Richmond Raceway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Richmond Raceway

D-shaped Oval (1988−present)
Location	Richmond, Virginia
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (UTC−04:00 DST)
Coordinates	37°35′30.08″N 77°25′15.28″W / 37.5916889°N 77.4209111°W / 37.5916889; -77.4209111
Capacity	Exact figure unknown; less than 50,000
Owner	NASCAR (2019–present) International Speedway Corporation (1999–2019)
Opened	11 October 1946; 78 years ago (1946-10-11)
Construction cost	$10,000 USD
Former names	Richmond International Raceway (1988–2017) Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway (1969–1988) Virginia State Fairgrounds (1946–1968)
Major events	Current: NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 (1958–present) Toyota Owners 400 (1953, 1955–1957, 1959–2019, 2021–2024) NASCAR Truck Series eero 250 (1995–2005, 2020–present) Former: IndyCar Series Indy Richmond 300 (2001–2009) NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250 (1982–1984, 1990–2020, 2022–2024) Go Bowling 250 (1982–2021)
D-Shaped Oval (1988–present)
Surface	Asphalt
Length	0.750 mi (1.207 km)
Turns	4
Banking	Turns: 14° Frontstretch: 8° Backstretch: 2°
Race lap record	0:15.9368 seconds (169.423 mph) ( Sam Hornish Jr., Dallara IR-03, 2004, IndyCar)

Richmond Raceway is a famous D-shaped oval race track in Richmond, Virginia. It's about three-quarters of a mile long (0.750 miles or 1.207 km). This track has hosted many big races since it opened in 1946. These include exciting events from NASCAR and IndyCar.

The track is currently owned by NASCAR. Lori Collier Waran is the track president, leading its operations. Richmond Raceway was once known as the Richmond International Raceway (from 1988 to 2017). Before that, it was called the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway (from 1969 to 1988).

The track was first built in 1946 as part of the Atlantic Rural Exposition. It originally hosted horse races and open-wheel car races. Over the years, it became a regular home for NASCAR races. In 1988, the track was completely changed into its current D-shaped oval. It also grew a lot in size and features.

In the 2000s, the France family bought the facility. Later, in the 2010s, the track reduced its seating. It now holds less than half of its biggest crowd capacity.

About Richmond Raceway

Track Shape and Surface

Richmond Raceway, pictured in 2021.

Richmond Raceway is a D-shaped oval track. It measures 0.750 miles (1.207 km) around. The turns have a steep angle, called banking, of 14 degrees. The front straightaway has 8 degrees of banking, and the back straightaway has 2 degrees.

When the track first opened, it was a true oval. It was only half a mile long (0.5 miles or 0.80 km) and had a dirt surface. In 1968, the track was paved with asphalt. Then, in 1988, it was rebuilt into the D-shaped layout we see today.

Location and Facilities

Richmond Raceway is located in Richmond, Virginia. You can easily get there using Interstate 64 and U.S. Route 360. The exact number of seats at Richmond Raceway is not known. However, it is thought to be less than 50,000. The last official count in 2018 was 51,000 seats. The entire track area covers about 575 acres (233 hectares) of land.

Track History

Early Days of Racing

Building the Track

In 1942, during World War II, the Virginia State Fair Association bought a large piece of land. This land was called Strawberry Hill. They planned to move the State Fair there. Work on moving the main fair grandstand started in 1944.

In 1945, the Atlantic Rural Exposition (ARE) was announced. It was planned as an agriculture show for the fall of 1946. In February 1946, a budget was approved to build a half-mile (0.80 km) race track for $10,000. The track was finished by June 1946. Organizers hoped to host horse, car, and motorcycle races there.

First Races

The Atlantic Rural Exposition opened on October 7, 1946. The track officially opened for horse races on October 11, 1946. The first car races happened the next day, with Ted Horn winning. The track later hosted races sanctioned by the American Automobile Association (AAA). In May 1947, the first motorcycle races took place.

Racing driver Ted Horn (around 1933) won the first car race at Richmond Raceway.

The track was improved in 1948. It got lights for night racing and more seats. The first night race was held on May 19. In 1950, a sad accident occurred when a spectator was injured by a loose tire and later passed away due to complications.

In 1953, the track hosted its first NASCAR Grand National Series race. Lee Petty won this historic event. In 1958, racing driver Gwyn Staley had a serious accident during a race and sadly passed away. The track added about 4,200 seats in 1962. This increased its capacity from 4,800 to around 9,000. The pit area was also updated.

Track Changes and Improvements

Paving the Track

In August 1968, officials announced that the track would be paved. This work was finished by early September. The first race on the new paved surface was a NASCAR Grand National Series race on September 9. For a while, people debated the exact length of the paved track. It was first measured at 0.542 miles (0.872 km) but later reclassified as a half-mile track.

Plans for a New Track

By the early 1970s, the Fairgrounds Raceway needed many updates. Fans complained about old facilities and not enough seats. The track also offered less prize money than others. Because of these issues, co-promoters Ken Campbell and Paul Sawyer started planning a new, bigger track.

