CONCORD, N.C. – This weekend, the Hendrick Motorsports haulers are packed up and headed to nearby Richmond International Raceway to race under the lights.
The second consecutive short track on the Sprint Cup Series schedule is sure to bring exciting racing Saturday night on its 0.75-mile oval.
But before the lights turn on and the engines start, let’s take a look back at three memorable Hendrick Motorsports moments at Richmond.
Sept. 9, 2000 – After qualifying 13th for the race, Jeff Gordon had a battle before him when the green flag dropped. Gordon raced hard for 400 laps and eventually pulled ahead to the front with 15 laps to go and captured his second victory at Richmond. The 2000 season was his first with crew chief Robbie Loomis and he finished the season ninth in the points.
May 3, 2003 – Known as “Front Row Joe” for having a tendency to start races on the front row, Joe Nemechek did just that at Richmond. Nemechek started the race from the outside pole on the front row and led 156 laps. After a 15-caution race and a rain that called race short by seven laps, Nemechek celebrated his first win with Hendrick Motorsports.
Sept. 8, 2007 – A win at Richmond would mean a sweep of the track for Jimmie Johnson in the 2007 season. Johnson started from the pole position and from there he knew he had a good shot at winning the race. And that is exactly what he did. After leading 104 of 400 laps, Johnson took home the checkered flag. The 2007 season was good to Johnson as he earned 10 wins and his second consecutive championship.
