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LOUDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE – JULY 18: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota, talks to crew on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 18, 2021 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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LOUDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE – JULY 18: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota, talks to crew on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 18, 2021 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
The race at Richmond is just over and we saw Denny Hamlin cross the finish line as the first man on the grid in the very late stages of the race. On top of that, the #11 got the first win for himself and Joe Gibbs Racing this season.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 06: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, is seen on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 06, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Richmond was also the first short track race for the 2022 season so far. And, it seems like the drivers enjoyed the racing.
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Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin Appreciate Richmond
Brad Keselowski, who finished the race at P13 particularly enjoyed the race. In fact, he posted a tweet saying, “I liked yesterdays race, it was a nice change of pace from the last few weeks. Think it’s good to have different types of racing week to week for the fans”, in response to Jeff Gluck asking about the race.
I liked yesterdays race, it was a nice change of pace from the last few weeks. Think it’s good to have different types of racing week to week for the fans https://t.co/LkTPpAxVGr
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) April 4, 2022
And frankly, it was indeed a very fun race to watch. Even Denny Hamlin agrees as he replied saying, “💯
36 weeks of the same is a bad formula for long term success.”
💯
36 weeks of the same is a bad formula for long term success.— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) April 4, 2022
However, the response from the fans wasn’t the same.
Fans React to The Race as Richmond
Fans seem to have also really enjoyed and appreciated the race at Richmond! However, many of them were not satisfied with the way it was presented by FOX.
Boring to watch on TV though. Even when they have Jamie Little talking about an issue or close racing we were watching single file parade laps of a couple of cars. TV is not doing you any favors in their coverage.
— David Thomas (@Dthom453) April 4, 2022
FOX desperately needs to do a better job at their Race coverage.
— PehPeh (@PehPeh75) April 4, 2022
This. Fox did a horrible job yesterday of laying out who was on what strategies. And no one in the booth seemed to know Denny and Harvick were coming. They kept acting like it was Byron vs Truex for sure.
— Lenny (@lennyhadley) April 4, 2022
Although, some fans actually really appreciated the track as well.
People don’t realize how slick Richmond is and how much tire fall off there is. No cautions so no “chaos” but the fact that you unlapped yourself with like 40 laps to go and won the race speaks volumes to how good of a race track it is. TV doesn’t mention you until like 5 to go.
— Corey Rothgeb (@Corey_Rothgeb) April 4, 2022
In the end, it surely is a nice change of pace to the regular season. We got to see some really nice and close racing, tight competition, and we saw Denny Hamlin take the flag in the very last lap. Certainly, Richmond made for a really nice race and a much-needed change. And, Hamlin is probably right. However, the issue with the TV broadcast is something the fans had a lot to say about. But, will we see it improve in the next race at Martinsville?
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Written by
Edited by
Niranjan Deodhar