Saturday, May 3 Richmond Int'l Raceway Richmond, Virginia

Clint Bowyer celebrates winning the Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

Bowyer Beneficiary of Rowdy Richmond Race

RICHMOND, Va. – Bizarre might be a good description of the Dan Lowry 400 Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

This one had a little bit of everything.

Denny Hamlin led a race-record number of laps, 381 to be exact.


Dale Earnhardt Jr. was leading with two-to-go, until he and Kyle Busch made contact - resulting in a spin for the 88 car - and a 15th-place finish...Read Earnhardt's comments about the incident here.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) and Kyle Busch provided a few laps of great racing for the lead, a battle that ended with Earnhardt spinning out on Lap 398.

And that led to Clint Bowyer getting by both Earnhardt and Busch, en route to his second career win in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition.


Denny Hamlin led a track record 381 laps before cutting a tire and finishing 24th

Hamlin owned the race until he had a tire go flat with the end in sight, on Lap 383. Hamlin stopped his car on the track and NASCAR invoked a two-lap penalty for intentionally causing a caution.

Kyle Busch (bottom) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (top) pass Denny Hamlin on Lap 383 after Hamlin cut a tire.

After the restart, Earnhardt and Busch battled several laps for the lead with Earnhardt taking over, much to the delight of the partisan crowd. Their cheers turned to boos a few laps later when the two drivers scraped together and Earnhardt spun, hitting the outside wall.

That set the stage for a green, white, checker finish – with Bowyer holding off Busch for the two laps as the sellout crowd of more than 110,000 fans roared their approval. Busch’s runner-up result was good enough for him to overtake Jeff Burton for the series points lead.

While Bowyer was reaping the rewards of his win, Michael Waltrip was trying to explain to NASCAR officials why he continued to push Casey Mears' car after an accident between the two. Mears pinched Waltrip into the outside wall, causing both cars to make contact. Waltrip continued the skirmish after the cars slowed down - until he was parked for the night by NASCAR.

It was another good performance for veteran Mark Martin, who finished third. Rounding out the top 10 were Tony Stewart, Martin Truex, Jr., Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne. Earnhardt wound up 15th. Hamlin was 24th.

Prior to the tire problem, Hamlin had taken up where he had left off in winning Friday night's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at RIR, leading 229 of the first 230 laps.

The Chesterfield, Va. native was thrilled following his Friday win, the first of his career at his “home track,” and carried his exuberance into the NASCAR Sprint Cup race.


A 14-car wreck on lap 230 caused a 22-minute red flag...

On Lap 230, contact between Carl Edwards' Ford and J.J. Yeley's Toyota led to a 14-car incident that included the Chevrolet of points leader Burton. Burton, however, escaped with minimal damage and went on to an 11th-place finish – but he dropped to second in the point standings.

Complete Race Results click here

Post-Race Driver Point Standings click here

NASCAR Newscast - Richmond Review click here

Select Post-Race Driver Comments click here


Denny Hamlin will start the Dan Lowry 400 from the pole position.

Starting Lineup For Saturday Night's Dan Lowry 400 click here

Broadcast Times - AT*

Final Practice: Friday, May 2 (SPEED at 2:30 p.m.)

Qualifying: Friday, May 2 (SPEED at 6:30 p.m.)

RaceDay: Saturday, May 3 (SPEED at 6 p.m.)

Pre-Race Show: Saturday, May 3 (FOX & TSN at 8 p.m.)

Race: Saturday, May 3 (FOX & TSN at 8:30 p.m.)

*AT is one hour ahead of ET, i.e. if it's 2 p.m./AT - it's 1 p.m./ET...

Fast Facts
The Race: Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400
The Place: Richmond International Raceway
The Track: 0.75-mile oval
The Distance: 300 miles/400 laps
TV: FOX & TSN, 8 p.m./ET
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
2007 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2007 Polesitter: Jeff Gordon
Pre-Race Schedule (local track time/ET): Friday—Final Practice, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; Qualifying, 5:40 p.m.

Year-To-Date Race Results & Driver Point Standings click here

Track Map



Related Stories

NASCAR Newscast - Richmond Preview click here

Richmond Storylines click here


Dan Lowry (right) meets with Crown Royal sponsored-driver Jamie McMurray to kick-off a weekend full of VIP treatment as the namesake of the Dan Lowry 400 entitlement for the race. Lowry won a Crown Royal-sponsored contest thanks to an essay he wrote chronicling his favorite responsible Crown Royal memory when he spent time working in Venezuela and how recognizing the Crown Royal bottle amidst labels he didn’t recognize made him feel like home wasn’t so far away.

