Racing Insights: Who will rule the Richmond Raceway night?

Posted on August 14, 2026August 15, 2026 by Staff Report

Nothing beats Saturday night short-track racing. The NASCAR Cup Series converges in the River City for its annual stop at Richmond Raceway (7 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where tempers — along with postseason urgency — could surely rise.

Three races remain until the 16-driver Chase field is set, and bubble drivers are running out of time to make a summer upswing. Meanwhile, championship contenders continue jockeying for position atop the standings, hoping for the greatest head start possible once Darlington Raceway arrives next month.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Friday recap

Many of the same challengers from last weekend at Iowa Speedway remain in play as the series shifts eastward. Ty Gibbs could continue his summer heater and bank a second consecutive win. All three Team Penske drivers thrive at short tracks, especially Richmond, as evidenced by a trio of top fives last summer. Of course, don’t forget about Austin Dillon, the two-time defending Richmond winner.

Time is of the essence this weekend for 400 laps at the “Action Track.” Read on to see drivers worth monitoring, as well as Racing Insights’ full projected results for Saturday’s southern showdown.

DRIVERS TO WATCH

AUSTIN DILLON: The No. 3 Richard Childress Racing driver could make history Saturday, becoming just the fourth driver to win three straight races in the River City. Additionally, no driver since Kevin Harvick at Michigan from 2019-2020 has won three in a row at any track. Dillon is one of just two drivers with multiple Richmond wins in the Next Gen era, and his 198 career laps led at the track are more than double his next highest. Last weekend at Iowa — a comparable track — Dillon scored a top 10 in his strongest overall race since finishing sixth at Watkins Glen. Don’t be surprised to see the Cup veteran contend for another dub.

JOEY LOGANO: Logano’s numbers aren’t quite as flashy at Richmond, but he’s certainly consistent. In 32 Richmond races, he owns two victories and a whopping 20 top-10 finishes. Over four short-track races this season, Logano sits inside the top five in average running position, average finish and most points earned. His 323 laps led at North Wilkesboro alone top all drivers at this type of venue. Logano has gained 120 points to the cutline over the last five races and now sits a season-best 13th in the season ranks. The three-time series champion is finding his stride at the right time.

DENNY HAMLIN: It’s home cooking for the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver, as the nearby Chesterfield, Virginia, native boasts an impressive Richmond track record. He’s won at the 0.75-mile track five times, including twice in the Next Gen era, and has placed second or higher in six of the last nine. Widening the scope, Hamlin has finished fifth or better at each of the last 10 traditional oval races on the Cup calendar. He leads the series by 103 markers over Ty Gibbs — and it’s also the first time all season that Tyler Reddick isn’t inside the top two of the standings. Over the last 11 events, Hamlin has outpointed his 23XI driver by 249. With a strong run on Saturday, Hamlin can land the final punch in pursuit of the top Chase seed.

MORE: At-track photos | What to Watch: Richmond

FULL PROJECTED RESULTS FOR COOK OUT 400 (Sat., 7 p.m. ET, USA Network)

POSITION	NUMBER	DRIVER
1	12	Ryan Blaney
2	22	Joey Logano
3	20	Christopher Bell
4	11	Denny Hamlin
5	19	Chase Briscoe
6	24	William Byron
7	54	Ty Gibbs
8	5	Kyle Larson
9	3	Austin Dillon
10	23	Bubba Wallace
11	9	Chase Elliott
12	21	Josh Berry
13	1	Ross Chastain
14	17	Chris Buescher
15	77	Carson Hocevar
16	7	Daniel Suárez
17	45	Tyler Reddick
18	6	Brad Keselowski
19	60	Ryan Preece
20	2	Austin Cindric
21	48	Alex Bowman
22	71	Michael McDowell
23	97	Shane van Gisbergen
24	43	Erik Jones
25	38	Zane Smith
26	34	Todd Gilliland
27	16	AJ Allmendinger
28	42	John Hunter Nemechek
29	35	Riley Herbst
30	4	Noah Gragson
31	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
32	41	Cole Custer
33	88	Connor Zilisch
34	10	Ty Dillon
35	33	Austin Hill
36	51	Cody Ware
37	66	Josh Bilicki

