Denny Hamlin and Shane van Gisbergen will continue be under the spotlight as the NASCAR Cup Series heads for the playoffs soon. This Saturday brings a return to Richmond Raceway for the 2025 Cook Out 400.

The NASCAR Cup Series is in Virginia this week with just two more races before the playoffs. That means high stakes for drivers near the cut line, and a push for points for those guaranteed a spot.

RICHMOND, Va. — Ryan Preece, the first driver outside a playoff spot, will start on the pole in Saturday night’s Cup race at Richmond Raceway. It is Preece’s second career Cup pole. He enters the race 34 points behind RFK Racing teammate Chris Buescher for the final playoff spot with two races left in the regular season.

SportsLine's model has simulated the 2025 NASCAR at Richmond 10,000 times and released its three best NASCAR longshots

Well, isn’t this just perfect timing? Tyler Reddick, who was probably dreaming of playoff glory just hours earlier, got a harsh wake-up call courtesy of NASCAR’s favorite chaos generator – Richmond Raceway.

Chase Elliott's first DNF of the season means he's out of the running for Regular Season Champion. After a clean first stage of racing in the penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season at Richmond Raceway, three close cautions snowballed into a crash that collected 13 drivers.

NASCAR champion Joey Logano partnered with STEP Richmond to provide school supplies to children in the Gilpin Court community before competing in the Cookout 400.