Pre-Race Pit Stops

• Kyle Busch On A Victory Roll...Soon-to-be 23-year-old Kyle Busch (No. 18 Pedigree Toyota) — his birthday is Friday — approaches Saturday night’s Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond International Raceway seeking the capstone to a personal puzzle. Fresh off last Sunday’s victory at 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway, Busch needs only a short-track win to complete a “series circuit ” — a victory at each size track on NASCAR’s national series schedules. Busch leads all active drivers with seven wins spread across the three national series — the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (two), the NASCAR Nationwide Series (three) and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (two). With NASCAR Sprint Cup his primary focus, he’s also competing on an as-can basis in the other national series. Last week’s victory took place on a restrictor-plate track. Busch won two weeks ago on a road course (the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Mexico City). He’s also won at a 1.5-mile track (Texas Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway), a 2-mile track (Auto Club Speedway) and a one-mile track (Phoenix International Raceway) so far this year.
• Hamlin Hoping For A Hometown Win At Richmond...Kyle Busch and two-time series champion Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) may have grabbed bigger headlines last week at Talladega, but their Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) could usurp them at Richmond. The .75-mile oval is Hamlin’s home track — he hails from nearby Chesterfield, Va. — and a victory there would punctuate a successful early season. Currently fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, Hamlin trails leader Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet) by 99 points and the second-place Busch by 77 points. He’s 20 points behind third-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet), plus riding momentum from last Sunday’s third-place finish at Talladega. Already a 2008 Virginia winner, Hamlin won last month at Martinsville Speedway. But, like Stewart, an Indiana native whose Holy Grail was winning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (he’s done it twice in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series), Hamlin yearns for a Richmond victory. He was runner-up in the May 2006 event there, and is second in pre-race Driver Rating for Richmond (111.3). “When I do have a good run at Richmond it means just a little bit more there than it does anywhere else,” Hamlin said.
• Earnhardt Jr. Hopes Victory Drought Will End At Richmond...Two years between victories, Dale Earnhardt Jr. arrives at Saturday’s Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond International Raceway four days shy of the exact anniversary: May 7, 2006. That’s when Earnhardt last hoisted a NASCAR Sprint Cup race trophy — a 71-event drought. But the breakthrough could occur this week. In third place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, Earnhardt trails leader Jeff Burton by 79 points. He’s 57 points behind second-place Kyle Busch. Earnhardt also has a series-high seven top-10 finishes in nine events thus far. And he and Tony Stewart lead all active drivers with three series wins each at Richmond. Aside from those three wins, Earnhardt has seven top fives, nine top 10s and one DNF (did not finish) in 17 career starts there, with an average finish of 11.3 He has a series-high 334 Green Flag Passes there, according to pre-race Loop Data statistics. Earnhardt also ranks in the top 10 of five other pre-race Richmond Loop Data statistics — Average Running Position (12.9, sixth-best), Driver Rating (89.9, 10th-best), Fastest Laps Run (96, seventh-best), Laps in the Top 15 (1,401, 10th-best) and Quality Passes (124, eighth-best). “Seems like forever ago but I try not to think about it,” Earnhardt said. “I don’t want to be thinking of how long it’s been since a win, but knowing we have a shot at it every week and something or other happens is a little frustrating.”
• Three Points Separate Top Three In Manufacturers Standings...It’s quite a battle in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Manufacturers Standings, where the top three manufacturers are separated by a total of three points. For now, Chevrolet is first, leading second-place Toyota by one point — 55 to 54 — and third-place Ford (52) by three points. Fourth-place Dodge needs only 15 points to catch Ford, and only 18 to catch the front-running Chevrolet. It’s all a reflection of this year ’s mix of winners and close competition. In the win column, Toyota and Ford are tied for first with three each. Through nine events, Carl Edwards’ (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) has Ford’s three wins while Kyle Busch has Toyota’s three wins. Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge) has Dodge’s one win. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Burton each have one win, giving Chevrolet two for the season. Chevrolet drivers have won six of the last 10 races at Richmond International Raceway, including the last four in a row. Johnson swept both 2007 events, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the spring 2006 event and Kevin Harvick won the fall event that year. Petty Enterprises, which runs Dodges, leads all teams with 15 wins at Richmond. Hendrick Motorsports, which runs Chevrolets, is second with nine Richmond victories.
• NASCAR’s 60th Anniversary: The King Leads The Way At Richmond...Rich with NASCAR history, the state of Virginia has long factored in the twists and turns of stock-car racing. The current venue, Richmond International Raceway, has hosted the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since 1953. There have been 107 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in Richmond, 103 at what is now known as Richmond International Raceway and four at Southside Speedway (1961-1963). Kyle Petty became the first third-generation NASCAR race winner when he won his first race – at Richmond – on February 23, 1986. Richard posted his first Richmond victory in 1961 and Lee won the very first Richmond race in 1953. The best were their best at Richmond. Each member of the “70 Wins Club” has multiple wins at Richmond. Richard Petty leads all drivers in Richmond wins with 13. Bobby Allison has seven; David Pearson and Darrell Waltrip have six; Dale Earnhardt has five; Cale Yarborough has three; and Jeff Gordon has two.
• The Top 35: Smith And the No. 01 Still 35th; The No. 40 Dodge Jumps To 36th...For the fourth consecutive week, the No. 01 Steak Umm Burgers Chevrolet owned by Teresa Earnhardt and driven by Regan Smith is 35th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner standings. Each week, the top 35 teams are guaranteed starting spots, with those outside the top 35 required to qualify on time This week, the No. 40 Kennametal Dodge owned by Felix Sabates jumps three spots to 36th, 61 points behind 35th. Usually driven by Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate Dario Franchitti, it will be driver by Ken Schrader at Richmond. Franchitti suffered a broken left ankle in last week’s NASCAR Nationwide event. The No. 70 Haas Automation Chevrolet owned by Margaret Haas will be driven by Johnny Sauter at Richmond. It climbed one spot, to 37th, after Ken Schrader drove it last week at Talladega. The No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota owned by Jeffrey Moorad and driven by J.J. Yeley is 38th, a drop of two spots. Yeley trails Sauter by five points in the owner standings. Behind Yeley, the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota owned by Bill Davis and driven by Dave Blaney is 39th, a drop of two spots. The No. 84 Team Red Bull Toyota owned by Dietrich Mateschitz and driven by AJ Allmendinger remains 40th, after Allmendinger returned to his seat at Talladega after a month’s hiatus. The No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge owned by Roger Penske and driven by Sam Hornish Jr., another Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate is 34th, a drop of four spots. He leads the 35th-place Smith by only four points. The No. 44 UPS Toyota owned by Michael Waltrip and driven by David Reutimann is 33rd, seven points ahead of Hornish and 11 points ahead of Smith.

IMPORTANT: All information, schedules and/or scheduled events is/are subject to change without notice. Please check with the source to confirm.