Posted on August 14, 2026August 14, 2026 by Holly Cain

RICHMOND, Va. — Denny Hamlin, a five-time winner at his home track of Richmond Raceway, is the most recent driver to win here from the pole — claiming the win from the No. 1 starting spot in 2016.

Asked Friday why pole winners have so seldom gone on to win recently in the River City, Hamlin paused and gave a well-thought-out answer about his hometown 0.75-mile oval.

“I think the average starting position for the winner is somewhere around 6.7, something like that,” said Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “So you just kind of put yourself somewhere in that range. I think a lot of the reason is that qualifying here is extremely, extremely technical.

“I would say it’s probably the hardest [track] to qualify to hit your marks. … I think that sometimes whoever’s got the best car doesn’t qualify on the pole because it’s just really, really difficult to put it all together, and sometimes, someone with a decent car can just hit the marks just right, and that’s when they get the pole. So, I think the technicality of the actual line that you have to run makes it to where you see comers and goers here.”

In 37 starts, Hamlin has an average starting position of 8.9 and has earned four poles at Richmond, the most recent coming in summer 2024 when he finished runner-up. He’ll have work to do Saturday, though, as the Chesterfield native will roll off 14th.

Posted on August 14, 2026August 14, 2026 by Holly Cain

RICHMOND, Va. – Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney won his fourth pole position of the season and 16th of his championship career Friday afternoon at Richmond Raceway.

The driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford will lead the field to green in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 (7 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) after posting a lap of 121.485 mph around the 0.75-mile oval, claiming the top position in the closing minutes of the qualifying session.

“I wouldn’t kind of specify myself as a very good qualifier; for a little bit I struggled in qualifying and just wasn’t able to find the one-lap speed. I was doing the wrong things behind the wheel,’’ said Blaney, the 2023 series champion. “But I think [crew chief] Jonathan [Hassler] and I kind of worked through how do we make it better. Adjust that end-of-race mindset to qualifying.

“And here [at Richmond], it’s super tough because your last lap in practice to qualifying, you’re qualifying like three seconds faster than what you just ran, so it’s mentally, how do you switch over to that and figure out how to do it in one lap because the second lap today wasn’t going to do it. Jonathan has done a good job of just trying to work through — how do we get better.”

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe will line his No. 19 Toyota up alongside Blaney on the front row, Blaney bettering his qualifying effort by only 0.050 seconds. This is Briscoe’s 13th top-10 start of the season.

Wood Brothers Racing driver Josh Berry was third fastest in the No. 21 Ford, with last week’s Iowa Speedway race winner, JGR’s Ty Gibbs, fourth on the grid in the No. 54 Toyota and Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron rounding out the top five in the No. 24 Hendrick Chevrolet.

NASCAR Cup Series championship leader Denny Hamlin – a five-time Richmond winner – was 14th fastest in qualifying, and two-time defending race winner, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon, was 16th best in the 37-car field.

Dillon is attempting to become only the fourth driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive Richmond races and join the likes of NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and David Pearson.

“We’ve got to get our car better; we’re not where we were last year in practice. Just got to continue to work on it and see what we can do,” said Dillon, driver of the famous No. 3 Chevrolet. “I think we have tendencies of our car that are good, but we’ve just got to get a little better, so we’ll just go to work and see what we can find for tomorrow.’’

Practice recap

Spire Motorsports driver Daniel Suárez turned the fastest lap in Friday’s practice session, navigating the 0.75-mile short track with an average speed of 117.961 mph. Erik Jones (117.955 mph), Austin Cindric (117.878 mph), Riley Herbst (117.709 mph) and Alex Bowman (117.606 mph) completed the top five.

