Track: Richmond Raceway
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Track length: 0.75 miles
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where to tune in: USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App
Race purse: $9,797,935
Race distance: 400 laps | 300 miles
Stages: 70 | 230 | 400
Defending winner: Austin Dillon, August 2024
Starting lineup: Ryan Preece scores statement pole
RELATED: How to watch on USA Network, NBC
Richmond may be site of more drama in postseason chase
One year ago, Austin Dillon used his bumper — a couple of times — to score a last-gasp victory at Richmond Raceway at the expense of both Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. The controversial contact ultimately left Dillon the race winner but not a playoff entrant, NASCAR officials ruled, but the stage was set: Leave it all on the track.
That mindset will come into focus once more under the lights on Saturday night as the Cook Out 400 at Richmond signifies the penultimate race of the 2025 regular season.
MORE: Cup standings entering Richmond
The 0.75-mile short track has long been home to thrills and spills — from Rusty Wallace spinning Jeff Gordon in 1998 to Ricky Rudd and Kevin Harvick clashing in 2003, to Kyle Busch turning Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008 and Carl Edwards moving Busch for the win in 2016.
Dillon certainly added his own moment to the list a season ago. But a cleaner rebound in 2025 could propel the driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to the postseason for the first time since 2022.
With Tyler Reddick entering Saturday’s affair 117 points above the provisional elimination line, two of the 16 playoff spots are realistically available for grabs. Richmond provides opportunities for short-track stars to rise to prominence — such as RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece, who surged to the Busch Light Pole Award in Friday’s qualifying session.
Preece is still seeking his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory but heads into Saturday’s race only 34 points beneath the elimination line, the first driver on the outside looking in. The Connecticut native clawed his way into the Cup Series by way of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, earning the tour championship in 2013 and this week earning a spot among the tour’s 40 Greatest Drivers. His expertise has always been the short, paved ovals, evidenced by his first career pole at Martinsville Speedway in 2023.
Others like Josh Berry and Denny Hamlin stand out as short-track specialists, but both are already locked into the 2025 playoffs by virtue of wins this season. The pressure is on for Preece, who just propelled his postseason chances significantly with a pivotal pole position.
MORE: Full Friday recap
From atop the pit box …
What do crew chiefs have in focus to win Saturday’s race?
Adam Stevens missed the Cup Series’ summertime visit to Richmond Raceway last year, curtailing his travel as the crew chief of Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota after injuring both knees in an odd diving-board mishap while on vacation. Nearly one year to the day post-surgery, Stevens says he’s at 100% in daily function, maybe 95% while working out.
“I haven’t even swam this year, oddly, and I would kill for a pool today,” Stevens said, swigging from a water bottle in the afternoon sun after inspection. “It’s pretty hot.”
While Stevens was active with the team back at JGR’s race control center, he wasn’t atop the pit box for last year’s event with two Goodyear tire choices – the standard “prime” tire and the red-sidewall “option” tires, which provided short-term grip and speed at the expense of advanced wear.
RELATED: Richmond schedule | Full 2025 schedule
This year’s 400-lapper won’t feature tire choice, but the option-tire compound will be a part of the right-side setup at the 0.75-mile track. The same Goodyear configuration has been used on other short tracks this season — Bowman Gray Stadium, Martinsville Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway.
“It’s definitely a little different than the pure option tire with the left side being slightly different, so it makes it race different,” Stevens said. “But we have Bowman Gray under our belts, and we have North Wilkesboro under our belts. We did a little bit of testing at Loudon recently and got to run this tire combination, amongst some other combinations. The prime tire basically was on the car up there, too, that we had last year. So we’ve got some good cross-references for our balance.”
Teams will have eight sets of tires allotted to them, plus one set that transfers over from qualifying. That number will place a premium on tire management, with some drivers expressing concerns about how long a set might last and how their strategy will need to adjust.
Most teams saved a set of option tires for the final stage of last year’s race, which was also held in nighttime conditions. So while a new left-side tire may introduce some uncertainty, the conclusion to last year’s event provides a solid reference point.
“Everybody’s going to be looking pretty hard at the start of Stage 3 data from last year,” said Phil Surgen, crew chief for Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. “Obviously, that tire has a little bit more potential, but goes away real fast, and I think you’ll see that have some impact — more impact on Stage 1 than anything. Richmond is a little unique, because the tire falls off a lot and we don’t get that many sets. The way that everybody plays the strategy, there’s a limited number of tires for an unforeseen caution, so trying to balance the natural strategy and leaving yourself a set for a caution will be a focus for everybody. Already is.”
— Zack Albert in Richmond
RELATED: See where drivers will pit for Saturday’s race
History tells us …
A first career win at Richmond is unlikely. Don’t let Preece or Ty Gibbs see this one. Per Racing Insights, Richmond has not had a first-time winner since May 2005 — 39 Richmond races and 20-plus years ago — when Kasey Kahne went to Victory Lane.
He may not be the favorite to win, but watch out for …
CHASE BRISCOE. Throwing out the name of a Joe Gibbs Racing driver sitting inside the top 10 in points isn’t the flimsiest limb to stand on, but Briscoe has yet to win on a track shorter than 1 mile in length. In his first year driving the No. 19 Toyota for JGR, Briscoe is the only driver this season to score top 10s in each of the three short-track races in 2025, including a runner-up performance at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 3. Briscoe has never finished better than 11th (twice) in eight Richmond starts.
Fantasy update
NASCAR Fantasy Live expert Dustin Albino provides insight for your Saturday night lineup.
The contrast between practice and qualifying at Richmond might need a case study. Richmond is among the hardest tracks to gauge how good a car is, given how heat-sensitive the track is. For instance, both Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson looked to be among the best cars in practice but qualified outside the top 25. Joey Logano has dropped from my lineup after a disastrous practice session when he clobbered the outside wall. Meanwhile, RFK Racing shined with short-track ace Ryan Preece scoring his second career pole. I’ve slotted the No. 60 car into my lineup and am finally using Preece as my 36 for 36 pick after flirting with it for months.
Lineup: Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski.
Garage: Kyle Larson.
MORE: Lineup advice in Fantasy Fastlane
Speed reads
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
– NASCAR at Richmond: Key info, practice reports and more from doubleheader weekend | Read more
– “Sweet redemption” in mind: Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin return to Richmond after last year’s ruckus | Read more
– Zilisch recovering from injury: Xfinity phenom Connor Zilisch healing from broken collarbone | Read more
– Friesen forgoing playoff waiver: Truck Series veteran won’t pursue title in recovery from dirt-racing injuries | Read more
– Racing Insights: Where your favorite driver is projected to finish Saturday night | Read more
– Field of 16: Is a Cinderella sequel on deck for Austin Dillon? | Read more
– Turning Point to Richmond: Last-ditch efforts on deck for postseason prowess | Read more
– At-track photos: Scenes, sights from the Richmond | View gallery
– Paint Scheme Preview: Fresh looks to love in Virginia | View gallery
– Power Rankings: Ryan Preece in focus at Richmond | This week’s top 20