# 2023 Cook Out 400

The 2023 Cook Out 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on July 30, 2023, at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Contested over 400 laps on the .75-mile (1.21 km) D-shaped short track, it was the 22nd race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

## Report
### Background

Richmond Raceway (RR), formerly known as Richmond International Raceway (RIR), is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia, in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the IndyCar series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted two USAC sprint car races.

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes the driver ineligible for series driver points.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Noah Gragson (R) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Ryan Newman | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice

William Byron was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 23.057 seconds and a speed of 117.101 mph (188.456 km/h).

### Practice results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.057 | 117.101 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.203 | 116.364 |
| 3 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 23.249 | 116.134 |
| Official practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Tyler Reddick scored the pole for the race with a time 23.749 of and a speed of 113.689 mph (182.965 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 23.588 | 23.749 |
| 2 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.610 | 23.760 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 23.559 | 23.781 |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.881 | 23.788 |
| 5 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 23.862 | 23.815 |
| 6 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.666 | 23.816 |
| 7 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 23.538 | 23.819 |
| 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 23.359 | 23.842 |
| 9 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 23.825 | 23.927 |
| 10 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 23.433 | 23.974 |
| 11 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 23.641 | — |
| 12 | 42 | Noah Gragson (R) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 23.697 | — |
| 13 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 23.712 | — |
| 14 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.713 | — |
| 15 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.724 | — |
| 16 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 23.731 | — |
| 17 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.735 | — |
| 18 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 23.798 | — |
| 19 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 23.857 | — |
| 20 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 23.857 | — |
| 21 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.919 | — |
| 22 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 23.951 | — |
| 23 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 23.974 | — |
| 24 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 23.978 | — |
| 25 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 24.008 | — |
| 26 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 24.083 | — |
| 27 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 24.088 | — |
| 28 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 24.093 | — |
| 29 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 24.117 | — |
| 30 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 24.125 | — |
| 31 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.192 | — |
| 32 | 51 | Ryan Newman | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 24.207 | — |
| 33 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 24.264 | — |
| 34 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.281 | — |
| 35 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 24.297 | — |
| 36 | 16 | Derek Kraus (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 24.634 | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race
### Race results
#### Stage results

Stage One Laps: 70
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 160
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage results

Stage Three Laps: 170
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 26 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 400 | 49 |
| 2 | 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 400 | 49 |
| 3 | 2 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 39 |
| 4 | 23 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 400 | 34 |
| 5 | 11 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 400 | 41 |
| 6 | 13 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 400 | 44 |
| 7 | 10 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 400 | 33 |
| 8 | 24 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 400 | 31 |
| 9 | 17 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 28 |
| 10 | 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 400 | 33 |
| 11 | 20 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 400 | 26 |
| 12 | 5 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 400 | 41 |
| 13 | 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 31 |
| 14 | 25 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 400 | 23 |
| 15 | 7 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 400 | 25 |
| 16 | 1 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 400 | 39 |
| 17 | 9 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 20 |
| 18 | 15 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 19 |
| 19 | 14 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 18 |
| 20 | 29 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 399 | 17 |
| 21 | 6 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 20 |
| 22 | 18 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 399 | 15 |
| 23 | 27 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 399 | 14 |
| 24 | 19 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 399 | 13 |
| 25 | 16 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 399 | 12 |
| 26 | 30 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 399 | 11 |
| 27 | 36 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 399 | 10 |
| 28 | 12 | 42 | Noah Gragson (R) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 398 | 9 |
| 29 | 32 | 51 | Ryan Newman | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 398 | 8 |
| 30 | 28 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 398 | 7 |
| 31 | 22 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 397 | 6 |
| 32 | 31 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 397 | 5 |
| 33 | 33 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 396 | 4 |
| 34 | 34 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 396 | 3 |
| 35 | 35 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 396 | 0 |
| 36 | 21 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 395 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 18 among 8 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 3 for 21 laps
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 3 hours, 2 minutes, and 13 seconds
* Average speed: 98.783 miles per hour (158.976 km/h)

## Media
### Television

USA covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and three-time Richmond winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Dillon Welch handled the pit road duties from pit lane.
USA :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dave Burns Marty Snider Dillon Welch |

### Radio

The Motor Racing Network had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Todd Gordon called the race from the broadcast booth for MRN when the field races through the front straightaway. Dave Moody called the race from a platform when the field races down the backstraightaway. Jacklyn Drake, Kim Coon and Winston Kelley called the action for MRN from pit lane.
MRN Radio :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Todd Gordon | Backstretch: Dave Moody | Jacklyn Drake Kim Coon Winston Kelley |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 744 |
| 1 | 2 | Denny Hamlin | 705 (–39) |
| 1 | 3 | William Byron | 701 (–43) |
| | 4 | Christopher Bell | 653 (–91) |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Busch | 648 (–96) |
| 2 | 6 | Kevin Harvick | 634 (–110) |
| 2 | 7 | Ross Chastain | 626 (–118) |
| 1 | 8 | Kyle Larson | 619 (–125) |
| | 9 | Ryan Blaney | 614 (–130) |
| | 10 | Joey Logano | 609 (–135) |
| 1 | 11 | Brad Keselowski | 603 (–141) |
| 1 | 12 | Tyler Reddick | 602 (–142) |
| | 13 | Chris Buescher | 598 (–146) |
| | 14 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 514 (–230) |
| | 15 | Bubba Wallace | 506 (–238) |
| | 16 | Michael McDowell | 470 (–274) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 820 |
| 2 | Toyota | 764 (–56) |
| 3 | Ford | 744 (–76) |