NASCAR CLASSICS: RACES TO WATCH BEFORE RICHMOND
Throughout the 2024 NASCAR season, Ken Martin, director of historical content for the sanctioning body, will offer his suggestions on which historical races fans should watch from the NASCAR Classics library in preparation for each upcoming race weekend.
Martin has worked for NASCAR exclusively since 2008 but has been involved with the sport since 1982, overseeing various projects. He worked in the broadcast booth for hundreds of races, assisting the broadcast team with different tasks. This includes calculating the “points as they run” for the historic 1992 finale — the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Here are Ken‘s suggestions to watch before this weekend‘s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway.
The race was halted and declared official due to a heavy storm after 250 of the scheduled 400 laps but it was nothing short of exciting.
Joe Ruttman looked poised to collect the first victory of his career, which started in 1963 before heartbreak ensued. Ruttman led a career-high 78 laps before his No. 2 Jim Stacy Buick snapped around and slammed into the wall.
While Ruttman‘s car was being cleaned up on the frontstretch, the skies opened and drenched the track with rain. Dave Marcis, driving his own No. 71 car, was in the lead and took the victory just six laps later.
Richard Petty gritted out a second-place finish after there was some debate as to whether he was actually leading the event. Petty was sporting a cast on his right foot and had Xfinity Series driver Sam Ard in the pits as a potential relief driver, but Ard was not needed.
Leandra Reilly became the first female pit reporter, as part of the ESPN broadcast team.
Dale Earnhardt held off strong runs and a lot of beating and banging from a handful of some of NASCAR‘s 75 Greatest Drivers to capture his first victory at Richmond.
Polesitter Darrell Waltrip led a race-high 110 laps before coming home third, behind the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports car of Geoff Bodine. Tim Richmond was another contender throughout the day, after quickly making his way to the front of the field from the 14th starting position.
Richmond held the lead four different times, as Earnhardt and himself traded the lead back and forth a handful of times over the final 150 laps.
The race featured two eye-popping incidents, involving Neil Bonnett and Bill Elliott.
Bonnett was leading the race at the time of his incident, which happened exiting Turn 2. His right front tire locked up before slamming into the fence and coming to a sudden stop.
Elliott also slammed head-on into the wall, this time out of Turn 4.
February 1988 marked the end of an era for Richmond Raceway as the NASCAR Cup Series raced on the half-mile known as Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway for the final time. After the race, workers immediately started converting the track into a modern-looking facility similar to the one known today.
Richard Petty hopped on a bulldozer after the race was complete to help get the construction work started.
Neil Bonnett, who was making just his second start after being injured in a 1988 crash, led 141 laps en route to victory in the race, which was the first win for RahMoc Enterprises since Bonnett won with the team at Atlanta in 1983.
Bonnett‘s victory wasn‘t without controversy, as second-place finisher Ricky Rudd claimed that Bonnett was not on the lead lap following green-flag pit stops. Rudd‘s team filed an appeal to NASCAR over the debate, but it was ruled that Bonnett was indeed the winner of the race.
Petty, who was beaten up following a scary incident in the Daytona 500, finished third. It was the final top-five finish of his legendary career.
You can watch these three races and hundreds more by visiting NASCAR Classics.
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