This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Virginia for their second visit of the year to Richmond Raceway. Coverage of the Cook Out 400 starts with Countdown to Green at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race broadcast starts at 7:30 p.m. ET with the green flag scheduled to drop around 7:40 p.m. ET and can be heard on MRN Radio and
SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
Records and facts
Last year's Cook Out 400 was extremely controversial when Austin Dillon spun Denny Hamlin on the final lap, then intentionally right hooked Joey Logano in order to win.
Hamlin
ended up second, then Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain. A couple of days later, NASCAR ruled that Dillon could not use the victory to make the playoffs due to these circumstance, thus encumbering the victory.
All-time, Richard Petty is the winningest driver at Richmond with 13 career victories. Of those 13, three came on the dirt while the other 10 came on the
old, .542-mile paved oval prior to the track's 1988 renovation. Petty's count also includes seven in a row from 1970-73, a NASCAR record for this track. Bobby Allison is second with seven wins while Rusty Wallace, Kyle Busch, Darrell Waltrip and David Pearson have six apiece. Wallace and Kyle Busch's wins have all come on the present three-quarters of a mile configuration.
Among active drivers, Kyle Busch is the winningest driver at Richmond with six triumphs. Denny Hamlin has five victories, while Jimmie Johnson (not entered) and Martin Truex Jr. have three wins apiece. Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson and Logano have two each.
Track Facts
Track / Race Length: .750-mile D-shaped oval, 400 laps (300 miles)
Banking: 14 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,290 feet, banked 8 degrees
Backstretch: 860 feet, banked 5
degrees
Grandstand Seating: 59,000
Pit Road Speed: 40 mph
Pace Car Speed: 45 mph
Opened: 1946 (first Cup race in 1953)
Website: http://www.richmondraceway.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richmond.raceway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RichmondRaceway
Pre-Race Sessions:
Practice: Friday, Aug. 15, 4:30 - 5:20 p.m. ET on TruTV/HBO Max
Qualifying: Friday, Aug. 15, 5:30 p.m. ET on TruTV/HBO
Max
"Richmond’s a difficult racetrack where we typically have a lot of long runs, tires wear out really quick. The track changes a lot throughout the course of the race so you’re always trying to keep up with it. We have lacked speed there in the past, but we’ve made a lot of improvements on our short track program; our group is ready for the challenge.
Track position is critical, so we’ll look to qualify up front and have the speed to consistently run in the top-15 all day." - AJ Allmendinger
"I enjoy racing at Richmond a lot. Last year I was able to move around and find different lines that worked for me based on how our tires were wearing. It was a lot of fun to move around and try something different. I feel like those are the types of tracks where I do well and can find something that works for me that may not work for someone else.
I know we had the option tire there last year, and maybe that was what made the difference, but I still feel like I learned enough about how the track races to be able to put together a good run." - Carson Hocevar
"I feel like
I’ve had everything happen at Richmond other than finish in the top 10, so I think my last two times there I lost a cylinder and then I lost power-steering the last event, so I can 250 laps at Richmond without power-steering. I didn’t know I could do that, but here we are, and I don’t look to do it again. It’s actually one of my favorite racetracks. It’s a fun place. You kind of get that short track feel there that I haven’t had at too many places, and I hope we have a great
weekend." - Austin Cindric
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography
