Denny Hamlin and Shane van Gisbergen will continue be under the spotlight as the NASCAR Cup Series heads for the playoffs soon. This Saturday brings a return to Richmond Raceway for the 2025 Cook Out 400.

The NASCAR Cup Series is in Virginia this week with just two more races before the playoffs. That means high stakes for drivers near the cut line, and a push for points for those guaranteed a spot.

RICHMOND, Va. — Brad Keselowski questions if teams will have enough sets of tires for Saturday night’s Cup race at Richmond Raceway, but NASCAR does not plan on approving additional sets for teams before the 400-lap race.

Well, isn’t this just perfect timing? Tyler Reddick, who was probably dreaming of playoff glory just hours earlier, got a harsh wake-up call courtesy of NASCAR’s favorite chaos generator – Richmond Raceway.

Chase Elliott's first DNF of the season means he's out of the running for Regular Season Champion. After a clean first stage of racing in the penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season at Richmond Raceway, three close cautions snowballed into a crash that collected 13 drivers.

The NASCAR Cup Series has a rare Sunday off this weekend after the Aug. 16 race at Richmond Raceway. The Richmond race is the first of three Saturday night races over the next month, including Aug. 23 at Daytona. The business end of the Cup Series season begins next weekend with the regular-season finale, the Coke Zero 400.

NASCAR champion Joey Logano partnered with STEP Richmond to provide school supplies to children in the Gilpin Court community before competing in the Cookout 400.

With that said, let's take a look at the Stage 1 results from Richmond. 1. Tyler Reddick, No. 45, 23XI Racing Toyota 2. Denny Hamlin, No. 11, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 3. Bubba Wallace, No. 23, 23XI Racing Toyota 4.