Playoff stakes are heightened for the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series this weekend as the pair will head to Richmond Raceway for a doubleheader event under the lights.

For the Truck Series, Friday’s eero 250 will bring the regular season to a close and set the 10-driver playoff field that will compete for the 2025 championship title. The current rankings see four Team Chevy drivers above the cutline including season winners Daniel Hemric, Tyler Ankrum and Rajah Caruth, as well as series veteran, Grant Enfinger, who holds the top provisional points position. The weekend will conclude with the Cup Series in Saturday’s Cook Out 400 – marking the second-to-last stop in the series’ 26-race regular season. Reigning Richmond winner, Austin Dillon, will look to go back-to-back to punch his ticket into the title hunt.
 

Chevrolet at Richmond Raceway:

“The Action Track” hosted its first NASCAR Cup Series event in April 1953, with Saturday’s 400-lap race marking the series’ 137th appearance at the .75-mile Virginia venue. One year ago, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon powered his No. 3 Chevrolet to victory lane to deliver the manufacturer its series-leading 41st all-time victory at the track. Dillon rounds out a group of four active Team Chevy drivers that are past Richmond winners – joining the likes of Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman with one win each, as well as the track’s winningest driver, Kyle Busch, with six victories on his resume.
 

BYRON BOOSTS POINTS LEAD

William Byron followed up his Iowa victory with yet another top-five finish at Watkins Glen to double his points lead to now 42-markers over teammate, Chase Elliott, with just two races left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season. While he’s still looking for a trip to victory lane at Richmond Raceway, short-tracks have fared well for the 27-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native this season – earning top-six results in three of the four events on tracks measuring less than one-mile, including his win at Iowa Speedway and a pair of sixth-place results at Bristol Motor Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway. There’s no sweeter place for Byron to collect his first regular season title than Daytona International Speedway, where the Team Chevy driver will return as the back-to-back Daytona 500 champion.
 

LARSON LOOKING FOR A REBOUND

While a brake line failure resulted in a dismal day at Watkins Glen International for Kyle Larson, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team is still in the fight for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship. The 33-year-old Elk Grove, California, native is a two-time winner in the division at Richmond Raceway. From the bigger picture, Larson’s statistics boosts top-20 results in 19 of his 20 career starts at “The Action Track”, including top-seven finishes in five of his eight races behind the wheel of a Hendrick Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet. Larson has also scored one of his three wins on the season at a short-track, which came at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this season when the former champion drove his No. 5 Chevrolet to a dominating 411-laps led en route to the victory.
 

Busch, Dillon Looking to Capitalize on Richmond Success:

The Richard Childress Racing duo of Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon sit in a ‘must-win’ situation to earn a playoff berth, but they head to a track where challenge presents opportunity for both teams.

Busch stands as the series’ winningest driver at “The Action Track” – a resume that boasts six trips to victory lane in 39 career starts. The 40-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada, native also leads the series in runner-up finishes (seven) and top-10 finishes (28) at the Virginia venue. Busch’s storied history at the track has featured a few strong streak of results including 10-consecutive top-nine finishes (Sept. 2017 – Aug. 2022), as well as top-five finishes in his first-five career starts at the track (May 2005 – May 2007).

Dillon has earned seven top-10 finishes at Richmond Raceway – most recently one year ago when the 35-year-old Welcome, North Carolina, native made the trip to victory lane. Dillon and the No. 3 Chevrolet team showcased speed throughout the 2024 event weekend – topping the overall speed chart in practice en route to a sixth-place qualifying effort. Dillon went on to earn top-seven results in each stage; collected a 50-point day (second-most in the field); and tallied 35 laps led to cap-off a strong outing at the .75-mile Virginia short-track. In 2025, the No. 3 Chevrolet team has earned a pair of top-10 results on tracks measuring under one-mile – one of which came at Iowa Speedway just two weeks ago.
 

