RICK WARE RACING
Cook Out 400
Date: Aug. 11, 2024
Event: Cook Out 400 (Round 23 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (70 laps/160 laps/170 laps)
Note: Race extended eight laps past its scheduled 400-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)
RWR Race Finish:
● Justin Haley (Started 36th , Finished 27th/ Running, completed 406 of 408 laps)
● Riley Herbst (Started 34th, Finished 33rd/Running, completed 405 of 408 laps)
RWR Points:
● Justin Haley (29th with 329 points)
● Note: Herbst is a fulltime driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and is not eligible for points in the NASCAR Cup Series.
RWR Notes:
● This was Haley’s eighth NASCAR Cup Series start at Richmond. His best finish remains 21st, earned in August 2022.
● This was Herbst’s first NASCAR Cup Series start at Richmond.
Race Notes:
● Austin Dillon won the Cook Out 400 to score his fifth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Richmond. His margin of victory over second-place Denny Hamlin was .116 of a second.
● There were four caution periods for a total of 26 laps.
● Only 19 of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Richmond with a five-point advantage over second-place Tyler Reddick.
Sound Bites:
“Richmond is such a tough track, but our Pinnacle Home Improvement Ford Mustang Dark Horse was good enough to do what it needed to do.”– Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvements Ford Mustang Dark Horse
“I’ve always enjoyed racing at Richmond in the Xfinity Series, but the Cup Series is a whole different game. It took a while for me to really get a good idea of how the track was changing and what that was doing to the car. Things happen so quick that it’s hard to come back from a couple of laps down, but we ran every lap and that’s exactly what I needed to do in my first Cup race here.” – Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 15 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Firekeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, Aug. 18 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
