NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Information, Links and News

THE RACE: Federated Auto Parts 400

TRACK: Richmond International Raceway

NASCAR Sprint Cup Race #26 of 36 for the 2012 season
The FINAL Race to the Chase

Updated: often, leading up to the race

Jumps to sections on this page:
Event Sched | Purse/Race Awards | TV / Re-airs | Radio
Practice/Qual Times | Rundown of Race/Results | Entry/Practice/Qualifying
Track/Race Info | Local Newspapers/TV | Local TV
Weather | Camping | Paint Schemes
Chassis | Goodyear Notes | Odds


Race: Saturday, September 8, 2012 in Richmoind, VA

Title Sponsor: Federated Auto Parts

Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 7:43pm/et


Television Coverage/Re-air/TV Team

  • NASCAR Countdown Pre-race: ABC - 7:00pm/et

  • Television Race Coverage: ABC, 7:30pm/et

  • In the Booth: Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree
    Pit Reporters: Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch
    NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe, Brad Daugherty, Rusty Wallace, Ray Evernham

  • SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 5:00 pm/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace

  • Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times: Sunday, Septmber 9 at 4:00am/et on ESPN2
    Wednesday, Septmber 12 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

  • TV Listings, Links and Info:
    Jayski's TV Listings Page
    ESPN Network Schedules
    SPEED TV Schedule
    NASCAR on TV
    TV Racer


Radio Coverage


EVENT SCHEDULE
(Sprint Cup Series)

Times are local to the Track

Thursday, September 6

7:00 pm NSCS Haulers Enter

Friday, September 7

7:00 am NSCS Garage Opens
11:00 am NSCS Rookie & Spotter Meeting / Random Drawing
12:10 - 2:00 pm NSCS Practice
2:45 - 3:30 pm NSCS Final Practice
5:35 pm NSCS Qualifying
8:30 pm NSCS Garage Closes

Saturday, September 8

1:30 pm NSCS Garage Opens
5:30 pm NSCS Driver / Crew Chief Meeting
7:00 pm NSCS Driver Intoductions
7:30 pm NSCS Federated Auto Parts 400 Race

NSCS = Sprint Cup Series
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Times are local to the Track


PRACTICE & QUALIFYING
Dates / Times / TV coverage

(times in eastern time)
  • Practices:
    Friday, September 7, 12:10 - 2:00 pm/et, TV-ESPN2

  • Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Friday, September 7, 2:45 - 3:30pm/et, TV-ESPN2

  • Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Friday, September 7 at 5:35 pm/et, TV-ESPN2, no re-air scheduled.


PURSE/RACE AWARD

2012: $5,120,084
2011: $5,008,697
2010: $5,052,458
2009: $5,196,568
2008: $5,157,089
2007: $5,057,510
2006: $4,955,081
2005: $4,875,701
2004: $4,860,973
2003: $4,450,856
2002: $3,841,298


TRACK/RACE NEWS

  • Track Specifications:
    Race Length: 400 laps, 300 miles
    Track Length: 0.75 mile oval, measured 13 1/2 feet in from SAFER Barrier
    Track Width: 60 feet with 10-foot apron
    Banking: turns: 14 degrees; frontstretch 8 degrees; backstretch 2 degrees
    Straights: Backstretch - 860 feet; Frontstretch - 1290 feet
    Pit Road: 64-foot width, 43 concrete pit stalls, each measuring 28'x19'
    Pit Road Speed: 45mph
    Pace Car Speed: 50mph
    Seating Capacity: 97,912 was 112,029
    Attendence 2012: 89,000
    Attendence 2011: 88,000
    Attendence 2010: 93,000
    Attendence 2009: 108,000
    Attendence 2008: 110,000
    Attendence 2007: 112,079
    Opened: 1946 (First NASCAR race was 1953)
    Last Repaved: Fall of 2003

  • Race Festivities/Officials:
    Grand Marshal: Roy Kent, president of Federated Auto Parts Distributors
    Command to start engines: Roy Kent
    Invocation: Rev Joe Ellison, Virginia Christian Alliance
    Pledge of Allegiance: led by U.S. Marine Sgt. John Peck and VA Olympians
    God Bless America: "The Singing Policeman," Danny Rodriguez
    National Anthem: 29th Division Band, Virginia Army National Guard
    Military Flyover: VAW-124 E-2 Hawkeyes, Naval Station Norfolk (didn't happen/storms)

  • Track Websites:
    Richmond International Raceway
    ISC Motorsports
    Richmond International Raceway - Facebook
    Richmond International Raceway - Twitter

  • September 2011: see my Richmond Race Info page

  • April 2012: see my Richmond Race Info page

  • September 2011 Race Winner: #29-Kevin Harvick, 89.910mph, started 7th

  • April 2012 Race Winner: #18-Kyle Busch, 105.202mph, started 5th

  • Track Race Record: Dale Jarrett, Sept 1997, 109.047mph

  • Slowest Race Record: Tony Stewart, 86.824mph, 5/2002

    (since track was reconfigured for the Sept 1988 race)