ONE LAST SHOT AT NCTS PLAYOFFS

In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, four playoff positions hang in the balance for drivers to either win or point their way into a spot in the race for the 2025 championship title. Among the six drivers that have solidified their postseason positions with a win are three from the Chevrolet camp including Daniel Hemric, Tyler Ankrum and Rajah Caruth. While still looking for his first trip to victory lane this season, series veteran, Grant Enfinger, will head into the regular season finale in the top provisional points position with a strong 91-point cushion over the cutline. Richmond could very well be the track to break the winless streak for the No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet team. Enfinger has yet to finish outside of the top-nine in each of his five career starts at the .75-mile Virginia venue – highlighted by a win in his first-ever appearance at the short-track in Sept. 2020.
 

Eckes Set for NCTS Return:

Christian Eckes will spend his NASCAR Xfinity Series off-weekend back behind the wheel of a familiar seat. The 24-year-old Middletown, New York, native will rejoin McAnally-Hilgemann Racing to pilot the No. 16 Chevrolet entry in Friday’s 250-lap event. The start will mark Eckes’ return to the Truck Series for the first time since making the move up into the Xfinity Series for his rookie campaign this season. In 2024, Eckes was a force to be reckoned with for the Truck Series championship title – putting together a season that consisted of four wins and 22 top-10 finishes in 23 races, including a streak of 21-straight. Eckes is a nine-time Truck Series winner, with eight of those triumphs coming behind the wheel of a McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet.
 
 

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 24 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:

Wins: 11

Poles: 10

Laps Led: 2,938

Top-Fives: 48

Top-10s: 103

Stage Wins: 20

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 23 NASCAR Xfinity Series races complete:

Wins: 20

Poles: 14

Laps Led: 2,804

Top-Fives: 77

Top-10s: 147

Stage Wins: 33

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 17 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races complete:

Wins: 6

Poles: 2

Laps Led: 856

Top-Fives: 39

Top-10s: 82

Stage Wins: 7
 

BOWTIE BULLETS:

· Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Richmond Raceway:

Kyle Busch: six wins (2018 sweep, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009)

Kyle Larson: two wins (2023, 2017)

Austin Dillon: one win (2024)

Alex Bowman: one win (2021)

· In 136 NASCAR Cup Series races at Richmond Raceway, Chevrolet has amassed a series-leading 41 victories and 48 pole wins.

· Chevrolet recorded six consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victories at Richmond Raceway from 2006 to 2008 – a record for the longest streak of consecutive wins by a single manufacturer at the .75-mile Virginia oval.

· Chevrolet has earned at least half of the top-10 finishing results in 12 of the 24 points-paying races thus far this season, including a season-high seven top-10 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

· In 132 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 63 victories – a winning percentage of 47.7%.

· With its 43 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 877 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.
 

TUNE-IN:

NASCAR Cup Series

Cook Out 400

Saturday, August 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET

(USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

eero 250 (regular season finale)

Friday, August 15, at 7:30 p.m. ET

(FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
 

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

You finished fifth last year at Richmond. How much confidence does that give you for this weekend? Have the cars changed so much that it doesn’t give you an advantage anymore?

“I feel like we can go anywhere and compete, we just need to execute. We have the pieces, people and the resources, but actually executing on that during the weekend is where we have failed. If we can go and get our balance and grip right in practice and qualifying, that sets us up for a good race day. We have won the Richmond 125 a couple of times, but getting all 400 laps has been tough. We’ve done it a couple of times before and I know we have the ability to do it.”

How significant is it to you to be starting next year as the longest tenured driver at Trackhouse? Is there a different responsibility?

“Nothing drastically changing for next year, but it will be different. Obviously, I’ll have different teammates and no one will have been there longer than me.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

You and your teammate, Kyle Busch, had fast cars at Richmond Raceway last year. What do you think you have for them going back to Richmond?

“I’m pumped to get to Richmond Raceway in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Deer XP Chevrolet. I’ve been excited about that one all year. I just want to get there and see if we can be as successful as last year. We had a two second lead with however many laps remaining in the race, drove past Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, and the car was just really solid. Unfortunately, an untimely caution put us in a difficult position. We worked a little bit this week in the SIM just to see how it correlated, and I thought it correlated very well. We will go there and give it our best shot. We feel like it could be a good opportunity to put us into the NASCAR Playoffs with just two races remaining until the cutoff.”

