The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Richmond this weekend as the race for the playoffs heats up. Five of the 16 playoff spots can still be clinched with five races remaining in the regular season, so literally everyone is still racing for the postseason after 21 races.
Championship leader Martin Truex Jr. is the favorite in the race, with Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell not far behind. Despite the Gibbs Toyotas’ dominance at Richmond, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson and Josh Berry (driving for a then-injured Chase Elliott) finished 1-2 in the spring race and again should provide a formidable challenge.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Cook Out 400:
Cook Out 400 TV/streaming schedule
All times Eastern
Saturday
12:30-1:20 p.m.: Practice (USA, NBC Sports app)
1:20-2:30 p.m.: Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports app)
Sunday
2:30-3 p.m.: Pre-race show (USA)
3-6:30 p.m.: Cook Out 400 (USA, NBC Sports app)
Cook Out 400 details
Track: Richmond Raceway (0.75-mile tri-oval), Henrico County, Virginia
Length: 400 laps for 300 miles
Banking: Turns – 14 degrees | Tri-oval – 8 degrees | Backstretch – 2 degrees
2022 winner: Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Top drivers and best bets for the Cook Out 400
Martin Truex Jr. has three career wins at Richmond and enters the weekend as the favorite, according to BetMGM, with a +375 moneyline. Denny Hamlin (+500) and Kyle Larson (+600) — who were at the center of last week’s kerfuffle at Pocono — have the next-best odds.
Best odds to win
• Martin Truex Jr. +375
• Denny Hamlin +500
• Kyle Larson +600
• Christopher Bell +800
• William Byron +900
• Kevin Harvick +900
Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg wrote earlier in the week on some of the best bets for the weekend. He suggests good mid-tier value can be found in Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott (+1600), and 23XI’s Tyler Reddick (+1800). Elliott has five top-five finishes in 14 starts at Richmond, while Toyota and 23XI have been particularly strong this season on short tracks.
Cook Out 400 entry list
Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford
Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford
Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford
Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
J.J. Yeley (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford
A.J. Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford
Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford
Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota
William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Michael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Noah Gragson (42), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Ryan Newman (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
BJ McLeod (78), Live Fast Motorsports Ford
Daniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Weather for the Cook Out 400
The forecast calls for highs in the upper-90s and a 51 percent chance of rain for both days of Cup Series running. Three of the last four Cup Series races and five overall have been significantly impacted by rain this season, with Truex already having won two of them.