They proposed building a large track in Prince George County, Virginia. It would have 50,000 seats and be 1.75 miles (2.82 km) long. However, this project faced many delays and rising costs. Economic problems in the 1970s also made it harder to build. Eventually, the plans for this new track were stopped.

Other ideas for new tracks in Dinwiddie County and Isle of Wight County also came up. These plans aimed to build modern superspeedways. But each time, issues like funding, approvals, or NASCAR's rules prevented them from happening. These challenges showed how difficult it was to build a new, large racing facility.

1988 Remodel

After several new track plans failed, Paul Sawyer decided to focus on improving the existing Fairgrounds Raceway. In February 1987, he announced plans to completely remodel the track. On June 11, 1987, Sawyer officially shared the plans. The true oval track would become a D-shaped oval. It would be lengthened to 0.75 miles (1.21 km). The goal was to have 50,000 seats and better facilities for fans.

Davey Allison (above) won the first race at the remodeled Richmond International Raceway in 1988.

The last race on the old Fairgrounds Raceway was on February 21, 1988. Soon after, work began on the remodel. The track was renamed "Richmond International Raceway" (RIR). The project cost about $5 million. The new track was ready for its first race on September 11, 1988. Davey Allison won this first event. Drivers generally liked the new RIR, though some had small suggestions for improvements.

Growing Bigger and Newer

Major Expansions

After the 1988 remodel, RIR continued to grow. In 1989, a new scoreboard and more parking were added. By 1991, plans were made to increase seating to 90,000. A permanent lighting system was also planned for night races. In August 1991, temporary lights were used for the first night races.

More seats were added in 1992, bringing the capacity to around 70,000. In 1993, the pit road entrance was changed to help drivers. More grandstands were expanded, and by 1995, permanent lights were installed. Seating reached about 83,000. The track even got approval to expand to 125,000 seats. By 1997, capacity was almost 96,000.

NASCAR Takes Over

To expand even more, RIR started talks to buy the State Fairgrounds land in 1998. This would create more parking. In December 1998, the Sawyer family offered $40 million for the land. They even suggested building a new track if they couldn't buy it.

In July 1999, the sale of the fairgrounds was approved. This allowed for long-term plans to expand seating to 150,000. Soon after, on December 1, 1999, the Sawyer family sold RIR to the France family-owned International Speedway Corporation (ISC) for $215 million. This sale helped push forward the big expansion plans.

By 2000, seating capacity reached 102,420. In 2001, RIR hosted its first Indy Racing League (now IndyCar Series) race. Buddy Lazier won the event. More seats were added in 2003, bringing the total to 107,094. Safety improvements, like SAFER barriers, were installed in 2003. The track was repaved in 2004. In 2007, a new tower was built, increasing capacity to 112,029. A large video scoring tower was added in 2010.

Smaller Crowds, New Look

Reducing Seats

In 2011, Richmond Raceway started reducing its grandstand seating. This was because fewer people were attending races. The capacity dropped to 94,063. By 2013, parts of the backstretch grandstand were removed, bringing capacity to about 75,000. After widening seats, it was further reduced to 69,000 in 2015. In 2016, the backstretch grandstands were completely removed, making capacity 60,000.

An overhead photo of Richmond Raceway in 2021.

Renovation and Rebranding

On July 11, 2017, a $30 million renovation project was announced. This included updating the garage area and adding a "party deck." The track was also renamed "Richmond Raceway." Work began in September 2017 and finished in September 2018. As part of this, more seats were removed, reducing capacity to 51,000.

In 2019, NASCAR bought the track from ISC. Lori Collier Waran became the new track president. In 2023, the track got a new logo. It features the Richmond skyline and the James River. In 2024, some seats were removed for tray tables, bringing the capacity to "under 50,000."

Racing Events

Car Racing

NASCAR Races

A NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway in 2013. Since 1953, the track has hosted annual Cup Series races in most years.

Richmond Raceway hosts one big NASCAR weekend each year. The main event is a NASCAR Cup Series race, currently called the Cook Out 400. For most of its history, the track held two Cup Series races annually. The second race, last known as the Toyota Owners 400, took place in the spring from 1959 to 2024.

The track also hosts the NASCAR Truck Series' eero 250. This is a support race for the Cup Series. The track used to host the NASCAR Xfinity Series' ToyotaCare 250 as a support event until 2024.

Open-Wheel Races

In 2001, the Indy Racing League (now IndyCar Series) held its first race at Richmond Raceway. The series raced there every year until 2009. The 2009 race received some negative feedback, and disagreements over fees led to it being removed from the schedule. The IndyCar Series planned to return in 2020, but that race was canceled due to health restrictions and was not rescheduled.

Other Races

Richmond Raceway has also hosted many other racing series. These include the USAC Silver Crown Series, the USAC National Midget Championship, and the International Race of Champions (IROC).

Filming Location

Richmond Raceway has been used for filming movies and documentaries. It was a location for the 1960 film Thunder in Carolina. The track also appeared in the 1977 documentary Stockcars!, which was about stock car racing.

Fastest Laps

As of September 2020, here are some of the fastest official race lap records at Richmond Raceway:

See also

In Spanish: Richmond Raceway para niños