Denny Hamlin, Ty Dillon, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski and Josh Berry completed the top 10.

MORE: See practice results | Two teams penalized after pre-race inspection

Cindric compiled the fastest 10- and 20-lap averages. Kyle Larson had the best 15-lap average, while Ryan Blaney paced 25- and 30-lap averages.

Cody Ware and Tyler Reddick went for separate spins in Group 1 practice, both losing control in Turns 3 and 4. Group 2 practice was completed without incident.

Contributing: Staff report

Posted on August 14, 2026August 14, 2026 by Staff Report

The Nos. 20 and 51 NASCAR Cup Series teams failed pre-race technical inspection twice on Friday at Richmond Raceway, resulting in penalties ahead of Saturday’s Cook Out 400 (7 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR).

RELATED: Richmond schedule

As a result, both teams’ car chiefs have been ejected for the remainder of the race weekend and will forfeit pit-stall selection. Chris Sherwood was ejected on the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, and Dave Jones was ejected on the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet.

Entering Saturday’s race, No. 20 driver Christopher Bell sits sixth in the Cup Series ranks after his second-place finish at Iowa Speedway vaulted him four spots. In total, Bell has seven runner-up results in 2026, tying Harry Gant (1981) for the most all-time without a victory. In 10 Richmond races, Bell has finished sixth or better seven times.

No. 51 driver Cody Ware is 35th in points.

Just three races remain until the Cup Series field of 16 Chase drivers is solidified.

Posted on August 14, 2026August 14, 2026 by Zach Sturniolo

Noah Gragson will return to the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season with options to extend beyond next year, the team announced Friday.

Gragson is in the midst of his third full season in the Cup Series and second with Front Row Motorsports. The Las Vegas native sits 31st in the standings.

The 28-year-old driver said after Friday’s Cup Series qualifying session at Richmond Raceway that there were “a lot of moving pieces” involved in the timing of the deal – for himself, the team and his manufacturer – but that he was pleased with reaching an agreement before the regular season was out. Though the extension was not a long-term one, Gragson said he has time to earn his keep with FRM the rest of the way.

“I feel like just the opportunity to keep on pushing and be the best version of myself, both as a person and a race car driver, is key, and if I feel like I can be at my best and we can be at our best as a team, I think the sky’s the limit,” Gragson said. “Ultimately, at the same time, it’s one of those things where, yeah, you get in the same Silly Season situation next year. It’d be nice to say, ‘oh yeah, I’ve got 10 years to keep going racing,’ but you know it’s a cutthroat industry, and everyone’s competing for a job at the end of the day. If I feel like I can be at my best and have everything around me at its best, I think we can do great things.”

Gragson is a 13-time winner in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, where he competed from 2019 through 2022 at JR Motorsports, collecting a career-best eight wins in 2022 before finishing runner-up in the championship.

The 2026 campaign has been a difficult one for Gragson, 28, and first-year Cup crew chief Grant Hutchens. Gragson’s best finish (ninth place) came in April at Talladega Superspeedway for his lone top 10 this season. Other runs have been encouraging, including an 11th-place showing at the Daytona 500 and a 16th-place effort in May at Nashville Superspeedway.

MORE: Cup Series standings | Front Row GM on team lineup

“I feel like we’ve kind of been turning a page, and I’ve been seeing a little bit of uptick in our performance, which is good,” Gragson said, “and working with first-year crew chief Grant, learning each other, it takes time, and I’m starting to see that page kind of turn in a sense of, hey, we’re going back to race tracks for the second time now. We know each other a little bit better now. I’m starting to see that progression these last couple weeks, and we’ve been working really hard behind the scenes to improve that team chemistry, that dynamic, the communication. This sport’s all about people and having the right people around you, and I feel like I’ve got a great group around me. It’s just we’re trying to find what’s the right direction we need to go in, and what will allow us to reach our full potential.”

