Live updates, leaderboard for NASCAR race today at Richmond

3 9 minutes read

Live updates, leaderboard for NASCAR race today at Richmond

RICHMOND, VA — It’s his home track, and he’s been racing here in the NASCAR Cup Series for two decades, but Denny Hamlin still finds navigating Richmond Raceway to be very difficult.

“Qualifying here is extremely, extremely technical. I would say it’s probably the hardest to qualify to hit your marks. I spent tons of time trying to work on it this week. I never got all four (turns), not at the same time,” Hamlin said Friday Aug. 14. “It’s extremely hard to kind of tell you what it is. You got to enter the corner as fast as you can.

“It is the same Richmond that it’s been ever since I’ve known it.”

The points leader with three races remaining until the start of the postseason Chase, Hamlin — who grew up in nearby Chesterfield, Virginia — will start in 14th on Saturday night in the Cook Out 400, NASCAR’s lone race at the historic Richmond Raceway this season.

While Hamlin will be aiming for his sixth career Cup Series win at Richmond, Ryan Blaney will be looking for his first. The driver of the No. 12 Ford for Team Penske — who is third in points entering this race — is the pole-sitter for the fourth time in the last five races. He’ll be joined on the front row by Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe.

For drivers on the bubble of the Chase cut line, the pressure is on for these last three races. Hamlin, Blaney, Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick have all clinched their spots in the postseason. The drivers in fifth and 10th — Briscoe and Kyle Larson — are separated by just 34 points, so there’s plenty of movement that can happen there as well, but much of the focus will be on the drivers hovering around 16th in the standings as only the top 16 drivers make the Chase.

Entering the Cook Out 400, Austin Cindric is in possession of the 16th Chase spot, but Ryan Preece trails him by just 29 points, while Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski and Erik Jones are within 50 points of Cindric.

After a strong seventh-place finish last weekend at Iowa — his fifth top-10 of the season — Chastain is feeling a bit more optimistic. His No. 1 Chevrolet will start 18th on Saturday.

“I drank a Busch Light (after Iowa). It was great,” Chastain said. “The job doesn’t stop just because you’re slow. The sport doesn’t care that you’re slow. And so, with our different approach, clearly we’re off the track we were on and we’re on a better one now. It feels good to see it pay off at least one weekend.

“For us right now, we’ve got to go really fast and we’ve got to do it across the entire race… If the car’s good, we’ll drive forward.”

Follow along here for live updates from the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway:

Joey Logano built a lead of more than eight seconds in the final moments of Stage 2 at Richmond Raceway and was the first to cross the finish line at the end of 230 laps.

Here’s who earned stage points at the end of the second break:

Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford, Team Penske
Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota, 23XI Racing
William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

Kyle Larson received the free pass to get back on the lead lap after nearly catching Logano on four fresh tires.

The last car Logano passed before the end of the stage was Bubba Wallace, putting him two laps down in 26th place. Only 13 cars are on the lead lap.

Logano now has 18 stage points tonight.

There was almost an accident on pit road as Daniel Suarez was leaving his pit stall the same time Austin Cindric was trying to enter his. The two cars avoided contract as Cindric put on the brakes and allowed Suarez to drive through. The error likely cost Cindric some valuable seconds and track position.

Elsewhere, Zane Smith’s No. 38 Ford is in the garage after he spun and tagged the wall earlier in the race.

Joey Logano leads Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney on the 193rd lap.

Joey Logano has passed Chase Briscoe for the lead on the 172nd lap. Logano and Briscoe raced side-by-side for a bit, then made it three-wide as they approached the lapped car of Cole Custer. Logano went low and cleared both cars cleanly for the lead.

Connor Zilisch will go to the rear after being penalized for speeding on pit road. Zilisch, who qualified 11th, is now two laps down in 33rd place.

Denny Hamlin believe he might have damage to his splitter after making contact with Ryan Blaney midway through Stage 2. Hamlin ran into the back of Blaney during a turn.

Chase Briscoe remains in the lead with a 1.2 second advantage over Joey Logano as the two head into lapped traffic.

Chase Briscoe will be in the lead as green flag racing resumes after Zane Smith’s spin. Joey Logano will start alongside Briscoe on the front row, while Ryan Blaney will be behind him. 27 cars are on the lead lap with less than 100 laps to go in Stage 2.

The first non-stage-break caution flag came out on the 126th lap as Zane Smith got loose, spun and tagged the wall. NASCAR will now have to sort out who is on the lead lap. Josh Berry and Bubba Wallace were on pit road as the caution came out.

Ryan Blaney finally caught back up to Chase Briscoe and then passed him on the 108th lap. Briscoe had been running the bottom of the track, but Blaney’s No. 12 Ford got inside the No. 19 Toyota and took that line away from him.

