RADIO
Joey Logano Earns Second Victory of 2026 at Richmond
Joey Logano of Team Penske won the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. Logano started the race on Saturday Night from 10th, but quickly made up ground during the race's first stage. The No. 22 Ford driver raced up to third by the end of the first stage, finishing behind his teammate Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe. In the second stage, Logano ran inside the top five through the whole stage outside of pit stops. The second half of the stage saw Logano finally take the lead for the first time over Briscoe, and he pulled away until he won the stage. In the final stage, Logano competed for the win mainly with Briscoe, trading the lead back and forth several times. Lap 361 was the turning point for Logano, as he got by Briscoe as they both were in their final set of pit stops. From there, Logano held off Briscoe despite several attempts to pass for the win and gained his second victory of the 2026 season and the 39th total of his Cup career. After earning his third Cup victory at Richmond, Logano is now ninth in the Cup Series standings after 24 races.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Chase Briscoe Misses the Victory at Richmond after Leading the Most Laps
Chase Briscoe was one of the main contenders to compete for the win throughout the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. Starting outside of the front row in second, Briscoe ran towards the front throughout the entire race outside of pit stops. In the first stage, he ran second the whole time behind Ryan Blaney, and although he tried to mount a charge to pass Blaney, Briscoe remained second and fell short of winning the stage. In the second stage, Briscoe took the lead from Blaney until midway through the stage, when Blaney outpaced Briscoe. After a caution on lap 125 handed Briscoe the lead again after pit stops, he led the field until late into the second stage, when Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin both passed him, leaving him to place third at the end of the stage. In the final stage, Briscoe continued to compete for the win alongside Logano, Tyler Reddick, and Hamlin. Briscoe led at several different points of the final stage until lap 361, when Logano passed him before their final pit stops. The No. 19 Toyota driver chased Logano throughout the rest of the stage, but ultimately could not get past him as he settled for second despite leading the most laps (171). With his first career top-5 finish at Richmond, Briscoe is now fifth in the regular season standings after 24 races.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Austin Cindric Scores his Best Finish of the 2026 Season so far at Richmond
Team Penske's Austin Cindric scored his best finish of the 2026 season in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. Cindric first had an uphill battle to a top finish as he started the race from 23rd, but the speed in his car was better than most. The No. 2 Ford driver moved up through the field on pure speed and a well-executed pit stop midway through the stage. Cindric placed fourth at the end of the first stage, earning seven stage points. The second stage featured some struggles for Cindric, as he nearly collided with Daniel Suarez at one point on pit road and lost some positions. However, Cindric's car pulled him back up through the field, and he placed fourth at the end of the second stage, gathering seven more stage points. In the final stage, Cindric ran inside the top five throughout the whole stage outside of pit stops, but was still slower than Chase Briscoe and his teammate Joey Logano to compete for the win. Cindric's second top-5 finish of the season moved him up to 15th in the Cup Series standings and 57 points ahead of the cutoff to make The Chase.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Denny Hamlin Places Fourth and Maintains the Championship Lead
Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin finished in fourth position during Saturday Night's Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. Hamlin started the race from 14th and showcased plenty of speed early in the race. In the first stage of the race, Hamlin went from 14th and made it up to seventh by the end of the stage, collecting four stage points. The second stage saw Hamlin race up to the top five and compete for the lead with Joey Logano and Chase Briscoe. By the end of the second stage, Hamlin made it past Briscoe, but was behind Logano to place second and earn nine more stage points. In the final stage, Hamlin kept up with Logano and Briscoe in terms of speed throughout the stage, but had some struggles on pit road that caused him to finish fourth behind Logano, Briscoe, and Austin Cindric. After his fourth consecutive top-5 finish in four races, Hamlin remains the Cup Series standings leader with a 115-point advantage over Ryan Blaney.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Ryan Blaney Ends Richmond with A Finish of 13th Despite Stage Win
Ryan Blaney of Team Penske started the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway with plenty of promise, but ended with a disappointing finish of 13th. Blaney started the race from the pole position and dominated the first stage, winning it by leading almost every one of the first 70 laps. In the second stage, Blaney continued to lead through the stage break, but lost it on the restart to Chase Briscoe. Midway through the second stage, Blaney took the lead back from Briscoe and held it until another caution with another set of pit stops caused him to lose the lead. He continued to run well as he went on to finish fifth at the end of the second stage and earn six more stage points. Although he continued to run inside the top five through the first half of the final stage, in the second half of the stage, changes in track conditions caused Blaney to lose speed and grip. The No. 12 Ford driver went from running inside the top five to finishing 13th, one lap down. With the 24th race of the season finished, Blaney is now second in the Cup Series standings with two races to go before The Chase begins.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Has Ryan Blaney Finally Figured Out Richmond?