Gragson made his Cup debut in 2022 on a part-time schedule, splitting time between Beard Motorsports’ No. 62 entry, Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 car and then Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 car after an injury to Alex Bowman. The 2023 season marked Gragson’s first full-time Cup campaign after taking over the No. 42 Chevrolet for Legacy Motor Club. He joined Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2024 season, completing his first full Cup campaign with a career-best seven top-10 finishes and landing 24th in points with a personal-best 19.6 average finish.

His average finish through 23 races this season is 24.65, which would mark his best average finish since the 2024 campaign if maintained.

Gragson is set to start 35th in the 37-car field in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond (7 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Contributing: Zack Albert at Richmond Raceway

Posted on August 14, 2026August 14, 2026 by Dustin Albino

Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider.

Fantasy Update: With practice and qualifying at Richmond Raceway complete, plenty of cars stood out for various reasons. The Team Penske duo of Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano appeared to be a class of their own over the long haul, while last week’s winner Ty Gibbs was also sporty. Short-track studs Josh Berry and Ryan Preece also shined, banking top-10 starting spots. The winner of the last two Richmond races, Austin Dillon, didn’t seem to have the pace from 2024 or 2025, but don’t count him out. I’ve swapped Ryan Blaney in for Christopher Bell, who by no means was sluggish. I’m playing the long game, however, knowing that New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been Bell’s personal playground. I’ve also added Chase Briscoe to replace Bubba Wallace, as the No. 19 car has historically been elite at Richmond with Martin Truex Jr.

Starting five: Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin.
Garage: Chase Briscoe.

It’s Austin Dillon season! The Cup Series returns to Richmond Raceway, where Dillon is the winner of two straight events, entering those races 32nd and 28th in points, respectively. Team Penske will be hard to beat again, with all three of its entries placing inside the top five in 2025. Ty Gibbs is on a short-track heater, and he could score his third win (and second straight) of the season.

Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can come play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.

RELATED: NASCAR Fantasy Live hub | Play 36 for 36

MUST START

Driver: Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: Dillon has become a Richmond ringer, winning the last two races in dramatic fashion. A third consecutive victory would place him on a short list of Hall of Fame drivers Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison as the only racers to win three straight in the Commonwealth. He was routinely inside the top 10 at Iowa Speedway last weekend, which shares similarities with Richmond.

Driver: Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 2
Comment: Gibbs put on a defensive clinic at Iowa, scoring his second win of the season. The fifth-year driver has won 50% of the short-track races in 2026 and has an average finish of 2.5 through four starts.

Driver: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 1
Comment: Using Hamlin is a no-brainer at Richmond. Growing up 20 miles south of the 0.75-mile circuit, he is a five-time winner here, including a pair in the Next Gen era. Dating back to 2021, the No. 11 bunch has six top-two finishes in nine Richmond attempts.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

DRIVERS TO AVOID

Driver: Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 3
Comment: After a scorching start to the season, Reddick has gone ice cold over the last two months, dropping to fourth on The Chase grid. Short tracks aren’t in his wheelhouse, either, with only one top-10 finish in the last 12 tries. On a positive note, he has two top-10s in the last three Richmond races.

Driver: Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 3
Comment: Briscoe’s summer surge has gotten him to fifth in points. Unfortunately, Richmond is among his worst venues on the schedule, where he has yet to score a top-10 finish through nine starts. Briscoe has an average finish of 16.3 at Richmond, his worst among all short tracks.

Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK

Driver: Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 8
Comment: That dawg came out in Chastain last weekend in Iowa. The No. 1 team had its best race of the season, cutting 35 points from its deficit to The Chase bubble. Richmond shares similar characteristics, and it’s a venue where he has top fives in two of the last five races.

