Pit Stops : Richmond Raceway

  • 17
  • 14
  • 6

  • Richmond Raceway
  • Toyota Owners 400
  • Pole Winner: Alex Bowman
  • Age: 29
  • Team: No. 48 - Ally Chevrolet
  • Owner: Hendrick Motorsports
  • Crew Chief: Greg Ives
  • Start positions set by NASCAR's Performance Metrics Qualifying (PMQ).
  • Alex Bowman won the Pole Award for the Toyota Owners 400 by having the highest total PMQ.
  • PMQ is a total number calculated on four performance metrics from the previous race:
  • 15% of the driver's fastest lap time position.
  • 25% of the driver's final race finish position.
  • 25% of the owner's final race position.
  • 35% of the Owner Points position.

  • Sunday, April 2nd, 2023
  • NASCAR Wire Service - Holly Cain
Kyle Larson and Team Grab First Win of 2023 at Richmond Raceway

With the benefit of a fast final pit stop, Kyle Larson was able to put his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet out front at Richmond (Va.) Raceway and then hold off the field in the last 25 laps of Sunday's Toyota Owners 400 to earn his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2023 season.

The 30-year old Californian had to out-duel his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Josh Berry on a pair of re-starts in the closing laps to secure the win at the first short track event of the season at the .75-mile Richmond oval. Berry, driving the No. 9 Hendrick Chevy for injured Chase Elliott, finished runner-up capturing his best ever NASCAR Cup Series finish – 1.535-seconds behind Larson to the checkered flag.

Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain, Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell and Stewart-Haas Racing's Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five.

It was the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson's 20th career win and the first ever NASCAR Cup Series victory for his interim crew chief Kevin Meendering, who has led the No. 5 team at-track while fulltime crew chief Cliff Daniels – along with the Hendrick team's other three crew chiefs – finish out a suspension penalty from NASCAR.

"It's really cool, we've been close to winning a couple,'' Larson said, adding, "Things just worked out and my pit crew had a great stop.''

It was certainly a Hendrick Motorsports day with Larson and Berry besting the field. And their teammate William Byron leading the most laps (117) and winning his series-best fifth stage. The season's only two-time winner Byron looked poised to have a say in the trophy hoist too, only to be knocked out of contention when he was hit from behind by Christopher Bell on a restart with 20 laps remaining.

"I was just re-starting fourth there, just trying to stay tight to the 9 [Berry] and get a good restart and got tagged in the left rear,'' said a frustrated Byron, who finished 24th. "Just a dive-bomb move on his [Bell] part. It is what it is. I had a great race car.

"The Raptor Chevrolet was awesome all day. We'll just keep bringing fast race cars like that. It was looking like another win before that caution there, but that's the way it goes.''

Larson led four different times, totaling 93 laps on the afternoon and survived contact on pit road with Daniel Suárez's Chevrolet early in the race. It was Larson's second Richmond win (also in 2017) and the fifth for Chevy through the season's opening seven races.

The Toyota contingent looked to give the Chevys a real run, looking especially strong mid-race. Four Toyota drivers combined to lead 154 laps – more than the manufacterer had been out front in the previous six races. Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota paced the Toyotas leading 71 laps and claiming the Stage 2 win, but a pair of pit road penalties – including a costly one on his final stop, took him out of contention. He finished 20th.

"What an awesome Hendrickcars.com Chevy,'' Larson said. "Can't say enough about it. I got into the 99 [Suarez] on pit road there sometime in the second stage, and we were awful after that. I was hoping the damage was the reason why, but they had to calm me down a little bit and get refocused and was able to get it done.

"Thanks to everyone on this team, Cliff Daniels, for everything he does to prepare the team to be as strong as we are without him on the box. So good to get a win, and hopefully many more."

Michael McDowell finished sixth – his first top-10 finish of the year. Reigning series champion Joey Logano was seventh, followed by polesitter Alex Bowman, rookie Ty Gibbs and owner-driver Brad Keselowski. Gibbs ninth place effort marked his third consecutive top-10 finish.

  • Drivers Entered: 37
  • Laps Scheduled: 400
  • Margin of Victory: 01.535 Seconds
  • Time of Race: 3 Hours 17 Minutes 37 Seconds
  • Average Speed: 91.085
  • Cautions: 8 for 54 laps
  • Lead Changes: 22
  • Green Flag Passes: 3,816 (11.0 passes per green flag lap)

  • Richmond Raceway
  • Toyota Owners 400
  • Race Winner: Kyle Larson
  • Age: 30
  • Team : No. 5 - HendrickCars.com Chevrolet
  • Owner: Hendrick Motorsports
  • Crew Chief: Kevin Meendering
  • Kyle Larson won the Toyota Owners 400, his 20th victory in 302 Cup Series races.
  • This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in 2023.
  • This is his second victory and eighth top-10 finish in 17 races at Richmond Raceway.
  • Josh Berry (second) posted his first top-10 finish in one race at Richmond Raceway. It is his second top-10 finish in 2023.
  • Ross Chastain (third) posted his second top-10 finish in nine races at Richmond Raceway.
  • Ty Gibbs (ninth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Christopher Bell pits
Richmond, Virginia - April 2, 2023 : Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem Toyota, pits during the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway.
Jared C TiltonGetty Images

Pit Stop Summary Report

Aggregate of each driver's pit stops during the race.

