Richmond Raceway (formerly known as the Richmond International Raceway from 1988 to 2017 and as the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway from 1969 to 1988) is a 0.750 mi (1.207 km) D-shaped oval short track in Richmond, Virginia. It has hosted major races since its inaugural season of racing in 1946, including NASCAR and IndyCar races. The track is owned by NASCAR and led by track president Lori Collier Waran.

Initially built in 1946 as part of the Atlantic Rural Exposition (now known as the State Fair of Virginia), the track initially held horse and open-wheel racing. In the following decades, the track hosted annual NASCAR races. Starting in the early 1970s, the track declined in its condition, leading to numerous racetrack proposals being made to replace the track. After all proposals failed, in 1988, the track was expanded into a 0.75 mi (1.21 km) and underwent mass expansion over the following years. Heading into the 2000s, the facility was bought out by the France family. Starting in the 2010s, the track significantly downsized, reducing seating capacity to less than half of its peak.

Richmond Raceway in its current form is measured at 0.750 mi (1.207 km), with 14° of banking in the track's turns, 8° of banking on the frontstretch, and 2° of banking on the backstretch. When the track was initially built, it was originally a 0.5 mi (0.80 km) true oval with a dirt surface. It was later paved in 1968 before being remodeled 20 years later to its current layout.

Richmond Raceway is located in Richmond, Virginia, and is served by Interstate 64 and U.S. Route 360. The exact capacity of Richmond Raceway is unknown; according to a 2024 Richmond Times-Dispatch report, capacity is estimated to be "under 50,000". The last recorded capacity number was 51,000 seats, which was given in 2018. In total, the track complex covers approximately 575 acres (233 ha) of land according to a 2021 Richmond BizSense report.

In June 1942 and in the midst of World War II, the Virginia State Fair Association bought a 460-acre (190 ha) plot of land used by a farm named Strawberry Hill. According to local media, the purchase was made due to fears of the State Fair being kicked out of their original location because of the United States Department of War potentially buying out the original location for war purposes. However, the following month, the moving of the original grandstands and fair buildings to the Strawberry Hill location was delayed until at least 1943 due to war efforts. The moving of the main grandstands was further delayed by another year before work on transferring the main fair grandstand to the Strawberry Hill location begun in 1944. In 1945, the now-named Atlantic Rural Exposition (ARE) was announced as an agriculture trade show to take place sometime in the fall of 1946 pending if WWII had ended before then. By May, $50,000 (adjusted for inflation$, 894,177) was raised to start the exposition.

Three months later, a planning outline for the exposition was released in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Plans for the ARE included a 7,000-seat coliseum, an amphitheater, and a steeplechase track. In February 1946, an exposition budget of $300,000 (adjusted for inflation$, 4,953,072) was approved by the exposition's board of directors; the budget included plans to build a 1⁄2 mi (0.80 km) race track for $10,000. The following month, dates for the ARE were given, with it scheduled for October 7–12. The race track was completed by June 1946, with ARE organizers stating hopes to host both harness, automobile, and motorcycle races on the oval. The first automobile race at the race track was later announced for October 12, the last day of the exposition. At the time of its opening, the track's grandstands had a capacity of 3,200.

The inaugural ARE opened as scheduled on October 7. Although harness races were scheduled two days after the exposition's opening, the races were delayed by two days due to rain. The track officially opened to the public on October 11, 1946, to host the postponed harness races, with horse Empire Grattan winning the first feature race. The first automobile races were run as scheduled a day later, with Ted Horn winning the event. The following month, the track held its first races under the sanction of the American Automobile Association (AAA). In May 1947, the first motorcycle races were held at the facility.

The following year, the track underwent a series of renovations, with numerous amenities being added. Renovations included a lighting system to host night racing, a wooden fence built around the track, and an increase in seating capacity. The first night race was later ran on May 19 of that year. In 1950, the track experienced its first fatality after spectator Charles Malcolm Little was hit in the head from a loose tire on September 31, dying from complications from his injuries on October 23. In 1953, the track held its first NASCAR Grand National Series (now known as the NASCAR Cup Series) race on April 19, with Lee Petty winning the event. Two years afterward, eventual longtime promoter Paul Sawyer began promoting races at the facility alongside Joe Weatherly, buying out Weatherly's share of the promoting lease a year later for $5,000. In 1958, the track oversaw its second fatality after racing driver Gwyn Staley crashed during a NASCAR Convertible Division event, dying from numerous injuries. The track increased its seating capacity in 1962, adding "some 4,200" seats in the track's first and fourth turns to increase its seating capacity from 4,800 to approximately 9,000. In addition, the track's pit area was also renovated alongside the installation of a new scoreboard and protective walls and guardrails.