Driver: Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: After an abysmal start to 2026, Berry is coming on strong to conclude the regular season, placing a season-best fourth last weekend at Iowa. His short-track prowess is elite, with top 10s in four of the last seven short-track races. He has never finished worse than 14th in four starts in The River City.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

FEATURED MATCHUPS

Ty Gibbs vs. Christopher Bell
Pick: Bell
Comment: While Gibbs is a must-start driver this weekend, Bell is certainly worthy of the nod. He ranks among the best short-track competitors in the field, earning a top-10 finish in 13 of the last 19 short-track races. Bell has also been remarkably consistent at Richmond, finishing sixth or better in seven of his last 10 starts. He also has six runner-up finishes in the last 11 races this season.

Denny Hamlin vs. Kyle Larson
Pick: Hamlin
Comment: Larson has multiple Richmond victories, but he’s in the midst of a dreadful stretch of finishes over the last five races. Meanwhile, Hamlin is nearly a lock for the top five, finishing inside the top five in the last 10 oval events at non-drafting tracks. He’s also among the Richmond elite, leading active drivers in top fives (20), top 10s (25) and laps led (2,367).

Austin Dillon vs. Chris Buescher
Pick: Dillon
Comment: Though Buescher scored a victory at Richmond in 2023, this is Dillon’s best track, period. Buescher has just three top-10 finishes in 18 starts, while Dillon has led 198 laps here, more than double his total at any other track.

Joey Logano vs. Ross Chastain
Pick: Logano
Comment: Chastain should have added confidence heading into Richmond, but Team Penske has been the standard at short tracks in recent seasons. Logano’s success at Richmond predates the Next Gen, finishing seventh or better in 12 of the last 16 visits. Logano is another driver who should be featured in most lineups this weekend.

MY LINEUP

Starting five: Austin Dillon, Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Christopher Bell.
Garage: Bubba Wallace.

36 FOR 36

Pick: Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Comment: After Ryan Preece won the Busch Light Pole Award for last year’s Richmond race, I made the mistake of swapping Dillon out of my lineup. Not this year. Dillon runs a unique line around the apron at the famed short track and has found plenty of success doing so. I’ve been saving this pick all season, and now is the time to cash it in.

Posted on August 13, 2026August 14, 2026 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 13, 2026) — National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC ® (NASCAR) today announced a new multiyear Official Partnership with Avant, a data-driven platform at the intersection of technology and credit, that will introduce a new co-branded NASCAR credit card designed to reward fans with exclusive benefits, experiences and enhanced access to the sport beginning in 2027.

As part of the agreement, Avant will become NASCAR’s exclusive partner for co-branded credit card products in the United States beginning January 1, 2027. The co-branded NASCAR credit card will be tailored specifically for NASCAR fans, providing exclusive perks, enhanced rewards and seamless integration with NASCAR Fan Rewards.

The new NASCAR-Avant-branded credit card comes with automatic All-Star status in the NASCAR Fan Rewards, giving fans immediate access to premium benefits. Additional cardholder benefits will include enhanced rewards, such as 3% cash back on eligible purchases in select spending categories, with additional at-track benefits and experiences planned at select races.

“NASCAR fans are among the most passionate and loyal in sports, and this partnership with Avant creates another meaningful way to reward that passion,” said Craig Stimmel, SVP & Chief Commercial Officer, NASCAR. “From automatic All-Star status in NASCAR Fan Rewards to early ticket access and enhanced rewards, this card is designed to bring fans closer to the sport they love while adding value every time they engage with NASCAR.”

“We built this program to make good on what NASCAR already knows about its fans: they show up, they’re loyal and they deserve a card that reflects that,” said Charles Whittaker, Chief Business Officer, Avant. “Our job is to build a card program around how NASCAR fans live and spend. We’re excited to bring this program to life in 2027!”

The NASCAR-Avant credit card is expected to launch in January 2027. Additional information regarding card features, rewards, eligibility and application details, as well as fan experiences, will be announced closer to launch.

