Ryan Newman to Drive No. 31 CAT Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in 2014

Richard Childress Racing has signed Ryan Newman to drive the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starting in 2014. Newman, 35, is a 17-time NSCS race winner with 50 pole awards to his credit; and is the 2008 Daytona 500 and 2013 Brickyard 400 champion.

“This is a great opportunity for our team,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of RCR. “I am very proud to have Ryan in our No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet starting next year. We have high expectations for this No. 31 team. Ryan has proven himself to be a great driver and I’m looking forward to winning races with him.

“Luke Lambert will be his crew chief and the team is staying together next year. That team is building momentum to not only finish out this year strong, but to get even better in 2014.”

“Ryan will be a great fit with CAT and RCR in many ways. He’s an outdoorsman, a conservationist and is very familiar with CAT equipment as an owner of some of their products.”

A native of South Bend, Ind., Newman earned an engineering degree from Purdue University in 2001.

“I’m very pleased Richard and I were able to put this deal together for me to drive RCR’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet,” Newman said. “About five years ago, Richard and I talked about me joining RCR before I signed with my current team, but things just didn’t work out. However, we were able to make it happen this time and I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my career. RCR has a long history of winning races and championships, and I want to add to that tradition.

“I am very excited to work with Caterpillar. They are a world-class company and I look forward to learning more about them. Since I’m already a customer of theirs, I can honestly say they make incredible equipment.

“One important thing I sincerely want everyone to know is how much I respect and admire Jeff Burton as a person and driver. He handled his recent announcement and situation with respect, class and dignity.

“We’re going to finish this season strong with the No. 39 team and give it our all to win races. Then, I’ll concentrate on working with Luke Lambert and the other members of RCR as we get ready for 2014.”

Announcements on sponsors in addition to Caterpillar will be made at a later date.

“We are excited to have Ryan Newman driving the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS in 2014,” said Greg Towles, NASCAR Program Director for Caterpillar. “Ryan’s racing accomplishments are well known and, when coupled with his knowledge of machinery and passion for the outdoors, he aligns well with Caterpillar customers, dealers and employees.”

Source: Richard Childress Racing

NASCAR This Week on ESPN

The Chase Begins at Chicagoland Speedway

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR’s playoffs, begins this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway with the GEICO 400. ESPN will have a live telecast on Sunday, Sept. 15, with NASCAR Countdown at 1 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag at 2:16 p.m. The NASCAR Nationwide Series also competes at the 1.5-mile track on Saturday, Sept. 14, and ESPN2 will air the race at 3:30 p.m., with the green at 3:47 p.m. Also from Chicagoland, ESPN2 airs NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13. All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.

Announcers:
Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick (Sprint Cup); Marty Reid (Nationwide Series); analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree.

Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch.

NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace; Ray Evernham, Brad Daugherty (analysts).

Two NASCAR Now Specials to Preview Chase; Weekend Wrap-up Show Returns

ESPN’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will help NASCAR fans get ready for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with a pair of special programs on Thursday, Sept. 12. ESPNEWS will air coverage from Chase Media Day at Navy Pier in Chicago from noon until 2:30 p.m. ET, with host Mike Massaro, analyst Ricky Craven and reporter Marty Smith speaking with the Chase drivers and other NASCAR news makers. Massaro, Craven and Smith will be back with a one-hour NASCAR Now Chase Preview at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. NASCAR Now’s weekend wrap-up show returns to the air Sunday, Sept. 15, at 11:30 p.m. This week’s schedule:

Date               Time                Show                  Host                    Network

Tue., Sept.  10   2:30 a.m.   NASCAR Now   Allen Bestwick     ESPN2
Wed., Sept. 11   2:30 a.m.   NASCAR Now    Mike Massaro     ESPN2
Thu., Sept.  12   3:30 a.m.   NASCAR Now   Mike Massaro      ESPN2
                           Noon         NASCAR Now    Mike Massaro     ESPNEWS
                           7 p.m         NASCAR Now    Mike Massaro     ESPN2
Sun., Sept. 15    11:30 p.m.  NASCAR Now   Mike Massaro      ESPN2

Cole Whitt to Drive for Swan Racing in the No. 30

Swan Racing announced today that Cole Whitt will drive the No. 30 Toyota beginning at Chicagoland Speedway on September 15, 2013. Whitt replaces veteran driver David Stremme who drove every race for Swan Racing this season except for the Daytona 500.

