Off to the Impound

Ever heard of the phrase “run what ya brung?”

Never does that hold more true than in the next 24 hours at Richmond International Raceway, where AJ and BV qualified their Red Bull Toyotas in 27th and 28th, respectively. Should you want to see two really cool-looking cars take the green flag side by side, check out row 14 in Saturday night’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 (7:30 p.m. ET on ABC).

Now back to that silly saying. Richmond is one of the so-called impound races. After teams qualify, their cars are quarantined and closely watched by guard dogs — really it’s just overnight security personnel — in the chained-up Nextel Cup garage.

The Bull Crews can’t touch the Nos. 83 and 84. Crew chiefs Doug Richert and Rick Viers can’t work their magic overnight to squeeze out an extra ounce of speed. What the two Red Bulls qualified with is what they’ll race with. Not a tweak here. Not a turn there. Nothing until the first pit stop.

Impound races are a rare occurrence. Only five of the season’s 36 races carry that label — both Richmond races, the two at Talladega and the July event at Daytona.