Austin Dillon Wins the Cook Out 400, and This Time He Gets to Keep it

Photo by: Chris Graythen - Getty Images

Second verse, same as the first. A little bit louder and a little bit… less controversy.

Ryan Preece grabbed pole for the 2025 Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway and looked strong in the early going, but as the race unfolded, tire wear was the storyline, and the strategy. 

The ultra-soft Goodyear rubber was laying down fast laps but shedding grip in equal measure, setting the stage for a strategic chess match across the field.

As different teams chose diverging paths for tire changes, the race became that much more compelling. Amid all the strategy, Austin Dillon’s No. 3 car remained a constant presence at the top half of the field. 

When Tyler Reddick—who had shown to be one of, if not the best car—crashed, Dillon slid into his place.

Drama exploded late in Stage 2. Kyle Busch shoved Chase Briscoe into the backstretch wall entering Turn 3, spinning him out in front of onrushing traffic. 

The ensuing melee engulfed nearly 16 cars, including Denny Hamlin and William Byron, weaving through the chaos in the middle of the pack. In the destruction, Kyle Busch, slicing through the crash, clipped Chase Elliott in the right rear, sending Elliott head-on into the wall in a brutal impact that ended his night. 

Both Justin Haley and Chase Elliott were forced to retire as a result of the incident.

Amid the wreckage, Bubba Wallace grabbed the Stage 2 win. He looked incredible as the night went on, but crucial error by his pit crew took away any opportunity to contend for the victory. Wallace’s left-front tire came off around Lap 300 during pit stops, forcing him to stop in Chase Bricoe’s pit box to tighten the wheel.

Coming into Stage 3, strategy was king. Carson Hocevar gambled on a three-stop strategy, a bold attempt by a driver teetering on the playoff bubble to shake things up.

 Meanwhile, Austin Dillon and Ryan Blaney traded the top spot on older tires, while lapped cars went around on fresher rubber. The two went door-to-door for the lead until Dillon used a lapped car to gain control of the race. Then, Dillon’s team  immediately pitted for fresh tires. Blaney followed suit a few laps later—but that short delay cost him dearly in track position.

Hocevar’s bold strategy unraveled when his team botched the pit stop execution, losing precious time and fading from contention.

Austin Dillon held off the field from that point on, powering to the checkered flag and becoming the first driver to win back-to-back Cook Out 400s since Denny Hamlin in 2009–2010. 

Dillon’s victory is clear redemption from the previous year’s controversial win that saw him disqualified from the playoffs.

William Byron, who finished 12th, had his own achievements to celebrate, clinching the Regular Season Championship, locking in the No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs.

Austin Dillon’s second straight Richmond triumph punched his ticket into the 16-car playoff field and marked his sixth career win. A 2.471-second margin over Alex Bowman showed just how strong his performance was. 

This race really had it all: massive amounts of tire wear, compelling strategy, a lot of passing, and massive crashes. It was a showcase of what Cup Series short-track racing should look like.

Austin Dillon, as he seems to always do, stood in victory lane once again towards the end of the regular season, playoff berth secured. William Byron, who started the season off so strong by winning the Daytona 500, locks up the regular-season champion title one race early. 

A field electrified by strategy, grit, and redemption—this Cook Out 400 had little bit of everything.

Just one week left until we let the playoffs begin.