Is there a damper when you look back at Richmond Raceway knowing that you were penalized?

“It was still a big day and I’ll always remember it as one of my favorite wins. We got the trophy, just not the NASCAR Playoffs spot. That part was a struggle, and I hate it for RCR, but this year going back I definitely want to go out there and try to win again, but this time lock ourselves into the Playoffs. We had a dominate car last year and really came on strong at the end. We had a multiple-second lead and passed two of the best to do it, so that’s pretty cool.”

Have some of your recent performances, particularly strong runs at Iowa Speedway and Watkins Glen International, given you confidence heading back into the site of your most recent win?

“I’m really excited about Richmond Raceway. That is a good track for the No. 3 team. Iowa Speedway was a good chance for us to get to run around some of the guys at the front, and make decisions, and have a pit crew making competitive stops around the front because when we get to Richmond I feel like we should be able to compete in the top five and have another shot to win.”

What contributed to your strong finish at Iowa Speedway, a track that shares similar characteristics to Richmond Raceway, that you can translate to Richmond this fall?

“As a team, we did a really good job prepping for that race from a simulation standpoint. I think when we have really good SIM weeks, we run better at the track. Some days I can tell you ‘oh I don’t know,’ because it didn’t feel good at the SIM – it just didn’t feel realistic, or the things we were doing don’t correlate to at-track so you have to go back to history. That was probably the biggest thing – a good SIM session. We were good there the year before as well, we just didn’t get to show it. We were the first car out and it was super hard to pass. We actually ran the second or third-fastest lap of the race last year, so we had a base line that we could work off of, just like we have for Richmond Raceway this year.”

You’ve won at both of the last two races left in the regular season. What would it mean for the way the season has gone to get a victory and lock yourself into the NASCAR Playoffs?

“It’s nice that Richmond Raceway and Daytona International Speedway are the two tracks that we have left. I’m pretty confident at both of them. We’re going to give it our all and try to build momentum and keep building it. Truthfully, we want to win to get into the NASCAR Playoffs, but also we need to move ourselves into a better place in the point standings because we’ve had a lot of unfortunate events go on that kept moving us down in the point standings. We want to be a top-20 team no matter what, so we have to work our way to the front with the remaining races.”

Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

What is your outlook heading into Richmond this weekend?

“I really enjoy competing at Richmond. It’s always been one of my favorite tracks. The lack of grip from the old asphalt and short track feel makes the cars slide around and a lot of fun to drive. I feel confident we can execute a solid weekend in the Gainbridge Super League Chevy.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Overall, how do you feel about these next two weeks and your chances of making it into the NASCAR Playoffs?

“Richmond’s one of my best tracks, statistically, so I would like to think that we could be good there in the No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet. My teammate Austin Dillon had a great race there last year, and I think we can use some of that success on the No. 8 team as well. Daytona has always been great for us at RCR and ECR with the speed that we typically carry there.”

Does Austin Dillon’s speed at Richmond Raceway last year give you confidence for this weekend?

“That’s definitely something to look at, with as good as Austin Dillon and the No. 3 team were at Richmond Raceway last year. The No. 8 team has had some good speed there, both last year and in the year prior, but in the fall race last year Austin was much better than we ever were. We’ve got a couple of third-place finishes out of Richmond Raceway the past few years, but Austin, being as good as he was and driving to the front and being deserving of that victory, gives us a lot to look forward to and try to replicate.”

Richard Childress said over the radio a couple of weeks ago that he has to start giving you winning cars. You have to have cars that match your talent. Have you seen any changes in the quality of the equipment that you are driving?

“I think every week there is a chance of being able to go out there and be better, or go out there and be different than you were before. It’s not due to lack of effort, that’s for sure, so I appreciate everyone’s hard work and what’s going on and what we are able to do behind the scenes. I would say the cars are probably better than some of our results have indicated just due to issues we’ve had, the battles that you get into towards the later stages of the race and getting taken out or whatever. We’re trying to put those results to the racetrack and get some checkered flags from it.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

“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.”

