NASCAR Richmond 2011: Start Time, Starting Lineup, TV/Radio Listings And More

It’s NASCAR race night at Richmond International Raceway, and we’ve got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about tonight’s Chase cutoff race for you below.

Start time: The command to start engines will be given by Lee Ermey – who famously played the sergeant in Full Metal Jacket – at 7:41 p.m. Eastern time. After a couple pace laps, honorary starter Snooki will pass the flag-waving duties over to Frank Siller, the brother of a 9/11 firefighter who died at Ground Zero. Siller will wave the green flag at 7:47 p.m. Eastern. So if you want to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the race, flip on your TV set at 7:47.

Race name/distance: The “Wonderful Pistachios 400” is 400 laps around the 3/4-mile Richmond track, which totals 300 miles. “Wonderful Pistachios” are part of the same company that makes the POM Wonderful drink.

TV and radio: Tonight’s race can be seen on ABC, not ESPN. Every Cup race will be on either ESPN or ABC for the rest of the year. If you aren’t near a TV, the radio broadcast can be found on your local Motor Racing Network (MRN) affiliate. Click here to see a list of stations where you can listen.

National anthem: Gotta love the military bands. The 29th Infantry Division Band will cap off a patriotic pre-race ceremony by performing the national anthem.

Tickets: There are still some tickets remaining for Richmond, so you should be safe if you want to take the chance by walking up to the ticket window on race night.

Weather: Nice and pleasant. According to the unofficial NASCAR weatherman, fans in Richmond should expect “mostly clear” skies with a race-time temperature of 76 degrees.

Last time: Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin have combined to win the last six Richmond races. Busch won in the spring here, and Hamlin won the last race before the Chase one year ago.

Starting lineup for tonight’s NASCAR race at Richmond: