NASCAR will return to racing this weekend after a two-week break. The Cup Series and the Craftsman Truck Series are set to hold events at the Richmond Raceway. Only a mere number of days await the end of the regular season which makes this coming schedule a crucial one. Here’s a breakdown of when the particular sessions of the summer weekend will play out.
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The Cup Series field will be kicking things off with practice at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 10. Qualifying will follow at 5:35 p.m. with the main race scheduled for the next day. The Cook Out 400 will start exactly at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 11. It can be caught live on the USA Network, NBC Sports, MRN, and SiriusXM.
The Truck Series field will not wait till Sunday to be done with its job. Practice is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Qualifying will fall at 3:00 p.m., following which the main race will start at 7:30 p.m. 23-year-old driver Christian Eckes is the current points leader in the third tier and will be hoping to extend his lead through the race. Tricon Garage’s Corey Heim is close at his heels with a 50-point deficit.
Up and above in the Cup Series, the intensity of the battle will be much higher. Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott battle for the regular season champion title along with Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin. The four stars are closely knit by points and will be hoping to edge each other out at Richmond. Hopes are that the contest will end up being as interesting as it was last time out.
Hamlin won the first race at Richmond back in April. The cost of his victory was the downfall of his teammate Martin Truex Jr. The No. 19 driver had been poised to win until Hamlin allegedly jumped a late restart and got an unfair advantage over him. He knocked into the back of Hamlin’s car repeatedly in frustration after crossing the checkered flag and leading 228 laps of the 407 laps that were raced.
Truex Jr.’s need to get a good result in this round is all the more crucial considering that his playoff spot isn’t guaranteed yet. He does have a healthy points cushion but only a victory can make sure that he gets through. He has won the track thrice in his career and will be gunning to post another one before retiring at the end of the season.