  • Oldest Winner: Harry Gant, 51 years, 7 months, 28 days, Sept 1991

  • Youngest Winner: Richard Petty, 23 years, 9 months, 21 days, April 1961

  • September 2011 Pole Sitter: #00-David Reutimann, 127.383, finished 28th

  • May 2012 Pole Sitter: #55-Mark Martin, 128.327mph, finished 8th

  • Track Qualifying Record: Brian Vickers, May 2004, 129.983mph

  • Worst Starting Spot to Win: Clint Bowyer, May 2008, started 31st

  • Oldest Pole Winner: Mark Martin, 53 years, 3 months, 19 days, 4/27/2012

  • Youngest Pole Winner: Brian Vickers, 20 years, 6 months, 21 days, 5/15/2004

  • The Numbers for The Federated Auto Parts 400:
    1 - fewest cautions (three times, most recent, 3/1/70)
    1 - fewest cars on lead lap at finish (22 times, most recent 10/12/75)
    2 - fewest leaders (six times, most recent 2/23/75)
    2 - fewest lead changes (seven times, most recent 2/23/75)
    4 - fewest laps led by race winner (Kyle Petty, 2/23/86)
    5 - number of jet dryers available for track drying this weekend
    6 - fewest caution laps (6/5/60)
    12 - most leaders (four times, most recent 5/6/07)
    13 - most wins by driver (Richard Petty)
    15 - most cautions (three times, most recent 9/10/11)
    22 - wins from the pole; 35 from the front row (112 races)
    25 - most lead changes (twice, most recent 3/3/96)
    32 - most cars on lead lap at finish (9/7/08)
    43 - most running at finish (9/7/08)
    47 - different race winners
    50 - different pole winners
    90 minutes - amount of time it takes to dry the .75-mile track after a significant rainfall
    123 - most caution laps (two times, most recent 9/8/74)
    276 - number of Sprint Cup Series races in state of Virginia at nine tracks
    488 - most laps led by race winner (9/13/70 - Richard Petty - 500-lap race)
    Key RIR Dates
    1946 - Ted Horn won the first race on half-mile dirt track (10/12/46) in open-wheel car
    1953 - Lee Petty won the first NASCAR Grand National Division, now Sprint Cup, race on the half-mile dirt track (4/19/53).
    1955 - Paul Sawyer and driver Joe Weatherly purchased the track
    1964 - race was run under temporary lights on a Tuesday night (3/10/64)
    1968 - last race on dirt track won by David Pearson (3/24/68)
    1968 - first race on paved track won by Richard Petty (9/8/68)
    1969 -- track remeasured from .625-mile to .5625-mile; remeasured from .5625-mile to .5-mile; remeasured again from .5-mile to .542-mile prior to the first race of 1970
    1988 - track reconfigured to its current .75-mile layout
    1991 - permanent lighting added prior to fall event won by Harry Gant (9/7/91)
    1999 - International Speedway Corporation (ISC) acquired track
    2012 Caution Update
    1 - fewest cautions this season (Fontana)
    7 - races extended beyond scheduled distance (Daytona1, Martinsville, Talladega, Darlington, Sonoma, Michigan2, and Atlanta)
    13 - most cautions this season (Bristol2)
    142 - cautions in the first 25 races of 2012; includes 70 for accidents, 36 for debris and 14 for spins
    746 of 6,864 - laps under caution in 2012
    1,069.332 of 9,412.536 - miles under caution in the first 25 races
    (Darnell Communications for SRT Motorsports and Dodge)(9-8-2012)