Blaney has now led 73 laps while Briscoe has led 33.

As the race restarted in Stage 2, Chase Briscoe powered his No. 19 Toyota past Ryan Blaney to take the lead. Meanwhile, a few spots back, Josh Berry slid up the track after receiving some contact and bumped into Bubba Wallace, sending his No. 23 Toyota up the track. Wallace maintained control and avoided hitting the wall and the green flag stayed out.

Briscoe has now led 18 of the first 21 laps in Stage 2. Wallace and Berry are running eighth and ninth.

At the start of lap 70, Ryan Blaney will remain in the lead after a fast stop on pit road. He’ll be followed by Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin.

Ryan Blaney led 61 of the first 70 laps and won the opening stage of the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.

Here’s how the top 10 shook out as the stage-break caution flag came out.

Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske, Ford
Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske, Ford
Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske, Ford
Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers, Ford
Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing, Toyota
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

Austin Dillon, winner of the last two Cup Series races at Richmond, was 12th at the end of Stage 1.

Carson Hocevar, who was fifth in points entering this race, is a lap down at the end of Stage 1.

Noah Gragson, who recently signed an extension to remain with Front Row Motorsports, will receive the free pass to get back on the lead lap.

Ty Gibbs and Austin Hill were forced to drop to the rear of the pack after penalties on pit road. Gibbs was flagged for speeding, while Hill was penalized for an uncontrolled tire. With 22 laps to go in the first stage, Hill is 36th while Gibbs has made his way up to 29th.

Pole-sitter Ryan Blaney has made his way back to the front of the pack after pitting on the 31st lap. With 30 laps remaining in the stage, his No. 12 Ford is in the lead at the Cook Out 400 at Richmond. He is followed by Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano, Josh Berry and Austin Cindric, making it four Fords in the top five.

Ryan Blaney, Josh Berry, Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin were among the cars to pit midway through Stage 1 on laps 31 and 32, paving the way for a lead change. Bubba Wallace has led the last three laps, but Blaney and Briscoe are both surging back to the front.

Josh Berry, who is searching for his first win this season, has overtaken Chase Briscoe for second place in the Cook Out 400 and is trying to catch leader Ryan Blaney.

“You and the 12 are pretty evenly matched,” Berry’s crew chief Miles Stanley told him on the 25th lap.

Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Ford, has led XX laps so far.

Berry has a pair of top 10 finishes in back-to-back races at Iowa and Indianapolis. The driver of the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers is currently without a Cup Series ride for next season as the team has signed Jesse Love to drive that machine for 2027.

Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe have held their positions on the front row in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. Blaney has led eight laps so far while Briscoe has been at the lead for five laps. Josh Berry is in third.

Richmond Raceway President Lori Collier Waran announced in the pre-race drivers meeting that tonight’s Cook Out 400 is sold out for the second consecutive year.

“This is an incredible moment for Richmond Raceway and a tremendous testament to the passion of NASCAR fans,” Waran said. “To sell out the Cook Out 400 for the second year in a row shows just how special Saturday night NASCAR racing is for our fans at Richmond Raceway. They have once again shown up and shown out, and we couldn’t be more grateful to welcome them for another unforgettable night under the lights.”

This is the 11th sold-out NASCAR Cup Series race this season.

Ty Gibbs will race in a throwback scheme to Kyle Busch’s iconic M&M’s car at Bristol later this year.

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond start?

The Cook Out 400 is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 15, at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond on?

The Cook Out 400 will be broadcast on USA Network. Pre-race coverage will start at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Leigh Diffey will have the call alongside analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte. Burton and Letarte will join host Marty Snider and 1999 Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett on pre- and post-race shows. Former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne will debut as the pace-car analyst.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond?

Unlike last season, NASCAR races broadcast by USA Network cannot be streamed on Peacock. Subscribers to YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV can watch through those services, or fans can log into the USA Network app with their cable provider information.

HBO Max will continue to provide live streams of in-car cameras, while MRN will carry the live radio broadcast.

Stream the Cook Out 400 at Richmond on Sling

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond?

The Cook Out 400 is 400 laps around the 0.750-mile track for a total of 300 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 70 laps; Stage 2: 160 laps; Stage 3: 170 laps.

Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond last year?

Austin Dillon has been the king of Richmond recently, winning each of the last two Cup Series races at the short track. His 2024 finish ended in controversy when he wrecked Joey Logano and hooked Denny Hamlin on the final lap of an overtime restart. Days after the race, NASCAR upheld Dillon’s win, but penalized him by not awarding him a playoff berth under the old win-and-in format. Dillon won in his No. 3 Chevrolet last season without incident, leading 107 laps and crossing the finish line with a 2.4 second advantage.

What is the lineup for the Cook Out 400?

(Car number in parentheses)

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

Renan Cardoso 1 hour ago