NASCAR Cup Series 2021 28 2021-09-11 2021-09-11 https://r2.thesportsdb.com/images/media/event/thumb/1jqkuk1631537783.jpg https://r2.thesportsdb.com/images/media/event/poster/x6ox811631537547.jpg The Federated Auto Parts 400 is an annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia, being the second of two races at the track with the first one being the Toyota Owners 400 in the spring. As of 2020, the race is one of the ten races in the Cup Series playoffs, run as the second race in the Round of 16. Previously, Richmond was home to the final race before the playoffs began and had been since NASCAR implemented them for the 2004 season; after the latest round of schedule realignment that distinction now belongs to the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Starting in 1991, the race was moved from Sunday afternoon to Saturday night. It became the second night race on the NASCAR schedule, following Bristol which takes place a few weeks earlier. Martin Truex Jr. received a penalty on the opening lap of the race for crossing the start/finish line in front of pole-sitter Denny Hamlin at the green flag. But 400 laps later Truex led the field across the line again – this time as the race winner of Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The convincing 1.317-second margin of victory over his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Hamlin and Christopher Bell marked Truex’s third win in the last five races at Richmond, his fourth win of the 2021 season and, most importantly, gave him that coveted automatic bid into the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. 1083558