Richmond Int'l Raceway President Dennis Bickmeier in the wake of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s retirement announcement must decide how his track will "bid farewell to the fan favorite" and "consider how to do business in the seasons ahead when he’s no longer on the track," according to Randy Hallman of the RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH. Bickmeier "gets the immediate challenge" with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 this weekend. Bickmeier yesterday acknowledged he "had to shift gears." He "hadn’t had time to make plans or to confer with Earnhardt and his team, but he expects there won’t be much in the way of ceremony this Sunday." He said, “Right now we’re pointing more toward September for all that." But Bickmeier "knows Earnhardt’s announcement will have its imprint on this Sunday’s race." The track yesterday "immediately changed some of its marketing emphasis and was putting out the latest information on its social media platforms" (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 4/26). In Las Vegas, Ron Kantowski notes Las Vegas Motor Speedway President Chris Powell also "must have been thinking that selling tickets for a second Cup Series race" in '18 "just got a little tougher" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/26).
