April 20, 2018 – Christopher Bell scored his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win of the season in the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway. Bell led the final 79 laps and held off his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Noah Gragson, who was making his series debut, to become the eighth different winner in as many races that season – first time that has happened since 2006. Overall, Bell led three times for 120 laps. Elliott Sadler’s third-place finish earned him the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash Bonus.
April 20, 2013 – Matt Crafton held off Joey Coulter in a closing laps battle to score his first NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series win of the season in the SFP 250 at Kansas Speedway. Crafton’s win was his first since he took the checkered flag at Iowa Speedway in 2011. The veteran driver finally made it to Victory Lane in his 13th career Kansas start. It was the third win in the season’s first four races for ThorSport Racing. Kyle Busch, who finished 27th, was involved in two of cautions with the first coming on Lap 14 when he spun his truck through the infield. His truck wasn’t damaged too severely in the incident and by lap 62 he had raced his way back into the lead. But then on lap 90 he and German Quiroga pulled off a synchronized spin in Turn 2 before both trucks crashed into the wall.
April 20, 2008 – Kyle Busch picked up his third consecutive NASCAR Xfinity (Nationwide Series) victory when he won his first race “South of the Border” in the Corona Mexico 200 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Busch passed Scott Pruett with nine laps-to-go and then pulled away for his 14th career win and first on a road course. With six laps-to-go, Marcos Ambrose passed Pruett for second and tore the bumper cover of Pruett’s No. 40 Dodge in the process. After a day of coming from the back twice, and an incident with Boris Said, Ambrose was able to finish second. Pruett, who led the most laps with 36, also captured a career-best finish in 10 series starts after coming home third. Pruett’s true shot of winning his first NASCAR race went by the wayside after the event’s seventh and final caution flew on lap 64, which eliminated his six plus-second lead.
April 20, 2007 – Clint Bowyer held off Matt Kenseth and teammate Jeff Burton to win the NASCAR Xfinity (Busch) Series Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix Raceway. Bowyer, who was driving for Richard Childress Racing, scored his first win of 2007, with his last series victory coming in September 2006 at Dover. Bowyer and Kenseth put on a torrid battle over the closing laps of the race, trading the lead several times. But on the final restart of the night with six laps to go, Bowyer was able to get a jump on Kenseth and stay ahead to the finish. JJ Yeley and Jon Wood crashed in Turn 2 on the final lap and as the front-runners raced through Turns 3 and 4 caution was displayed as Bowyer was able to coast to the win under yellow.
April 20, 2002 – Jason Keller scored the win in the NASCAR Xfinity (Busch) Series Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway when he was one of three drivers left on the lead lap. A 27-car accident on Lap 15 eliminated a majority of the field. Stacy Compton finished second, followed by a distant Tim Fedewa. Keller’s previous best finish at Talladega was 11th. It was his second (of four) victory of the season, with his first coming at Rockingham.
April 20, 1998 – Bobby Hamilton dominated the Goody’s Headache Powder 500 at Martinsville Speedway leading 387 laps en route to his third (of four) NASCAR Cup Series career win. Hamilton started from the pole in the No. 4 Chevrolet and led the final 63 laps and won by 6.4 seconds over Ted Musgrave. John Andretti was running second but with six laps to go was forced to pit road because his No. 43 Pontiac was out of fuel.
April 20, 1997 – Jeff Gordon captured his second consecutive and fourth win in the opening eight races of the season in the Goody’s Headache Powder 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Gordon led 431 of the 500 laps, including the final 125 to take the win over Bobby Hamilton. The win was Gordon’s second of nine career wins at the .526-mile oval.
April 20, 1997 – Jack Sprague scored his first of three wins during his championship-winning season in the Chevy Desert Star Classic at Phoenix Raceway. Sprague led 108 of the 150 laps from the pole and had a commanding 13.2-second lead at the finish over Joe Ruttman. It was his third consecutive win at the 1-mile oval and it pulled it off after having transmission issues early in the race.
Other winners on this date: 1986 – Dale Earnhardt (North Wilkesboro Speedway); 1985 – Jimmy Hensley (South Boston Speedway, Busch Grand National); 1980 – Richard Petty (North Wilkesboro Speedway); 1969 – Bobby Allison (North Wilkesboro Speedway); 1961 – Cotton Owens (Columbia Speedway); 1958 – Bob Welborn (Martinsville Speedway); 1957 – Curtis Turner (Hickory Speedway); 1957 – Bill Blair (Lakewood Speedway)
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