NASCAR confirm veteran driver OUT of Richmond race

NASCAR has confirmed the withdrawal of a veteran driver ahead of this weekend's action at Richmond Raceway.

Whilst the Xfinity Series is set for a weekend of rest following a chaotic race at Watkins Glen last time out, the Truck and Cup Series are set to hit the short track in Virginia on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Ahead of the weekend, NASCAR released the entry list for both events, with the Truck Series roster having initially featured Norm Benning in the No. 6.

Benning is 73 years old and first raced in NASCAR back in the 1980s, with his Cup Series debut having come at Dover Motor Speedway in 1989.

The veteran has completed only four Cup Series races, but has entered a heap of events over the years that he failed to qualify for. The vast majority of his NASCAR career has come in the Truck Series, with over 250 appearances for his own team, Norm Benning Racing.

However, it appears he will not be adding to that tally this weekend, with NASCAR's Truck Series entry list now confirming Benning's withdrawal from the event.

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Drivers handed huge boost

No reason has been given for Benning's withdrawal. However, it does hand a major boost to all drivers set to compete.

Initially, the entry list for this weekend's race had featured 37 entries, whilst there were only 36 spots available in the race.

This meant that one of the drivers would have missed out on the race action after qualifying.

With Benning's withdrawal, however, this is no longer an issue, as all 36 entries are now set to participate in all the action.

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NASCAR Truck Series entry list for Richmond

Here is the full entry list for this weekend's Truck Series event:

1. Brent Crews, No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota
2. Nick Leitz (i), No. 02 Young's Motorsports Chevrolet
3. Stephen Mallozzi, No. 2 Reaume Brothers Racing Ford
4. Toni Breidinger, No. 5 TRICON Garage Toyota
5. Sammy Smith (i), No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
6. Grant Enfinger, No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet
7. Corey Heim, No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota
8. Jake Garcia, No. 13 ThorSport Racing Ford
9. Tanner Gray, No. 15 TRICON Garage Toyota
10. Christian Eckes (i), No. 16 McAnally Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet
11. Giovanni Ruggiero, No. 17 TRICON Garage Toyota
12. Tyler Ankrum, No. 18 McAnally Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet
13. Daniel Hemric, No. 19 McAnally Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet
14. Clayton Green, No. 22 Reaume Brothers Racing Ford
15. Dawson Sutton, No. 26 Rackley W.A.R Chevrolet
16. Frankie Muniz, No. 33 Reaume Brothers Racing Ford
17. Layne Riggs, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
18. Chandler Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
19. Matthew Gould, No. 41 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet
20. Matt Mills, No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet
21. Andres Perez De Lara, No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet
22. Bayley Currey, No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet
23. Kaden Honeycutt, No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota
24. Luke Fenhaus, No. 66 ThorSport Racing Ford
25. Ryan Roulette, No. 67 Freedom Racing Enterprises Chevrolet
26. Rajah Caruth, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
27. Caleb Costner, No. 74 Mike Harmon Racing Chevrolet
28. Spencer Boyd, No. 76 Freedom Racing Enterprises Chevrolet
29. Connor Mosack, No. 81 McAnally Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet
30. Patrick Staropoli (i), No. 84 Cook Racing Technologies Toyota
31. Matt Crafton, No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford
32. Jack Wood, No. 91 McAnally Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet
33. Carson Kvapil (i), No. 97 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet
34. Ty Majeski, No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford
35. Ben Rhodes, No. 99 ThorSport Racing Ford
36. Corey LaJoie, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

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