Catchfence

Ride Along with Truex, Johnson, Harvick and Earnhardt at Richmond on DIRECTV

Event: Crown Royal 400
Previous Winner: Kyle Busch (beat Jeff Gordon by .755 of a second on May 1, 2010)
Date / Time: Saturday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. EDT
Track: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway
Configuration: .75-mile oval (400 laps = 300 miles)
Banking in Turns: 14 degrees
Banking on Frontstretch: 8 degrees
Banking on Backstretch: 2 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,290 feet
Backstretch: 860 feet
First Sprint Cup Series Race: April 19, 1953 – Richmond 200 (Winner – Lee Petty)
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 112,029

NASCAR HOTPASS™ on DIRECTV is back, and it’s FREE to all DIRECTV customers. Four dedicated driver channels offering viewers multiple camera angles, real-time statistics and audio of the network broadcast augmented by live communication between the drivers and their pit crews are available for all 36 point-paying races during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

The NASCAR HOTPASS lineup for the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway is as follows:

DIRECTV Channel 795:

Martin Truex Jr., and the No. 56 NAPA Toyota team of Michael Waltrip Racing

Martin Truex Jr., will make his 198^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 11^th at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway … Has two top-10 finishes in 10 career Sprint Cup starts at Richmond … The 30-year-old Mayetta, N.J., native has one win and has 45 top-10 finishes in 197 Sprint Cup starts … 2011 marks Truex sixth full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best point finish of 11^th in 2007 … Won 2004 and 2005 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship … Started 26^th and finished 13^th two weeks ago at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway … Ranks 19^th in Sprint Cup Series points with one top-10 finish.

DIRECTV Channel 796:

Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports

Jimmie Johnson will make his 336^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 19^th at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway … Has four wins (May 2007, September 2007 and September 2008), two poles (September 2002 and September 2007) and six top-10 finishes in 18 starts at Richmond … The 35-year-old from El Cajon, Calif., has 54 wins and 208 top-10 finishes in 335 Sprint Cup starts … 2011 marks Johnson’s 10^th full year in Sprint Cup and he has won the last five driver championships (2006-2010) … Started second and won two weeks ago at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway… Ranks second in Sprint Cup Series points with one win and five top-10 finishes.

DIRECTV Channel 797:

Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team of Richard Childress Racing

Kevin Harvick will make his 367^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 21^st at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway … Has one win (September 2006), one pole (September 2005) and 13 top-10 finishes in 20 starts at Richmond … The 35-year-old Bakersfield, Calif., native has 16 wins and 160 top-10 finishes in 366 Sprint Cup starts … 2011 marks Harvick’s 11^th full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best point finish of third in 2010 … Won 2001 and 2006 NASCAR Nationwide Series championships … Started 38^th and finished fifth two weeks ago at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway … Ranks fourth in Sprint Cup Series points with two wins and five top-10 finishes.

DIRECTV Channel 798:

Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the No. 88 National Guard / AMP Energy Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports

Dale Earnhardt Jr., will make his 408^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 24^th at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway … Has two wins (May 2004 and May 2006) and 10 top-10 finishes in 23 starts at Richmond … The 36-year-old Kannapolis, N.C., native has won 18 races and has 155 top-10 finishes in 407 Sprint Cup starts … 2011 marks Earnhardt’s 12^th full year in Sprint Cup with a career-best point finish of third in 2003 … Won 1998 and 1999 NASCAR Nationwide Series championships … Started fourth and finished fourth two weeks ago at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway … Ranks third in Sprint Cup Series points with five top-10 finishes.

About NASCAR HOTPASS on DIRECTV:

NASCAR HOTPASS is available free to all DIRECTV customers. More information is available at www.directv.com/hotpass.

- True Speed Communication for NASCAR HotPass on DIRECTV, Press Release