Saturday’s NASCAR schedule delivered a Cup Series night race at Richmond Raceway, the penultimate race of the 2025 regular season. While the regular-season champion is decided, the Cook Out 400 still had some major ramifications on who will make the postseason and what the playoff standings will look like in September.
Let’s dive into our winners and losers from Saturday’s NASCAR race at Richmond Raceway.
Winner: Austin Dillon Punches his Playoff Ticket
Austin Dillon did it again, and this time it will count. Entering the weekend 28th in the standings, Dillon’s only path to the playoffs was pulling off a miracle at Richmond. The No. 3 car made everyone at Richard Childress Racing proud, as Dillon undeniably had the best car on Saturday night, winning the penultimate race of the regular season—a well-earned victory for the No. 3 team.
Loser: Chris Buescher’s Playoff Hopes
The arrow started pointing up for Chris Buescher after his second-place finish at Watkins Glen. He earned 12th in the starting grid for the Cook Out 400 and Ryan Preece didn’t gain any ground on him after Stage 1. It was all downhill from there. The car, the strategy and everything else just weren’t right on Saturday night. Paired with Austin Dillon’s win, Buescher’s is essentially in must-win territory at Daytona.
Read More: 8 Big Changes NASCAR Should Make for the 2026 Season
Winner: Bubba Wallace’s Recent Dominance Continues
The stretch of dominance continues for Bubba Wallace, all while 23XI Racing operates as an open team. Heading into the Cook Out 400, Wallace held the highest average finishing position (5.5) among all drivers over the previous four races, and he kept that momentum going at Richmond. He finished second in Stage 1, then easily took home the win in Stage 2, securing the most stage points (19) and a playoff point. A tire on pit road ultimately put him at the back of the field on the final stage, but Wallace demonstrated that he had one of the best cars (123 laps led) on the night and he still ended it with a good points day.
Related: Bubba Wallace Responds to Critics
Loser: Chase Elliott’s Pit Mistake and Misfortune
Chase Elliott came into Saturday night fifth in the starting lineup, and the team’s strategy in Stage 1 positioned the No. 9 car to have an extra set of tires over the field. The team, however, never got a chance to take advantage of that strategy. Elliott received a pass-through penalty for driver interference after driving through Chase Briscoe’s pit box as the No. 19 was pulling in, but things got worse from there. Because the No. 9 car was a lap down, crew chief Alan Gustafson waited until after the free pass before bringing Elliott down pit lane. Minutes after returning to the track, Elliott got caught behind “the big one,” and just when it seemed like he had escaped the multi-car wreck, Kyle Busch came down into him and sent the No. 9 car smashing into the wall. It was Elliott’s first DNF of the season.
Read More: 8 Big Changes NASCAR Should Make for the 2026 Season
Winner: Joey Logano Overcoming a 38th-place Start
A right-front tire issue during practice carried over into qualifying, forcing Joey Logano to start from the back of the 38-car field at Richmond Raceway. Credit to the reigning Cup Series champion and the No. 22 team for working their way methodically to the front. While Logano didn’t win the Cook Out 400, working through the field delivered a massive points swing for him. Since he is still in contention for that 10th spot in the regular-season points leaderboard, those points matter. He ended the night with a top-5 finish.
Related: NASCAR Standings 2025
Loser: Kyle Busch Playing the Role of the Wrecking Ball
Kyle Busch is on the verge of two consecutive winless seasons. But he’s still playing the wrecking ball role. On Saturday night, Busch got into Chase Briscoe, which pushed the No. 19 into Kyle Larson and then Briscoe got spun. The No. 8 then drove into the driver’s side of Briscoe’s car and when Busch got past the carnage he played a significant role in causing, he inexplicably came down into Chase Elliott’s lane and hooked the No. 9 car into the wall. Busch survived all of it, fittingly, but he did nothing on Saturday night to improve his chances of making the playoffs.
Also Read: Latest NASCAR Rumors on 2026 Schedule, including Dates and Key Changes
Winner: Shane van Gisbergen’s Oval Improvement
In 2025, winning an oval race is not necessarily the primary goal for Shane van Gisbergen. What matters is that the 36-year-old Cup Series rookie continues to improve on ovals. Although he started 27th on Saturday night, van Gisbergen skillfully navigated his way into the top 16. He then found himself a lap down following a collision on pit road, but the No. 88 car battled back once again. His growing experience on ovals bodes well for 2026 and beyond, while also enhancing his chances of advancing to the Round of 8. A top-15 at Richmond, that’s a great outcome for SVG.
Related: Why Trackhouse Racing has a Very Bright Future
Loser: Carson Hocevar’s Pit Crew
Carson Hocevar had a chance to win the Cook Out 400. The No. 77 car certainly had the speed and ‘Hurricane Hocevar’ did an excellent job taking advantage of the team’s tire strategy when everything was going right. Unfortunately, the pit crew for the No. 77 team made two mistakes on its final two pit stops in the final stage. The inability to get the tire jack up the first time cost Hocevar valuable seconds, robbing him of a real opportunity to punch his playoff ticket.
Related: Carson Hocevar Reveals Odd Approach to Friendships with NASCAR Drivers