  • Facts and Notes Richmond International Raceway:
    " Originally known as the Atlantic Rural Exposition Fairgrounds, Richmond International Raceway held its first race in 1946 as a half-mile dirt track.
    " The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was April 19, 1953.
    " The spring 1964 race was run on a Tuesday night under temporary lighting.
    " The track name changed to Virginia State Fairgrounds in 1967.
    " The track surface was changed from dirt to asphalt between races in 1968.
    " The track name changed to Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in 1969.
    " The track was re-measured to .542-mile for 1970.
    " The track was rebuilt as a three-quarters-mile D-shaped oval following the Feb. 21, 1988 race.
    " The first race under permanent lights was Sept. 7, 1991.
    " The first season with both races as night races was 1999.
    " There have been 112 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Richmond since the track opened in 1953.
    " The current 400-lap race length was established on the .542-mile measurement in March 1976.
    " Buck Baker won the pole in 1953.
    " Lee Petty won the first race in April 1953.
    " There have been 50 different pole winners, led by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty (eight).
    " Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin lead all active drivers with five poles each.
    " 47 different drivers have posted victories at Richmond, led by Richard Petty (13).
    " Kyle Busch leads all active race winners with four.
    " Petty Enterprises has won 15 races at Richmond, more than any other team. Hendrick Motorsports has the second most wins with 10.
    " 63 of 112 races have been won from the top five starting positions, including 22 from the pole.
    " The last driver to win from the pole was Kyle Busch on May 1, 2010.
    " The furthest back in the field a race winner has started was 31st, by Clint Bowyer in the 2008 spring race.
    " Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch (4.7), Denny Hamlin (7.3) are the only active drivers with an average finish in the top 10.
    " Kyle Petty became the first third-generation NASCAR race winner when he won his first race at Richmond, on Feb. 23, 1986. Richard Petty posted his first Richmond victory in 1961 and Lee Petty won the very first Richmond race in 1953.
    " Three of the last five races have had a margin of victory less than one second.
    Four drivers have come from outside the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cut-off to make the Chase at Richmond:
    " Jeremy Mayfield in 2004 made up a 55-point deficit
    " Ryan Newman in 2005 made up a one-point deficit
    " Kasey Kahne in 2006 made up a 30-point deficit
    " Brian Vickers in 2009 made up a 20-point deficit
    " Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin are the two drivers that clinched the Wild Card in 2011 to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.(NASCAR)(9-4-2012)

  • For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski's Richmond International Raceway Track News/Rumors/Links page


RACE RUNDOWN....news and links

  • Bowyer wins at Richmond: #15-Clint Bowyer won the Federated Auto Parts 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway for his 2nd win of year and 7th career win.
    The race didn't start until 9:30pm/et due to rain and was once delayed for 52 minutes for rain, but all 400 laps were run.
    #24-Gordon finished 2nd followed by #55-Martin, #14-Stewart, #17-Kenseth, #31-Burton, #2-Keselowski, #39-Newman, #16-Biffle and #29-Harvick.
    The regular season points leader, #16-Biffle, finished 9th and will be seeded 5th in the Chase, 6 points out of the lead.
    #24-Gordon finished 2nd beating #18-Busch by 3 points to gain the 2nd wild card spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. #5-Kahne got the 1st wild card spot. #14-Stewart finished 4th and clinched the 10th spot and will be seeded 3rd in the Chase.
    #88-Earnhardt Jr., the pole winner, led 69 laps, had to pit late and finished 14th. Earnhardt Jr. has 11 poles and never won a race from the pole.
    There were 6 cautions for 41 yellow flag laps and a 52 minutes red flag fro rain. There were 17 lead changes among 10 drivers. The average speed was 100.019mph.
    The estimated attendence was 89,000 which is up from last years 87,000.
    See race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Richmond Race Results page (pdf).(9-9-2012)

  • 2012 Sprint Cup Driver Chase Championship Points Standings:
    [after Richmond, race 26 of 36]
    1) #11-Denny Hamlin [4 wins], 2012
    2) #48-Jimmie Johnson [3 wins], 2009, -3
    3) #14-Tony Stewart [3 wins], 2009, -3
    4) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 2009, -3
    5) #16-Greg Biffle [2 wins], 2006, -6
    6) #15-Clint Bowyer [2 wins], 2006, -6
    7) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 2003, -9
    8) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 2003, -9
    9) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 2000, -12
    10) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 2000, -12
    WC1) #5-Kasey Kahne [2 wins, 11th in points], 2000, -12
    WC2) #24-Jeff Gordon [1 win, 12th in points], 2000, -12
    (ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
    (9-9-2012)

  • 2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings (not chase):
    [after Richmond, race 26 of 36]
    1) #16-Greg Biffle [2 wins], 914
    2) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 902, -12
    3) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 897, -17
    4) #48-Jimmie Johnson [3 wins], 880, -34
    5) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 868, -46
    6) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 862, -52
    7) #15-Clint Bowyer [2 wins], 858, -56
    8) #11-Denny Hamlin [4 wins], 850, -64
    9) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 841, -73
    10) #14-Tony Stewart [3 wins], 810, -104
    11) #5-Kasey Kahne [2 wins], 784, -130
    12) #24-Jeff Gordon [1 win], 777, -137
    13) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win], 774, -140
    (ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
    See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings (pdf).(9-9-2012)

  • Race Fast Facts - Richmond
    #15-Clint Bowyer won the 55th Annual Federated Auto Parts 400 , his seventh victory in 243 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
    This is his second victory and 15th top-10 finish in 2012.
    This is his second victory and eighth top-10 finish in 14 races at Richmond International Raceway.
    #24-Jeff Gordon (second) posted his 25th top-10 finish in 40 races at Richmond International Raceway. It is his 12th top-10 finish in 2012.
    #55-Mark Martin (third) posted his 30th top-10 finish in 54 races at Richmond International Raceway.
    #5-Kasey Kahne and #24-Jeff Gordon earn the two Wild Card spots for the 2012 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
    (NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(9-9-2012)

  • Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Chicago:
    #36 remains in 35th and is now 124 points ahead of 36th, back to the #33 team.
    there is slim to no chance the top-35 will change the rest of the season.
    Rank) Car#-Driver/Team, owners pts, +/-
    34) #32-Schrader/FAS Lane Racing, 349 +136
    35) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 337 +114 ahead of 36th
    these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
    36) #33-Leicht/Childress-Falk, 213, 124pts out of the top 35
    37) #21-Bayne/Wood Bros., 209, -128
    38) #30-Stremme/Inception, 186, -151
    The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
    For the owner points standings, see the Owners Points Standings (pdf).(9-9-2012)

  • Richmond Notes-n-Nuggets:
    " Clint Bowyer scored his seventh Cup win in his 243rd start.
    " Clint Bowyer posted his second win of 2012 (Sonoma); he is the seventh multiple winner of the season.
    " Clint Bowyer scored his second win in his 14th start at Richmond; he is the 27th driver to win multiple races at RIR.
    " Clint Bowyer is the only driver to finish in the top 10 in all five short-track races of 2012.
    " Clint Bowyer led once, for the final 86 laps; his last pit stop came on Lap 277.
    " Michael Waltrip Racing posted its fourth Cup win, second of 2012 and first at Richmond.
    " Toyota scored its eight win of 2012 and seventh at Richmond.
    " Jeff Gordon (second) posted his third consecutive top-three finish; he was running as low as 26th prior to the red flag.
    " Mark Martin (third) posted his third top-five finish of 2012.
    " Tony Stewart (fourth) posted his first finish better than 19th in the past five races and 10th top-five of 2012.
    " Matt Kenseth (fifth) posted his first top-10 at Richmond since the spring of 2007, and only his fourth top-five at Richmond in 26 starts.
    " Jeff Burton (sixth) posted only his fifth top-10 of 2012.
    " Kyle Busch (16th) missed the Chase by three points; it's the third time he missed the Chase.
    " Carl Edwards (17th) missed the Chase for the second time in his full-time career.
    " All four Hendrick Motorsports cars made the Chase for the first time.
    " This is the fifth time in nine seasons of the Chase a driver raced his way in at Richmond: Jeff Gordon in 2012.
    (Racing Resources and Services -- Statistics Racing Recall / nascar.com)(9-9-2012)

  • Lucky Dogs - Who got a lap back on each caution at Richmond: (and their finish)
    Caution 1: no driver a lap down on track
    Caution 2: #87-Nemechek, 38th
    Caution 3: #38-Gilliland, 31st
    Caution 4: #39-Newman, 8th
    Caution 5: #31-Burton, 6th
    Caution 6: #24-Gordon, 2nd
    (9-8-2012)


    ESPN.com's Racecast - Live Coverage and Chat
    Racing Live! on ESPN.com
    Listen Live Online at Motor Racing Network
    Fantasy NASCAR Chat with Mark Garrow / the Guru today at 4:00pm/et
    Ask in-race reporter Denny Hamlin


  • Rain possible Richmond tonight: the weather forecast does not look too promising for the Richmond, VA area tonight for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway. The National weather service forecast:
    Saturday evening (9/8): Mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely in the evening...then partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Lows in the lower 60s. West winds 10 to 15 mph...becoming north 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Chance of rain 70 percent.
    Sunday: Mostly sunny. Cooler. Less humid with highs around 80. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
    Expect NASCAR to do everything in its power to get the race in tonight so the race doesn't have to go up again the first week of NFL games on Sunday afternoon/evening.
    More weather links on the Richmond Race Info page - weather links section.(9-8-2012)

  • Race Coverage of the Federated Auto Parts 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway is scheduled for Saturday, September 8, 2012.
    Television (TV): ABC at 7:30 pm/et; NASCAR Countdown Pre-Race show at 7:00 pm/et; green flag approx 7:43pm/et
    Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
    Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
    ESPN2, Sunday, September 9 at 4:00am/et; on SPEED, Wednesday, September 12 at 12:00pm/et

