For the second time this season, Ty Gibbs found himself in Victory Lane. Now, NASCAR leaves Iowa for Richmond Raceway and the 2026 Cook Out 400.
Just three races remain before the start of the NASCAR postseason. With multiple drivers vying for a chance at the Chase, the action at Richmond is sure to hit a fever pitch. Can a driver below the cut line jump into the postseason picture, or will things hold serve?
Let’s dive in.
2026 Cook Out 400 Entry List
Josh Bilicki will be behind the wheel of the #66 this week as the lone non-charter entry. The 36 charter entries remain unchanged for this weekend’s events at Richmond.
The start of Austin Dillon's back-to-back wins at Richmond pic.twitter.com/e1N6mTOYPq
— Richmond Raceway (@RichmondRaceway) August 9, 2026
In layout, Richmond is quite similar to last week’s circuit at Iowa. However, Richmond is a bit shorter in distance and features a much smoother racing surface. The racing will feature some of the same difficulties in passing and the inevitable arguments over space in the tight quarters. Tire strategy could play a role, but as we’ve seen this season, it’s not as significant as in previous generations of vehicle.
Post-Season Picture
The top four drivers remain the only four currently locked into the Chase after Iowa. However, with Ty Gibbs winning, we did see a bit of a shakeup in the order at the top of the points board. We also saw some shuffling around the cutline as Shanne Van Gisbergen and Austin Cindric didn’t have great days at Iowa, and Erik Jones was caught up in an early incident with Tyler Reddick. Let’s take a look at the current NASCAR point standings.
- Denny Hamlin (locked in)
- Ty Gibbs -103 (locked in)
- Ryan Blaney -110 (locked in)
- Tyler Reddick -120 (locked in)
- Chase Briscoe -260
- Christopher Bell -264
- Chase Elliott -266
- Carson Hocevar -279
- Chris Buescher -286
- Kyle Larson -294
- William Byron -323
- Daniel Suarez -326
- Joey Logano -337
- Bubba Wallace -358
- Shane Van Gisbergen -379
- Austin Cindric -397
- Ryan Preece -426 (29 points below cut line)
- Ross Chastain -444 (47 points below cut line)
- Brad Keselowski -445 (48 points below cut line)
- Erik Jones -447 (50 points below cut line)
- Michael McDowell -469 (72 points below cut line)
- AJ Allmendinger -485 (88 points below cut line)
Ryan Preece has been fast at Richmond in the past, and while the brakes were a big part of Cindric’s struggles, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Preece gain on the cut line for the second straight week. Shane Van Gisbergen isn’t out of danger either, though he has slightly more cushion than Cindric. Barring disaster, I think the rest of the current top 16 are safe from falling below the cut line.
2026 Cook Out 400 Race Predictions
For the past two years, Austin Dillon has gone to Victory Lane at Richmond. 2024’s win came with a healthy dose of controversy, but the speed of the #3 has been undeniable. Dillon also ran well at Iowa last week, which leads me to believe he’ll factor into the equation once more.
The Penske Fords finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th last year at Richmond, and I expect them to run well once again. Logano and Blaney, in particular, should contend for the win. However, Austin Cindric’s brake problems at Iowa have me concerned for this week, as I mentioned above.
The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas will likely factor in as well, though the same can’t be said for Hendrick Motorsports. HMS has seemed to be a non-factor compared to what we’re used to seeing from that team.
As for my race winner pick, I’m going to circle back to Penske. Joey Logano should have been the race winner in 2024, and I think he gets it done here this weekend.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action this week!
Friday 08/14
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Practice – 12:00 p.m. CT on FS2
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying – 1:05 p.m. CT on FS2
NASCAR Cup Series Practice – 2:30 p.m. CT on TruTV
NASCAR Cup Series Practice – 3:40 p.m. CT on TruTV
Black’s Tire 250 presented by BTS Rewards (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) – 6:30 p.m. CT on FS1
Saturday 08/15
Cook Out 400 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 6:00 p.m. CT on USA and HBO Max
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