Richmond International Raceway
Track data
Race #: 11 of 36 (5-06-06)
Track Size: .75 Mile
Event: Crown Royal 400
Number of Laps: 400
Location: Richmond, VA
Length of Event: 300 Miles
Length of Front Stretch: 1,290 Ft.
Length of Back Stretch: 860 Ft.
Degree of Banking in Corners: 14 degrees
Degree of Banking on Straights: 8 degrees Front/2 degrees Back
Qualifying/Race data:
Last year's event pole winner: Kasey Kahne 129.964 mph 5-13-05 20.775 seconds
Last year's event winner: Kasey Kahne 100.316 mph 5-14-05 2 hrs, 59 min, 26 sec
Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers 129.983 mph 5-14-04 20.772 seconds
Track race record: Dale Jarrett 109.047 mph 9-6-97 2 hr, 45 min, 04 sec
Historical data:
Previous winners at Richmond:
Richard Petty (13) Bobby Allison (7) David Pearson (6) Darrell Waltrip (6) Rusty Wallace (6)
Dale Earnhardt (5) Cale Yarborough (3) Joe Weatherly (3) Terry Labonte (3) Tony Stewart (3)
Benny Parsons (2) Neil Bonnett (2) Dave Marcis (2) Davey Allison (2) Ernie Irvan (2)
Dale Jarrett (2) Jeff Gordon (2) Ricky Rudd (2) Lee Petty (2) Cotton Owens (2)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (2) Tim Flock (1) Buck Baker (1) Paul Goldsmith (1) Speedy Thompson (2)
Tom Pistone (1) Mark Martin (1) Harry Gant (1) Bill Elliott (1) James Hylton (1)
Ned Jarrett (1) Kyle Petty (1) Junior Johnson (1) Rex White (1) Tim Richmond (1)
Jeff Burton (1) Matt Kenseth (1) Joe Nemechek (1) Ryan Newman (1) Jeremy Mayfield (1)
Kasey Kahne (1) Kurt Busch (1)
Races won from the pole: 20 of 99 events (20%)
Races won from the top 10: 79 of 99 events (80%)
Races won from outside top 10: 19 of 99 events (20%)
Note: Starting position of 1953 race unknown
Track Milestones
Buck Baker won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup pole at Richmond International Raceway on dirt in 1953.
Lee Petty won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Richmond on dirt in April 1953.
In 1968 the track surface was changed from dirt to asphalt.
Kyle Petty became the first third-generation NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race winner when he won his first
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race on February 23, 1986, the Miller High Life 400 at Richmond. Richard posted
his first Richmond victory in 1961 and Lee won the very first Richmond race in 1953.
Davey Allison won the first 3/4-mile race at Richmond from the Bud Pole, the 1988 Miller High Life 400,
after the track was increased in distance from one-half mile between the two races that season.
The first night race was held in the fall of 1991.
1999 was the first season that both Richmond races were held at night.
Track Update
The 2006 Crown Royal 400 will be the 100th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Richmond. Though there
were several “re-measurements” the first 64 were on what was basically a half-mile configuration. The last 35
have been run on the current three-quarter-mile layout.
Manufacturer Update
Ford has a slight lead in victory lane at Richmond since the track was re-constructed to its current
configuration in 1988. Ford has 14 victories in the 35 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races there since the fall of 1988,
including eight of the last 19. Chevrolet has 10 victories; Pontiac has seven and Dodge has three. The other
victory was by Harry Gant in an Oldsmobile (February 1991).
Qualifying Update
There has been a different Bud Pole winner in each of the past 12 races at Richmond International Raceway.
Mr. Consistency
Rusty Wallace was the dominator on the 3/4-mile track at Richmond since 1988. In those 35 races Wallace
had three Bud Poles (second only to Jeff Gordon with four), six victories (twice as many as closest drivers Terry
Labonte and Tony Stewart; three each), 21 top-fives and 27 top-10's (more than any other driver) and led 2,933
laps (more than any other driver). His 8.171 average finish is the best among all drivers with more than two starts
there.
The Money
Purse $4,931,502
NASCAR NEXTEL Leader Bonus $10,000
Tire/Fuel Data
Goodyear Tire Codes: Left-side - D-4038; Right-side - D-4040
Other Nextel Cup Tracks With Same Tire Combinations: Phoenix and New Hampshire
Estimated Pit Window: every 120-130 laps, based on fuel mileage
Track Tidbits
The field at Richmond will consist of 43 cars. The 43rd position is reserved for a past NASCAR NEXTEL
Cup champion, if needed. If unused, it will go to the next eligible owner.
Two qualifying laps will be used to determine the starting positions with the adjustments made afterwards as
required.
There have been 99 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Richmond since 1953 – two each season since 1959.
There have been 35 races at Richmond since the track converted from 1/2 to a 3/4-mile track in the fall of
1988.
