Richmond Raceway hosts the penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, the Cook Out 400. Here is everything you need to know for Saturday’s short track action.
NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway Preview
Last time we were at Richmond Raceway, we saw what someone would do to win a race. Austin Dillon, on an overtime restart, wrecked both Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin for the win. While Dillon kept the win, it did not grant him playoff eligibility, and he lost 25 points, dropping him significantly in the standings. Will we see another chaotic finish at ‘The Action Track’? Or will Virginia’s own Denny Hamlin break the tie for the most wins on the season?
Read More: Controversy Overshadows Austin Dillon’s Win at Richmond
Race Preview:
The Cook Out 400 is a 400-lap, 300-mile race around the 3/4 mile Richmond Raceway. The stage cautions will be on 70 and 230, with a 170-lap run to the checkered flag on lap 400. The prize purse for this race is 9,797,935 dollars. The teams will have 10 sets of Goodyear tires for this weekend, 8 for the race, 1 for qualifying, and 1 for practice. In case of weather, teams will have 4 sets of wet tires.
The Track-Richmond Raceway:
The Richmond Raceway, located in Richmond, Virginia, first hosted a NASCAR race when it was a half-mile dirt oval in 1953. Paved in 1968 and then lengthened in 1988 into a D-Shaped 1988, it truly became its nickname, ‘The Action Track’. The Cup Series has raced at Richmond 136 times in the past.
Lee Petty won the first race at Richmond on April 19th, 1953, driving a Dodge. Richard Petty holds the all-time wins record at Richmond, with an astonishing 13 victories. Kyle Busch holds the record amongst active drivers with 6 wins. Kevin Harvick set the lap record, running a 21.849-second lap in 2019.
Cup Series Point Standings:
Here is the current battle for the regular-season champion:
1. William Byron: 812
2. Chase Elliott: 770
3. Denny Hamlin: 731
4. Christopher Bell: 727
5. Kyle Larson: 727
6. Ryan Blaney: 710
And here is the battle to make the playoffs:
14th. Tyler Reddick: +117
15th. Alex Bowman: +60
16th. Chris Buescher: +34
——– Cut-Off Line———–
17th. Ryan Preece: -34
18th. Kyle Busch: -102
19th. Ty Gibbs: -125
Drivers To Watch:
Only two drivers are joining the 40 car field for this weekend. Jesse Love continues to make select Cup Series starts, driving the #33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress. Corey Heim joins him, driving the #67 Toyota for 23XI Racing.
Ready to bring the energy to Richmond.@jesselovejr1 | @c4energy pic.twitter.com/BJFpIo2BTD
— RCR (@RCRracing) August 13, 2025
Denny Hamlin has been the guy to beat at Richmond in the Next-Gen era. His home track, I think he could realistically break the tie he holds with Shane Van Gisbergen this week and get a series high fifth win of the season.
Read More: Watkins Glen Proves Road Course Racing in Next Gen Is Near Unwatchable
I think we could also see a battle between the Hendrick Motorsports cars here. There is a tight battle between William Byron and Chase Elliott for the regular season championship. Look out for a battle between the Nos. 9 and 24 on Saturday night.
Kyle Busch holds the wins record amongst active drivers and needs a win to make it into the playoffs. If the #8 team brings the set up that Austin Dillon had last year, we could see Kyle reset the record to 7 wins. Look out for the No. 8 Chevy.
Brad Keselowski was the car to beat at Iowa two weekends ago. I think he could also be the car to beat on Saturday night. Look out for Keselowski to win it for Ford.
How To Watch The Cup Series at Richmond:
Here is the weekend schedule for the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway:
- Friday, August 14th:
- Practice:
- 4:30 PM Eastern
- Coverage is on TruTV and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
- Qualifying
- 5;40 PM Eastern
- Coverage continues on TruTV and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
- Practice:
- Saturday, August 15th:
- The Cook Out 400
- 7:30 PM Eastern
- Coverage is on USA, HBOMax, and radio coverage on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
- The Cook Out 400
Last Word On Motorsports will have all the coverage of NASCAR’s Richmond Weekend
Main Photo: Logan Whitton, Getty Images
Recording Date: 8/11/2024
