NASCAR returns to the Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia this weekend. This will be the second race weekend that has taken place here this race season, following the Toyota Owners 400 back on April 2. The Cup Series will run the 2023 Cook Out 400 on Sunday, July 30.
It may not seem like it, but the regular racing season is nearing its end. Including this Sunday’s race, there are five races left until the playoffs begin on Sunday, September 3. This race on Sunday will be 400 laps around the .75-mile circuit. Kevin Harvick is the reigning winner of this race, taking last year’s checkered flag in 3:03:27.
The race field looks the same as last week’s, except Cole Custer is not expected to drive the #51 this weekend. The current listed driver for that car is Ryan Newman.
With time winding down for drivers to make the playoff push, Martin Truex Jr. sits atop the leaderboard with 711 points. He is followed by William Byron (681), Denny Hamlin (656 points, won last week’s race), Christopher Bell (636) and Ross Chastain (613). Currently, the first three drivers on the outside of the round of 16 for the playoffs are AJ Allmendinger (438 points), Daniel Suarez (432 points) and Ty Gibbs (427 points), as they trail Michael McDowell who has 455 points.
2023 Cook Out 400 starting lineup
| Pos. | Driver | Car # |
|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Driver | Car # |
| 1 | Tyler Reddick | 45 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 8 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 11 |
| 4 | Chase Elliott | 9 |
| 5 | Bubba Wallace | 23 |
| 6 | William Byron | 24 |
| 7 | Ty Gibbs | 54 |
| 8 | Kevin Harvick | 4 |
| 9 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 |
| 10 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 |
| 11 | Ryan Preece | 41 |
| 12 | Noah Gragson | 42 |
| 13 | Brad Keselowski | 6 |
| 14 | Kyle Larson | 5 |
| 15 | Alex Bowman | 48 |
| 16 | Todd Gilliland | 38 |
| 17 | Austin Dillon | 3 |
| 18 | Michael McDowell | 34 |
| 19 | Ross Chastain | 1 |
| 20 | Chase Briscoe | 14 |
| 21 | BJ McLeod | 78 |
| 22 | Harrison Burton | 21 |
| 23 | Joey Logano | 22 |
| 24 | Aric Almirola | 10 |
| 25 | Ryan Blaney | 12 |
| 26 | Chris Buescher | 17 |
| 27 | Erik Jones | 43 |
| 28 | Justin Haley | 31 |
| 29 | Christopher Bell | 20 |
| 30 | Austin Cindric | 2 |
| 31 | Corey Lajoie | 7 |
| 32 | Ryan Newman | 51 |
| 33 | Daniel Suarez | 99 |
| 34 | Ty Dillon | 77 |
| 35 | JJ Yeley | 15 |
| 36 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 |