When it comes to the history of Richmond International (Va.) Raceway, drivers at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) have played a role at one time or another.
SHR co-owner Tony Stewart, who is sidelined with a leg injury, scored his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at the .75-mile oval in September 1999.
Mark Martin, who is subbing for Stewart, started on the pole and finished seventh – his first career top-10 – in September 1981 at Richmond. That was back when Richmond was a half-mile oval, before the current configuration was completed in 1988.
Ryan Newman scored a victory at Richmond in September 2003 and also won the pole for the September 2004 event.
While Stewart, Martin and Newman made their mark in the Sprint Cup Series, Danica Patrick’s familiarity to Richmond fans might be more so in open-wheel competition.
The IZOD IndyCar Series competed at Richmond from 2001 to 2009 and Patrick competed in five of those events. She finished sixth in 2007 and 2008 and then scored a fifth-place result in 2009.
Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for SHR, will make her second trip to Richmond in the Sprint Cup Series for Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400. In her first Sprint Cup race at the .75-mile oval in April, she started 30th and finished 29th.
While she knows her IndyCar experience at Richmond won’t assist her this weekend, she’s hoping a productive Sprint Cup test two weeks ago will. She and Martin split time in the GoDaddy Chevrolet and hope their combined efforts lead to a good finish Saturday night.
TSC PR
