But it offers a new set of challenges. Richmond is one of those types of tracks where a lot of stuff can go wrong in a hurry. That makes the driver and spotter, as well as the whole team, working together well as important there as it is anywhere else we run. The smallest thing can end up being the biggest thing pretty easy at Richmond. Jeremy Mayfield finished third in a rain-shorten Southern 500 after finishing second in the spring race.
Every lap is important at Richmond.
Pit at the wrong time there, and a caution can cost you two or three laps, and definitely will cost you one. Make a little mistake at the wrong place, and you can drop five or six positions in a heartbeat. Take advantage of somebody's mistake at what is the wrong time for them, and you can find yourself sitting pretty well. The second turn is the key to the whole track. The track is more of a D-shape than an oval and the hardest turn is turn two.