  • Richmond Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Clinch Scenarios (corrected): Below are the 2012 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup clinch scenarios for Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway, the final race before the Chase field is set. Nine drivers have clinch top-10 spots in the Chase: Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick. Tony Stewart, currently 10th, has clinched at least a Wild Card spot.
    Tony Stewart, on the strength of three wins, has already clinched at least a Wild Card Chase spot. Regardless of where any other driver finishes, he will clinch a top-10 position with a finish of 14th or better, 15th and at least one lap led or 16th and the most laps led. Only three drivers can supplant Stewart in the top 10: Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon.
    Kasey Kahne is the only driver outside the top 10 with two wins. He has yet to clinch a Chase spot. Kahne currently sits in the No. 1 Wild Card spot. A win would clinch a Chase berth. If Stewart stays in the top 10, Kahne clinches a Chase spot. If Stewart falls out of the top 10, Kahne will clinch a spot if a one-win driver outside the top 10 does not win. If Kyle Busch supplants Stewart in the top 10, and Jeff Gordon wins, Kahne clinches a spot by finishing 13th or better, 14th with at least one lap led or 15th with the most laps led.
    There are six drivers outside the top 10 with one win: Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Marcos Ambrose, Ryan Newman and Joey Logano. If one of those one-win drivers wins at Richmond AND Stewart remains in the top 10 (or Kasey Kahne supplants Stewart in the top 10), that one-win driver would have two wins, and clinch a Chase spot.
    The following scenarios are if a one-win driver DOES NOT win at Richmond&
    Kyle Busch: If Stewart remains in the top 10 or if Kahne supplants Stewart in the top 10, Busch will clinch a Chase spot by losing 12 or fewer points to Jeff Gordon AND by losing 40 or fewer points to Marcos Ambrose. A win would guarantee Busch a Chase berth.
    Jeff Gordon: If Stewart remains in the top 10 or if Kahne supplants Stewart in the top 10, Gordon will clinch by finishing 13 points ahead of Busch at Richmond AND by losing 28 or fewer points to Ambrose AND by losing 37 or fewer points to Ryan Newman. If Busch supplants Stewart in the top 10, Gordon would clinch a Chase berth with a win AND finishing 18 points ahead of Kahne at Richmond.
    Marcos Ambrose: If Stewart remains in the top 10 or if Kahne supplants Stewart in the top 10, Ambrose will clinch by finishing 41 points ahead of Busch AND 29 points ahead of Gordon.
    Ryan Newman: Newman can only clinch a Chase berth with a win. If either Busch or Gordon supplant Stewart in the top 10, Newman will be eliminated.
    Joey Logano: Logano can only clinch a Chase berth with a win. If either Busch or Gordon supplant Stewart in the top 10, Logano will be eliminated.
    Two winless drivers outside the top 10 can clinch: Carl Edwards and Paul Menard.
    Carl Edwards: Edwards needs to win (47-point win) AND Busch has to finish 24th or worse (with no laps led) at Richmond AND Gordon has to finish 12th or worse at Richmond. If Busch or Gordon supplant Tony Stewart in the top 10, Edwards will be eliminated.
    Paul Menard: Menard needs to win (47-point win) AND Kyle Busch has to finish 34th or worse (with no laps led) AND Gordon has to finish 22nd or worst (with no laps led) at Richmond. If Busch or Gordon supplant Tony Stewart in the top 10, Menard will be eliminated.
    All other drivers have been mathematically eliminated from Chase contention.(NASCAR)

  • Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway have been made.
    Pole sitter #88-Earnhardt Jr. chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
    Outside pole sitter #24-Gordon took pit stall 17, the 1st pitstall with an opening in front of it.
    #78-Smith, who starts 3rd took the 30th pit stall, the 2nd pitstall with an opening in front of it.
    The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #47-Labonte, who starts 29th.
    To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(9-7-2012)

  • Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's:
    Official Race Report
    Race Results
    Drivers Points
    Owners Points
    Pitstalls
    Starting Lineup
    Qualifying Results
    Happy Hour Practice Speeds
    Qualifying Order
    Practice 1 Speeds
    Entry List

  • NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.

  • Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.

  • See Jayski's - 2012 Sprint Cup Race Results Page for pole winner, race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup, practice speeds and chase stats as well as link to race track and race information page for each race


QUALIFYING INFO, PRACTICE SPEED and ENTRIES
info, news, speeds and links

  • Earnhardt Jr. wins pole at Richmond: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Coors Light pole for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway with a speed of 127.023mph for his 1st pole of 2012 and 11th career pole. Earnhardt Jr. has never won from the pole in 10 previous tries.
    #24-Gordon will start 2nd followed by #78-Smith, #15-Bowyer, #48-Johnson, #55-Martin, #11-Hamlin, #20-Logano, #56-Truex, Jr. and #2-Keselwoski
    The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #98-McDowell, #30-Stremme, #87-Nemechek, #33-Leicht, #23-Riggs, #19-Bliss, #26-Wise, #91-Sorenson.
    The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (2): #37-Yeley and #0-Green.
    See qualifying results, starting lineup, pole progression and more on the Richmond Qualifying Page.(9-7-2012)

