Alex Bowman, driver of the (48) Ally Chevrolet, and Kyle Busch, driver of the (8) 3CHI Chevrolet, lead the field for the green flag during the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway on April 2, 2023 in Richmond, Va.
Short track racing is back.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Richmond Raceway this weekend for a 400-lap race around the Virginia circuit. The 0.75-mile, low-banked track first held a NASCAR event in 1953, hosting two races annually since 1959 (except for 2020 due to COVID-19).
Kyle Larson won the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond in April, as he looks to sweep the season and gain valuable playoff points.
Here’s everything you need to know for the Cook Out 400 at Richmond:
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What is the NASCAR at Richmond entry list?
Thirty-six drivers will race at Richmond. The usual full-timers will all compete, plus veteran Ryan Newman making his third start of 2023 in the No. 51 for Rick Ware Racing. He won at Richmond way back in 2003, but has finished 28th and 30th in his two starts this season.
Here’s the full entry list for Richmond:
- No. 1, Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing
- No. 2, Austin Cindric, Team Penske
- No. 3, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing
- No. 4, Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing
- No. 5, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports
- No. 6, Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing
- No. 7, Corey LaJoie, Spire Motorsports
- No. 8, Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing
- No. 9, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports
- No. 10, Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing
- No. 11, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
- No. 12, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske
- No. 14, Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing
- No. 15, J.J. Yeley, Rick Ware Racing
- No. 16, A.J. Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing
- No. 17, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing
- No. 19, Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing
- No. 20, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing
- No. 21, Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing
- No. 22, Joey Logano, Team Penske
- No. 23, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing
- No. 24, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports
- No. 31, Justin Haley, Kaulig Racing
- No. 34, Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports
- No. 38, Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports
- No. 41, Ryan Preece, Stewart-Haas Racing
- No. 42, Noah Gragson, Legacy Motor Club
- No. 43, Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club
- No. 45, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing
- No. 47, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Daugherty Racing
- No. 48, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports
- No. 51, Ryan Newman, Rick Ware Racing
- No. 54, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing
- No. 77, Ty Dillon, Spire Motorsports
- No. 78, B.J. McLeod, Live Fast Motorsports
- No. 99, Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing
When is the NASCAR race at Richmond in 2023?
Sports
The Cook Out 400 is set for Sunday, July 30, at 3 p.m. ET.
Before the race on Sunday, there will be practice and qualifying sessions. The 36-car field will be split into two groups, with each group practicing for 15 minutes on Saturday at 12:35 p.m. ET.
Qualifying will start immediately after practice, around 1:20 p.m. ET. Each car from the two practice groups will make a single lap in the first round, with the five fastest times in each group making the final round. In the final round, the remaining drivers each make a single lap to set the top 10 starting order, while positions 11 through 36 will be set based on speeds from the first round.
NASCAR TV schedule this weekend at Richmond
Saturday, July 29 (USA Network and streaming)
- Practice: 12:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBCSports.com
- Qualifying: 1:20 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBCSports.com
Sunday, July 30 (USA Network and streaming)
- Cook Out 400: 3 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBCSports.com
- NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race at Richmond: 6:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, Peacock
NASCAR playoff standings entering Richmond
There are still five playoff spots up for grabs with five regular-season races to go. That means 11 spots have been filled by race winners this season. Here’s a look at the drivers who have clinched a NASCAR playoff spot in 2023:
1. Martin Truex Jr., 3 race wins, 3 stage wins, leads overall points standings
2. William Byron, 4 race wins, 7 stage wins
3. Kyle Busch, 3 race wins, 2 stage wins
4. Denny Hamlin, 2 race wins, 4 stage wins
5. Kyle Larson, 2 race wins, 3 stage wins
6. Ross Chastain, 1 race win, 5 stage wins
7. Christopher Bell, 1 race win, 2 stage wins
8. Ryan Blaney, 1 race win, 3 stage wins
9. Joey Logano, 1 race win, 3 stage wins
10. Tyler Reddick, 1 race win, 3 stage wins
11. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 1 race win
The final five spots will be filled by any driver who can win a race in the next five weeks. If there are fewer than five new winners, the remaining spots will be filled based on points. Here’s how the points stack up for winless drivers:
12. Kevin Harvick, +163 points above the cutline
13. Brad Keselowski, +122 points
14. Chris Buescher, +111 points
15. Bubba Wallace, +27 points
16. Michael McDowell, +17 points
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17. A.J. Allmendinger, -17 points below the cutline
18. Daniel Suarez, -23 points
19. Ty Gibbs, -28 points
20. Alex Bowman, -46 points
21. Chase Elliott, -56 points
22. Austin Cindric, -60 points
23. Justin Haley, -62 points
24. Todd Gilliland, -97 points
25. Aric Almirola, -103 points
26. Corey LaJoie, -104 points
27. Ryan Preece, -114 points
28. Erik Jones, -133 points
29. Harrison Burton, -158 points
30. Austin Dillon, -160 points
31. Chase Briscoe, -198 points
32. Ty Dillon, -255 points
33. Noah Gragson, -265 points
NASCAR Richmond past winners, race history
Harvick won this race last year, while Larson visited victory lane in the first Richmond race earlier this season.
While both of those drivers have had success at the Virginia short track, another former champion has dominated there. Kyle Busch leads all active drivers with six wins at Richmond, which is tied for second on the all-time list behind Richard Petty (13).
Beyond Busch, six other active drivers have multiple wins at the track: Harvick (4), Hamlin (4), Truex (3), Keselowski (2), Logano (2) and Larson (2). Bowman (2021) has one victory.
What is the weather for Richmond, Va., this weekend?
After finally enjoying a dry weekend, rain could return for NASCAR this weekend. NBC Washington forecasts a possible thunderstorm (24% chance) on Saturday and isolated thunderstorms (38% chance) on Sunday. It will be scorching hot, with a high of 98 degrees on Saturday and 85 degrees on Sunday. Richmond has wet weather tires for racing in inclement conditions. Keep up to date with the latest forecast right here.
