Bianchi Repeats at Richmond

Bianchi's YesterYear Racing's Tour Modified car.

Last year's YesterYear Tour Modified Richmond race was twice the distance as the 2025 version, but in the end it didn't matter because the result was the same. Brian Bianchi took the checkered flag in Richmond for the second straight year to win the River City 100 at "The Action Track." In addition, Bianchi is on a two-race win streak having won Round 2 at the SoBo 150 on March 25.

For most of the race it did not look like Bianchi was in typical form. After qualifying 8th, Bianchi settled in and looked to be locked into tire saving mode. Early and mid-race cautions brought strategy into the race as some drivers like Tom Ogle, who was Hubble's prediction to win the race, pitted and took tires, while other drivers stayed out.

As the laps began to tick off and the race moved into the final third of the event, Bianchi began to lose touch with the leaders. With 7 laps to go Jerry Isaacs got his car loose coming off of turn 4 and collided with Rex Hoyle. Ogle had a great run coming off of turn 4 and tried to "split the middle" to pass both cars by going between them, but the gap closed quickly and the three cars came together and brought out the fourth and final caution of the race. This put Ryan Pittman seemingly in the "driver's seat" to win the race. But with only 4 laps remaining and the race still under caution, Pittman bizarrely pitted for tires baffling the capacity crowd in attendance at Richmond Raceway. When Pittman rejoined, it was obvious the race was going to end on a natural green/white checkered finish giving Pittman no time to break in his new tires and threaten the leaders.

With Pittman now out of the hunt for the win, Bianchi inherited the lead. When the checkered flag flew Bianchi had saved enough in his tires to hold off a charging Darryl Wineinger and Brian Johnson. "I certainly wasn't the fastest on the track tonight. My teammate Rex Hoyle really deserved to win, but he got caught up in some stuff there at the end. Sometimes being lucky and being in the right place at the right time pays off," Bianchi said in his post race interview.

With Round 3 in the books Todd Liston still has the points lead with three top 10 finishes in the first 3 races. Jeffery Hardin is 6 points behind Liston in second, while Brian Johnson holds third 9 points back of Liston.

The Series heads to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in two weeks where the drivers will re-run the 1966 Flameless 300, one of the most famous races ever held at Nashville Fairground Speedway due to what happened the previous year in 1965.