Cook Out 400:
The remnants of Debby have been dumping rain all over the southeast and East Coast this week, but the showers are expected to move out in more than enough time for this week’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. The NASCAR Cup Series drivers are back to work after a two-week break and it is crunch time for those on the outside looking in for the playoffs.
This is the 23rd race of 26 in the regular season, so there are only four more opportunities to clinch a berth in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. It will also be the last super-short track with Michigan, Daytona, and Darlington left. Richmond’s oval is just 0.75 miles in length.
How to Watch The Cook Out 400
When: Sunday, August 11, 2024
Where: Richmond Raceway in Richmond, VA
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Channel: USA
2024 NASCAR Cup Series Standings
Kyle Larson won the Brickyard 400 a couple weeks back to secure his fourth win of the season. There are 12 winners occupying the 16 playoff spots. That means that there are only four playoff spots left and five races left to run.
Larson is the only driver with four wins. Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and William Byron all have three wins each. Ryan Blaney is the only driver with two wins. Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Daniel Suarez, and Austin Cindric all have one win each.
With that win, Larson now has the most Bonus Playoff Points with 28. Bell’s 24 points rank second. Hamlin is up to 21 points after winning Stage 1 at Indy. There are 18 full-time drivers with playoff points and five – Bell, Larson, Hamlin, Byron, and Blaney – are in double digits.
The first playoff race is the Quaker State 400 on September 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Cook Out 400 Winners
Richmond is one of the few remaining twice-a-year stops for the NASCAR Cup Series. That means we have a lot of driver data points here, especially because this course hasn’t gone back and forth between an oval and a road course. It has been an oval since it started hosting NASCAR races in 1953. NASCAR actually co-owns the “Action Track” now after a deal with the International Speedway Corporation in 2019.
Anyway, Hamlin won the spring race here back in 2024 and has five career wins at Richmond. Chris Buescher won this race last year. Kyle Busch leads active drivers with six wins and could really use one to secure a playoff spot. Martin Truex Jr. is seventh in points, so his playoff spot is pretty safe, but he has not won this year and hasn’t finished in the top five since Kansas in early May.
Other active drivers with multiple wins at Richmond are Keselowski, Larson, and Logano.
Cook Out 400 Predictions
For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s simulation results and more stats on the drivers.
