Dillon Dominates at Cook Out 400, Seals Playoff Spot
Richmond, VA – Austin Dillon drove his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to victory in the Cook Out 400, marking his sixth career win in the NASCAR Cup Series. Dillon led a total of 107 laps, including the final 49, to secure an automatic berth in the 2025 Playoff field. This victory represents a significant turnaround after being ruled ineligible for the Playoffs last year due to penalties incurred during the final laps at Richmond.
Dillon’s commanding performance propelled him from 25th to 16th in the championship standings. "Man, that feels good; got to thank the good Lord above," Dillon remarked, finishing 2.471 seconds ahead of Playoff contender Alex Bowman.
Bowman, who currently occupies the last Playoff transfer position, expressed frustration with lapped traffic that hampered his efforts to close the gap on Dillon. “I certainly think we had the better car,” he said post-race.
William Byron, with a 12th-place finish, clinched the regular-season championship, overcoming a mid-race crash that collected multiple cars. "Feels great. Really the best 12th-place finish I’ve ever had," he commented, acknowledging the team’s resilience.
In the top five, Ryan Blaney finished third for Team Penske, marking his first career top-five at Richmond. Joining him were defending series champion Joey Logano in fourth and Austin Cindric in fifth.
Notably, Bubba Wallace led a race-high 123 laps but finished 28th following a pit road issue. Chase Elliott, a key contender for the championship, suffered his first DNF of the season after being involved in the multi-car accident, finishing 38th.
The NASCAR Cup Series will continue next Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero Sugar 400, with Harrison Burton as the defending winner.
Race Results
- Austin Dillon
- Alex Bowman
- Ryan Blaney
- Joey Logano
- Austin Cindric
- William Byron
- Kyle Larson
- Daniel Suarez
- Josh Berry
- Brad Keselowski
Next Event
Daytona International Speedway
Coke Zero Sugar 400
Date & Time: Saturday, August 26, 7:30 p.m. ET
Broadcast: NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