Jesse Love, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Richmond is your last Cup Series start of the year. What have you learned in the four Cup races you have done?

“I have learned how to be more aggressive with the No. 33 C4 Ultimate Energy Chevrolet. I am working on improving my restarts, learning about the grip pickup in qualifying, and what kind of balance I need in the car. That’s what I’ve really picked up on, what kind of balance I need as a driver to go fast. I feel like I’ve been able to narrow in on that and for me that is to be a little bit tighter. For someone else that might be different, but for me it is to have that heavy wheel feel.”

Is there any other track that we race that is like Richmond?

“It is a short, flat oval, so Martinsville, Phoenix, Iowa, all racetracks that I am pretty good at. But Richmond is its own beast because it is a D-shaped oval. It is shorter and flatter than most. It is low grip, a lot of tire fall off.”

What are you expecting from the Cup car in Richmond?

“To not be able to pass, for everyone to be the same speed which will make restarts and qualifying important. You have to be smart and manage a good race.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

“We had a pretty solid weekend at Watkins Glen and that gives us some good momentum heading into Richmond this week. My team’s been working hard all week, and I’m excited to get out there and see what we can do this weekend.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

What are your thoughts heading into Richmond?

“Running Richmond on a Saturday night should be a fun race. The track temps are going to be different than what we see in practice on Friday afternoon, but I think our Spire Motorsports group has been in the game with our short-track package. We had the speed at Iowa, but those long green flag runs put us behind with some old tires and didn’t get the finish we deserved. I think we have a lot to show this weekend in Richmond, and I’m looking forward to getting to the track. I have been watching a lot of film and us, as a group, have put a big emphasis our simulator sessions, so I feel confident heading into this weekend and expect to have a good run.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

The No. 77 team’s short track performances have been strong this year. What is your outlook for Richmond this weekend?

“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.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Watkins Glen was your fourth Cup win of the year and is the most ever by a rookie. What does that mean to you personally?

“Yeah, it means everything. The prep that we go through, not just for these road courses, but we do it every week. As I’ve said many times over the last few weeks, I feel like we’ve gotten a lot better, especially on the ovals. It’s been cool working with a great bunch of people. To share four wins with everyone and to see how much it meant to everyone when you’re high fiving during the burnout, you can see how into it they are. It’s so cool.”

Do you feel like the other drivers have improved and gotten closer to you in terms of road racing ability?

“I just think they’re good anyway. I think the difference has been that I’m with the team full-time this year and I’ve been able to develop a setup and fine tune it to the way I want. Last year I kind of just jumped in and ran with the Kaulig guys, whereas this year I’m all involved in the setup, trying to learn every week. I really feel like as a team we’ve been able to tailor the car to my needs. I think we turn up to the track, we know what our tuning tools are. I know what I want the car to feel like. I think it’s just us as a team getting better.”

Are you looking forward to making your first Cup Series start at Richmond?

”We only went there once in Xfinity, so it’s still a really fresh track for me. I had a fun race there and it was early in the season. I enjoyed it, how you can move around and try and make the car work. It was very line sensitive. You could change the line and see what worked best for you. The track allows you to have a bit more driver input on what works to get the best result out of the car. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish there this weekend.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

On your performance in recent weeks:

“There’s a lot of tracks that have been good to me in the past coming up. Lately, we’ve just had a lot of accidents and things happen that were out of our control. Hopefully we can carry this momentum from a good run at Watkins Glen into the next couple of races and contend for a win. I really want to get a win for everyone at Trackhouse Racing and all of our sponsors.”

What are the challenges of transitioning from practice to qualifying at Richmond?

“In practice you are more in a rhythm and you are looking to get your car in a rhythm and have a good read in your race car to be able to make it better. In qualifying you have to be as present as possible because you have what you have and you must maximize every single ounce of the car. And it is very, very important to be present on the car, you know, to understand the car. Even before you take the green flag you have to know if the car going to be tight, loose, or what it’s going to do.”

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