Daylight has saved Richmond International Raceway.

For the third consecutive year, the Toyota Owners 400 was run under the bright sun and all the elements came together perfectly. The sunlight, the heat, even the low-downforce package and tire wear all undoubtedly played a role in the great racing we saw on Sunday.

It started on the very first lap of the race when Erik Jones, who was on the outside of a three-wide situation, bounced off the wall, which would shortly thereafter end his day. From there, the 300-miler was filled with frantic action at every corner. Drivers seemingly didn’t want to waste a lap by making moves to create three- and four-wide racing. On a short track, no less. Let that sink in for a minute.

There were teammates (Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson) bouncing off each other; big-name drivers like Clint Bowyer, Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch having to overcome pit road penalties; and the lead was swapped 18 times. Multiple lanes were also available, providing plenty of side-by-side action and numerous battles for the lead.

What occurred Sunday has rarely been seen when the lights at Richmond are turned on.

“Richmond is such a great day or night race,” said third-place finisher Denny Hamlin. “I like racing at night here just as much as I like racing during the day. But it just seems like during the day you really can make up some positions because the track is so slippery, that if you have a little bit more grip than the person in front of you, typically you can make a move.

“Where nighttime the speeds are a little faster, you’re always buried on the bottom for the most part, and it’s a little bit tougher to pass. So, it just makes the racing a little bit better the slicker the conditions.”

There is a certain enjoyment to night racing which including the All-Star Race, is eight races on the schedule. But that enjoyment is limited to the possibility of seeing sparks fly, how cool paint schemes look under the lights, and the allusion of speed. However, if you’re looking for good, entertaining, even dramatic racing – in other words, everything that Richmond was – there needs to be sunlight.

“The day race changes this track dramatically,” second-place finisher Brad Keselowski said. “I think it makes it really racey. I think it’s great. I think some of the best racing here is during the day. But it’s hot, and I know it’s hard for some of the fans to be up in the stands and go through all that.

“But it’s kind of a trade-off. The best racing here always seems to be during the day with all those lanes that open up, and that’s what you saw [Sunday]. It’s a lot of fun to be a part of.”

The numbers make things a little clearer. Something to keep in mind, too, is the field has shrunk during this time, going from 43 to 40 cars with Sunday seeing 38 on the grid.

In Sunday’s race, there were 2,495 green-flag passes. In the 2016 spring race, there were 2,083 green-flag passes. In the spring 2015 race, there were 1,688. All of those races were run on Sunday afternoon.

The last three races run at Richmond on Saturday night (2014, 2013, and 2012) are broken down like this: 1,485 green-flag passes; 1,537 and 1,826.

Furthermore, in Sunday’s race, there were 18 lead changes among eight drivers. In 2016, there were 23 lead changes among eight drivers. In 2015, there were 21 lead changes among six drivers. Again, those races were run on Sunday afternoon.

For the races run on Saturday night: In 2014, there were 20 lead changes among eight drivers; in 2013, there were 10 lead changes among seven drivers, and in 2012 there were 14 lead changes among seven drivers.

Racing at Richmond in the day was the greatest decision NASCAR and the track made. Let’s not ruin a good thing and keep our fingers off the light switch, shall we?