About Avant

*Avant LLC is a financial technology company, not a bank. Avant-branded credit products are issued by WebBank.

Posted on August 13, 2026August 20, 2026 by Staff Report

Mars, a candy and snack company that sponsored Kyle Busch for 15 seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing, will return to the organization with the iconic M&M’s paint scheme on Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota for September’s Bristol Night Race, Samantha Busch announced on Instagram Thursday.

The mosaic scheme, which features iconic moments from Busch’s career, is dedicated to the driver following his death on May 21 at 41.

Bristol Motor Speedway is a fitting facility to honor Busch as the future NASCAR Hall of Famer dominated the 0.533-mile short track. He won a combined 22 times on the concrete across NASCAR’s three national series, including eight times in the NASCAR Cup Series. Busch swept the summer tripleheader weekend twice (2010, 2017) and remains the only driver to win all three national-series races in a single weekend.

“Bristol wasn’t just another race to him. He loved everything about that place,” Samantha Busch said in the Instagram video. “The intensity, the energy, the fans and the challenge of racing there. Some of the greatest moments of his career happened on that track in the yellow M&M’s car, which became such an iconic part of Kyle’s legacy.

“It was so much more than a paint scheme. Kyle became the M&M’s guy.”

Busch spent the bulk of his NASCAR career at JGR, joining the organization in 2008 with backing from Mars. He won 56 of his 63 Cup Series victories with JGR, and 47 of those were with Mars branding on his No. 18 Toyota. Busch won championships in 2015 and 2019, and his last Cup win with both the organization and sponsor came at Bristol dirt in 2022 before moving to Richard Childress Racing.

Additionally, 90 of Busch’s 102 victories in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series came for JGR, and eight of them came under Mars’ support.

“Seeing Mars and Joe Gibbs Racing come together to honor Kyle this way is incredibly emotional to me,” Samantha Busch said. “The M&M’s car holds so many memories from our life together, and seeing it back on the track knowing Kyle won’t be the one behind the wheel is going to be both heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. To see the No. 54 car carry those iconic colors again, filled with moments from Kyle’s incredible career, feels like bringing a piece of him back to the track he loved so much.

“Kyle loved Bristol and Bristol loved Kyle. Being back with our NASCAR family under the lights to celebrate his life, his career and the memories he gave all of us is something we will never forget. I know he will be right there with us that night.”

Gibbs, grandson of JGR owner Joe Gibbs, took over the organization’s fourth car in 2023 after Busch’s departure to RCR. He sits second in the Cup Series standings after a win last weekend at Iowa Speedway.

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race is scheduled for Sept. 19, the third of 10 Chase contests (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on August 13, 2026August 14, 2026 by Holly Cain

Only two races remain now to decide the 10 Chase positions that will settle the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, and after a two-week break in competition, teams are eager to roll and finalize which five drivers will complete the Chase grid.

For championship leader and five-time race winner Layne Riggs, a good showing in Saturday’s Black’s Tire 250 presented by BTS Rewards at Richmond Raceway (noon ET, FS2, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) could land him the Chase’s coveted No. 1 seed — even with another regular-season race remaining next week at New Hampshire.

Front Row Motorsports driver Riggs, who finished third at Richmond last year, goes into the weekend with a robust 100-point lead on Tricon Garage’s Kaden Honeycutt. Honeycutt has also clinched a Chase spot, along with Riggs’ teammate Chandler Smith, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes and Tricon’s Gio Ruggiero.

ThorSport Racing teammates Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes, CR7 Motorsports’ Grant Enfinger, McAnally-Hilgemann’s Daniel Hemric and Halmar Friesen Racing’s Stewart Friesen round out the Chase standings now.

However, only 49 points separate ninth-place Hemric from 14th-place Brenden Queen. And Tyler Ankrum is only a slight eight points off Friesen for that crucial 10th-place spot.