 
DRIVER
START
FINISH
STATUS
# STOPS
DRIVER / PIT CREW
FASTEST
SLOWEST
AVG TIME
RANK
DRIVER
AVG TIME
RANK
PIT CREW
AVG TIME
RANK

Alex Bowman
1
8
Running
9
38.523
40.096
39.134
1
28.747
6
10.388
1
William Byron
3
24
Running
9
38.596
40.132
39.189
2
28.615
3
10.574
3
Martin Truex Jr
12
11
Running
10
38.363
40.216
39.351
3
28.735
5
10.615
4
Kyle Larson
9
1
Running
8
38.737
41.209
39.438
4
28.960
13
10.478
2
Kyle Busch
2
14
Running
8
38.869
40.886
39.620
5
28.430
2
11.190
13
Joey Logano
18
7
Running
9
38.603
41.367
39.657
6
28.661
4
10.996
11
Ross Chastain
4
3
Running
9
39.197
40.785
39.681
7
28.947
11
10.734
7
Ryan Blaney
17
26
Running
8
38.843
40.864
39.736
8
28.863
9
10.872
9
Chase Briscoe
19
12
Running
9
38.514
41.389
39.749
9
29.104
17
10.646
6
Christopher Bell
21
4
Running
9
38.733
41.000
39.816
10
28.791
7
11.025
12
Brad Keselowski
24
10
Running
9
38.893
42.705
39.875
11
29.118
18
10.757
8
Denny Hamlin
11
20
Running
8
38.906
41.306
39.980
12
29.089
16
10.891
10
Corey Lajoie
16
21
Running
9
38.752
42.399
40.300
13
29.664
31
10.636
5
Chris Buescher
7
30
Running
9
39.364
42.518
40.481
14
28.795
8
11.686
21
Kevin Harvick
10
5
Running
9
38.635
44.048
40.515
15
28.393
1
12.123
28
Ryan Preece
33
18
Running
10
39.303
41.733
40.534
16
29.328
24
11.207
15
Austin Dillon
27
25
Running
7
39.840
41.161
40.585
17
28.992
15
11.592
19
Todd Gilliland
13
15
Running
8
39.992
41.488
40.628
18
29.431
26
11.197
14
Daniel Suarez
20
23
Running
9
38.708
46.871
40.662
19
29.318
23
11.344
17
Josh Berry
30
2
Running
9
38.814
45.273
40.723
20
29.413
25
11.310
16

Pit Stop Detailed Report

Each 2- and 4-wheel pit stop during the race.

DRIVER
LEADER LAP
DRIVER LAP
DRIVER TIME
CREW TIME
TOTAL
TYPE

AJ Allmendinger
343
341
28.817
11.178
39.995
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
AJ Allmendinger
286
284
28.738
11.378
40.116
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
AJ Allmendinger
382
381
28.919
11.311
40.230
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
AJ Allmendinger
159
158
29.086
11.478
40.564
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
AJ Allmendinger
74
74
30.629
10.944
41.573
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
AJ Allmendinger
46
46
29.624
12.079
41.703
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
AJ Allmendinger
32
32
29.393
12.846
42.239
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
AJ Allmendinger
96
96
30.422
12.312
42.734
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
Aric Almirola
374
374
28.856
11.078
39.934
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
Aric Almirola
161
160
28.702
11.345
40.047
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
Aric Almirola
289
288
28.867
11.411
40.278
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
Aric Almirola
96
96
29.630
10.673
40.303
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
Aric Almirola
46
46
29.292
11.573
40.865
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
Aric Almirola
74
74
29.458
11.678
41.136
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
Aric Almirola
32
32
29.468
15.776
45.244
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
Brad Keselowski
74
74
28.783
10.110
38.893
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
Brad Keselowski
96
96
28.932
10.110
39.042
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
Brad Keselowski
374
374
29.064
10.078
39.142
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
Brad Keselowski
32
32
29.240
10.110
39.350
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE
Brad Keselowski
307
307
29.263
10.444
39.707
FOUR WHEEL CHANGE