Richmond Raceway

Richmond Raceway
"America's Premier Short Track"
"Strawberry Hill"
"Action Track"

Layout of the Richmond Raceway
LocationHenrico County, Virginia, United States
Time zoneUTC−5 (UTC−4 DST)
Coordinates37°35′30.08″N 77°25′15.28″W / 37.5916889°N 77.4209111°W / 37.5916889; -77.4209111
Capacity51,000[1]
OwnerNASCAR (2019–present)
International Speedway Corporation (1999–2019)
OperatorNASCAR (2019–present)
OpenedOctober 12, 1946; 78 years ago (1946-10-12)
Former namesRichmond International Raceway (1988–2017)
Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway (1969–1988)
Virginia State Fairgrounds (1964–1968)
Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds (1953–1963)
Atlantic Rural Exposition Fairgrounds (1946–1952)
Major eventsCurrent:
NASCAR Cup Series
Cook Out 400 (1958–present)
Toyota Owners 400 (1953, 1955–1957, 1959–2019, 2021–2024)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
ToyotaCare 250 (1982–1984, 1990–2020, 2022–2024)
Go Bowling 250 (1982–2021)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Worldwide Express 250 (1995–2005, 2020–present)
Former:
IndyCar Series
Indy Richmond 300 (2001–2009)
Websitewww.richmondraceway.com
D-Shaped Oval (1988–present)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length0.750 miles (1.207 km)
Turns4
Banking14° in turns
8° on frontstretch
2° on backstretch
Race lap record0:15.9368 seconds (169.423 mph) (United States Sam Hornish Jr., Dallara IR-03, 2004, IndyCar)

Richmond Raceway (RR) is a 0.750 mi (1.207 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It currently hosts one NASCAR Cup Series race weekend and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.[2] It formerly hosted events such as the NASCAR Xfinity Series, International Race of Champions, Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown, and the USAC sprint car series. Richmond Raceway's "D" shape allows drivers to reach high speeds.

Nicknamed the "Action Track" and "America's Premier Short Track", Richmond sold out 33 consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races before the streak ended in September 2008 due to the Great Recession as well as the impact of Tropical Storm Hanna.[3] Richmond has hosted the final "regular-season" race, leading up to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, each year since the format was introduced in 2004 until 2018 when its second weekend was moved into the playoffs. In 2022, their second race weekend was moved into the Summer. In 2025, the first race weekend was removed, with the Cup Series race moving to Mexico City.

Before 2019, the raceway had a track seating of 59,000.[1]

  1. ^ a b Page, Scott (January 27, 2019). "International Speedway Corporation continues to reduce track seating". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  2. ^ "NASCAR Truck Series returning to Richmond in April, 2020". Richmond Times-Dispatch. April 3, 2019.
  3. ^ "Hurricane Hanna Stalls Sellout Streak". Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2008.