Tyler Reddick will start on the pole for Sunday’s Cook Out 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN) at the Richmond (VA) Raceway. Here’s what’s at stake for 400 laps of racing in the hot summer sun.

• 7th winner in the last 7 races? Out of the last 6 Richmond races, we’ve seen 6 different winners. Do we see another one on Sunday? So long as the name isn’t Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick or Kyle Larson, that streak will continue on.
• Regular Season Title – Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. put up his eighth top-five finish of the season last weekend at Pocono Raceway to open-up his NASCAR Cup Series driver point standings lead to 30 points over Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron in second. With only five races left in the regular season, anything can happen but as they sit right now Martin Truex Jr. (2017) looks like he is on the verge of becoming just the second driver all-time to win multiple NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championships; joining Kyle Busch (2015, 2019). Plus, along with the prestige, Truex would bank the additional 15 Playoff bonus points that come with the title. Truex is one of seven different drivers to occupy the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings lead this season. In 21 starts this year, Truex has accumulated three wins, three stage wins, eight top fives and 11 top 10s. He’s won 3 of the last 8 here.
• Joe Gibbs Racing vs. Hendrick Motorsports – The NASCAR Cup Series has competed on six short tracks this season – Martinsville, Bristol Dirt, Phoenix, Dover, New Hampshire and Richmond, and two organizations have dominated the six events winning three each, Hendrick Motorsports won at Martinsville, Phoenix and Richmond and Joe Gibbs Racing grabbed wins at Bristol Dirt, Dover and New Hampshire. These two organizations have also won 8 of the last 10 Richmond races too and have 4 of the top 7 starting positions.
  • Two drivers this season have won multiple times on the short tracks, including the current NASCAR Cup Series points leader Martin Truex Jr (Dover, New Hampshire) and Richmond Raceway’s most recent winner Kyle Larson (Richmond, Martinsville). The other two short track races were won by Christopher Bell (Bristol Dirt) and William Byron (Phoenix).
  • The driver with the best average starting position at the six previous short track races this season is Hendrick Motorsport’s William Byron with a 6.5, followed by Tyler Reddick with a 7.0, Kyle Busch with a 7.3, Christopher Bell with a 9.2 and Kyle Larson with a 10.5.
  • The driver with the best average finishing position at the six previous short track races this season is Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. with a 6.6, followed by Tyler Reddick with a 9.3, Christopher Bell with a 10.3, Kevin Harvick with a 10.3 and Chase Briscoe with a 11.5. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick is the defending winner of this event at Richmond.
  • A total of 21 different drivers have led laps at the six previous short track races this season, led by Kyle Larson with 405 laps led, followed by William Byron with 383 and Martin Truex Jr. with 378.
• Playoffs – Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin snatched his second win of the 2023 season at Pocono Raceway, and his seventh victory at the 2.5-mile track – breaking a tie with Jeff Gordon for the series-most wins at Pocono. Now, with 11 drivers already earning their spot in the Playoffs by virtue of their wins this season, which leaves five positions still up for grabs heading into this Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. The five drivers currently in position to earn a spot in the Playoffs on points are Kevin Harvick (+163 points), Brad Keselowski (+122), Chris Buescher (+111), Bubba Wallace (+27) and Michael McDowell (+17).
  • Harvick, Keselowski and Buescher, each have comfortable point cushions above the postseason cutoff, but 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace (up +27 points on the Playoff cutline) in 15th, and Front Row Motorsport’s Michael McDowell (+17 points) in the 16th and final available transfer spot, are in precarious positions with five regular season races to go. If one or two of the drivers outside the Playoff cutline were to win over these next five races it could bounce McDowell and Wallace out of the postseason. Heading into this weekend at Richmond, there are seven different drivers that won last season that are looking for their first win of this year; including Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon and Chase Briscoe – of that group, Hendrick Motorsport’s Alex Bowman is the only one to formerly win at Richmond (2021).
  • Just outside the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs cutoff is Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger in the 17th position, -17 points back from McDowell in the final Playoff transfer spot on points. Both McDowell and Allmendinger are looking to make the Playoffs for the second-time in their respective careers. McDowell made his postseason debut in 2021 and Allmendinger last made the Playoffs in 2014.
  • Also chasing McDowell and within striking distance are Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez and Joe Gibbs Racing’s rookie Ty Gibbs. Suarez is ranked 18th, -23 points behind McDowell and Gibbs is ranked 19th, -28 points back. Of the five drivers from 15th to 19th in the Playoff outlook standings, Suárez (16.1) has the best average finish at Richmond Raceway, followed by Allmendinger (22.1), Gibbs (22.5), Wallace (23.6) and McDowell (30.4).
  • Additionally, two drivers outside the postseason cutoff with the biggest Playoff streaks in jeopardy this season are Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman. Elliott, the 2020 series champion, has earned a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs the last seven consecutive seasons (2016-2022), and Bowman has appeared in the Playoffs the last five consecutive seasons (2018-2022). Currently Bowman is ranked 20th in the Playoff outlook standings, -46 points behind McDowell in 16th, and Elliott is ranked 21st, -56 points back.
  • Five drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Richmond Raceway (all-time) – Kasey Kahne (2005), Tony Stewart (1999), Kyle Petty (1986), Neil Bonnett (1977) and James Hylton (1970).