Ryan Blaney will start on the pole for Saturday night's Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, his fourth pole in the last five races and his second career pole at this particular track. The last time Blaney started first at Richmond was back in 2022, where he led 128 laps en route to a seventh-place finish. Last year at this track, he rallied from a 20th-place starting spot to finish third at the end of the night. Those are really Blaney's only two noteworthy finishes at this track, though, as he has just two single-digit results in 18 career attempts at Richmond. Can he finally break through this weekend, though? As mentioned before, Blaney will start from the pole on Saturday night, and the No. 12 Ford was one of, if not the best car in practice on Friday as well. Short, flat tracks are where Blaney and Team Penske excel at the most, and if has finally figured out how to race Richmond, the competition could be in for a long 400 laps on Saturday night.
Source: Speedway Digest
Source: Speedway Digest
Joey Logano Should Have Another Good Points Day at Richmond
The Summer of Joey Logano continues this weekend at Richmond Raceway, as the Team Penske driver looks to have one of the best long-run cars in practice for the upcoming Cook Out 400. Logano is a two-time Richmond winner and a constant top five threat. He started back in 38th-place in last year's race and ended up finishing fourth, and this weekend his crew chief, Paul Wolfe, says that the No. 22 Ford is even better this time around. Could we see another Logano win coming? Don't be surprised if we do. When it comes to DFS this weekend, Joey Logano ($10.5K on DraftKings) looks like a great pick, as he has some place-differential upside (starting 10th) as well as dominator and race-winning potential. As he continues his charge to solidify his Chase berth, it looks to be another strong race for Logano coming up.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Denny Hamlin Looking to Tie Kyle Busch with Six Richmond Wins
Kyle Busch was always one of the best race car drivers at Richmond Raceway, and Denny Hamlin is right there with him. Busch got to victory lane six times in his career at this track, and Hamlin is close behind him, with five so far in 37 attempts. Can he tie the sure Hall of Famer this weekend? Denny will roll off the starting grid from 14th-place when the Cook Out 400 goes green this weekend, and the No. 11 Toyota was strong in practice, ranking seventh-fastest in 30-lap average. Hamlin finished 10th in this race one year ago and has finished first or second in six of his last nine starts at this track as well. He should, no doubt, be strong again on Saturday night. As far as DFS goes, Hamlin makes for an interesting tournament option, as he is the highest-priced driver on the slate ($11.5K) and may be under-owned due to daily fantasy players targeting some of the more obvious plays in that price range. Hamlin has Place Differential upside and some dominator potential, though, so don't fade him by any means.
Source: FOX Sports
Source: FOX Sports
Can Christopher Bell Finally Get a Win at Richmond?
It was another second-place finish for Christopher Bell last weekend at Iowa, as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has now finished runner-up seven times this season (and four times in the last five races). Can he finally get to victory lane here at Richmond Raceway on Saturday night? Bell qualified eighth for this weekend's Cook Out 400, and his track record here is solid. Although he's never went to victory lane at Richmond, Bell does have seven finishes of sixth or better over his last eight starts here, and he led a career-high 122 laps in this race in 2024. Looking at practice speeds this weekend, Bell wasn't one of the best like he typically is at a short, flat track, but that shouldn't make fantasy players shy away from picking him. In DFS, Bell ($11.2K on DraftKings) is a solid pivot option in tournaments from some of the other drivers expected to garner high ownerships. One thing worth noting, though: the No. 20 Toyota did fail pre-race inspection twice, so Bell will lose his car chief and pit selection.
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Source: Yahoo! Sports
Ty Gibbs Qualifies Fourth at Richmond
Last week's winner at Iowa, Ty Gibbs, will have a good starting spot for this weekend's race at Richmond, as the No. 54 Toyota was fourth-fastest during qualifying on Friday evening. That was a bit surprising, as Gibbs struggled to find any speed during the practice session earlier that day, ranking 20th-fastest overall. Additionally, Richmond Raceway hasn't been an amazing track for Ty, as he has just one top-10 finish here in six career starts, and that ninth-place result is also his only finish better than 15th. Still, as we have learned time and time again this season, we need to disregard previous efforts by Ty Gibbs and just focus on how that No. 54 team is running this season, which is one of the fastest on track. Don't be surprised if Gibbs challenges for another top-five finish here on Saturday night under the lights.