"We welcome Cole Whitt to Swan Racing as the team builds for the future," said team owner Brandon Davis. "Cole is a very talented driver with a bright future and we are eager to see him compete for Swan Racing. I also want to thank David Stremme for his commitment to the team and for helping me learn so much about the sport in my first full season in NASCAR."

Whitt is currently scheduled to drive the No. 30 in 4 other races this season including Kansas, Charlotte, Talladega, and Phoenix. The team will finish off the season using as many as two other drivers. Those drivers will be named at a later date.

"We are going to take a look at a number of young drivers this year as we begin to prepare for 2014. It is important that this team take continued steps forward in every aspect," Davis said.

"I am thrilled to get back to racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Swan Racing. I told Mr. Davis that I will give him all I have to make this team successful," said Whitt.

Whitt, 22, has competed in 11 NASCAR Nationwide Series races this year for TriStar Motorsports with two Top 10 finishes including an 8th place finish at Road America and an 8th place finish at Watkins Glenn. He had a strong 2012 competing for JR Motorsports where he captured four Top 5 and 14 Top 10 finishes good enough for seventh place in the championship standings. His career NNS statistics include 47 starts, 4 Top 5s and 16 Top 10 finishes. In the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Whitt made seven starts over the past two years.

- Tuckahoe Strategies Release for Swan Racing

NASCAR Nationwide Series To Reach 1000th-Race Milestone At Richmond

On February 13, 1982, Dale Earnhardt crossed the finish line first in the Goody’s 300 at Daytona International Speedway to win the inaugural race in what is now known as the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Twenty-three champions and 136 race winners later, NASCAR’s No. 2 series approaches an historic milestone – its 1,000th race, on Sept. 6 at Richmond International Raceway. 

Through the years, drivers, owners and fans have witnessed some of the best racing in motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, beginning with Jack Ingram’s championship run in 1982, the series’ inaugural season.

Ingram drove the self-owned No. 11 Pontiac to seven wins that season, followed by five victories in 1985 to claim his second title. Next Friday at Richmond, Elliott Sadler will pilot the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota carrying a paint scheme honoring Ingram’s upcoming enshrinement into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Jan. 29, 2014.  

“The NASCAR Nationwide Series always has been a perfect blend of young and veteran drivers, providing some of the most compelling and entertaining racing in motorsports,” said Mike Helton, NASCAR president. “We are very pleased with the progress the series has made over the last 32 years and continues to make in terms of competition, technology and providing a truly memorable experience for its legions of fans.”  

Over the last 999 races, there have been a multitude of highlights that weave together the colorful tales of its drivers and epic battles on the track. Some of the top moments from the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ stories history include:

· Dale Earnhardt’s wins the series’ inaugural event – the Goody’s 300 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 13, 1982.

· Jeff Gordon captures a series-record 11th pole of the season in late October 1992 at Rockingham Speedway – the most poles by one driver in one season. 

· Jack Ingram captures the inaugural series championship at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 31, 1982.

· Sam Ard becomes the first driver to win two titles in the series on Oct. 28, 1984, at Martinsville, becoming the first of eight drivers to earn the distinction. The other seven are Jack Ingram, Larry Pearson, Randy LaJoie, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

· Shawna Robinson vaulted into the NASCAR record books at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1994 by becoming the first female to win a pole in NASCAR Nationwide Series history. No other female driver matched that feat until 2012, when Danica Patrick started on pole at Daytona International Speedway.

