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2008 Schedule
Race Previews & Results
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How Does NASCAR Qualifying Work?
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Daytona 500
Auto Club 500
UAW-Dodge 400
Kobalt Tools 500
Food City 500
Goody's Cool Orange 500
Samsung 500
Subway Fresh 500
Aaron's 499
Crown Royal 400
Dodge Avenger 500
Sprint All-Star Challenge
Coca Cola 600
Autism Speaks 400
Pocono 500
LifeLock 400
Save Mart 350
Lenox Tools 300
Coke Zero 400
LifeLock.com 400
Allstate 400
Pennsylvania 500
Centurion Boats at The Glen
3M Performance 400
Sharpie 500
Pepsi 500
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Track Facts:
Banking/Turns: 14°
Distance: 0.75 miles
Shape: D-shaped oval
Crown Royal 400
Saturday, May 3
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, VA 23222
Saturday, 7:00 p.m. EST
Schedule
Final Practice
11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. EST, Friday, May 2
Qualifying
5:40 p.m., Two laps all positions, Friday, May 2
Race Day Saturday, May 3
7:00 p.m. EST Saturday
TV: FOX 7:00 p.m. EST start (coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. EST)
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), XM Radio
2007 winner: Jimmie Johnson
Check the SPEED Channel schedule (speedtv.com) for various programs on the race this weekend.
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Race Qualifying
1. Denny Hamlin, Toyota
2. Mark Martin, Chevrolet
3. Martin Truex, Jr., Chevrolet
4. Patrick Carpentier, Dodge
5. Reed Sorenson, Dodge
39. Bobby Labonte, Dodge
42. Kyle Petty, Dodge
Denny Hamlin, who is from nearby Chesterfield, Virginia, took the top spot in qualifying for the Crown Royal presents the Dan Lowry 400 at the Richmond International Raceway (RIR). NASCAR veteran Mark Martin and Martin Truex, Jr. round out the top-three qualifiers.
RIR is the third short track of the season. However, its ¾ mile layout is the biggest and fastest of those types of tracks. It routinely produces the fender-banging, side-by-side racing that makes short track racing one of the most popular disciplines on the circuit.
Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Dodge team will roll off from the 39th position for tomorrow night’s event. The team is sporting the colors of the upcoming movie “Speed Racer,” which will hit theaters on May 9. Labonte was happy with his car during the two-hour practice session and was looking for a top-15 start. However he, like other drivers in the qualifying session, failed to find enough grip to lay down a fast lap. The car was good on long runs during practice and that should bode well for the team tomorrow night.
“We just had no grip in qualifying and you can’t run a fast lap at Richmond without being able to come up off the corner,” said Labonte. “But tomorrow is a night race, so grip should not be a problem. The car was comfortable and good on long runs in practice. It should be good tomorrow night.”
Kyle Petty and the No. 45 Dodge will start tomorrow’s race from the 42nd position. The No. 45 team went to the Iowa Speedway, a .875-mile oval similar to RIR, early this week to test their setup for this weekend. It paid off as Petty will start his second consecutive race.
“Hopefully this is building some momentum and confidence in this No. 45 team,” said Petty. “This is a good team and we’re going to work as hard as we can to make these races. This was the first scheduled race for the Paralyzed Veterans of America and I’m thrilled to be able to race their colors tomorrow night because this is their home track.”
Saturday night’s race will be televised live on FOX and broadcast live on MRN Radio and Sirius NASCAR Channel 128. Pre-race coverage is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. EST.
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Race Results
RACE RESULTS:
1. Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet
2. Kyle Busch, Toyota
3. Mark Martin, Chevrolet
4. Tony Stewart, Toyota
5. Martin Truex, Jr., Chevrolet
13. Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Speed Racer/Cheerios Dodge
27. Kyle Petty, No. 45 Paralyzed Veterans of America Dodge
Clint Bowyer picked up his second career Cup victory in Saturday night’s Crown Royal presents the Dan Lowry 400 at the Richmond International Raceway (RIR). Kyle Busch brought his car home in second place. He will take the over the point’s standings heading into this weekend’s race in Darlington, S.C.
The race was highlighted by two late race cautions that spoiled the chances of two front-running cars. Hometown driver Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. both saw the checkered flag slip away due to misfortune. The two drivers would combine to lead a total of 396 out of the 400 laps.
Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Speed Racer/Cheerios Dodge team finished a very respectable 13th in Saturday night’s event. As has been the norm this year, Labonte’s crew used hard work to give the 2000 Sprint Cup champion a car that he could use to race hard. Shortly after the green flag fell, Labonte radioed that the car would not turn in the middle of the corner and he lost a lap early on. Crew chief Jeff Meendering began to adjust the car on the following pit stops and by lap 180, Labonte was one of the five fastest cars on the track.
Good pit stops and a fast car usually mesh well with a talented driver. This was the case as Labonte got his lap back on a lap 260 caution. Around lap 313, Labonte was the fastest car on the track and he was carving his way through the field with the skill of a surgeon. Had it not been for the late race cautions, Labonte could have driven into the top-10 because his car was much better than many of the cars on the track on long runs. However, the 13th place finish will give the No. 43 team a shot in the arm as the series enters the second quarter of the season. As a result, Labonte moved up four spots and is now 18th in the point’s standings.
“We weren’t very good at the start of the race,” said Labonte. “The car just felt completely different than it did in practice and you have to attribute that to the race being at night, whereas practice was under the sun. It was an impound race so the car was basically the same. But we worked hard and came out with a top-15. That was a decent night for us.”
Kyle Petty and the No. 45 Dodge team finished 27th in the event. The veteran racer was making his 53rd start at RIR. He used his experience to get the most out of a car that was not driving the way he would have liked. His solid finish moved Petty up three spots in the point’s standings.
“I agree with my teammate that the cars were just way different from practice to the race,” sounded Petty. We were happy with the car in practice, but it seemed like I jumped in a different car tonight. With these cars, once you get away from the setup that you need, you have to swing big on your adjustments. We made some big adjustments and the car was okay at the end.”
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will visit the Darlington (S.C.) Raceway next weekend for a Saturday night event. The race will be broadcast on FOX, the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.
Last update Thursday, May 22, 2008
Kyle Petty name and/or likeness used under license by Petty Marketing Company, L.L.C.
Richard Petty name and/or likeness used under license by Petty Marketing Company, L.L.C.
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