The Cook Out 400, the NASCAR Cup Series event scheduled for August 15 at Richmond Raceway, is shaping up to be a pivotal moment in the season as Austin Cindric holds a 29‑point advantage over Ryan Preece for the final Chase berth.
With the green flag set for a 6:10 p.m. CT start, the field will run 400 laps (300 miles) split into three stages of 70, 160 and 170 laps, a format that has produced dramatic finishes in recent years.
A stacked starting grid
Ryan Blaney will lead the pack from pole position, while Ford teams dominate the front rows, occupying five of the top ten spots. Josh Berry, the Hendersonville native, will line up third after back‑to‑back top‑10 finishes, and Austin Dillon, the defending winner of the last two Richmond races, is slated to start 16th.
The competition extends beyond the top contenders, with Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski and Erik Jones all within 50 points of Cindric, ensuring a tightly contested battle for position throughout the race.
Recent history adds extra intrigue: Austin Dillon captured victories in both the 2024 summer and 2025 editions of the race, while Denny Hamlin won the spring 2024 event and Chris Buescher took the 2023 summer race, setting a precedent for surprise winners on the 0.75‑mile oval.