· Nationwide Insurance becomes the title sponsor in 2008, renaming NASCAR’s No. 2 series the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

· Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins the debut race of the new NASCAR Nationwide Series car at Daytona on July 2, 2010. Earnhardt’s No. 3 Chevrolet carries the No. 3 Wrangler paint scheme his father made famous early in his career.

· Kyle Busch wins the Food City 250 at Bristol on Friday, August 20, 2010. He had already won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at the .533-mile track two days earlier and would go on to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race the following night, becoming the only driver to sweep all three national series events at a track.

· On August 26, 2011, Kyle Busch claims his 50th series victory in the Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway to surpass Mark Martin as the all-time wins leader. Busch continues to win consistently in the series, notching his 60th victory on August 23, 2013, at Bristol.

· Kenny Wallace passes Jason Keller as the all-time series’ starts leader with 521 on November 12, 2011. Wallace’s tally of race starts currently sits at 541.

· Ricky Stenhouse Jr. becomes only the sixth driver in the series to claim back-to-back titles in 2012, following in the footsteps of Sam Ard, Larry Pearson, Randy LaJoie, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series long has been a proving ground for drivers trying to earn a seat in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. There are eight NASCAR Sprint Cup champions who competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series before making their way to NASCAR’s top level: Alan Kulwicki, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski. Keselowski is the only driver to have won titles in NASCAR’s top two series.

NASCAR Chassis Selections - Richmond Federated Auto Parts 400

Not all teams announce their weekly race chassis'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the chassis in the teams race preview: 

#2- Brad Keselowski - Miller Lite primary chassis for Bristol is PRS-845 which last raced at New Hampshire in July and finished 4th. The Backup Chassis is PRS-847 which has been a backup at several races but not raced.

#5- Kasey Kahne -  Crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-815 for Saturday night’s event at Richmond. This is a new chassis.

#9- Marcos Ambrose - The No. 9 Dewalt Ford Fusion team will bring brand new chassis No. 847 this weekend to Richmond.

#10-Danica Patrick - Chassis No. 10-811 is a brand new car that was first used at a test August 26-27 at Richmond International Raceway. Patrick tested the car August 26th , while teammate Mark Martin tested it August 27th.

#14-Mark Martin - Chassis No. 14-710: This car debuted in April 2012 in the Capital City 400 at Richmond International Raceway. It qualified 22nd and led four times for 118 laps before a late-race caution canceled Tony Stewart’s two-and-a-half second lead and forced him to settle for a third-place finish. It was then tested June 6-7 at Pocono Raceway and again during a Goodyear Tire Test June 12-13 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The Lenox Industrial Tools 301 in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon marked Chassis No. 14-710’s second career start. There, a new tire compound from Goodyear confounded Stewart and crew chief Steve Addington, and they labored to a 12th-place finish. The car returned to Richmond in September for its third career start via the Federated Auto Parts 400, where it rallied from its 28th-place starting spot to lead 15 laps before finishing fourth. Its last start of 2012 came in October at Martinsville Speedway where in its fourth career start, it qualified seventh and finished a disappointing 27th. With 2013 Chevrolet SS bodywork covering it, Chassis No. 14-710 returned to Martinsville in April for the STP Gas Booster 500. After rallying from its 26th starting spot to 10th by lap 200 and then hovering in or near the top-10 for the remainder of the race, Stewart found himself hung in the outside lane following a restart on lap 473. The final 27 laps of the 500-lap race around paperclip-shaped .526-mile oval proved arduous, as Stewart was stuck in the outside lane as the seemingly express lane to his left boxed him out of the preferred line. When the checkered flag dropped, Stewart was 17th. Chassis No. 14-710 sat idle until being tested at Richmond Aug. 26-27 with Mark Martin at the wheel in preparation for the car’s second start of 2013 and sixth overall.

#15- Clint Bowyer - The No. 15 5-hour ENERGY primary chassis, No. 743 started fifth and finished second at Richmond.  Backup chassis No. 727 served as a backup several races in 2013, but not raced.  

