HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Race week in Richmond is officially here — NASCAR’s biggest stars will descend on central Virginia with races on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
On Monday, staff at Richmond Raceway in Henrico County put the finishing touches on the track as they get set for the big weekend.
“We actually prepare almost like a small city, if you will, as folks move on to the property,” Richmond Raceway President Lori Waran told 8News.
Starting Tuesday, fans in campers and race teams will arrive in Richmond with three races, the first of which is set for Friday night. The main event, the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Drivers 400, will take place on Easter Sunday. The green flag will fly at 7 p.m. in the series’ first night race at the track since 2019.
“There is a reason that the racing fans have been asking for that to come back,” said Waran. “You really have to be here to understand it, but there is some sort of magic that happens here and we can’t wait to show up and show off in our region.”
Waran adds that the weekend is not just for race fans. The raceway will also have a fan zone with music and food trucks.
“We have got, as I mentioned, a teeny tiny petting zoo with bunnies and chicks, because of course it’s Easter, you have to have a petting zoo. We have a rock climbing wall,” Waren said. “It’s more of a festival atmosphere before you go in and see the sport of it all.”
The raceway will also host a non-denominational Easter Sunday service at 3 p.m. at the raceway complex’s amphitheater.
“We are bringing out coach Joe Gibbs, who happens to also own a race team here. He is going to be giving the message,” Waren said. “Then, we have a special Grammy award-winning singer, Micael Tate, performing for us. It’s free and open to the public.”
Race tickets for all three races are on sale on the raceway’s website, and although it’s encouraged that you have a race ticket, one isn’t needed to attend the Easter service.
