that ran in the early 1980s. At Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, the car will run the retro Mountain Dew paint scheme, which is similar to the one Darrell Waltrip drove to win 24 races and two championships (1981 and 1982). At the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevy will resemble the “Gray Ghost” that Buddy Baker drove to win the 1980 Daytona 500.

The angles are seemingly endless for this weekend’s race at Richmond International Raceway.

Here’s a “by the numbers” look at some of the things to watch for:
1 and 43 – Two finishing positions at Richmond during Jeff Burton’s career. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader, and Virginia native, has experienced both the highs and the lows at Richmond. He finished first in the fall of 1998 and last in the spring race of 2007.
6.5 – Denny Hamlin’s finishing position at Richmond. Richmond is Hamlin’s home track, and would be a most coveted victory. He’s come close a few times, finishing second in 2006 and third last season. Both finishes came in the spring race.
12 – Points position of Juan Pablo Montoya, the first time in the Colombian’s young NASCAR Sprint Cup career he’s been inside the Chase cutoff. His previous best position was 15th after the fourth race of 2007.
23 – The age Kyle Busch will turn on Friday. Busch, a six-time winner in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition, has won more races by the age of 23 than any driver in history. Busch is charging up the standings, too – only 22 points behind points leader Burton.
26 – This is race No. 10, but race No. 26 is also held at Richmond – and it’s arguably the most important race of the season. This weekend is a preview to the second Richmond race, the cut-off before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
71 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s race winless drought. This weekend’s race is the two-year anniversary of Earnhardt’s last win. It’s been 71 races since that visit to Victory Lane.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2008 Top 12 at Richmond International Raceway
Driver Races Poles Wins Top Fives Top 10s DNFs Average Finish Driver Rating

1 Jeff Burton 27 1 1 7 12 1 15.5 80.1
2 Kyle Busch 6 0 0 5 5 0 6.7 109.0
3 Dale Earnhardt, Jr 17 0 3 7 9 1 11.3 89.9
4 Denny Hamlin 4 1 0 2 3 0 6.5 111.3
5 Jimmie Johnson 12 2 2 3 3 1 17.8 84.9
6 Kevin Harvick 14 1 1 4 8 0 12.1 121.2
7 Clint Bowyer 4 0 0 0 2 0 10.8 88.8
8 Greg Biffle 11 1 0 2 5 1 16.0 93.2
9 Tony Stewart 18 0 3 6 12 2 11.8 102.2
10 Carl Edwards 7 0 0 0 2 1 20.6 77.2
11 Ryan Newman 12 1 1 4 7 0 11.1 95.4
12 Juan Pablo Montoya 2 0 0 0 0 1 33.5 63.0

Selected Driver Highlights – Richmond International Raceway-specific
Note: All driver statistics that follow are from Richmond International Raceway. The Loop Data statistics – Driver Rating, Average Running Position, etc. – in this release, however, cover the last six races at Richmond. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005.

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Dish Network Ford)
• Two top fives, five top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 16.0
• Average Running Position of 13.9, ninth-best
• Driver Rating of 93.2, eighth-best
• 81 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 118.612 mph, seventh-fastest
• 1,744 (72.7%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
• 113 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), tied for ninth-most

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• One win, two top fives, four top 10s
• Average finish of 18.1
• Average Running Position of 13.3, eighth-best
• Driver Rating of 100.8, fifth-best
• 187 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 118.715 mph, fifth-fastest
• 1,574 (65.6%) Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most
• 136 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), tied for third-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Pedigree Toyota)
• Five top fives
• Average finish of 6.2
• Average Running Position of 7.8, third-best
• Driver Rating of 109.0, third-best
• 163 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 118.779 mph, third-fastest
• 2,077 (86.5%) Laps in the Top 15, third-most
• 153 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Three wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 11.3
• Average Running Position of 12.9, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 89.9, 10th-best
• 96 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
• Series-high 334 Green Flag Passes
• 1,401 (58.4%) Laps in the Top 15, 10th-most
• 124 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• Two top fives, three top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 6.5
• Average Running Position of 6.0, second -best
• Driver Rating of 111.3, second-best
• 58 Fastest Laps Run, tied for 10th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 118.820 mph, second-fastest
• Series-best percentage of Laps in the Top 15 – 98.1% for a total of 1,570
• 104 Quality Passes (average of 26.0 per race), fourth-best average

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• One win, four top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 12.1
• Series-best Average Running Position of 5.6
• Series-best Driver Rating of 121.2
• Series-high 259 Fastest Laps Run
• Series-fastest Average Green Flag Speed of 118.997
• Series-high 2,267 (94.5%) Laps in the Top 15
• Series-high 166 Quality Passes

