Results tagged “Richmond International Raceway” from Haddock in the Paddock

Kyle Busch was asked after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway if he saw how the fans in the stands reacted to the way the race unfolded.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Busch were fighting for the lead when Busch and Earnhardt Jr. collided. Earnhardt Jr. took the worst of the crash and had to pit for repairs. Busch was able to stay out on the track and finish second.
"They were going crazy and you see it, but you don't pay attention to it," said Busch about the fans in the stands. "I don't know why they were telling me I was number one, I was in second place. Clint Bowyer got the lead from me -- they were all confused I guess, too many old (Dale Earnhardt) Jr. Budweisers."
Busch said he doesn't expect much support or sympathy from Earnhardt Jr. fans after what happened at Richmond.
"Oh, yeah. I feel it's like that," said Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. "I mean, everybody probably is racing around the race track scared to death of wrecking Dale Earnhardt, Jr., so why wouldn't I be any different? You know that was just a product of good, hard racing. I apologize that's that happened, and I hated that it did. Fortunately he didn't get hurt and nothing like that happened, so he was able to continue."
By the way, Busch took over the lead in the Sprint Cup Series standings and Earnhardt Jr. remained in third.
"He'll see another day of racing," Busch said. "You know, to say that I took away a win away from him, you know, it's hard to say. And if I wanted to do it deliberately, I would have waited for the last lap where I probably could have still won the race. You know, there's a way that it happened and I hated that it did. We just didn't give each other enough room getting into turn three and, you know, I didn't -- I didn't feel like I slipped, but I mean, we just kind of banged simultaneously, and then that's when I got loose and got corrected and he was gone."

Jeff Burton finished 12th at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend, his first Cup finish outside the top 10 in his past seven races. It was a good enough finish to stay in first in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, but it did bunch up the leaders.
"I feel good about where we are," said Burton, driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. "I feel good about the work we're putting in to our race cars. I feel good that we're working hard to answer the challenge of being better as the year gets on. I can't ask for a whole lot more from my team and I can't ask for a whole lot more from myself."
The car his team is bringing to Richmond International Raceway is the same car that won the Cup race at Bristol. It was Burton's only win of the season. The car also raced three times last year, its best finish a ninth-place at Phoenix.
"We have to make sure we're efficient and we have to make sure we continue to improve," Burton said. "If we do those things and have some fortune, then it can be our year. We can't control what our competition is doing. Maybe they learn more than we do, I don't know. We can only control what we do and hopefully we're responding to the areas that we need to be stronger in. If we continue to do that then we'll be alright."

Kyle Busch is closing in on Jeff Burton. After winning the race in Talladega last weekend, Busch is 22 points out of first in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.
Busch now has two wins and his record at Richmond would indicate he is primed for another.
In six career Cup races at Richmond International Raceway, Busch has five top fives, including two second-place finishes. But he has never won a Cup race at Richmond.
"We've definitely had some good times here at Richmond. We've been able to lead some laps and have some really good finishes. Haven't quite pulled out a win yet, but it would be fun to do this weekend," said Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. "We've got some new colors with the Pedigree car this weekend, so that would be awesome to bring home a win for another one of our sponsors."
Busch qualified seventh for the Richmond race in the same car he raced at Martinsville earlier this year. He finished the Martinsville race in 38th.
He was second and led 27 laps in last year's fall race at Richmond. But that was when he was driving for Hendrick Motorsports. This will be his first time at Richmond in a Toyota from Joe Gibbs Racing.
"We'll just have to wait and see what we've got when we unload the car," Busch said. "We're bringing the same car from Martinsville, with a few changes of course."

Denny Hamlin's been on the move. He's in the top five in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings for the first time this year and his team is hoping the car that won in Martinsville a couple of weeks ago has some magic left in it for the Cup race at Richmond International Raceway.
Hamlin, who won the pole for the Richmond race, has not finished outside the top five in his past four races. That includes a win at Martinsville and two third-place finishes at Phoenix and last week at Talladega.
"It's fun to go to the track and hop in a really competitive car and see that you are racing with Tony (Stewart) and Kyle (Busch) because they are sitting in great equipment too," said Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. "With Richmond and Darlington coming up we have some good opportunities to keep this momentum and carry it on to Pocono and Indy and hopefully all the way through to the fall."
Hamlin's record at Richmond has been good. In four career Cup races, he has three top 10s, two top fives and his worst finish has been 15th in the fall race in 2006, when he won his first career Cup pole at Richmond.
"I think if anything, you want to win more and more the more times you come here," said Hamlin, a Virginia native. "The fans here are the best and they have been really supportive from day one and when we all celebrated some of the milestones -- like making the Chase and winning a pole -- here together. Winning the pole here was a real highlight for me, I would put it up with any win. There is just something about running well at your home track -- it just means more."

Maybe Richmond will be the race Dale Earnhardt Jr. snaps his winless streak. Richmond International Raceway was the site of Earnhardt Jr.'s first win, May 6, 2000, and the site of his last win, May 6, 2006.
Then again, Talladega was supposed to be the track that got Earnhardt Jr. back to his winning ways. It didn't work out quite that way. Kyle Busch won and Earnhardt Jr. finished a strong 10th, good enough to stay in the hunt for the top spot in the Sprint Cup Series standings, but far from winning a race.
Still, Richmond has some good memories for Earnhardt Jr.
"You always remember your first win and hope it's not your last," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "The last time I won was at Richmond seems like forever ago, but I try not to think about it. I don't want to be thinking of how long it's been since a win. Knowing we have a shot at it every week and something or another happens can make it frustrating. We couldn't be doing anything different to prepare -- the team and everyone at Hendrick has been working so hard. It will happen."
The car his team is bringing to Richmond is the same car Earnhardt Jr. raced at Phoenix in April. He finished seventh in that race.
"There is no reason why we shouldn't show up at Richmond this week and run awesome," Earnhardt Jr. said. "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."

Jimmie Johnson has won the past two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond International Raceway and the car his team is bringing has never finished worse than sixth.
"I'm excited to go to Richmond," said Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "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."
The car he will be racing at Richmond has two wins, at Martinsville in October and Phoenix in November last year. In its most recent race, it finished fourth at Martinsville in March and was sixth last September at New Hampshire.
Johnson qualified 12th for the race at Richmond. He said he feels like his team had a strong practice, especially in race trim.
"We were very pleased with the car," Johnson said. "I like to stay a little hesitant, it keeps me on my toes and it keeps the team on its toes. We don't have much extra patience that way but I feel like we'll be in great shape."