NASCAR at Richmond: How to watch, schedule and predictions for the Cook Out 400

NASCAR is back in Virginia’s state capital this week for its annual visit to Richmond Raceway.

The 0.75-mile short track has been a staple on the schedule since 1953, when Lee Petty won the inaugural race.

Nowadays, Richmond serves as one of NASCAR’s more unique tracks. It is the only three-quarter-mile venue that the series visits, and an aged surface (which hasn’t been repaved since 2004) causes heavy tire wear and varying strategies on race day.

So, what’s in store for Richmond? What’s the TV schedule for the week? And who could contend for the win on Saturday night? Here’s everything to know for the Cook Out 400.

When is the NASCAR race this weekend at Richmond?

Green flag for the Cook Out 400 is set for Saturday, Aug. 15, at 7:10 p.m. ET.

Before the race, there will be practice and qualifying sessions. The 37 drivers will hit the track in two groups for 50 total minutes of practice on Friday (25 minutes per group). Qualifying will immediately follow practice, with each driver getting two laps to set their fastest time and the starting order set based on single-lap speed.

NASCAR TV schedule this weekend for Richmond

Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Jeff Burton (analyst) and Steve Letarte (analyst) will be on the call for USA Sports, with Marty Snider, Kim Coon and Dave Burns reporting from pit road.

Here’s the full schedule for Richmond:

Friday, Aug. 14 (truTV, HBO Max)

• Practice: 3:30 p.m. ET, truTV and HBO Max
• Qualifying: 4:40 p.m. ET, truTV and HBO Max

Saturday, Aug. 15 (USA Network, streaming online)

• Countdown to Green: 6:30 p.m. ET, USA Network
• Cook Out 400: 7 p.m. ET, USA Network
• USA Sports Post-Race: 10 p.m. ET, USA Network

Who is racing at Richmond? Here’s the entry list

Thirty-seven drivers will race at Richmond: the 36 full-time cars, plus one part-time entry. Austin Hill will continue to fill in for Kyle Busch, as he has since the former champion died in May due to sepsis. The only part-timer is Josh Bilicki, making his second start of the season for Garage 66.

Here’s the entry list for the Cook Out 400:

NASCAR Chase for the Championship standings

The battle for the championship is heating up with NASCAR’s new postseason format.

After using a convoluted playoff system from 2014 to 2025, the series is going back to the “Chase” format used from 2004 to 2013. The top 16 drivers at the end of the regular season will advance to the Chase, with an incremental points gap from the top to the bottom. Whichever driver leads the points standings after the 10-race Chase will be the champion.

There are just three races to go before the Chase begins — and so far, only the top four drivers have mathematically clinched a spot. Here’s the points standings with three races left in the regular season, with the top 16 in position to make the Chase:

1. Denny Hamlin, 923 points
2. Ty Gibbs, 820 points
3. Ryan Blaney, 813 points
4. Tyler Reddick, 803 points
5. Chase Briscoe, 663 points
6. Christopher Bell, 659 points
7. Chase Elliott, 657 points
8. Carson Hocevar, 644 points
9. Chris Buescher, 637 points
10. Kyle Larson, 629 points
11. William Byron, 600 points
12. Daniel Suárez, 597 points
13. Joey Logano, 586 points
14. Bubba Wallace, 565 points
15. Shane van Gisbergen, 544 points
16. Austin Cindric, 526 points
17. Ryan Preece, 497 points
18. Ross Chastain, 479 points
19. Brad Keselowski, 478 points
20. Erik Jones, 476 points

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NASCAR Richmond picks and predictions

If you’re looking to predict the winner at Richmond, you can usually point to two organization: Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske.

These two have traditionally dominated in Virginia, with JGR star Denny Hamlin totaling five wins and an 8.2 average finish in 37 starts at his hometown track. Joey Logano is a two-time winner for Penske with an average finish of 9.8 in his 32 starts.

Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs (JGR) and Ryan Blaney (Penske) will also be contenders. Bell has seven second-place finishes this season, including last week at Iowa to the winner Gibbs. Blaney was third at Iowa, and that’s where he finished last summer at Richmond, too.

Despite all that, no driver from those teams has won at Richmond in the last two years. That’s because Austin Dillon, driving the iconic No. 3 for Richard Childress Racing, has scored the last two victories in stunning upsets. He’s rarely, if ever, a threat to win throughout the season, but there’s just something about Richmond that fits Dillon’s driving style.

Two other longshots to monitor will be Bubba Wallace and Josh Berry. Wallace, for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing, led a race-high 123 laps last year at Richmond before his crew failed to secure his new tire on a pit stop and it fell off the car. Berry, fresh off a season-best fourth at Iowa, has an 8.8 average finish at Richmond.

NASCAR past winners, race history for Richmond

Seven of the 37 drivers in the field are past winners at Richmond.

Hamlin leads the way with five victories at the track, followed by Dillon, Keselowski, Larson and Logano with two each. Buescher (2023) and Bowman (2021) are the one-time winners.

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