Three memorable moments at Richmond

CONCORD, N.C. – Kasey Kahne breathed a sigh of relief after his win on Aug. 31 at Atlanta Motor Speedway; he was officially guaranteed a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup with the rest of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates. Because of that, this weekend’s upcoming race at Richmond International Raceway will be a celebration for Hendrick Motorsports, no matter the outcome.

But with one regular season race remaining, two Chase slots up for grabs and several hungry Sprint Cup drivers fighting for limited spots, Saturday’s event under the lights will undoubtedly be full of excitement.

Before the green flag drops on Saturday, let’s take a look back at three memorable Hendrick Motorsports moments at Richmond:

Sept. 7, 1986: Hendrick Motorsports was coming off the celebration of the organization’s 10th Cup win when the drivers arrived at Richmond on Sept. 7, 1986. But Tim Richmond was not satisfied with that – he led 51 laps to give Hendrick Motorsports its second consecutive victory and eighth win that season. His victory marked the organization’s first win at the Virginia track.

March 3, 1996: A young Jeff Gordon was searching for his first win of the 1996 season when he strapped into his No. 24 Chevrolet on March 3, 1996. Four hundred laps later, he found it. Gordon led 124 laps en route to his victory at the 0.75-mile track, which was Hendrick Motorsports’ 49th Cup win as an organization.

May 6, 2007: As a team, Hendrick Motorsports gave a dominating performance during the Cup race at Richmond in the spring of 2007. Three of four Hendrick Motorsports drivers finished in the top four that day, collectively leading 236 of 400 laps around the D-shaped track. The top performer was Jimmie Johnson, who led 105 laps en route to his first career win at Richmond. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet went on to sweep the track later that season before taking home the 2007 Cup championship trophy at the end of the year.