Getty Kyle Larson (front) races at Richmond Raceway.
Richmond Raceway has had a reputation as one of the more boring venues on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in recent seasons. That appears to be changing after another week of the new aero package.
The Toyota Owners 400, which Kyle Larson won on April 2 after holding off Josh Berry, was not a classic barnburner that made short track racing a beloved part of NASCAR. It didn’t need to be. Instead, it just needed to provide more entertainment than the first two Richmond races of the Next Gen era.
The only change for the race was the introduction of the new aero package which features a minuscule spoiler and 30 percent less downforce. Yet, it played a significant role as the cars became harder to control, to the point that there were noticeable wiggles that forced drivers to check up.
This race delivered some exciting moments as the top drivers ran multiple lanes and battled some ill-handling cars. There were also eight cautions — five for incidents — which was the most since the 2017 season. These stops in the action forced the drivers to focus on tire and fuel strategy to gain every possible advantage. Some capitalized, such as Berry, while others faded late with scuffed tires.
The noticeable changes began on the opening lap as Joey Logano took the field three-wide while trying to pass Michael McDowell and Corey LaJoie. Multiple other drivers such as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Chase Briscoe rode right next to the wall at times while making up some ground at critical points of the race.
GREEN IN RICHMOND. ❤️ if you’re watching #NASCARonFS1!
These drivers were able to run several grooves on the short track, something that has not been as commonplace. The tougher Next Gen bodies then allowed them to slap the wall and continue racing.
“I thought it was a fun race,” Joey Logano said after the race, per Ford Performance. “I had fun. It’s a tricky track. It’s fun. It’s one of my favorite tracks, probably my favorite track to run and manage your tires. And when you run hard and all that, it’s really fun for the driver. It’s probably the most fun track for the driver.”
The Loop Data Provided Some Evidence
GettyChristopher Bell (left) & William Byron (right) race at Richmond Raceway.
Passing the eye test is only one way to tell if the short track package made Richmond more competitive. The numbers also have to provide further evidence showing that drivers could work their way through the field instead of getting stuck behind slower cars.
According to the loop data provided by NASCAR, there were 3,816 passes made during green flag runs. Aric Almirola had the most with 151, followed by Josh Berry at 144.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (11) and JJ Yeley (10) had the fewest due to separate issues. A mechanical problem knocked Stenhouse out of fifth place and sent him to the garage for a portion of the race. He ultimately finished 35th and 16 laps behind the field.
Yeley had to make multiple trips down pit road after Denny Hamlin hit him from behind and sent him spinning into the wall. He spent the remainder of the day running several laps behind the leaders before finishing 36th.
For comparison, there were 3,072 green flag passes during the spring 2022 Cup Series race at Richmond. Alex Bowman had the most at 146 while Greg Biffle had the fewest at two. The summer race was an improvement with 3,569 green flag passes. Kyle Busch had the most at 159.
Joseph Srigley provided further information on April 2. The noted stat man revealed that these 3,816 green flag passes were the most at Richmond Raceway since the debut of Loop Data in 2005. This is a solid sign for future events.
Further Tests Will Create Conversations
Was the Toyota Owners 400 a perfect event? Absolutely not. Some drivers loved the new package and how it handled the short rack while Kevin Harvick said that he could not feel a major difference. Still, it was a solid step in the right direction.
The next test for this short track package will take place at Martinsville Speedway on April 16. The drivers will take on the historic short track while battling for wins, and they will take part in a pivotal test considering that the past two events at Martinsville were average at best.
The spring race at Martinsville, in particular, had five lead changes and only four cautions — two for stage breaks. This event, which took place in 40-degree weather, led to comments from drivers about how there needed to change with the tire wear and the aero package.
The 2023 season provides these drivers with two more opportunities to take on Martinsville Speedway and see if the new aero package has really fixed the problems. If the action is better, there will be some optimism about the Next Gen era. If not, there will only be more discussions about potential changes.