Short track racing? Under the lights? With the regular season winding down? NASCAR is in for an exciting weekend.

The Cup Series rolls into the Virginia capital of Richmond for the 25th race of the season on Saturday night.

Richmond Raceway has been a mainstay on the schedule since it’s first NASCAR event in 1953. The three-quarter-mile short track, with an old, worn-out surface, is typically a battle of tire management for the world’s best stock car drivers.

So, what’s in store for Richmond this year? What’s the TV schedule for the weekend? And who could contend for the win on Saturday? Here’s everything you need to know for the Cook Out 400:

When is the NASCAR race in Richmond?

The Cook Out 400 is set for Saturday, Aug. 16, at 7:35 p.m. ET.

Before the race, there will be practice and qualifying on Saturday. The 38 drivers will be split into two groups, with each group getting 25 minutes of free practice. For qualifying, each driver will get two laps to set the starting order based on speed.

NASCAR TV schedule this weekend for Richmond

Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Jeff Burton (analyst) and Steve Letarte (analyst) will be on the call for NBC Sports, with Marty Snider, Dave Burns and and Kim Coon serving as pit reporters.

Here’s the full schedule for Richmond:

Friday, Aug. 15 (truTV and HBO Max)

Practice: 4:30 p.m. ET, truTV and HBO Max

Qualifying: 5:40 p.m. ET, truTV and HBO Max

Saturday, Aug. 16 (USA Network and NBC Sports app)

NASCAR Countdown to Green: 7 p.m. ET, USA Network and NBC Sports App

Cook Out 400: 7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network and NBC Sports App

NASCAR Post-Race: 10:30 p.m. ET, USA Network and NBC Sports App

Who is racing in Richmond? Here’s the entry list

Thirty-eight drivers will race at Richmond — the 36 full-timers, plus two additional entries.

Jesse Love (Richard Childress Racing) and Corey Heim (23XI Racing) are continuing their part-time schedules this season, making their fifth and third Cup starts of 2025, respectively. Love, 20, is a regular in the second-tier Xfinity Series, while Heim, 23, primarily races in the third-tier Truck Series.

Here’s the full entry list for Richmond:

Car numberDriverTeamSponsor1Ross ChastainTrackhouse RacingJockey Underwear2Austin CindricTeam PenskeMenards3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingBass Pro Shops4Noah GragsonFront Row MotorsportsArmorGuard5Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsHendrickCars.com6Brad KeselowskiRFK RacingBuildSubmarines.com7Justin HaleySpire MotorsportsGainbridge8Kyle BuschRichard Childress RacingRebel Bourbon9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsUniFirst10Ty DillonKaulig RacingSea Best11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingProgressive12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeBodyArmor16AJ AllmendingerKaulig RacingBlack’s Tire17Chris BuescherRFK RacingFifth Third Bank19Chase BriscoeJoe Gibbs RacingBass Pro Shops20Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingDeWalt21Josh BerryWood Brothers RacingEero22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeShell/Pennzoil23Bubba Wallace23XI RacingLeidos24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsLiberty University33Jesse LoveRichard Childress RacingC4 Ultimate Energy34Todd GillilandFront Row MotorsportsLove’s Travel Stops35Riley Herbst23XI RacingMonster Energy38Zane SmithFront Row MotorsportsLong John Silver’s41Cole CusterHaas Factory TeamHaas Tooling42John Hunter NemechekLegacy Motor ClubPye-Barker43Erik JonesLegacy Motor ClubDollar Tree45Tyler Reddick23XI RacingChumba Casino47Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Hyak MotorsportsRam Self Storage48Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsAlly51Cody WareRick Ware RacingArrowhead Brass54Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs RacingSirius XM60Ryan PreeceRFK RacingKroger/Kleenex67Corey Heim23XI RacingRobinhood71Michael McDowellSpire MotorsportsWorkforce77Carson HocevarSpire MotorsportsDelaware Life88Shane van GisbergenTrackhouse RacingWeatherTech99Daniel SuárezTrackhouse RacingQuaker State2025 Cook Out 400 entry list

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace is one of the most recognized names in NASCAR. Here’s what you need to know.

NASCAR Richmond picks, predictions, favorites

Denny Hamlin, a Virginia native, is the favorite nearly every time NASCAR visits his home track.

The Joe Gibbs Racing star has ruled in Richmond since entering the Cup Series in 2006. Even at 44 years old, there’s no slowing down for Hamlin. He leads all drivers with four wins this season, and his last eight Richmond starts include two wins, four runner-ups and seven top-fives with 663 laps led.

Hamlin doesn’t own the best average finish at Richmond, though — he’s third behind teammate Christopher Bell and former teammate Kyle Busch. Bell figures to be in the mix for his first Richmond win after leading 122 last summer. Busch desperately needs a win to make the playoffs, but he hasn’t been as strong at the track since moving to Richard Childress Racing in 2023 — though his teammate Austin Dillon won last year.

It’s not just the JGR Toyotas that will be quick this weekend, either. Hendrick Motorsports’ Chevrolets, plus Fords for Team Penske and RFK Racing, will have a say in the outcome.

Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman are past Richmond winners for Hendrick, and Joey Logano has done the same for Penske.

RFK Racing has three capable winners, who all need victories to make the playoffs. Brad Keselowski has two Richmond wins from his years with Penske, Chris Buescher won at Richmond in 2023 and Ryan Preece has a short track racing background. The team was quick at Iowa Speedway two weeks ago, a comparable track to Richmond.

The winning pick for Richmond is Keselowski, who arguably had the fastest car at Iowa and needs to put his organization into the playoffs.

NASCAR past winners, race history for Richmond

Eight of the 38 drivers in the field are past winners at Richmond.

Busch (6 wins) and Hamlin (5 wins) have dominated in Virginia throughout their Hall of Fame careers. Keselowski, Logano and Larson have two wins each, and the one-time winners include Bowman (2021), Buescher (2023) and Dillon (2024).

NASCAR pit stops are a sport themselves with how much planning goes into a perfect pit stop. Here’s what you need to know about what happens during a pit stop.