Cook Out 400
Richmond, Virginia – August 15, 2026
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/QUAKER STATE FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 23RD STAGE 1: 4TH STAGE 2: 4TH FINISH: 3RD POINTS: 15TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Menards/Quaker State Ford Mustang Dark Horse team charged from 23rd to a third-place finish Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, earning their second top-five finish of the season in the Cook Out 400. Cindric wasted little time moving forward in Stage 1, reporting a solid balance early as the No. 2 Ford steadily climbed through the field. After making a scheduled green-flag stop for four tires and fuel, Cindric continued his march toward the front and gained nearly 20 positions from the start to finish the opening stage in fourth. He reported needing to get a little freer before the team made adjustments during the stage break. Cindric remained firmly inside the top five throughout Stage 2. A well-timed caution on Lap 125 came just as he was preparing to pit under green, and Cindric avoided committing to pit road before making his stop under caution. He restarted sixth and continued to show strong pace through the remainder of the stage, ultimately finishing fourth for the second consecutive segment. The No. 2 team continued to contend near the front throughout the final stretch as varying pit strategies unfolded. Running fifth when the caution came out on Lap 284, Cindric stayed on track to move into third for the restart with just over 100 laps remaining. Following two additional green-flag stops in the closing portion of the race, Cindric worked his way back into third and held the position through the checkered flag. The third-place result capped a 20-position gain from Cindric’s starting spot and marked his second top-five finish of the season after spending much of the night among the frontrunners.
CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: DID YOU HAVE TO STAY ON TOP OF THE TIRES ALL NIGHT? “Yeah, that’s kind of the name of the game here, especially since they introduced this right side here last year. I thought that was one of our strengths. We could fire off good enough, but I thought I was one of the best cars, especially after about 30 laps. We were a little too good too late in the runs, but, overall, like I said, it was a much needed run for our Quaker State/Menards Ford Mustang.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 BODYARMOR FLASH I.V. CAFFEINE FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 1ST STAGE 1: 1ST STAGE 2: 5TH FINISH: 13TH POINTS: 2ND
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 BODYARMOR Flash I.V. Caffeine Ford Mustang Dark Horse continued their strong summer stretch Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, leading laps, capturing the Stage 1 victory and moving up to second in the NASCAR Cup Series standings despite finishing 13th in the 400-lap event. Starting from the pole for the second consecutive week, Blaney quickly established himself among the race leaders. A fast green-flag pit stop by the No. 12 team helped maintain track position as Blaney navigated lapped traffic on his way to the Stage 1 victory, adding to his series-leading stage win total in 2026. After running near the front throughout Stage 2, Blaney wrestled with changing track conditions as the handling shifted during longer runs. Despite the challenge, he reclaimed the lead during the early part of the stage and remained a fixture inside the top five, ultimately finishing fifth in Stage 2 as all three Team Penske entries spent much of the night among the front-runners. A strategic tire call helped move Blaney as high as third during the final Stage, but a later-timed green-flag stop ultimately put the No. 12 Ford Mustang one lap down to finish the closing laps do the 400-lap event. Blaney gained one position in the closing laps to take the checkered flag 13th and moved up one spot to second in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with three races remaining before the Chase begins.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “Overall, it was a strong night for our BODYARMOR Flash I.V. Caffeine Ford. We had good speed, led laps and won a stage. We didn’t quite get the finish we wanted, but there were a lot of positives to take from tonight.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 10TH STAGE 1: 3RD STAGE 2: 1ST FINISH: 1ST POINTS: 9TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse returned to Victory Lane Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, earning Logano’s second NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2026 season, his third career victory at Richmond, and his first at the track in nine years. The triumph was also the 39th win of Logano’s Cup Series career and the 37th with Ford, moving him into sole possession of third on Ford’s all-time wins list while delivering Team Penske’s 111th Cup Series victory with the manufacturer. After starting 10th, Logano steadily worked his way through the field and spent much of the 400-lap event inside the top five. The No. 22 team continued to improve the balance of the car throughout the night while a strong performance from Logano’s pit crew consistently gained track position, allowing him to remain in contention and eventually challenge Chase Briscoe for the lead. Logano capitalized by winning Stage 2 after tracking down and passing Briscoe during a lengthy green-flag run. The final stage featured a strategic battle between Logano and Briscoe, with the No. 22 team executing flawlessly on pit road through the closing green-flag pit cycle. After gaining positions throughout the night, the crew delivered again on the final round of stops, helping Logano beat Briscoe off pit road and take control once the field cycled through. From there, Logano drove away to secure the victory. With the win, Logano climbed from 13th to ninth in the points standings and continued his impressive Richmond record with a 13th top-seven finish in the last 17 races at the Virginia short track.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “My team did a great job. The pressure was on everybody to make the right calls, to execute the runs, to have a good pit stop there. We were door-to-door pretty much onto pit road. That tested everything we had. I thought we were gonna be in good shape because the run before that we were a lot faster than the 19 right at the end, but we weren’t able to be the same amount of good as we wanted to be. This is the first time I’ve had all of my kids here for a win, so this is a real special one for our family. I’m looking forward to enjoying it.”
With two races remaining in the regular season, the Cup Series now heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Dollar Tree 301 on Sunday, August 23. Coverage of the 301-lap event begins at 3 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