  • Qualifying Fast Facts - Richmond:
    #88- Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 55th Annual Federated Auto Parts 400 with a lap of 21.256 seconds, 127.023 mph.
    This is his 11th pole in 461 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
    This is his first pole and ninth top-10 start in 2012. His last pole came at the 2011 Daytona 500, 60 races ago.
    This is his first pole in 27 races at Richmond International Raceway.
    #24-Jeff Gordon (second) posted his 11th top-10 start of 2012 and his 30th in 40 races at Richmond International Raceway.
    #78-Regan Smith (third) posted his second top-10 start at Richmond International Raceway. It is his seventh in 26 races this season.
    (NASCAR Statistics)(9-7-2012)

  • Coverage of Qualifying for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway is scheduled for Friday, September 7, 2012 at 5:35pm/et.
    Television (TV): ESPN2, 5:30pm/et
    Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: none

  • Qualifying Order for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway is posted. 45 cars/drivers are listed.
    The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #0-Green, slowest in practice.
    The final driver scheduled to go out is #31-Burton, who was fastest in first practice.
    Qualifying order is set by the first practice session, with slowest driver going out by speed and the fastest going out last. The non-top 35 drivers are now mixed in with the top-35 in owners points, slowest to fastest.
    See the full qualifying order on the Richmond Qualifying Page.(9-7-2012)

  • Rain Out Procedures: the rain-out qualifying procedure for all three NASCAR national series is as follows: If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.

  • First Friday practice for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway is over, after 110 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
    #31-Burton 125.412
    #88-Earhardt Jr. 125.313
    #15-Bowyer 125.232
    #22-Hornish Jr. 125.110
    #29-Harvick 125.041
    slowest: #0-Green 114.742 & #91-Sorenson 120.643
    notes: The order for qualifying will be set by this practice with slowest going out first and fasftest going ou last. Qualifying is scheduled to start at 5:35pm/et and be televised on ESPN2.
    See speeds, best top-10 average and laps run on the Richmond practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(9-7-2012)

  • Go-or-Go Homers practice at Richmond: how fast/slow were the drivers who are not in the top-35 of owners points and must qualify by speed to make the Federated Auto Parts 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway , where they practiced in the first practice:
    the eight drivers who would make the race if things stayed the same:
    #19-Bliss, 24th fastest overall
    #87-Nemechek, 28th
    #98-McDowell, 29th
    #26-Wise, 30th
    #23-Riggs, 31st
    #30-Stremme, 32nd
    #33-Leicht, 40th
    #37-Yeley, 43rd
    the two drivers who would miss the race if things stayed the same:
    #91-Sorenson, 44th
    #0-Green, 45th/last
    (9-7-2012)

  • The Entry List for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway is posted, 45 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
    Schrader is back in the #32; Reutimann is back in the #10.
    Not in top 35 of owners points:
    #0-Mark Green (none/0)
    #19-Mike Bliss (45/19)
    #23-Scott Riggs (44/23)
    #26-Josh Wise (41/25)
    #30-David Stremme (38/25)
    #33-Stephen Leicht (37/25)
    #37-J.J. Yeley (50/10)
    #87-Joe Nemechek (42/25)
    #91-Reed Sorenson (54/8)
    #98-Michael McDowell (40/25)
    In the event that qualifying is cancelled:
    the eight who would make it [8]: #'s 33,30,98,26,87,23,19,37
    missing the race would be [2]: # 37,0
    See the full entry list at my Jayski's Richmond Entry List

  • Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Atlanta:
    #36 remains in 35th and is now 117 points ahead of 36th, now the #21 team.
    Rank) Car#-Driver/Team, owners pts, +/-
    34) #32-Schrader/FAS Lane Racing, 340 +131
    35) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 326 +117 ahead of 36th
    these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
    36) #21-Bayne/Wood Bros., 209, 117pts out of the 35
    37) #33-Leicht/Childress-Falk, 205, -121
    38) #30-Stremme/Inception, 179, -147
    The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
    For the owner points standings, see the Owners Points Standings (pdf).(9-2-2012)

  • 2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
    [after Atlanta, race 25 of 36]
    1) #16-Greg Biffle [2 wins], 879, +128 over 11th
    2) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 871, -8, +120
    3) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 858, -21, +107
    4) #48-Jimmie Johnson [3 wins], 848, -31, +97
    5) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 838, -41, +87
    6) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 831, -48, +80
    7) #11-Denny Hamlin [4 wins], 822, -57, +71
    8) #15-Clint Bowyer [1 wins], 811, -68, +60
    9) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 807, -72, +56
    all drivers 9th and above have clinched a spot in the Chase; #14 clinched at least a wildcard
    10) #14-Tony Stewart [3 wins], 769, -110, +18 over 11th
    Current wild card Chase drivers:
    WC1) #5-Kasey Kahne [2 wins, 11th in points]
    WC2) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win, 12th in points]
    (ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
    See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings (pdf).(9-2-2012)


Local Newspapers

The Daily Press
Kingsport Times-News
Lynchberg News and Advance
News Leader
Richmond Times-Dispatch
richmond.com
Roanoke Times
Virginian Pilot