Three of the last six Richmond races have been won by Chase contenders. Enfinger won at Richmond in 2020. Smith won in 2022, and Majeski hoisted the trophy in 2024.

In last year’s race, eventual season champion Corey Heim — who will steer the No. 5 Tricon Garage Toyota Saturday afternoon — led 75 laps, ultimately beating the day’s most dominant driver, Majeski, by 0.923 seconds. But Majeski led 143 of the 250 laps, again proving why Richmond is his best track statistically. He’s averaging a second-place finish in four series starts there and has never finished worse than third. The former series champion Majeski is still racing for his first win of the season.

The starting grid this week will feature some interesting storylines beyond the championship implications. Former NASCAR Cup Series star and Virginia native Elliott Sadler, 51, will drive the No. 25 Kaulig Racing RAM in his first Truck Series start in 15 years. New Zealand NASCAR Cup Series star Shane van Gisbergen is entered in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet with a 16-year-old teammate, Tristan McKee, who currently leads the ARCA Menards Series East points and is making his Truck Series debut in the No. 77 Spire Chevrolet.

Van Gisbergen won the pole Friday afternoon and will lead the field to green Saturday. Heim won the race from pole position last year.

Posted on August 13, 2026August 20, 2026 by Staff Report

A small, family-owned sport has turned into a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.

Over 78 years of existence, NASCAR, a regional pastime, evolved into a popular national powerhouse by balancing its southern roots with a modern-day flair. In ‘NASCAR Americana,’ the three-part docuseries explores the sport’s rise by drawing on interviews and stories from stock-car racing’s greats to examine how NASCAR has reflected and shaped the culture, identity, and character of a changing nation.

The series, executive-produced by Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, features four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, country music star and Legacy Motor Club investor Darius Rucker, actor-turned Craftsman Truck Series driver Frankie Muniz, and others.

MORE: Read the press release

How to watch

All three ‘NASCAR Americana’ episodes premiere on USA Network immediately after the post-race show following the network’s first three Cup Series races. Sun., Aug. 9 (Iowa Speedway), Sat., Aug. 15 (Richmond Raceway) and Sun., Aug. 23 (New Hampshire Motor Speedway).

Each part of the series homes in on a specific theme:

Episode 1 (Aug. 9): “Rebel Roots” traces NASCAR’s origins from rebellious moonshiners to the founding of the sport in 1948, revealing how the Daytona 500 became an American tradition and how the 1979 edition transformed NASCAR into a national phenomenon. Episode 1 follows third-generation NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney as he prepares for the 2026 Daytona 500.WATCH NOW: Episode 1 live on USA Sports’ YouTube channel

Episode 2 (Aug. 15): From hometown dirt tracks to NASCAR’s biggest stages, “Family Bonds” explores the love of racing that has united families across generations and made it one of America’s most enduring communities. This episode features the first formal sit-down interview with Hall of Fame driver Kurt Busch since the sudden loss in May of his younger brother Kyle Busch, the all-time winningest driver across NASCAR’s three national series. It focuses on the relationships that define NASCAR as drivers, teams and fans come together to honor Busch at the 2026 Coca-Cola 600. WATCH NOW: Episode 2 live on USA Sports’ website

Episode 3 (Aug. 23): “Enduring Spirit” follows NASCAR’s transformation from a regional pastime into a national institution while celebrating the patriotism and traditions that remain at its heart, proving that progress and heritage can race side by side. Episode 3 explores modern-day NASCAR through the eyes of five-time 2026 Cup Series winner and Daytona 500 champion Tyler Reddick and three-time Cup Series race winner Bubba Wallace at the 2026 Anduril 250, the first-ever race at a US Naval Base.

Episode 3 — airing Sun. Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. ET

Navy sailor relects on special Coronado weekend. See the clip here.

Jeff Gordon brought ‘West Coast cool’ to NASCAR. See the clip here.