The NASCAR Cup Series will race at the Richmond Raceway after the two-week break in what promises to be an exciting race. Last year, the track celebrated 75 years of its existence and it is a massive part of American motorsports history. The Cup Series first raced there in 1953 and Lee Petty was the winner of the inaugural race. Since then, several legends have visited Victory Lane there and made the track one of the most iconic in the competition today.
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Richmond started as a dirt track but went through several changes over the years. It was paved and made an asphalt track in 1968 and became a 0.542-mile oval. Then before the start of the 1988 season, it was repaved again into the D-shaped 0.75-mile Oval that fans and drivers have been fans of. Lee might have won the first-ever Cup race there but it is his son who dominated the track during his time as a driver.
Who will capture the checkered flag next week?#CookOut400 pic.twitter.com/UJr1k30SeK
— Richmond Raceway (@RichmondRaceway) July 31, 2024
‘The King’ Richard Petty is the most successful driver at Richmond with 13 wins to his name. From 1965 to 1969, the seven-time Cup Series champion and David Pearson won eight straight races at the venue. Richard picked up three wins at the time while Pearson bagged five. Then from 1970 to 1973, Petty won seven consecutive races and became one of the greatest to have ever raced on its hallowed asphalt.
The track was originally called the Strawberry Hill Raceway and it hosted NASCAR-sanctioned events since the 1940s before the Cup Series made its debut there. Other race winners at the track include drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, Jimmie Johnson, Rusty Wallace, and several others. The 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, who retired at the end of last season, picked up his final Cup victory at the track in 2022.
The Richmond Raceway is among the most iconic tracks in the history of American motorsports. The close-quarter racing has made fans out of both drivers and race watchers. It will be intriguing to see what the upcoming race at the track serves up, especially with the playoffs right around the corner. There could be a surprise or two that makes fans go ballistic.