Local TV Network Stations

ABC 8 WRIC
CBS 6 WTVR
FOX 35 WRLH
NBC 12 WWBT


Weather Links

Weather Channel
Accuweather
National Weather Service
Race Weather
Race Day Forecast
Weather Underground


Camping, Eating and
Travel Info

Laid Back Racing
NASCAR Camping
Speed Eats


Some Chassis Selections and Notes by Teams for this race

  • Chassis selections for Richmond: see the list of many teams and what chassis were selected by the team to run at Richmond International Raceway:
    MISSING? why are some teams missing? some teams do not report what chassis in the race previews, press releases of websites.
    #1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the #1 Bass Pro Shops/Allstate team will use Chassis #1108 for Richmond. Chassis #1008 has been used as a back-up at several raves this year but will make its 2012 season debut this weekend at Richmond.
    #2-Brad Keselowski: and the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-822 during Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway (RIR). Brad Keselowski last raced this chassis to a win at Kentucky Speedway in June. It has been updated to the current Penske Racing specification.
    #5-Kasey Kahne: For Saturday's race, crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-663. Kahne has raced this car three times in 2012, most notably winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July.
    #9-Marcos Ambrose: the #9 Richard Petty Motorsports Mac Tools team has prepared chassis No. 805 for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Richmond International Raceway. This Mac Tools Ford was run previously this season at Phoenix, Richmond, Pocono and Indy.
    #10-David Reutimann will pilot chassis No. 356, purchased from Richard Childress Racing in the off-season. Blaney last drove this chassis at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Reutimann drove the chassis at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Dover International Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway this season. He had his best showing in the chassis at Kentucky Speedway where he drove from the 38th starting spot to a 23rd-place finish. His best qualifying effort of 16th was at Kansas Speedway.
    #14-Tony Stewart: and crew chief Steve Addington are bringing Chassis No. 14-710, this car debuted at Richmond in April, where it qualified 22nd and led four times for 118 laps before a late-race caution canceled Stewart's two-and-a-half second lead and forced him to settle for a third-place finish. It was then tested June 6-7 at Pocono and again during a Goodyear Tire Test June 12-13 at Bristol. New Hampshire marked Chassis No. 14-710's second career start. There, a new tire compound from Goodyear confounded Stewart and crew chief Steve Addington, and they labored to a 12th-place finish. The car returns to Richmond for its third career start via Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400.
    #15-Clint Bowyer: Primary chassis No. 718 started fifth, finished third and led a lap at New Hampshire. Prior to New Hampshire, No. 718 served backup duty at Phoenix, Bristol-1, Richmond and Dover. Backup chassis No. 712 raced earlier this season in Phoenix and Richmond.
    #16-Greg Biffle: and the Matt Puccia led #16 3M / Owens & Minor Ford Fusion team will bring Primary Chassis RK-822, which is a brand new chassis to Richmond. Backup chassis is RK-778 which last ran New Hampshire  finished 9th.
    #17-Matt Kenseth: will run primary chassis RK-806 at Richmond. This chassis last ran at Darlington in May finishing 6th. Best Buy will be the sponsor for Kensth at RIR. In 25 Cup starts at Richmond, Kenseth has completed 9,758 of 10,003 laps (97.6 percent) and led for 223 laps
    #22-Sam Hornish Jr. and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing #22 Team will be utilizing their "PRS-821" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Richmond International Raceway. This is the same car that AJ Allmendinger raced in the April 14 Samsung 500 at Texas (started 12th and finished 15th). The car was also raced again in the June 17 Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan (started 20th and finished 19th). It has been completely updated since and will be making its third start this weekend at RIR. The "PRS-807" will serve as the team's backup. It was in the 22 team transporter serving as the backup at Phoenix, both Bristol races and Martinsville, but has never seen any track time to date.
    #27-Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 380 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Federated Auto Parts 400. This #27 Moen/Menards Chevy was utilized at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July where Menard earned a 14th-place finish after starting from the eighth position.
    #29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot Chassis No. 320 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend's Federated Auto Parts 400. This former #33 racer was transformed into a No. 29 entry during the off-season and has been was utilized at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June (started 12th, finished eighth) and Martinsville Speedway in April (started second, finished 19th).
    #31-Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 382 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend's Federated Auto Parts 400. This #31 Caterpillar Chevy was utilized in February at Phoenix where engine issues thwarted Burton's top-five run and relegated him to a 33rd-place finish. This car also raced at Richmond in April where an on-track incident knocked Burton and the #31 team out of contention, forcing them to settle for a 31st-place finish. Burton most recently piloted this machine to a 21st-place finish at New Hampshire in July.
    #36-Dave Blaney will drive the No. 293 chassis, which he drove seven times this season, including April's event at Richmond, and five times during the 2011 season. The Harford, Ohio native's best start with the No. 293 chassis was 17th at Richmond last season and best finish was 23rd at Phoenix this season. TBR purchased the chassis from Richard Childress Racing, where Jeff Burton drove the chassis prior to its debut with TBR.
    #39-Ryan Newman will pilot Chassis No. 39-691, which has three starts and two top-10 finishes to its credit. It's most recent start at Phoenix International Raceway in March looked to be a lock for the chassis' third consecutive top-10 finish, but 56 laps shy of the checkered flag, Newman was sent spinning into the turn four wall after contact with another car while racing side-by-side for fifth place. The incident relegated Newman to a 21st-place finish. Last season, the chassis competed at Richmond in September and Phoenix in November. At Richmond, Newman started 18th and fought his way into the top-10 near lap 100 and virtually stayed there for the remainder of the 400-lap event finishing eighth. Newman finished fifth at Phoenix in November.
    #42-Juan Pablo Montoya: crew chief Chris "Shine" Heroy and the #42 Target Chevy team will race with Chassis #1203 at Richmond. This chassis was used this season at Phoenix, finishing 11th, Richmond, finishing 12th, and Loudon finishing 25th.
    #43-Aric Almirola:: The #43 Smithfield team has prepared chassis No. 804 for Richmond - the same car the team ran at the April Richmond race. This chassis also ran at Loudon and Phoenix this season.
    #48-Jimmie Johnson: Chassis No. 689 serves as the primary for Johnson at Richmond. It last ran at Phoenix in March, starting 4th and finishing 4th. Chassis No. 590 serves as the backup.
    #51-Kurt Busch Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400 will be the third race of the 2012 season for Chassis No. 537. This is the same car with which Phoenix Racing competed in June at the road course in Sonoma, Calif. Busch qualified eighth and finished third in that race after a close battle for the lead in the closing laps. The team also used this particular car at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in mid-August. This chassis was built and raced by Hendrick Motorsports prior to becoming part of the #51 Phoenix Racing team's stable. The team is converting the geometry on the car to prepare it for Richmond.
    #55-Mark Martin: will drive MWR chassis 714 which finished won the pole at Phoenix and Richmond with Martin behind the wheel. Backup - 708 - has not raced in 2012.
    #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 crew will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-709. Earnhardt raced this chassis to a 14th-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway in March and most recently to a second-place finish at Richmond in April. In 26 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond, Earnhardt has recorded three wins, nine top-five finishes and 11 top-10s. He has led a total of 427 laps and completed 99.1 percent of all laps he's attempted at the short track (10,308 laps of 10,403 total).
    #99-Carl Edwards the #99 Cheez-It team will be bringing chassis RK-801 to Richmond this weekend. This is the same car that led 206 laps in the spring and nearly won the race if not for a late-race penalty on a restart.
    (from team PR's/sites if reported)(9-7-2012)


