If history holds true in 2007, there’s a good chance the winner of this year’s SunTrust Indy Challenge Presented by XM at Richmond International Raceway will drive away with the IndyCar Series championship.
In the six previous events that the IndyCar Series has run at the. 75-mile oval, the winner has claimed the series title three times, including 2006 IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr.
Hornish Jr. claimed the checkered flag at Richmond International Raceway and won the series championship in 2002, while Scott Dixon repeated Hornish’s feat in 2003.
Additionally, 2001 winner Buddy Lazier and 2004 winner Dan Wheldon were the series runner-ups and 2005 winner Helio Castroneves finished sixth in points that year.
The IndyCar Series made history by running at Richmond International Raceway’s ¾-mile D-shaped oval beginning in 2001, making it the shortest track the series visits annually.
RICHMOND SUCCESS
Successfully navigating through the IndyCar Series event at Richmond International Raceway can equal success in the season-long championship. Here’s a look at the how the IndyCar Series champions fared at Richmond International Raceway during their championship runs since the track joined the schedule in 2001:
Year Series Champion Finish at Richmond
2001 Sam Hornish Jr. 2nd
2002 Sam Hornish Jr. 1st
2003 Scott Dixon 1st
2004 Tony Kanaan 5th
2005 Dan Wheldon 5th
2006 Sam Hornish Jr. 1st
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