Source: Jayski
Source: Jayski
Kyle Larson Will Start 30th at Richmond
Kyle Larson will have some work to do at Richmond Raceway on Saturday night, as the two-time Cup Series Champion qualified back in 30th place for this weekend's Cook Out 400. Now, with that being said, it's not like Larson hasn't had to deal with this before. In fact, he started 30th in last year's Richmond race, and ended up finishing sixth when it was all said and done (even leading nine laps along the way). One of the biggest reasons why Larson qualified so poorly this weekend is because he had an early qualifying draw, which was a major disadvantage for those drivers. The No. 5 Chevrolet had some speed in it during practice, though, so that's a good sign for Larson fans. As far as DFS goes, he is a solid place-differential play at $9.7K on DraftKings. However, do you want to tie up all of that cap space for a driver that only has place-differential upside? That is a decision that daily fantasy players are going to have to make on Saturday night.
Source: Hendrick Motorsports
Source: Hendrick Motorsports
Chase Briscoe Has Never Finished in the Top 10 at Richmond
Sometimes you come across a statistic that doesn't seem real, but it is. This weekend, that is the fact that Chase Briscoe has never finished inside the top 10 at Richmond Raceway. He has gotten close a few times, but in Chase's nine career attempts at this race track, his best finish thus far is 11th. Can that end on Saturday night, though? Briscoe is starting a career-best second at Richmond in this weekend's Cook Out 400, and the No. 19 Toyota looked really strong in practice on Friday, ranking fifth-fastest in both 25- and 30-lap average. Additionally, Briscoe drives a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, which is a great combination for success at Richmond Raceway. As far as DFS goes, Briscoe is a potential dominator of the race on Saturday night, but he's a risky pick on DraftKings with his $9.5K salary due to his shaky track history as well as the best car in practice starting on the pole.
Source: DriverAverages
Source: DriverAverages
William Byron Leads Hendrick Motorsports in Qualifying at Richmond
The Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets were all over the board in qualifying at Richmond Raceway on Friday evening, ending up fifth, 13th, 25th, and 30th. The driver leading the way? William Byron in the No. 24 Chevrolet, who will roll off the starting grid from row three on Saturday night. Surprisingly enough, Richmond Raceway hasn't been an amazing track for Willy B. He does have a third-place finish to his credit here (back in 2022), but in 14 career starts at the track, he has just three top-10 finishes, and over the last two here, the No. 24 Chevrolet has been a high-teens car at best. Finish-wise, Byron ended up 12th and 13th in those two races. He will have good track position to start the race on Saturday night, though, and Byron wasn't awful in practice. Still, with the way Hendrick Motorsports is running right now, a top 10 day might be the ceiling for William Byron on Saturday night. He's not a very attractive DFS option this weekend ($9.2K on DraftKings).
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Is Tyler Reddick a Must-Play in DFS at Richmond?
At first glance, Tyler Reddick looks like a slam-dunk DFS pick this weekend at Richmond Raceway. He's super affordable for his skill set ($9.0K salary) and he starts way back in 32nd-place for Saturday night's Cook Out 400, giving him massive Place Differential upside. But is he a must-play? There is no doubt that Reddick has had speed at Richmond Raceway ever since joining 23XI Racing. He led 81 laps from the pole here in 2023 before finishing 16th, and he finished a career-best third here in the 2024 race. Last season, he won the first Stage and led 41 laps before ultimately finishing 34th. As far as speed this weekend, Reddick had a strong car in practice until he spun out and had to get towed back to pit road. Now the question comes up, did that damage the race car any? You definitely should have Tyler Reddick exposure with your daily fantasy lineups this weekend, but with his limited dominator upside, it may be a good strategy move to go underweight with a $9.0K driver relying so heavily on Place Differential.
Source: Catchfence
Source: Catchfence
Can Chase Elliott Get Back Into the Top 10 at Richmond?
It has been nine races since Chase Elliott last finished inside the top 10, and a full 13 races since he has notched a top-five result. And although his results during that span aren't awful--he has finished between 11th and 17th in seven of the last eight races--they're definitely not up to the standard that Hendrick Motorsports has set. But can that change this weekend at Richmond? Chase has a pretty good track record at this race track, with three top 10 finishes in his last five starts and just one result worse than 15th over his last 14 attempts. He qualified in 13th for this weekend's Cook Out 400, and as we saw at Iowa last weekend, this No. 9 team is more than willing to gamble on track position during the race. Elliott was middle-of-the-road when it came to overall speed during practice this weekend, but at a relatively cheap salary on DraftKings ($8.7K) he makes for an interesting tournament option at a track where he has found success at before.
Source: Jayski
Source: Jayski
