Richmond International Raceway Hosts Record Crowd for SunTrust Indy Challenge

 

RICHMOND, VA (July 1, 2008) – A record paying crowd was on hand this past weekend for the eighth annual SunTrust Indy Challenge IndyCar Series race at Richmond International Raceway, officials announced today. 

 

This past Saturday’s race at America’s Premier Short Track provided extreme speeds, plenty of wheel-to-wheel action, and tons of excitement for the whole family, as a record number of fans watched Tony Kanaan battle veterans and rookies on his way to his first victory at the shortest track the IndyCar Series visits, as well as his first victory of 2008. 

 

This year’s event, the first since the historic unification earlier this year of the IndyCar Series and the Champ Car Series – the two premier open-wheel sanctioning bodies in North America – included more drivers, cars and excitement, as well as an additional 50 laps.

 

The SunTrust Indy Challenge also saw a 50% television ratings increase from 2007.  The 300-lap event, broadcast live on ESPN, brought in the highest rating of any other show on both ESPN and ESPN2 on Saturday night. 

 

The next event at Richmond International Raceway is the NASCAR doubleheader weekend, September 5-6 for the Emerson Radio 250 Nationwide Series race and the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Sprint Cup Series “One Last Race to Make The Chase” race.  Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.rir.com or by calling 866-455-7223.