The 2023 Toyota Owners 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on April 2, 2023, at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Contested over 400 laps on the 0.75 mile (1.2 km) asphalt short track, it was the seventh race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. It was the last full-time start for Cody Ware before he missed the dirt track race and getting suspended by NASCAR after his arrest on April 10.
Report
Background
Richmond Raceway (RR) is a 0.75 miles (1.21 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it has formerly hosted events such as the International Race of Champions, Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown, and the USAC sprint car series. Due to Richmond Raceway's unique "D" shape which allows drivers to reach high speeds, Richmond has long been known as a short track that races like a superspeedway. With its multiple racing grooves, and proclivity for contact Richmond is a favorite among NASCAR drivers and fans.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
Practice was cancelled due to inclement weather.
Qualifying
Qualifying was cancelled due to inclement weather. Alex Bowman was awarded the pole for the race as a result of NASCAR's pandemic formula with a score of 3.050.
Starting Lineup
Race
Race results
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 70
Stage Two Laps: 160
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 170
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 22 among 11 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 8 for 54 laps
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 17 minutes and 37 seconds
- Average speed: 91.085 miles per hour (146.587 km/h)
Media
Television
Fox Sports covered their 22nd race at the Richmond Raceway. Mike Joy, two-time Richmond winner Clint Bowyer, and Larry McReynolds called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled pit road for the television side.
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Rusty Wallace called the race in the booth when the field raced down the frontstretch. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform inside the backstretch when the field raced down the backstretch. Steve Post, Jason Toy, and Brienne Pedigo handled pit road for the radio side.
Standings after the race
Notes
References
