Back On Track…After enjoying a weekend off, the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) heads to Richmond International Raceway for a 250-lap shootout at the 0.75-mile D-shaped oval. Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Larson has one previous start at RIR, starting second and finishing fourth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East’s (NKNPSE) visit to the track last season. The 2012 race is where Larson broke into the top five in the NKNPSE Driver Point Standings and never looked back, capturing the championship later that year.
Up In The Air…Cessna will be returning to take flight with Larson this weekend at Richmond International Raceway after debuting with the rookie NNS driver in the ARCA Racing Series event at Daytona. Cessna, the world’s leading general aviation company, has designed, produced and delivered more than 193,500 airplanes around the globe. This includes more than 6,300 Citation business jets, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world.
Previous Race Recap…Competing in the “Wild Asphalt Circus” at Texas Motor Speedway for the first time in his young career, Larson and his No. 32 Cessna team began the weekend with hopes to capitalize on recent momentum. Rolling off from the 12th-starting spot, Larson maintained his track position through the first 40 laps of the O’Reilly 300 before misfortune ended his hopes of a podium finish. An incident on lap 44 ultimately led to a blown left-front tire, causing extensive damage and relegating Larson to a 32nd-place finish.
Winner, Winner…Larson comes to Richmond fresh off his first career NASCAR top-three series victory, which he captured at Rockingham Speedway on April 14 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). Larson started third in the event and paced the field a dominating 187 of 205 laps before capturing the checkered flag. The win was achieved in only Larson’s fifth NCWTS start.
This Week’s Camaro…This weekend, the No. 32 team will unload chassis TSM-323 at Richmond International Raceway. TSM-323 last hit the racetrack at Phoenix International Raceway in March, where Larson scored a 13th-place finish.
Watch and Listen…The ToyotaCare 250 can be seen live on Friday, April 26 on ESPNEWS. Race coverage will begin at 7:00 p.m. EDT. The event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as SiriusXM Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Kyle Larson on Richmond International Raceway:
