Toyota Owners 400

Toyota Owners 400
NASCAR Cup Series
VenueRichmond Raceway
LocationRichmond, Virginia, United States
Corporate sponsorToyota
First race1953
Last race2024
Distance300 miles (480 km)
Laps400[1]
Stage 1: 80
Stage 2: 155
Final stage: 165
Previous namesRichmond 200 (1953, 1955–1957, 1960–1961)
Richmond 100 (1959)
Richmond 250 (1962–1968)
Richmond 500 (1969–1975)
Richmond 400 (1976–1983)
Miller High Life 400 (1984–1987)
Pontiac Excitement 400 (1988–2003)
Chevy American Revolution 400 (2004–2005)
Crown Royal 400 (2006)
Crown Royal presents the Your Name Here 400 (2007–2011)
Capital City 400 presented by Virginia is for Lovers (2012)
Most wins (driver)Richard Petty (6)
Most wins (team)Joe Gibbs Racing (11)
Most wins (manufacturer)Chevrolet (23)
Circuit information
SurfaceAsphalt
Length0.75 mi (1.21 km)
Turns4

The Toyota Owners 400 was a 400 lap NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. From 2007 to 2011, former race title sponsor Crown Royal named the race after the winner of an essay contest during Daytona Speedweeks. The winner of the first essay contest was Jim Stewart from Houma, Louisiana, with subsequent contests won by Dan Lowry of Columbiana, Ohio, and Russ Friedman of Huntington, New York,[2] with the 2010 race being named for Army veteran Heath Calhoun of Clarksville, Tennessee. Since 2010 only military service members have been eligible to win the contest.[3] Crown Royal moved the "Your Name Here" sponsorship to the Brickyard 400 beginning in 2012.

For several years, the race was held as a Sunday afternoon event the weekend after the Daytona 500 in February. Lights were installed at the facility in 1991, but the spring race remained during the day. Consistent cold weather, and even a snow delay in 1989, prompted track officials to move the race later in the spring. The race was moved around to May or June and permanently moved from Sunday afternoons to Saturday nights. After a few years, the race eventually fixed as a May race date by 1999. Starting in 2012, the race was held on the last Saturday in April, after the race switched dates with the spring Talladega race. The race returned to Sunday afternoon in 2016 but returned to Saturday night in 2018. The 2020 race was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, being replaced with a race at Darlington Raceway.[4] The race was removed from the schedule following 2024, as Richmond's spring race will move to Mexico City.[5]

2019 Toyota Owners 400, won by Martin Truex Jr.

Denny Hamlin is the final winner of the race.

  1. ^ "Stage lengths for 2021 NASCAR season". NASCAR. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  2. ^ "Fan crowned the winner of 'Your Name Here' contest for Richmond race" Archived February 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. February 28, 2008. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
  3. ^ "Crown Royal Honors America's Bravest for 2nd Year With Naming Rights to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race" Archived April 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. October 28, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  4. ^ Davis, Marc (March 16, 2020). "Spring race weekend at Richmond Raceway postponed". WWBT. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  5. ^ Albert, Zack (August 27, 2024). "Cup Series to make history with Mexico City event in 2025". NASCAR. Retrieved August 27, 2024.