The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues this weekend at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia with the ninth race of 2018.
Here’s a quick look at some interesting statistics and tidbits heading into race day.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (Toyota Owners 400; 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday, April 21)
Statistics – Richmond International Raceway
- This weekend’s race marks the 300th for the series in the state of Virginia (second of the season) and the 124th at Richmond International Raceway. Red Byron won the inaugural race in Virginia at Martinsville Speedway in 1949, while Lee Petty was victorious on the original Richmond track, a half-mile dirt track, on April 19, 1953.
- Davey Allison won the first race on the current, three-quarter mile paved track, on September 11, 1988.
- The winner of the most series races at Richmond International Raceway is Richard Petty, who owns 13 of his 2000 career victories at the track. His last victory came on the .542-mile track in the 1975 spring race. Petty also won seven consecutive races at Richmond, between the 1970 and 1973 fall races.
- Overall, a total of 50 drivers have won a Cup Series race at Richmond. Kyle Larson became the 50th with his victory in the 2017 fall race. It marked Larson’s fifth and most recent victory and only win on a track not measuring two miles (won three races at Michigan and one at Fontana, both two miles in length).
- Thirteen drivers have won at least one race at Richmond International Raceway and gone on to win the series championship in the same season: Tim Flock (1955); Buck Baker (1956); Joe Weatherly (1962, 1963); David Pearson (1966, 1968, 1969); Richard Petty (1967 twice, 1971 twice, 1972 twice, 1974, 1975); Cale Yarborough (1976, 1977); Darrell Waltrip (1981, 1985); Bobby Allison (1983 twice); Dale Earnhardt (1987 twice, 1990, 1991); Rusty Wallace (1989 twice); Dale Jarrett (1999); Tony Stewart (2002); and Jimmie Johnson (2007 twice, 2008).
- The last driver to win consecutive races at Richmond is Jimmie Johnson, who swept the two races in 2007.
- Six drivers have swept the Richmond races since the track began hosting two races a season: David Pearson (1966); Richard Petty (1967, 1971, 1972, 1973); Bobby Allison (1983); Dale Earnhardt (1987); Rusty Wallace (1989); and Jimmie Johnson (2007).
- Richard Petty holds the record for most consecutive victories at the track with seven (1970 fall to 1973 fall).
- Kyle Busch is the last driver to win back-to-back spring races at Richmond, when he won four straight in the event from 2009 and 2012.
- The average starting position of a race winner at Richmond International Raceway is 6.98.
- The average number of lead changes per race is 12.26.
- The average number of cars per race is 34.10.
- A total of 29,781 miles have been completed at Richmond. The completion of the 306th lap would put the number of miles completed at 30,000. Interestingly enough, the series also completed 30,000 miles all-time at Bristol last weekend.
- RIR started as a half-mile dirt track before it was paved during the 1968 season. Races for the next 20 years were contested on fifth-eighths of a mile, a half mile and .542 miles before the reconfiguration to a three-quarter mile track occurred for the fall race of the 1988 season. Races of 400 laps, 300 miles have been the norm since, with only one abbreviated race and three overtime races over the 59 races on the three-quarter track.
- Since the conversion to the three-quarter mile track, here are some of the driver records:
- Races Contested: 59
- Laps Contested: 23,220
- Most Wins: Rusty Wallace – 6 (tied for third among all drivers in all races)
- Drivers to Have Led One Race: 84
- Races Led: Jeff Gordon – 28
- Laps Led: Rusty Wallace – 2,934
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