The NASCAR race weekend at Richmond Raceway Aug. 10-11 started with inclement weather pushing back or altogether nixing several events in the lead-up to the Cook Out 400. It ended with smoke and sparks in the Cook Out 400.
The race concluded with the most dramatic final-corner incident at the track in a decade. Austin Dillon had led much of the waning stages of the race. After a caution set up a frantic two-lap dash to the checkered flag, Dillon aimed his back bumper at Joey Logano’s leading No. 22 heading into the last two corners.
Chevrolet pushed Ford, and Logano spun. Chesterfield native Denny Hamlin saw an opening and took it, but Dillon’s No. 3 made contact and sent Hamlin’s No. 11 into the outside wall and Dillon to the checkered flag. With the controversial finish, Dillon scored his fifth career triumph. It was originally thought that he had also secured a spot in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, but on Wednesday officials ruled the controversial win would not count toward playoff eligibility.
The race’s conclusion harkened back to incidents at Richmond years ago, including Carl Edwards’ spring 2016 nudging of Kyle Busch, Marcos Ambrose punching Casey Mears in 2014 and the infamous Dale Earnhardt Jr./Kyle Busch feud that began in 2008. Even before the smoke from the last-lap incidents or the celebratory burnouts cleared on Sunday night, fans knew they’d witnessed something they’d never forget.
It was Dillon’s first-ever win at Richmond, a track he said on Saturday that he initially “hated” years ago. “It got to a point where I told the crew chief to do the exact opposite of what I was asking for, because this place is very challenging,” Dillon said during his media availability. “You think you need something in the race car, and you don’t — you need the opposite. … So I stopped kind of going with my gut and going with the opposite of what my gut told me, and it worked. And I’ve kind of found a line here that works, too.”
Hamlin, meanwhile, ended up officially finishing second in a heavily damaged No. 11. On Saturday, he had elaborated on his approach to his home track. “I probably feel a little bit more pressure on myself to perform at this racetrack, just simply because I know what it takes to win here and what I need out of the car,” Hamlin said during his press conference after winning the pole. “I don’t always express that correctly. But I always put a lot of pressure on myself to perform here, and I feel like I’ve got good techniques that have equaled success in the past.”
Hamlin claimed the win at Richmond back in the spring, continuing a stretch of excellence at the short track that dates to his earliest days in NASCAR. “I love winning here,” he said. “To have five [wins] here is certainly exciting. I feel like each one has been a little bit different. … It feels good to come here and still be able to perform 20 years after I was competitive here in my rookie year.”
Another Virginian, Connor Hall from Hampton, made his Craftsman Truck Series debut on Saturday, Aug. 10. He finished 10th in McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s No. 91 Silverado, outrunning title contender Corey Heim, three-time champion Matt Crafton and 24 others. Hall said getting the opportunity to make his first-ever start would’ve been awesome regardless of venue, but it was even cooler that it happened in the Commonwealth. “As far as debuting here, it's really cool,” he said in the garage after the race. “I had my late-model car here at the NASCAR Experience. I had so many people from home come up in support and I think, overall, it was just a really good night.”
Fun for fans outside the banks of the racetrack
Outside the track, a monster truck emblazoned with Clean Harbors branding towered over the Fan Zone, which was packed with displays including the three series’ championship trophies and an actual Next Gen Cup Series car, its engine revved for the fans around it on Sunday afternoon. Crowds flocked to a Toyota-sponsored Fan Zone, too, and a NASCAR Kids Zone sat close to both. A Nitrocross display promoted its visit to the raceway next month, and merchandise trailers were lined up in rows for fans to get their favorite driver’s gear.
Even fully outside the gates, fans were living it up. Sal Monteleone and Karyn Mack have been coming to Richmond twice a year for about six years. They set up a tent, table and lawn chairs behind their pickup to tailgate and grill before any on-track activity started on Saturday. “I’m coming here to relax, and when I get here, I never relax,” Monteleone said. “There’s cooking, there’s going up there to look at all the goods and see what they got going on in the yard over there. We go in to watch qualifying, we watch practice, and another guy comes with a couple people, and we sit next to each other.”
“Just hanging out, watching everybody,” Mack said. “Everybody’s always so nice. It’s a nice group of people.”
“There was a kid, he was walking, and he had cash, but didn’t have a credit card or a debit card,” Monteleone said. “So … we fed him. That’s what we do. That’s the type of community you have here. It’s just close-knit and everybody gets along. Nobody’s fighting with each other, no matter what car you drive for, and it doesn’t matter who you root for. It doesn’t matter what brand the car is.”
In the garage area on Sunday, John and Jackie Martin sported gear supporting Kyle Larson as they wandered among the haulers and crew members. The Pennsylvanians’ family has been around racing for most of their lives, and they’ve been coming to Richmond races most years since 2009.
Describing her favorite aspects of the weekend, Jackie said, “Getting to come into the garage, and we just came back from walking the track. Not everybody gets to do that, so it was interesting. Meeting the drivers in the garage, and we got some autographs.”
Looking forward
Tropical Storm Debby cleared out before the weekend started, although the storm did rain out a few festivities ahead of time.
“Debby came along, and we had to switch gears,” Richmond Raceway President Lori Waran said. “There’s so much preparation that goes into it. We had to undo some things and re-do some things because of the weather, but that’s all par for the course, and we were really excited.”
In an interview with Richmond magazine earlier in the summer, Waran highlighted the efforts of the track to lend an ear to the fans. She’s been pleased to deliver on one request in particular: bringing night racing back to Richmond. Sunday’s race began in daylight, unfolded as the sun slowly set behind Turn 3 and concluded as the last rays of light left the night sky.
“I really enjoy listening to the opinions of the fans,” Waran said. “They have a lot of great ideas, and I love the passion that they have. … There’s so many things that I’ve learned, there’s been incredible moments and that’s what keeps us all coming back.”
While the 2025 NASCAR schedule has yet to be unveiled, Waran can’t wait to see fans streaming back through the gates the next time stock car racing rolls into town. “We’re excited,” she said. “We’re going to prepare for whatever comes, and we’ll be excited to have everybody come on back.”
