NASCAR returns to Virginia for two events in 2023
Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick were the stars who revved their way to success at Richmond Raceway in 2022, and for the 2023 calendar, NASCAR is returning for two more showcase events.
Virginia motorsport fans can embrace the 2023 race schedule, not once, but twice, as NASCAR announced their return to Richmond Race for multiple race weekends on April 1-2 and July 29-30, 2023.
The NASCAR Cup Series will take center stage for both weekends, but fans can also enjoy the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. It will mark the second straight season that Virginia’s legendary racecourse has hosted spring and summer race weekends.
The Race: Toyota Owners 400
Track: Richmond Raceway, Virginia
Date: April 2
Richmond, Virginia, has hosted the spring Cup Series race in April since 2011. The historic track saw Lee Petty lift the first-ever Cup at Richmond Raceway on April 19, 1953, and the track continued utilizing this course in 1956, 1961-63, 1967, and 1969. Richmond also hosted spring Xfinity Series races between 1982-1984 and 1990-2019, 2022.
In one of the most clutch performances of 2022, Denny Hamlin secured his first win of last season and a position in the playoffs following a dramatic ending. Hamlin sat outside the top 10 during the first two stages, something that was becoming a common trend as he’d already racked up three DNFs and zero top 10s through the initial six races of the season.
However, as the No.11 team announced a stop with just 47 laps to go, Hamlin flew through the field, took the lead, and cashed in as a huge underdog win for bettors who were live betting the race.
Hamlin could be one to watch for NASCAR’s return to Richmond in April 2023, as BetMGM VA promo codes will prepare to give handicappers the best possible value on the No.11 Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing standout.
And to make the 2023 edition an even bigger spectacle, Hamlin will return alongside a plethora of talent in an attempt to secure victory on NASCARs 75th anniversary.
“As NASCAR celebrates its 75th anniversary, Richmond Raceway, one of the sport’s most historic tracks, will honor the sport’s legacy throughout next season’s two NASCAR race weekends,” said Lori Waran, Richmond Raceway’s president. “We look forward to welcoming fans back to RVA for our Toyota Spring Race Weekend and one of the biggest NASCAR parties of the summer.”
Virginia racing will be under one of its busiest months in April as the Commonwealth hosts two Cup Series events in the same month for three consecutive seasons, with Martinsville Speedway hosting a race on April 16, 2023.
The Race: NASCAR Cup Series
Track: Richmond Raceway, Virginia
Date: July 30
Another 300 miles and 400 laps will keep July’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway identical to April’s offerings. However, the stakes will be raised as the regular season Cup Series champion is crowned.
The end-of-July weekend in Richmond will be the biggest NASCAR party of the summer. In addition to the Cup Series regular-season champion on July 30, we’ll see the Worldwide Express 250 and the regular-season CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion on July 29, 2023.
Last year’s success allowed fans to attend the premier Cup Series race before the school year began in Virginia. But for the first time ever, the 2023 Cup Series in VA will be held in the summer month of July. It will mark the fourth straight season where Richmond has held a CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race.
Last year’s Cup Series main event saw Kevin Harvick claim a 1st place finish to claim his second consecutive win of the season. Harvick, 46, isn’t getting any younger, and the 2023 season has been tipped as his last.
Harvick’s victory at Richmond Raceway in 2022 was the 60th of his Cup career but his first win at Richmond since 2013.
Repeating the same success at the 2023 Cup Series race in Richmond could be a huge ask, but it’s undoubtedly a race weekend that NASCAR fans won’t want to miss.
