NASCAR Cup Series

Podium Preview: Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond

by
Rob Tiongson
April 2, 2023

It will be a bright, bright sunshiny race day for Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. (Photo: Mitchell Richtmyre | The Podium Finish)

RICHMOND, Va. – Short track season begins in earnest with Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET on Fs1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). With at least 400 laps and 375 miles of NASCAR Cup Series action from the capital of Virginia, this is no ordinary Sunday afternoon drive.

At 0.75-miles in length, this quick, action packed short track offers a bit of everything. With the intensity of an intermediate track that promotes side-by-side racing and overt tire degradation, the fine line between flat out, aggressive racing and methodical, careful driving will be interesting to watch on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday’s race has a bit of a throwback feeling with 2021 as drivers have yet to take their cars around Richmond at full song. Although the days of show up and race are no longer the norm, the mentality remains the same given how practice and qualifying were rained out.

On top of the lack of on track time and abrasive track surface, drivers will get more time with the lower downforce package featured at road courses and short tracks. Despite the lack of a consensus on the package’s potential among multiple racers, this could be a hit or may result in a work in progress pursuit for drivers and teams later this year.

After watching four straight Chevrolet wins and a Ford victory in the season’s first five races, Toyota reached the winner’s circle with Tyler Reddick last Sunday at Circuit of the Americas. Reddick’s victory could not have come at a better time considering the manufacturer’s track record in the spring Richmond race.

Still, the likes of Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., and Alex Bowman cannot be dismissed. Each of these drivers are past victors and thrive on rough, tire eating tracks like Richmond. Then again, this ferocious short track has been quite the stop in its current form since 1988, or when America debated over Tiffany versus Debbie Gibson.

Once the flag waves the green flag to kick off this new season, it is anyone’s guess as to who will prevail in this year’s Toyota Owners 400. For the time being, come along for the ride this and each race weekend with Podium Preview.

This weekend, Cody Shoppe, Jasmine Sharpe, Kobe Lambeth, Matt Sisoler and yours truly contemplate over the first Cup race without stage break cautions, road course ringers and race winning picks!

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Question 1

Kyle Busch has been vocal about the lack of respect with various drivers in recent weeks. (Photo: Mitchell Richtmyre | The Podium Finish)

Kyle Busch has observed the lack of respect among drivers while subtly referencing Ross Chastain after the Cup race at COTA. How fair is Busch’s assessment with his competitors, particularly in the Cup Series?

Lambeth : Comparing how racing etiquette used to be when Kyle Busch made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2004 to the present day, “the game” has surely changed significantly in an era that rewards aggression. We live in a time where drivers are willing to do whatever it takes to win and score as many points as possible. If that means slamming and banging into others on the final restart, so be it. Every spot matters more than ever.

In the past, there was a lot of give-and-take throughout the race. Plus, drivers raced their competitors with great respect for the most part. Now, all of that doesn’t matter as much, so it’s no surprise that longtime veterans in the garage like Busch are frustrated with how overly aggressive the drivers are week-after-week and this probably won’t be changing anytime soon.

Tiongson : I think it is fair considering how Kyle Busch has matured over the years. While he was the youngster who debuted in the national NASCAR scene in 2001, he has earned his place as a top, championship winning racer with some respect toward his competitors and the series.

Sure, Busch may roll his eyes at times or have the occasional soundbite that can be a bit captivating. All told, he is right. Moments like the final Overtime restart at COTA and overall lack of respect and courtesies in races are tantamount to the drivers’ argument with safety. The margin for error may be extremely close but it does not mean Lap 1 or the first lap of Stage 3 warrants absolute reckless abandon.

Sisoler : I’d have to agree with Kyle’s statements, especially with other drivers like Ryan Preece not being happy with the levels of respect. Road courses are always chaotic with NASCAR, but even so, COTA showed that now, much like WWE in the mid-2000s, an era of ruthless aggression seems to permeate the sport. Very little give, too much take, and not a whole lot of respect being shown out there.

Question 2

Tire management and consistent, long run speed are key at Richmond Raceway. (Photo: Kevin Ritchie | The Podium Finish)

Richmond has one of the most abrasive surfaces of the tracks in the Cup schedule. How important and critical will tire wear be for competitors this weekend?

Sharpe : Welcome to the “cheese grater” of tracks. Richmond is a small track with tons of character, making it a challenge to drive on as drivers need to be able to drive with just enough aggression to stay out front without shredding their tires. Last year overall was a struggle with the new tires as teams did everything to try and stretch its capabilities, resulting in several cars having destroyed tires, or in the worst cases, wrecked cars.

Now with the knowledge and experience, teams can decide how hard to push hopefully without any consequences. There perhaps will be a few cases where the limits will be breached and a car may end up in the wall due to a blown out tire.

Shoppe : While Richmond may have stopped being the action track it once was called, it has turned into the strategy track! The importance of tire wear at Richmond has opened the door for multiple pit strategy options we saw last year. With huge falloff, you can split stages up to make up ground on those struggling on old worn out Goodyears.

After two laps around Richmond Raceway as a relatively green track, let’s head to pit road to change our tires and refuel for a winning Sunday afternoon. Before we think about winning, let’s rewind to last Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, Round 6 of 36 of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season!

It was a solid race day for Cody Shoppe.

Moreover, the Hendrick points penalty appeal has shaken the points standings quite a bit.