Looking Ahead: North Star Racing Heads to Richmond for a Short-Track Showdown
North Star Racing | Richmond Raceway | Ones to Watch
North Star Racing heads east to Richmond Raceway this week, where patience, tire management and short-track execution could determine who leaves Virginia with another trophy.
Coming off Iowa Speedway, the championship picture continues to revolve around Nic Vasquez, but Richmond presents a completely different challenge. The 0.75-mile oval rewards drivers who can protect their equipment early in a run and still have enough rear grip left to attack late.
And if last season is any indication, nobody should expect Richmond to be predictable.
Last year’s race featured 28 cautions covering 112 laps, seven different leaders and 10 lead changes. When the smoke finally cleared, Tommy Krawczyk emerged with the victory in a frantic finish over Caleb Sheets and Zach Thomas Johnson.
⭐ ONES TO WATCH AT RICHMOND
🔥 Tommy Krawczyk — The Defending Richmond Winner
If there’s one driver who deserves to be near the top of the Richmond watch list, it’s Tommy Krawczyk.
Krawczyk won this race last season after starting fourth, leading 61 laps and winning Stage 2. He eventually held off Caleb Sheets by just 0.137 seconds for the victory.
Now he’s coming back to Richmond with momentum.
Tommy finished second at Iowa and led 54 laps there, immediately following up one of his strongest performances of the season with a trip to a track where he’s already proven he knows how to win.
Why he’s one to watch: Defending winner + runner-up at Iowa is a dangerous combination.
🔥 Nic Vasquez — Still the Standard
At this point, leaving Nic Vasquez off an Ones to Watch list would be nearly impossible.
Vasquez dominated Iowa, winning the race after leading 146 of 250 laps and taking the Stage 1 victory. The performance gave him his fourth win of the season and extended his championship advantage.
Richmond wasn’t quite as dominant for Vasquez last season, but he was still a major factor. He won Stage 1, led 49 laps overall and finished seventh.
He enters Richmond with 981 points, holding a 59-point advantage over Josh Stoltz.
Why he’s one to watch: The hottest driver in the series is returning to a track where he already has stage-winning speed.
🔥 Zach Thomas Johnson — Richmond Sleeper No More
Zach Thomas Johnson quietly put together one of the strongest performances in last year’s Richmond race.
Johnson finished third, only 0.542 seconds behind Krawczyk, after spending virtually the entire night near the front.
He’s also fourth in the current championship standings with 767 points and is coming off an 11th-place finish at Iowa.
Iowa wasn’t the result Johnson wanted, but Richmond could be exactly what he needs to regain momentum.
Why he’s one to watch: A podium here last season makes Richmond one of the best opportunities on the schedule for Johnson to make a statement.
🔥 Steven Carlile — Consistency Meets Opportunity
Steven Carlile continues to hang around the front of the championship battle without needing to win races to do it.
Carlile sits third in points after Iowa and returns to Richmond after finishing fourth here last season.
He also showed plenty of pace in that race, including running inside the top portion of the field throughout the night despite the constant restarts.
With Richmond potentially rewarding patience as much as raw speed, Carlile’s consistency could become a major advantage.
Why he’s one to watch: Another top-five Richmond performance would keep Carlile firmly planted in the championship conversation.
🔥 Caleb Sheets — 0.137 Seconds Away
Caleb Sheets may have more unfinished business at Richmond than anyone.
Last season, Sheets finished just 0.137 seconds behind Tommy Krawczyk.
That’s it.
After 253 laps, 28 cautions and more than two hours of racing, less than two-tenths of a second separated Sheets from a Richmond victory.
He enters this year’s race eighth in the championship with two victories already on the season.
Why he’s one to watch: Last year’s runner-up doesn’t need to find much more to turn Richmond heartbreak into a victory.
👀 Dark Horse: Cory Mott
Don’t overlook Cory Mott.
Mott’s 10th-place finish at Iowa doesn’t tell the whole story. He won Stage 2 and continued showing the kind of long-run pace that could translate extremely well to Richmond.
Last season at Richmond, Mott also finished fifth in Stage 2 before eventually finishing 12th.
He’s currently 14th in points, meaning stage points and a strong finish could be particularly valuable as the season moves forward.
Why he’s one to watch: Iowa showed the speed is there. Richmond could be where Mott puts the entire race together.
📖 STORYLINE TO WATCH: CAN TOMMY GO BACK-TO-BACK?
The biggest storyline entering Richmond is simple:
Can anyone stop Tommy Krawczyk from doing it again?
Last season, Tommy won Stage 2 and then survived one of the wildest races of the year to capture the victory.
Now he arrives immediately after finishing second at Iowa.
Richmond may be one of the best opportunities remaining for Krawczyk to turn recent speed into a victory.
🏆 THE CHAMPIONSHIP PICTURE
Nic Vasquez continues to control the championship standings following his Iowa victory.
Current Top Five:
- Nic Vasquez — 981 points
- Josh L. Stoltz — 922 (-59)
- Steven Carlile — 809 (-172)
- Zach Thomas Johnson — 767 (-214)
- Stewart Harding Walker — 763 (-218)
Vasquez has built himself some breathing room, but Richmond presents exactly the type of race that can erase a comfortable points night quickly.
One bad restart, one mistimed pit stop or one incident in traffic can completely change a driver’s night.
For Stoltz, Carlile and Johnson, Richmond represents another opportunity to begin cutting into Vasquez’s advantage before time starts running out.
🔑 KEYS TO VICTORY
1. Save the Rear Tires
Richmond rewards patience. Drivers who abuse the rear tires trying to gain positions early may pay for it later in a run. The fastest car over five laps won’t necessarily be the fastest car after 40.
2. Get Off Turn 4
Drive off the corner will be critical. A driver who can rotate the center without destroying the rear tires should be able to generate runs down Richmond’s straightaways.
3. Survive the Restarts
Last year’s race featured 28 cautions.
That means drivers had to repeatedly survive double-file restarts and close-quarters racing. If this year’s race looks anything like last year’s, simply keeping all four fenders on the car could become a winning strategy.
4. Don’t Lose the Race on Pit Road
Track position becomes increasingly important as the race gets closer to the finish. A slow stop, speeding penalty or poor pit entry could erase an entire run’s worth of progress.
5. Know When to Attack
Richmond is a patience race — until suddenly it isn’t.
The drivers who can conserve early and recognize when it’s time to start pushing could separate themselves from the field.
📊 FAN POLL — WHO WINS RICHMOND?
Who are you picking to win this week’s North Star Racing race at Richmond Raceway?
- 🔥 Nic Vasquez
- 🏆 Tommy Krawczyk
- 👀 Caleb Sheets
- 📈 Steven Carlile
- ⚡ Zach Thomas Johnson
- 🌑 Cory Mott
- 🎲 Someone Else
🏁 FINAL WORD
Iowa rewarded speed. Richmond may reward something different.
Patience.
Last season’s race was a 253-lap short-track battle filled with cautions, strategy swings and a finish decided by just 0.137 seconds.
Tommy Krawczyk returns as the defending winner. Nic Vasquez arrives as the championship leader and most recent winner. Caleb Sheets returns looking for the 0.137 seconds that separated him from victory. And drivers like Steven Carlile, Zach Thomas Johnson and Cory Mott all have reasons to believe Richmond could be their night.
Three-quarters of a mile. Worn tires. Heavy braking. Short-track tempers.
North Star Racing is heading to Richmond.