Goodyear Tires Notes / Fast Facts

  • Tire: Goodyear Eagle Intermediate Radials:

    Number of Tires:
    Sprint Cup: Left-side -- 1,300, Right-side -- 1,300;
    Nationwide: Left-side -- 450, Right-side -- 450

    Set limits:
    Sprint Cup: 5 sets for practice/qualifying and 11 sets for the race;
    Nationwide: 6 sets for the event

    Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4416; Right-side -- D-4432

    Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 87.4 in. (2,220 mm); Right-side -- 88.7 in. (2,253 mm)

    Technical Inspection Inflation:
    Left Front -- 20 psi; Left Rear -- 20 psi;
    Right Front -- 30 psi; Right Rear -- 30 psi

    Minimum Recommended Inflation:
    Left Front -- 12 psi; Left Rear -- 12 psi;
    Right Front -- 30 psi; Right Rear -- 27 psi

    Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same tire codes at Richmond this weekend . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that teams in both series ran at Richmond earlier this season . . . these teams ran this same tire set-up at both Richmond and New Hampshire last season . . . Sprint Cup teams also ran this left-side tire code (D-4416) with a different right-side code at Bristol two weeks ago . . . as on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Richmond.


PAINT SCHEME NEWS

See all Paint Scheme news, links and chart for this race on the:
Paint Schemes Gallery & Race Chart page

The chart was removed from here as it was also posted on the Paint Schemes Gallery page, makes no sense to post the same info in two spots


Race / Cup Odds

Vegas Insider
NASCAR Race and other odds
Federated Auto Parts 400 Preview by Micah Roberts
NASCAR Top-Five Finish Prediction

World Sports Exchange:
Federated Auto Parts 400
2012 Sprint Cup Championship

Bovada Sportsbook:
Federated Auto Parts 400

(this is not to promote gambling but to offer readers odds and ideas on what the 'experts' think about the upcoming race and the Cup series season)

Race / Event Information

Advance Auto Parts Clash Info page

Daytona 500 Race Info page


Homestead Race Info page