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
• One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 18.2
• Average Running Position of 15.5, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 97.9, sixth-best
• 216 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• 1,454 (60.6%) Laps in the Top 15, ninth-most
• 113 Quality Passes, tied for ninth-most

Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge)
• One win, four top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 11.1
• Average Running Position of 9.9, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 95.4, seventh-best
• 2,104 (87.7%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
• 136 Quality Passes, tied for third-most

Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota)
• Three wins, six top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.3
• Average Running Position of 9.6, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 102.2, fourth-best
• 130 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 118.775, fourth-fastest
• 1,903 (79.3%) Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
• 133 Quality Passes, fifth-most

At Richmond International Raceway:
History
• Richmond International Raceway held its first race in 1946 as a half-mile dirt track.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held on April 19, 1953.
• The track surface was changed from dirt to asphalt between spring and fall races in 1968.
• Track was re-measured to 0.542 miles in September 1969.
• The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond was Feb. 20, 1982.
• The track was rebuilt as a 0.750-mile D-shaped oval following the spring race on Feb. 21, 1988.
• The first race under lights was held Sept. 7, 1991.
• The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ran 11 races at Richmond between 1995 and 2005.
• The first season with both races as night races was 1999.

Notebook
• There have been 103 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond International Raceway since the track opened in 1953.
• Buck Baker won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole in 1953.
• Lee Petty won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race in April 1953.
• Davey Allison won the first race on the 0.75-mile layout from the Coors Light Pole in 1988.
• There have been 46 different pole winners led by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty (eight).
• Jeff Gordon (five) leads the active drivers with five poles.
• 44 different drivers have posted victories led by Richard Petty (13).
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart (three) lead the active race winners.
• Petty Enterprises has won 15 races at Richmond, more than any other organization.
• 59 of 103 races have been won from the top-five starting positions, including 21 from the pole. However, only four races on the 0.75-mile configuration have been won from the pole.
• The last 10 races have been won from the top 10.
• The furthest back in the field that a Richmond race winner started was 28th by Richard Petty in the 1971 spring race.
• The furthest back in the field that a race winner has started on the 0.75-mile configuration was 25th by Matt Kenseth in the 2002 fall race.
• Kyle Petty became the first third-generation NASCAR race winner when he won his first race – at Richmond – on February 23, 1986. Richard posted his first Richmond victory in 1961 and Lee won the very first Richmond race in 1953.
• There has been a different pole winner in each of the past 10 races at Richmond International Raceway.

The Local Flavor
• There have been 259 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Virginia:
• 355 NASCAR drivers have their home state recorded as Virginia.
• There have been 18 race winners from Virginia in NASCAR’s three national series:
Driver NSCS NNS NCTS
Joe Weatherly 25 0 0
Ricky Rudd 23 1 0
Jeff Burton 20 27 0
Curtis Turner 17 0 0
Ward Burton 5 4 0
Denny Hamlin 4 5 0
Glen Wood 4 0 0
Elliott Sadler 3 5 0
Emanuel Zervakis 2 0 0
Lennie Pond 1 0 0
Wendell Scott 1 0 0
Tommy Ellis 0 22 0
Jimmy Hensley 0 9 2
Rick Mast 0 9 0
Hermie Sadler 0 2 0
Elton Sawyer 0 2 0
Stacy Compton 0 0 2
Jon Wood 0 0 2

Richmond International Raceway Data
Race # 10 of 36 (5-3-08)
Track Size: .75 mile
• Banking/Corners: 14 degrees
• Banking/Frontstretch: 8 degrees
• Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees
• Frontstretch: 1,290 feet
• Backstretch: 860 feet

Driver Rating at Richmond
Kevin Harvick 121.2
Denny Hamlin 111.3
Kyle Busch 109.0
Tony Stewart 102.2
Kurt Busch 100.8
Kasey Kahne 97.9
Ryan Newman 95.4
Greg Biffle 93.2
Matt Kenseth 91.4
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 89.9
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2007 races (6 total) at Richmond.

Qualifying/Race Data
2007 pole winner: Jeff Gordon (126.251 mph, 21.386 seconds)
2007 race winner: Jimmie Johnson, 91.270 mph, 9-9-06)
Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers (129.983, 20.772 seconds, 5-14-04)
Track race record: Dale Jarrett (109.047 mph, 9-6-97)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 85-95 laps, based on fuel mileage