Author Archives: PressBox

Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Cody Ware’s No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet each failed NASCAR Cup Series pre-race technical inspection twice at Richmond Raceway on Friday before passing on the third try, triggering penalties ahead of Saturday’s Cook Out 400. NASCAR stripped both teams of pit-stall selection, and Bell’s car chief Chris Sherwood and Ware’s car chief Dave Jones were ejected for the rest of race weekend. Because both cars passed inspection on the third attempt, neither team received an end-of-line start or a drive-through penalty.

The penalties came during Cup Series practice, with qualifying set to follow directly after the session. Bell entered the weekend sixth in the standings after finishing second at Iowa, and his seven runner-up finishes in 2026 tied Harry Gant’s 1981 mark for the most all-time without a win. Bell had qualified eighth for Richmond, while Ware was 35th in points and did not qualify after spinning in practice.

Ryan Blaney won the pole in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford, giving him a career-high fourth pole of the season. Bell also withdrew from Friday night’s postponed Craftsman Truck Series race, and Leland Honeyman Jr. replaced him. Three races remained before the Cup Series playoff field was set.

NASCAR postponed Friday night’s Black’s Tire 250 presented by BTS Rewards at Richmond Raceway after lightning, heavy rain and persistent storms disrupted the Craftsman Truck Series event. The race was delayed by nearly two hours before officials pushed it to Saturday, with the rescheduled start set for noon ET on FS2, or 2:00 a.m. AEST Sunday. The weather also interrupted the originally scheduled 7:30 p.m. ET start on Richmond’s 0.75-mile track.

The revised schedule created a Saturday doubleheader at Richmond, ending with the Cup Series’ Cook Out 400 that night. NASCAR said parking lots and gates for Truck Series ticket holders would open at 10 a.m., while grandstand and FanGround gates for Saturday ticket holders would open at 2 p.m. The stands were to be swept between the two races, and only a small number of tickets remained for the Cook Out 400.

Shane van Gisbergen had earned his first oval pole in any NASCAR division and was set to lead the field, with Kaden Honeycutt alongside him on the front row. Chandler Smith, Grant Enfinger and Nick Leitz were next in the lineup, while Christopher Bell was scheduled to start 17th. Bell and van Gisbergen were the only two drivers attempting double duty at Richmond that weekend, with both set to complete 650 laps in one day. The weekend also carried playoff implications for Layne Riggs, who held a 100-point lead over Honeycutt and could clinch the No. 1 seed in The Chase with two regular-season races left. Van Gisbergen, in his fifth Truck Series start and fourth with Spire Motorsports, said he expected more opportunities in 2027 as he continues working to improve on ovals.

Rockingham Speedway will not appear on the NASCAR schedule in 2027, ending a two-year revival at the historic North Carolina track. Track Enterprises announced the decision on Friday, saying it stemmed from overall uncertainty at the facility. Rockingham Speedway was sold earlier in 2026, and the track has been dealing with financial instability.

NASCAR national touring series returned to Rockingham in 2025 for the first time since the 2004 Cup Series season, after the track had last hosted Cup racing after that year. The 2025 and 2026 Easter weekend events drew strong crowds and featured races in the Truck Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and ARCA Menards Series East. Those races produced winners Tyler Ankrum, Sammy Smith, Brent Crews, Corey Heim, William Sawalich and Tristan McKee across the three series.

Track Enterprises president Bob Sargent said the response from fans, competitors, sponsors and the local community exceeded expectations. He said the company remains committed to exploring ways to bring racing back to Rockingham in future seasons and will announce scheduling updates when available. Rockingham opened in 1965, briefly hosted Truck Series races in 2012 and 2013, and returned to NASCAR’s schedule again in 2025.

Front Row Motorsports has extended Noah Gragson’s contract, keeping him in the No. 4 Ford for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season and giving the team options to continue beyond 2027. The team announced the deal on X with the message, “Back 4 more,” after general manager Jerry Freeze said earlier in the week that the sides were working through the final details of an agreement.

Gragson’s 2026 season has been a struggle, with one top-10 finish, a ninth-place result at Talladega Superspeedway, and 31st place in the standings after 23 races. He also finished 11th in the Daytona 500 and 16th at Nashville Superspeedway.

The 28-year-old Las Vegas native has raced full-time in the Cup Series since 2024 and has three top-five finishes and 12 top-10 finishes in 134 starts. Before moving to Cup, Gragson won 13 races in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, finished second in the 2022 championship, and posted a career-best eight wins that season.

With three regular-season races left, Richmond Raceway serves as a pivotal stop in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race, and several drivers arrive with postseason hopes still unsettled. The Cook Out 400 is the 24th race of the 2026 season, runs Saturday night over 400 laps and 300 miles, and starts the final stretch before the playoffs are set. Denny Hamlin enters as the points leader and a hometown favorite from Chesterfield, Virginia, with five career Richmond wins. Ty Gibbs is coming off his Iowa victory and has climbed to second in the standings, while Toyota has 14 wins through 23 races and Joe Gibbs Racing owns 19 Cup wins at Richmond, more than any other organization. Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Carson Hocevar, Chris Buescher and Kyle Larson can still clinch playoff spots based on points, while William Byron, Daniel Suarez, Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace need help.

Austin Dillon again gives Richard Childress Racing one of the weekend’s biggest storylines. He is the two-time defending Richmond winner and is trying to become the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1982-83 to win three straight Cup races at the track. Dillon won at Richmond in August 2024 after late-race contact with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in a controversial finish that cost him playoff eligibility, then returned in 2025 and won again after leading 107 of 400 laps. He enters this weekend 27th in the standings and out of Chase contention, but team executives said another Richmond win would still be a major moment for the organization. Dillon said the No. 3 team’s edge at Richmond has come from tire management and long-run pace, and crew chief Richard Boswell said the focus should be on execution and minor adjustments, not a major overhaul.

Austin Hill is set for his first Cup start at Richmond in the No. 33 Chevrolet, which will carry a special tribute honoring Kyle Busch’s legacy and The Bundle of Joy Fund throughout the weekend. DraftKings listed Hamlin as the betting favorite at plus-475, followed by Christopher Bell at plus-550, Joey Logano at plus-700 and Ryan Blaney at plus-750, with Dillon listed at plus-1200. The green flag is scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern on USA Network and the Motor Racing Network.