Kasey Kahne is the defending Bud Pole winner for the Crown Royal 400.
Retired drivers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison lead all other drivers each with eight Bud Poles at
Richmond.
Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with four Bud Poles on the 3/4-mile track.
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Richmond have been won from the pole 20 times since 1953, the most of
any starting position.
In the 99 races at Richmond, the winner has started fifth or better 56 times.
The furthermost back in the field that a Richmond race winner started was 28th by Richard Petty in the 1971
Richmond 500 (spring).
The furthermost back in the field that a Richmond race winner has started on the 3/4-mile configuration was
25th by Matt Kenseth in the 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400.
Kasey Kahne is the defending champion of the Crown Royal 400.
Richard Petty scored 13 victories at Richmond, the most of all drivers.
Tony Stewart leads all full time, active drivers with three victories at Richmond. Terry Labonte also has
three Richmond victories.
In the modern era of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing at Richmond (1972 to 2005), a sweep has occurred five
times. Rusty Wallace (1989) is the most recent driver to win both Richmond races in the same year.
Richard Petty won seven consecutive races at Richmond, winning the fall race in 1970 and then sweeping
1971, 1972 and 1973.
Between 1964 and 1975 Richard Petty won 12 of 24 races and David Pearson won six, giving them 75
percent of the wins at Richmond in the 12-year period.
There have been nine different race winners in the last nine races at Richmond International Raceway.
Forty-six of the 99 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races run at Richmond have been won from the top-three
starting positions. However, only 12 of the 35 races run on the current configuration have been won from third
or better. Ten races on the new configuration have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.
Would You Believe?
Twenty of the 99 races at Richmond since 1953, have been won by the Bud Pole winner, but only three times
since the track was re-configured in September 1988, has the Bud Pole winner gone on to win the race: Davey
Allison (fall 1988), Bill Elliott (spring 1992) and Kasey Kahne (spring 2005).
Finishing It Up
Nineteen drivers have competed in all of the past 10 races at Richmond. Eleven of those 19 have been
running at the finish for all 10 races.
Youthful Success
Tony Stewart scored his first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory at Richmond in his 25th career NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup start, winning the 1999 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., posted his career-first top-10 finish when he finished 10th in the 1999 Exide NASCAR
Select Batteries 400, his fourth career race. On his next visit to the Virginia track, he scored a victory, winning
the 2000 Pontiac Excitement 400 in his 32nd career start.
Ryan Newman finished second in both of his races at Richmond in his rookie season (2002) and won in his
fourth attempt there (fall 2003).
Brian Vickers won the Bud Pole and finished eighth in his career-first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at
Richmond (spring 2004).
Kyle Busch finished fourth in both of his first two races at Richmond (2005).
Joe Gibbs Racing Richmond Success
Tony Stewart has three victories and nine top-10 finishes in his 14 races at Richmond.
Bobby Labonte has posted 10 top-10 finishes in his 22 races at Richmond with Joe Gibbs Racing, including
two runner-up finishes. Labonte followed teammate Tony Stewart across the finish line in the 1999 Exide
Batteries Select 400 and then finished second to Joe Nemechek in May 2003.
Prior to the 1999 Pontiac Excitement at Richmond, Bobby Labonte had led only a total of 32 laps in his 46
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup short-track races. In that Richmond race he equaled that number of laps led on two
separate occasions and led for a total of 71 laps, more than doubling his previous total.
Starting Up Front is Important at Richmond International Raceway
Nine of the last 10 races at Richmond have been won from a top-10 starting position. While 20 of the 99
races at Richmond since 1953 were won from the Bud Pole only one of the last 27 have been won from the Bud
Pole
Richmond Streaks
There have been 12 different Bud Pole winners in the last 12 races at Richmond, beginning with Rusty
Wallace's Bud Pole there in May 2000.
There have been nine different race winners in the last nine races at Richmond, beginning with Ricky
Rudd's victory there in September 2001.
Ryan Newman has posted seven straight top-10 starts at Richmond, the longest current streak.
Mark Martin has scored eight straight top-15 finishes at Richmond, the longest current streak.
The last six races at Richmond have been won from a starting position of seventh or better.
Owner Wins at Richmond International Raceway
Petty Enterprises has scored 15 wins at Richmond International Raceway, the most of any car owner,
however their last Richmond victory came there 62 races ago when Richard Petty won the 1975 Richmond 500.
Richard was remarkable at Richmond winning seven straight there from the fall of 1970 thru 1973 - a record that
still stands for the most consecutive victories by a driver at a single track. He won nine of the 10 Richmond races
between the fall of 1970 and spring of 1975. In the other race, the 1974 Richmond 500 he finished second behind
Bobby Allison.
Recent Domination at Richmond
Greg Biffle has scored three straight top-10 finishes at Richmond, the longest current streak.
