Cook Out 400
To Richmond Raceway we go for the Cook Out 400, the 24th race of 26 scheduled for the regular season. That means we only have three races left until the Cup Series Chase gets underway at Darlington on September 6. This is a Saturday night race, so it’s a bit of a short week for the teams, haulers, and drivers after trekking from Iowa to Virginia.
This race also represents one of the final opportunities for drivers on the outside looking in to accumulate points. Richmond used to be a twice-a-year stop for the Cup Series, but now there is only one visit to the .75-mile D-shaped oval.
How to Watch The Cook Out 400
When: Saturday, August 15, 2026
Where: Richmond Raceway in Richmond, VA
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Channel: USA
2026 NASCAR Cup Series Winners and Standings
The big season for Ty Gibbs continued with a win in Iowa, as he picked up his second win of the season and catapulted all the way into second place in points. Only Denny Hamlin sits above the 23-year-old Gibbs, who had zero Cup Series wins coming into this season. His first win came at Bristol earlier this season and he’s got another shot on a short track this week.
The race winners are Tyler Reddick (5), Hamlin (4), Chase Elliott (2), Shane van Gisbergen (2), Ryan Blaney (2), Heim (2), Gibbs (2), Daniel Suarez, Carson Hocevar, Chase Briscoe, and Joey Logano. Wins no longer automatically qualify drivers for the playoffs, as the top 16, regardless of number of victories, have a chance to win the championship.
Hamlin’s lead over Gibbs is 103 points, so he actually widened his lead, even though Gibbs jumped over Reddick and Blaney. Reddick actually fell to fourth, as four drivers now have 800+ points, with Blaney sitting in third. Reddick has six finishes of 25th or lower over his last nine races to take a tumble down the standings.
Cook Out 400 Winners
This may be a week for Hamlin to widen his lead, as he’s run very well at Richmond in recent starts. Over his last 10 outings, Hamlin has two wins, seven total top-five finishes, and eight top-10 finishes. It might also be a good chance for Austin Dillon to pick up his first win of the season, as he has a couple of wins and six top-10 finishes over his last 10. The same could be said for Christopher Bell, who has four top-five finishes and seven top-10 results over his last 10 at Richmond.
Logano hasn’t won at Richmond, but he is second in averaging finishing position over the last 10 races with six top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes.
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.
