Richmond Pre-Race Facts

A contest allowed a regular guy to have his name on a race, which is why this is the: Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400.

With the possible exception of a road racer here and there, a track that is universally beloved: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Sinking feeling: The hottest driver in Sprint Cup, Kyle Busch, has done everything except win here. Before he finished 20^th in September 2007, Busch had put together consecutive finishes of fourth, fourth, fifth, second and second.

The nighttime is the right time: This track's first night race occurred in 1991. Beginning in 1999, every race here has been run at night.

Where the greats shine: Every driver in NASCAR history with at least 70 victories has won at least twice in Richmond.

The interesting, the ironic and the wacky:

            Twelfth-place Juan Montoya has reached an all-time high in the Cup standings, though he has only one top-10 finish. It's a tentative hold on the "Chase bubble," though. Only 35 points separate Montoya from 16^th place.

            Kasey Kahne is one point behind Montoya. Jeff Gordon trails him by 11.

            Jeff Burton enters his fourth straight race as the point leader.

            Kyle Busch turned 23 on Friday.

            Dale Earnhardt Jr. is third in points, but this will mark the 72^nd race since his most recent victory. It was here on May 6, 2006.

Neither of the active leaders in Richmond victories - Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart have each won three times here - has won yet this years.

The best finish by a rookie this year so far was Regan Smith's 14^th-place finish at Martinsville.

Informative, humorous or quotable in some other sense:

"We all started racing at some short track before we made it to this level, and most of them were Saturday-night tracks. There's just something about a short track under the lights for the drivers and fans. It brings out an extra element that you don't normally get during Sunday races." - Elliott Sadler

"It has options, and that's all a driver really wants: options. I can run high. I can run low." - Michael Waltrip, on RIR.

"There's more contact at Richmond than you have at a bigger track. I think sometimes drivers use the short track as an excuse to beat and bang, but as tight as the racing is here, it's hard to not have incidental contact." - Kevin Harvick

"It's the ideal short track: wide, fast, smooth, very competitive, and there's plenty of room to set up the pass." - Kasey Kahne

"We've definitely had some good times here at Richmond. We've been able to lead some laps and have some really good finishes. Haven't quite pulled out a win yet, but it would be fun to do this weekend." - Kyle Busch

"It has always been a track that is pretty fun to race on, and we've had some great battles and quite a bit of success here over the years." - Mark Martin

"I can't ask for a whole lot more from my team, and I can't ask for a whole lot more from myself." - point leader Jeff Burton