#16- Greg Biffle -  No. 16 Scotchgard Ford Fusion primary chassis RK-856 was brand new to the track earlier this year at Loudon and earned a 15th-place finish. Backup Chassis: RK-803  Last ran Bristol – finished 11th

#17- Ricky Stenhouse Jr - No. 17 Nationwide Ford Fusion primary chassis RK-858 is the same chassis that the No.17 team ran at New Hampshire where Stenhouse was running in the top-20 before being collected after two cars tangled in front of him. The backup Chassis RK-801 was a chassis that the No. 99 ran numerous times in 2012. It has been a backup at Martinsville, Bristol, and Phoenix so far this season.

#22- Joey Logano - This week's No. 22 Shell Pennzoil primary chassis is PRS-853 which last race at Richmond in April and finished 3rd. The Backup Chassis is PRS-844 which has been a backup at several races but never raced.

#24- Jeff Gordon - Jeff Gordon will race a brand new Hendrick Motorsports chassis at Richmond, No. 24-816.

#27- Paul Menard - This Week's Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet ... Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 419 at Richmond International Raceway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS was previously run this season at Martinsville Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

#29- Kevin Harvick - This Week's Budweiser Chevrolet SS at Richmond International Raceway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 420 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Federated Auto Parts 400. Harvick most recently drove this Chevrolet to a seventh-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July.

#31- Jeff Burton - This week's No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS at Richmond International Raceway ... Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 421 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend at Richmond International Raceway. This No. 31 Chevrolet was utilized earlier this season at Martinsville Speedway in March and New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July.

#39- Ryan Newman - No. 39 Quicken Loans chassis No. 39-790 debuted at Richmond International Raceway in May 2013, when Newman finished 15th. Since then, Chassis No. 39-790 was wind-tunnel tested in August and was utilized for a test session at Richmond last month.

#43- Aric Almirola - The No. 43 Gwaltney Ford Fusion team has prepared chassis No. 837 for Richmond. The team posted an eighth-place finish at Richmond in this chassis.

#48- Jimmie Johnson - Johnson will  drive Hendrick Motorsports chassis No. 778 at Richmond, which last raced at Richmond in April finishing 12th and at Phoenix in March finishing 2nd. Chassis No. 689 serves as the backup.

#55- Brian Vickers - No. 55 Aaron's primary chassis No.746 has not raced but was tested by AJ Allmendinger at RIR on Aug. 20 & 21. 

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr - This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-721. Earnhardt most recently tested this chassis at Richmond in August. He last raced this chassis to a 14th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July

#99- Carl Edwards - TheNo. 99 Frosted Flakes Ford Fusion team will unload primary chassis RK – 857 which last ran in Loudon where Edwards came in eighth place and landed his tenth top-10 finish. Backup chassis RK – 826 last ran in Texas.

- Reported in Team News/Press Release

Goodyear Tire Facts and Notes - Richmond

GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series -- Race No. 26 – Federated Auto Parts 400 
NASCAR Nationwide Series -- Race No. 25 – Virginia 529 College Savings 250 
Richmond International Raceway (0.75-mile oval) - Richmond, Va. Fast Facts for September 6-7, 2013 

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Intermediate Radials 

Number of Tires: Sprint Cup: Left-side -- 1,250, Right-side -- 1,300; 
Nationwide: Left-side -- 500, Right-side -- 500 

Set limits: Sprint Cup: 5 sets for practice/qualifying and 11 sets for the race; 
Nationwide: 6 sets for the event 

Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4416; Right-side -- D-4432 

Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 87.4 in. (2,220 mm); Right-side -- 88.7 in. (2,253 mm) 

Technical Inspection Inflation: Left Front -- 20 psi; Left Rear -- 20 psi; 
Right Front -- 30 psi; Right Rear -- 30 psi 

Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front -- 12 psi; Left Rear -- 12 psi; 
Right Front -- 30 psi; Right Rear -- 27 psi 

Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same tire codes at Richmond this week. This is the same combination of left and right side tires that teams in both series ran at Richmond earlier this season. In fact, this tire set-up has been run at Richmond since the beginning of 2011. Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams have also run this left side tire code (D-4416) with a different right side code at Bristol in 2013. As on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Richmond.

