YearEventPole winnerRace winner
1953Richmond 200Buck BakerLee Petty
1955Richmond 200N/ATim Flock
1956Richmond 200Buck BakerBuck Baker
1957Richmond 200Russ HeplerPaul Goldsmith
1958Capital City 200Speedy ThompsonSpeedy Thompson
1959Richmond 200Buck BakerTom Pistone
Capital City 200Cotton OwensCotton Owens
1960Richmond 300Ned JarrettLee Petty

Toyota driver Brian Vickers sits 13th in the points standings with one regular-season race remaining. When the Chase contender is not racing, he travels the world with extreme athletes. Brian Vickers wants no confusion about his objective when he’s behind the wheel of his No. 83 Red Bull Sprint Cup car. “I want to win races really, really bad,“ he said.

Ideally, Doc Jernigan and his safety crew won’t be seen this weekend at Richmond International Raceway. But should a crash, oil spill or other potentially dangerous event occur, they’ll be right there to clean up the mess.

While the traditional IndyCar Series at Richmond International Raceway date remains open on the 2010 IRL schedule, it won’t be filled by any last-minute agreement between the two parties. However, both entities are open to discussions about 2011 for what would be a 10th visit here from the series. “We love that place. We love the market,“ said Indy Racing League commercial division President Terry Angstadt by phone late last week. “We have a lot of great fans. . . . it’s a hotbed of motorsports there.

NASCAR officials have struggled the past year to keep cash-strapped companies from bailing out of sponsorship deals. As a result, they have ventured outside the box to secure new partnerships. While officials at Richmond International Raceway acknowledged earlier this year that it’s possible General Motors may not sponsor the fall Sprint Cup event after its contract expires this year, they announced yesterday a sponsorship deal with the Virginia College Savings Plan for entitlement rights for the Sept. 11 Nationwide race at RIR.

Spinning through the corners at RIR, an IndyCar driver feels a force on his body equal to five times his body weight—more than any other stop on tour, and more than NASCAR drivers feel on the track. “Think about the tallest, fastest roller coaster you’ve ever been on, and multiply that by two,“ Tony Kanaan said. “That’s what it feels like in Richmond.“

Brian Tyler will celebrate his victory in yesterday’s Silver Crown Series race by buying a cow—and he’ll name it Richmond. Tyler, a longtime racing veteran and amateur farmer in Charlotte, has three cows now, the other two named Springfield and DuQuoin, after the cities in Illinois where he picked up other victories. In the USAC James River Grounds 100, Tyler picked up his second victory in Richmond, and for the veteran, it wasn’t a matter of outsmarting the young drivers but letting them outsmart themselves.

Cautions: Lap 1-8, Jaques Lazier spins out, leaves the race. Laps 27-38, Ryan Briscoe spins out, leaves the race.
  One up: Danica Patrick moves from her 10th starting position into third, and it looks to be a strong night ahead for Andretti Green racing. Teammate Hideki Mutoh is in the lead.
  One down: Points leader Ryan Briscoe never felt good about his car

FRIDAY 10:30 a.m.: Grandstands and ticket window open 10:45-11:45: USAC Sprint Car practice 11:45-12:45 p.m.: USAC Silver Crown practice 1-1:30: IndyCar practice (rookies and outside top 10 in points) 1:30-2:30: IndyCar practice (all cars) 2: Suites open 2:40: USAC Silver Crown qualifying 3:40: USAC Sprint Car qualifying 4:45: USAC Silver Crown last chance 5:30-7: IndyCar qualifying 7:30-8:30: IndyCar autograph session 9-9:30: IndyCar practice 9:45: USAC Sprint Car race (60 laps) SATURDAY 10 a.m.-7 p.m.: Fan Fest open 11 a.m.: Ticket windows open 2 p.m.: Grandstands and suites open 3:30-3:45: USAC Silver Crown practice 5:45: USAC Silver Crown prerace 6:15: USAC Silver Crown race (100 laps) 8: IndyCar prerace 8:30: IndyCar SunTrust Indy Challenge (300 laps, 225 miles)

A Tennessee-based fair operator that planned a 10-day event at the Richmond Raceway Complex next month has canceled its plans.

Helio Castroneves has won two of the past three IndyCar Series races—including a third triumph in the Indianapolis 500. Still, the Brazilian came to Richmond International Raceway yesterday hoping to catalog engine and tire data that could give him an advantage during the ninth running of the SunTrust Indy Challenge on June 27. Castroneves, along with Penske Racing teammate Ryan Briscoe, spent much of the afternoon testing their Honda-powered cars amid the scorching heat on the three-quarter mile racetrack that is among the most challenging venues on the Indy Racing League schedule.

Consistency has become too important to NASCAR. The holy grail in NASCAR is the Sprint Cup points championship. In order to compete for the grail, drivers must rank among the top 12 after 26 races. They then spend 10 races running for the Cup while the others get in the way. Too much emphasis is placed on top 10 finishes in Races 1 through 26, and not enough is placed on winning.

Some might consider Jimmie Johnson a lock to win his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship. Besides, he’s a position better than he was a year ago following a disappointing 30th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway.

Again, Denny Hamlin was the rabbit in a distance race. Hamlin, as he did last year at Richmond International Raceway, showed the way last night in the Crown Royal Presents Russ Friedman 400. In the end, Kyle Busch proved again he’s fast becoming the premier Sprint Cup closer. Busch survived a record-tying 15 cautions to capture the Richmond trifecta—Nationwide, Sprint Cup and the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at Southside Speedway.

For most NASCAR tailgaters, a sturdy flatbed and an endless cooler of beverages are the only requirements. But Kent Kannegieter and his group of buddies had another priority—their own bathroom. “It’s just downright convenient,“ said Kannegieter, a Henrico County resident, of the portable john stationed on the back of friend Dave Resnick’s truck.