Overview
- Friday’s single-car, two-lap qualifying produced a fastest lap of 22.225 seconds (121.485 mph) for Ryan Blaney, his fourth pole of the 2026 season and his fourth No. 1 start in the last five races.
- The official 37-car grid places Chase Briscoe second, Josh Berry third, Ty Gibbs fourth and William Byron fifth, setting the early track-position order for tonight’s 400-lap Cook Out 400.
- All 37 entrants who attempted qualifying made the race, with the field set under NASCAR timing and scoring after Friday’s runs.
- The Cook Out 400 is scheduled for tonight, Aug. 15, at Richmond Raceway with a roughly 7:00 p.m. ET green flag and national coverage on USA Network plus streaming and in-car feeds on HBO Max.
- With three regular-season races left, Austin Cindric holds a 29-point cushion over Ryan Preece for the final Chase spot and Richmond’s short-track emphasis on track position and pit calls could influence who clinches a postseason berth.