Frontstretch Newsletter: Kyle Weatherman Joins Jesse Iwuji Motorsports; Additional Bristol Announcements Made

Published: Fri, 04/01/22

Frontstretch Newsletter: April 1, 2022
Volume XVI, Edition XLV

What to Watch: April 1-3

- Today, the Whelen Modified Tour will be racing at Richmond Raceway in the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 150. Coverage starts at 6:25 p.m. ET on FLORacing.com (Subscription required).

- Teams from the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series are loading into their respective garages today and will have hours of work time before inspection. They will not have any on-track activity.

- Saturday sees the NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, qualify and race at Richmond. The ToyotaCare 250 is scheduled to go green at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

- NASCAR Cup Series teams are scheduled to practice and qualify Saturday. Coverage of qualifying is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

- The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will be at Oklahoma's Lawton Speedway tonight and Mesquite, Tex.'s Devil's Bowl Speedway tomorrow night. Both races can be seen at DirtVision.tv (Subscription required)

FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND AT RICHMOND THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUES:

Adam Cheek (@adamncheek)

Michael Massie (@m_massie22)

Davey Segal (@DaveyCenter)

Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates!

TV Schedule: Here

Around the World in Motorsports: March 31

- Kyle Busch Motorsports announced Thursday that USAC racer Buddy Kofoid will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in the upcoming Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 16. Kofoid will drive the No. 51 Toyota with sponsorship from Mobil 1.

- Jesse Iwuji Motorsports announced Thursday night that Kyle Weatherman will drive the No. 34 Chevrolet Saturday at Richmond in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in place of Jesse Iwuji. Weatherman will have to qualify the No. 34 on speed to get into the ToyotaCare 250.

- MotoGP was supposed to practice today at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina for this weekend's races. That will not happen due to shipping issues. One of the cargo planes responsible for transporting the entire paddock to Argentina was forced to land in Mombasa, Kenya with a mechanical problem. The fix is now complete, but a number of the teams in all three of MotoGP's top divisions won't be able to get to Argentina until today. As a result, the race weekend has been shortened to two days.

Today's Top News:

Keith McGee Returns to RBR for Bristol Dirt

Reaume Brothers Racing announced Thursday that they have signed Keith McGee to drive the No. 43 Toyota in the upcoming Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt.

Have news for Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com with a promising lead or tip.

Newsletter Exclusives:

Frontstretch Folio: Toyota Owners 400

by Phil Allaway

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series makes their first visit of the year to Richmond Raceway. Coverage of the Toyota Owners 400 starts with NASCAR RaceDay at 2 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. The show moves to FOX at 3 p.m. and race coverage starts at 3:30. The green flag is scheduled to drop around 3:45 p.m. and can be heard on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

Last year's Toyota Owners 400 was a rather clean affair, something that has become the norm in recent years at Richmond Raceway. Denny Hamlin dominated the race, leading 207 of the 400 laps.

Kevin Harvick had his right rear tire blow out entering turn 1, which put him in the wall to bring out a yellow with 19 laps to go. Given the high tire wear at Richmond these days, that brought everyone into the pits. Hamlin beat previous leader Joey Logano out of the pits to take the lead. However, a couple of laps after the final restart, Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman was able to get past for the lead with 10 laps to go. Bowman led the final 10 laps (the only laps he led all day) to earn the victory.

All-time, Richard Petty is the winningest driver at Richmond with 13 career victories. Of those 13, three came on the dirt while the other ten came on the old, .542-mile paved oval prior to the track's 1988 renovation. Petty's count also includes seven in a row from 1970-73, a NASCAR record for this track. Bobby Allison is second with seven wins while Rusty Wallace, Kyle Busch, Darrell Waltrip and David Pearson have six apiece. Wallace and Kyle Busch's wins have all come on the present three-quarters of a mile configuration.

Among active drivers, Kyle Busch is the winningest driver at Richmond with six triumphs. Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. have three wins apiece while Kurt Busch and Joey Logano have two each.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: .750-mile D-shaped oval, 400 laps (300 miles)
Banking: 14 degrees

Frontstretch: 1,290 feet, banked 8 degrees

Backstretch: 860 feet, banked 5 degrees

Grandstand Seating: 59,000
Pit Road Speed: 40 mph
Pace Car Speed: 45 mph
Opened: 1946 (first Cup race in 1953)

Website: http://www.richmondraceway.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richmond.raceway

Twitter: http://twitter.com/RichmondRaceway

Pre-Race Schedule:

Practice: Saturday, April 2, 10:30 - 11:20 a.m. on FOX Sports 1

Qualifying: Saturday, April 2 at 11:30 a.m. on FOX Sports 1

Say What?!

"This Gen 7 car has changed how I drive at a lot of the tracks. So really, the fastest learner of this car is probably going to win and we have some tried and true things that work at Richmond, but that doesn’t mean that’s going to be the case this year. I think things like managing tire wear, getting good forward drive off of the corner, wrapping the yellow line at the apron, are still going to be important." - Ross Chastain

"Richmond is getting a little trickier, it seems like, just with the asphalt kind of getting older and the way the cars were. The consensus at Richmond is, of course, just trying to get your car to turn, but also having really good forward bite. You have to be able to get off the corners at Richmond. All of it correlates. Everything you want as a racecar driver, you’ve got to have most all of it and, if you don’t, then you better hope you have more forward bite than the rest of them. That’s sort of the equation of Richmond. It’s a fun place to race. It’s really cool. As a driver, you wish it could widen out and give you more options of being able to run around in different grooves, but it hasn’t shown us that the last couple of years. We’re hoping to get our M&M’S Crunchy Cookie Camry another win there." - Kyle Busch

"Richmond is quite a bit different just because of the grip level and the tire wear and everything that comes with that. But I think the evolution of the process – the trims, the things that have been consistent through all the races that the guys are starting to grab and starting to navigate toward – it’s meant that we’re not talking about last year’s car at all. It’s all about the trends of this year and the things that have happened this year. You look at the tendencies of Richmond in the past and you try to adapt to what has worked with this new car." - Kevin Harvick

Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photogrpahy.

Today at Frontstretch:

4 Burning Questions: Did Brad Keselowski Make a Mistake By Leaving Penske?

by Stephen Stumpf

Friday Faceoff: Should NASCAR Shorten the Cup COTA Race?

by the Frontstretch Staff

Fire on Fridays: Will 2022 Set a Record for 1st-Time Winners?

by Michael Massie

NASCAR 101: Next Gen Visit Extends Richmond Raceway's Storied History

by Adam Cheek

Not Quite NASCAR: Luck of the Irish Brings Dirt Racing Bounty to Georgia

by Bryan Keith

NASCAR Mailbox: How Will Ray Evernham's Absence Impact SRX?

by Davey Segal

Stock Car Scoop: How Will NASCAR's Next Gen Car Race at Richmond?

with Adam Cheek and Bryan Nolen

Tomorrow at Frontstretch.com:

We'll have recaps and breakdowns of all the action from Richmond for your pleasure.

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