RICHMOND, Va., Saturday, June 28, 2008 - Tony Kanaan claimed his first victory of the 2008 IndyCar Series season, winning the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway by 4.7691 seconds over Helio Castroneves.
Kanaan, starting from the pole, led 166 of the 300 laps to claim his 13th career victory and his first since Belle Isle in September 2007.
RICHMOND, Va., Friday, June 27, 2008 - Tony Kanaan won the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award presented by Advance Auto Parts for Saturday’s SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway.
The Andretti Green Racing driver recorded a four-lap qualifying effort of 1 minute, 4.3333 seconds, 167.876 mph in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven machine. The pole is Kanaan’s second of the season and the 10th of his IndyCar Series career.
“…they were just racing so hard there and you knew it was going to happen. I just took advantage of a misfortune right there.” — Clint Bowyer
“…he is going to need some security.” — Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the Jr.Nation’s feelings toward Kyle Busch
It just writes itself, this racing biz. Last night being the prime example. It was Richmond, the little track that provides — for it’s fans, for the drivers, for the teams — it provides good racing and it provides the “more than occasional” controversy.
Nobody is guaranteed anything — not even Dale Jr.
Denny Hamlin won the Lipton Tea 250, his sixth victory in 97 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. Hamlin scorres his first victory at his ‘hometown’ track and fourth top-10 finish in seven races at Richmond International Raceway.
This is his first victory and fourth top-10 finish in six races in 2008. He became the third different driver to win for Joe Gibbs Racing this season – all three have won at least one race in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Chesterfield, Virginia rests just a mere 15 minutes or so from Richmond International Raceway. Chesterfield is the hometown of Denny Hamlin. Hamin considers RIR his hometown track.
So with friends and family in the stands and in force cheering the hometown boy on, Hamlin put his No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry from Joe Gibbs Racing on the pole for Saturday night’s Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 Sprint Cup race.
On his second lap in Friday’s time trials, Hamlin toured the .75-mile “D”-shaped short track in 21.395 seconds tearing off a lap at 126.198 mph to edge Mark Martin . Martin, who had gone out early in the session, had covered the distance in 21.423 seconds.
Defending Richmond Winner Bowyer Arrives Atop Standings
JGR: Crew Chiefs Setting The Organization Apart in 2008
Series-Only Regulars Make Up Half Of Top 10
Bowyer Is Standings Leader, Defending Winner Coming To Richmond
It seems like Clint Bowyer (No. 2 BB&T Chevrolet) is getting all breaks this season.
Despite a 25th-place finish due to an early accident at Talladega Superspeedway — where he went in leading defending series champion Carl Edwards (No. 60 Scotts Ford) by nine points — Bowyer managed to increase that lead to 27 points thanks to Edwards’ first DNF of the season.
Jimmie Johnson and Team Lowe’s Racing are looking to make it three-in-a-row at Richmond International Raceway (RIR) this weekend as they vie for another victory at the .75-mile track.
In addition to his two wins, Johnson has collected three top-five finishes and two poles in his 12 career Cup starts at RIR.
JIMMIE JOHNSON ON THE RICHMOND RACE: “I’m excited to go to Richmond. We’ve won the last two there and that’s been one of my toughest tracks. So I’m really excited to go back. Our short track program is working really well for us and hopefully we can visit victory lane again.”
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.”
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