Kyle Busch has competed in just two Richmond Races. He finished fourth in both.
Leading The Way at Richmond International Raceway
Richard Petty led 5,128 laps in 63 races at Richmond, more than any other driver. Jeff Burton leads all
active drivers with 874 laps led in 23 races there.
Would you Believe?
A Dodge has won three of the last five NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Richmond.
Richmond Standouts
Richard Petty had 63 career starts at Richmond, more than any other driver.
Kyle Petty leads all full-time drivers with 48 Richmond starts.
Richard Petty and Bobby Allison each scored eight Bud Poles at Richmond, leading all drivers. Jeff
Gordon leads all active drivers, with four Bud Poles at Richmond.
Richard Petty leads all drivers with 13 victories in 63 races at Richmond. His 34 top-fives and 41 top-10
finishes are also the most of any driver at Richmond International Raceway. Tony Stewart has scored three
Richmond victories, leading all active drivers.
Mark Martin leads all full time, active drivers with 12 top-five finishes at Richmond.
Mark Martin has scored 22 top-10 finishes at Richmond International Raceway, the most among full time,
active drivers.
Ryan Newman leads all active drivers with a 4.375 starting average in eight races at Richmond International
Raceway.
Kyle Busch has a 4.0 finishing average in his two races at Richmond, the best of all active drivers.
Greg Biffle has scored three straight top-10 finishes at Richmond International Raceway, the longest current
streak.
Milestones
Jeff Burton will make his 350th consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start if he competes at Richmond
International Raceway. Ricky Rudd set the standard with 788 consecutive starts that ended with his retirement last
November.
Who's Hot
Jimmie Johnson has won three races in 2006, the most of all drivers.
Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to score seven top-10 finishes in the first nine races in 2006.
Matt Kenseth dropped to second in the point standings at Talladega, despite a sixth-place finish. After nine
races one year ago, he ranked 23rd in the point standings.
Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson have each scored top-15 finishes in eight of the nine
races in 2006.
Tony Stewart is the only driver to lead at least one lap in all nine races this season.
Tony Stewart is the only driver to score six top-five finishes in nine races this season including top-three
finishes in the last four races.
Tony Stewart has moved from 22nd to third in the point standings since California.
Kevin Harvick has moved from 23rd to sixth in the point standings in the last five races.
Jeff Burton has climbed from 21st to 12th in the point standings in the last three races.
Top 10 in 2005 Points at This Track
First
Jimmie Johnson finished first in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway and climbed from second to
first in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings, just 21 points ahead of second-place Matt Kenseth. Johnson
is the only driver to score seven top-10 finishes in nine races this season. Johnson's three victories (Daytona, Las
Vegas and Talladega) are the most by a driver this season. One year ago Johnson began the 2005 season with
nine straight top-20 finishes. In 2006 Johnson has scored eight top-15s in the first nine races. Johnson ranked first
in the point standings after Race No. 9 in 2005 with a 130-point lead over second-place Kurt Busch. Johnson
has ranked among the top-10 for 78 straight races, since Atlanta in March 2004. He has competed in eight races
at Richmond International Raceway, scoring just one top-10 finish, a second-place finish in this race in 2004.
Johnson has finished 25th or worse in his last three races at Richmond. Johnson has a 22.125 average finish at
Richmond International Raceway; reflective of his recent struggles there. Johnson finished 40th at Richmond in
this race one year ago and 25th there last September. His only Richmond DNF came in this race one year ago.
Second
Matt Kenseth finished sixth in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway scoring his sixth top-10 finish
in the first nine races. Kenseth scored his first victory in 2006 at California. He is one of just three drivers that
has scored eight top-15 finishes this season. Kenseth dropped from first to second in the NASCAR NEXTEL
Cup point standings. One year ago he ranked 23rd in the point standings after nine races. Kenseth has ranked
among the top-five in the point standings since his victory in Race No. 2 at California. He has competed in 12
races at Richmond International Raceway, scoring one victory and seven top-10 finishes. Kenseth has scored top-
15 finishes in nine of his 12 races at Richmond. He finished 12th in this race one year ago and second there last
September, his best Richmond finish since his victory there in September 2002. He has a 13.17 finishing average
at Richmond International Raceway. He has led in five of his 12 races at Richmond. Kenseth has won at least one
race each season for five consecutive years (2002-2006).
Third
Tony Stewart finished second in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway and climbed from fifth to third
in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. It was his seventh top-15 finish in the first nine races of the
season. Stewart has led at least one lap in all nine races this season, the only driver to do so. His 60 lap leader
bonus points are the most of all drivers. Stewart has led 801 laps, the most of all drivers. Stewart has finished
third or better in the last four races. All six of his top-10 finishes in 2006 are top-fives. He has competed in 14
races at Richmond International Raceway, scoring three victories and nine top-10 finishes. His three victories
are the most of any full time driver at Richmond. Stewart finished second in this race one year ago and seventh
there last September. This was the first time he posted top-10 finishes in both races at Richmond since 2001. His
last Richmond victory came in this race in 2002. He has a 12.071 finishing average at Richmond International
Raceway. He has led at least one lap in eight of his 14 races at Richmond. Stewart has won at least one race each
season for eight consecutive years (1999-2006).