NASCAR Driver Statistics - Richmond Federated Auto Parts 400

Not all teams announce their weekly race previews'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the information in the teams race preview: 

#1- Jamie McMurray - Jamie McMurray has made 21 career NSCS starts at RIR. In those starts McMurray has three top-10 finishes, completed 7911 of 8409 (94.1%) laps and has an average start of 23.8 and average finish of 23.3. His best start of second came in September 2011 and a best finish of seventh in May 2009. 

#2- Brad Keselowski - In 8 starts at Richmond, Keselowski has 2 top 10's and only 1 DNF. He has an average start of 12.250 and an average finish of 20.500. 

#5- Kasey Kahne -  At Richmond, Kasey Kahne will make NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start No. 350. In 19 Sprint Cup starts at Richmond, Kahne has earned one win, four top-five finishes and seven top-10s. He won in 2005 after starting from the pole position. Kahne scored a 12th-place finish in this race at Richmond a year ago.

#9- Marcos Ambrose - Ambrose heads into Richmond with nine starts at the Virginia track and has posted one top-five and two top-10 finishes. In April, the No. 9 team showed they were strong before an engine failure ended their day early. Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer has seven starts at the .75-mile track. He tallied two top-five and three top-10 finishes in those starts.

#10-Danica Patrick - The Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond will mark Danica Patrick's 36th career NASCAR Sprint Cup series start and her 2nd at Richmond. She has 3 Nationwide Series starts at the .75-mile oval, with a best finish of 18th.

#11- Denny Hamlin - Hamlin has two wins and nine top-10 finishes in 14 starts at the three-quarter-mile oval. Hamlin has led at least on lap in 11 Cup races at the track, including 202 of 400 one year ago. Hamlin missed the Richmond race earlier this season while recovering from a fractured back. Hamlin’s two wins at RIR came in back-to-back September races at the track in 2009 and 2010. He also has captured two Richmond poles, in Sept. 2006 and May 2008. He qualified seventh one year ago.

#14-Mark Martin - Martin leads all active drivers at Richmond in top 5's, top 10's, lead lap finishes and laps completed. he has 55 starts at the track and has 5 pole, 1 win, 18 top 5's, 30 top10's and only 3 DNF's. His last win at the track was in February of 1990. He has an average start of 9.691, an average finish of 12.418 and he has led 449 laps.

#15- Clint Bowyer -  In 15 Sprint Cup starts at Richmond, Bowyer has two wins, three top-five and nine top-10s. He has an average start of 14th and finish of 9th. He has led 276 laps and completed 6015 of 6016 total laps. He has finished seventh or better in five of his last six Richmond starts, including a win last September and a runner up finish in April. 

#16- Greg Biffle -  Biffle has 22 Sprint Cup career starts at Richmond, earning two top-five and six top-10 finishes. Last time at Richmond a broken part left Biffle with a 36th-place finish. Biffle currently sits ninth in the point standings with one win this season.

#17- Ricky Stenhouse Jr - Stenhouse made his first career Sprint Cup start at RIR in the spring, finishing 16th after battling an ill-handling race car. Stenhouse has six career Nationwide starts at Richmond, earning four top-five and four top-10 finishes. Stenhouse is currently 21st in the Sprint Cup standings. 

#18- Kyle Busch - Busch has four wins, 12 top-five finishes and 13 top-10s, and he’s led a total of 931 laps in his 17 career Sprint Cup starts at 
Richmond. His average Richmond finish is 6.5.

#20- Matt Kenseth - In 27 Sprint Cup Series career starts at Richmond, Matt Kenseth has an average finish of 16.2 and has completed 10,564 of 10,809 (97.7 percent) career laps. Kenseth has earned one win, four top-five and 11 top-10 finishes at the 0.75-mile track, and earned his first pole there in April earlier this season.

