Richmond Raceway’s New President, Lori Collier Waran Is Incredibly Excited For This Weekend’s NASCAR Races

Richmond Raceway’s New President, Lori Collier Waran Is Incredibly Excited For This Weekend’s NASCAR Races

by August 8, 2022 0 comments

RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond Raceway and new track president, Lori Collier Waran are gearing up to host the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs this weekend.

Waran has deep roots in Virginia, and back in June, she was named as Richmond Raceway’s fourth president, becoming the first female to lead the charge for the NASCAR track. She grew up going to races with her grandfather when she was a little girl. Her husband, Jeff, rejuvenated her passion that led to her pursing a career in the industry.

“I’m incredibly excited,” said Waran. “It has been thrilling. We’re a few weeks in to this job; I started July 11th. It’s August eighth, and the team has already been hard at work long before I got here, so I’m just excited. I’m ready for everyone to show up.

“I’ve definitely had a lot of love for NASCAR over the years for sure,” Waran said. “When NASCAR calls, you don’t turn down the call at all, right? It’s a huge brand, and they’ve got a tried-and-true fanbase, and it’s a legacy institution. My husband introduced me to the sport when we first started dating, and I really had a love and passion for it. My grandfather would take me down to the races when I was a little girl, and so, I sort of had a little taste then; it was sort of a memory that was ingrained in me from an early age.”

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will kickoff the race weekend on Saturday night. Grant Enfinger enters the weekend coming off a win at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; however, it’s Zane Smith who is lead the way in the standings. Ben Rhodes trails by 14 points, followed by Enfinger. Carson Hocevar currently holds the final transfer position by 50 points over Matt Crafton and Christian Eckes. John Hunter Nemechek won the Richmond race last year when the series visited in the spring; however, it was Enfinger in 2020 who won the last summer NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Richmond.

The Worldwide Express 250 for Carrier Appreciation will broadcast live on FS1 and MRN at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night.

“The Truck Series, that’s really special that we get to be a part of that and that action,” Waran said. “I think that’s going to be incredible. I think that’s very special that we get to be a part of that and build upon that.”

Kevin Harvick’s win at Michigan International Speedway this past weekend earned him a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs. He became the 15th different winner this season. Will the NASCAR Cup Series see a repeat winner on Sunday or another different winner? In recent years, Richmond has been dominated by the Toyota Racing teams. Toyota drivers have won six of the last eight NASCAR Cup Series races at the track.

Believe it or not, Martin Truex Jr. has yet to win this season. Despite sitting fourth in the standings without a win, he may miss out on the NASCAR Playoffs. The good news for Truex is that he has won three of the last six races at the track, so statistics are certainly in his favor. Ryan Blaney sits second in the standings with no wins, so he may also need a victory to make it into the Playoffs. Bubba Wallace came up just short to finish second in Michigan, so he’ll be looking ahead to Richmond searching for a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs. Hendrick Motorpsorts’ Chevrolet teams have been strong in recent years at Richmond, too, so they will be looking to challenge, as well.

The Federated Auto Parts 400 will broadcast live on USA and MRN at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.

“We’ve seen a lot of great racing in the past few years,” Waran said. “There has been a lot of drama and action, and Ryan Blaney is right on that points bubble right now. You saw a lot of emotion, a lot of raw emotion from Bubba Wallace yesterday (Sunday, Aug. 7) at the track, but Martin Truex Jr. – a lot of people believe that this is his place. He has got claim on Richmond, at least for the past few years, but there’s a lot of other people that have been doing well, as well. Tyler Reddick has just been on a role here lately, but then you see somebody come out of left field with Kevin Harvick, and that can always occur. There are so many opportunities for what could happen this weekend. That’s what makes racing so good. That’s what is so cool, and I think that we’re going to see a lot of action at the action track this weekend.”

The forecast for this weekend is certainly looking like it’s going to feature Chamber of Commerce weather, so that’s wonderful news for race fans who will be traveling to the track. Richmond Raceway will have an incredible array of events within the Midway and throughout the track’s property. For a full list, visit: https://www.richmondraceway.com/fanguide/

“Bring your fun,” Waran said. “It’s going to be fun. The weather is going to be great. The sun is going to be shinning on Richmond. The sun is going to be shining on Richmond Raceway. I’ve been told by every single meteorologist in this area, that it’s going to be a great weather weekend, low 80’s, dry, not humid; we can’t ask for better weather. I’m knocking on all of the wood that I can find and crossing all of my fingers.

“We have a lot of events inside of events, as well. We’ve got Track Laps for Charity that start on Wednesday to benefit the Special Olympics, so if you’ve ever wanted to drive onto a racetrack, you can do that by donating $20, and you get five times around the track. That’s really cool. We’ve got concerts with Cody Johnson on Friday night, and we’ve got tons of special events going on in the Midway when you get down here for the race. We’ve got Kids Zones, and we’ve got BMX stunt shows, and we’ve got Q&A’s with drivers. We’ve got a lot going on. Come on down.”

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