Fourth
Kasey Kahne finished 39th in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway scoring his worst finish of the
2006 season and his second DNF. He has scored six top-10 finishes in 2006. Kahne has won two races in 2006,
(Atlanta and Texas) both from the Bud pole starting position. His career-first victory came at Richmond last May
also from a Bud pole starting position. He dropped from third to fourth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point
standings. Kahne has scored seven top-15 finishes in the first nine races in 2006. One year ago he ranked 22nd
in the point standings. Kahne has competed in four races at Richmond. He finished first in this race one year ago
and eighth there last September, a significant improvement over his 2004 rookie year when he finished 28th and
24th at Richmond. Kahne has a 15.25 average finish at Richmond International Raceway. He led in both races at
Richmond in 2005. Kahne has won at least one race each season for two consecutive years (2005-2006).
Fifth
Mark Martin finished 35th in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway and dropped from fourth to fifth
in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. At this point one year ago he ranked 11th in the point standings.
Martin has scored 12 top-15 finishes in the 13 races since Atlanta last October. He has had only one DNF
(Talladega in October 2005 - Accident) in the 33 races since Dover in June 2005. Martin has competed in 40 races
at Richmond International Raceway, scoring just one victory there in February 1990. Martin has scored 22 top-
10 finishes at Richmond International Raceway the most of all full time drivers. He finished 15th in this race one
year ago and 13th there last September, extending his streak of eight straight top-15s there. He has had only one
finish outside the top-15 at Richmond in his last 11 races there. Martin has a 12.35 average finish at Richmond
International Raceway.
Sixth
Jeff Gordon finished 15th in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway and remained sixth in the NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup point standings. Gordon ranked 26th in the point standings after Daytona. He ranked third in the
point standings at this point one year ago. Gordon has competed in 26 races at Richmond International Raceway,
scoring two victories and 16 top-10 finishes. His last Richmond victory came in September 2000. Gordon finished
39th in this race one year ago and 30th there last September, nearly matching his worst season at Richmond
when he finished 31st and 40th there in 1999. Gordon has a 14.884 average finish at Richmond International
Raceway. He has led 754 laps at Richmond, ranking third among active drivers. Gordon has not won a race since
Martinsville last October, 13 races ago.
Seventh
Kevin Harvick finished 23rd in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway and climbed from eighth
to seventh in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He has climbed from 23rd to seventh in the point
standings in the last five races. One year ago he ranked eighth in the point standings. Harvick has scored four top-
10 finishes in 2006. He has competed in 10 races at Richmond International Raceway posting four top-10 finishes.
He finished fifth in this race one year ago and 10th there last September. Harvick has posted top-15 finishes in his
last three races at Richmond. He has been running at the finish in all 10 of his races there. He has a 15.1 average
finish at Richmond International Raceway. He has led in five of his 10 races at Richmond International Raceway,
including 167 laps there last September, the most laps that he has led in a race at Richmond.
Eighth
Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished 31st in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway and dropped from seventh to
eighth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. It marked his worst finish and first DNF in 2006. One year
ago he ranked ninth in the point standings. Earnhardt has scored six top-15 finishes in the nine races in 2006. He
has competed in 13 races at Richmond International Raceway, scoring two victories and eight top-10 finishes. He
finished 14th in this race one year ago and 20th there last September, his worst performance in a single season at
Richmond. Earnhardt has a 10.076 average finish at Richmond, the best among all active drivers with more than
two starts there. He scored his career-first short-track victory at Richmond in May 2000.
Ninth
Kyle Busch finished 32nd in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway and remained ninth in the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He has finished 36th and 32nd in the last two races. One year ago
he ranked 26th in the point standings. Busch has scored six top-15 finishes in the nine races in 2006. He has
competed in just two races at Richmond finishing fourth in both races there in 2005. Busch's 4.0 average finish at
Richmond is the best among all drivers with more than one start there.
10th
Dale Jarrett finished 12th in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway and climbed from 11th to 10th in
the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. All nine of his finishes in 2006 have been top-20s, the only driver
to do so. One year ago he ranked seventh in the point standings. Jarrett has competed in 36 races at Richmond
International Raceway scoring two victories and 12 top-10 finishes. His last Richmond victory came in this race in
1999. Jarrett has not scored a top-10 finish in his last eight races at Richmond. He finished 34thh in this race one
year ago and 39th there last September. He has a 17.5 average finish at Richmond.