#22- Joey Logano - In 9 previous starts at Richmond, Logano has earned 2 top 5's, 2 top 10's and has suffered only 1 DNF. His best finish of 3rd was scored this year in April. Logano has an average start of 14.111 with an average finish of 17.333. 

#24- Jeff Gordon - In 41 starts at the three-quarter-mile track, Gordon has two wins, five pole positions, 16 top-five finishes and 25 top-10s. He also has led 1,415 laps - the most among active drivers.

#27- Paul Menard - Menard has 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond International Raceway. His best start of seventh came in 2010 and best finish of 13th came in both 2012 and earlier this season. The Wisconsin native has completed 5,095 of 5,216 laps attempted (97.7 percent) at the Virginia track, leading one of them.

#29- Kevin Harvick -  Since the 2001 season, Harvick has made 25 Sprint Cup Series starts at the 0.75-mile D-shaped oval. In those previous appearances, the California native has collected one pole award (September 2005), three victories (September 2006 and 2011, April 2013), seven top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. The RCR driver holds an average starting position of 16.5, an 11.3 average finishing position, has completed 98.8 percent (9,892 of 10,009) of the laps contested and has 945 laps led to his credit.

#31- Jeff Burton -  Burton grew up two hours away from the Richmond, Va.-based facility in South Boston, Va. Saturday's event marks Burton's 39th start at the 0.75-mile facility and 681st-career NSCS start. He has amassed one win (1998), one pole award (2000), 10 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes at the historic track. No Stranger to Victory Lane, Burton has made three trips to Victory Lane at Richmond International Raceway, winning the Sprint Cup Series event in September 1998 and NASCAR Nationwide Series races in June 1998 and September 2000.

#39- Ryan Newman - In 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond, Newman has one pole, one win, five top-fives and 13 top-10's. Additionally, the 35-year-old driver has led 450 laps of competition, has an average starting position of 11.4, an average finish of 11.8 and has completed 98.7 percent of the laps he’s contested (9,088 of 9,209). 

#42- Juan Pablo Montoya - Juan Pablo Montoya came very close to his first oval win the last time Team Target raced at RIR. Montoya led a season high 67-laps and was en route to a win until a late caution flag altered the outcome and the team finished fourth. He has 13 career NSCS starts at RIR with one pole award, one top-five and four top-10 finishes. His average starting position is 14.2 and average finishing position is 19.3. 

#43- Aric Almirola - Almirola has three starts at the .75-mile track. In April, he posted an eighth-place finish during the team's top-10 streak. Veteran Crew Chief Todd Parrott has sat atop the box for 33 races at the Virginia track and has scored two wins with Dale Jarrett in 1997 and 1999. 

#47- AJ Allmendinger - In 12 starts at RIR, Allmendinger has two top-10 finishes. His best finish is seventh-place (4/30/11). The 31-year-old's average start is 17.500 and his average finish is 21.167. 

#48- Jimmie Johnson - At Richmond Johnson has 3 wins (2007 sweep, September 2008), 2 poles (September 2002 and 2007), 5 top-five finishes (21.7 percent) and eight top-10s (34.8 percent) in 23 starts along with an average start of 12.7 and average finish of 16.3. He has completed 8,703 of 9,209 laps (94.5 percent) and led 417, and has 1 DNF (did not finish, April 2005).

#55- Brian Vickers -  Vickers owns three top-10 finishes in 15 starts. He has led 53 laps on the .75-mile oval. He started second and finished 35th driving the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing this year. 

#78- Kurt Busch - Busch has one win, four top-fives and eight top-10s in 25 career starts at Richmond.

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr -  In 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond International Raceway, Earnhardt has recorded three wins, one pole position, nine top-five finishes and 12 top-10s. He has led a total of 494 laps and completed 99.1 percent of all laps he's attempted at the short track (11,113 laps of 11,209 total).

#99- Carl Edwards - Edwards will make his 19th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Richmond International Raceway this weekend. This season he has one win, seven top-five, 12 top-10 finishes and one pole. He is fourth in the series points’ standings.

- Reported in Team News/Press Release