Information By: TAYLOR SMITH / TEAM PENSKE – RICHMOND, VA
Cook Out 400: Richmond Raceway
Richmond, VA – August 10, 2024
NASCAR TRACKS – RICHMOND RACEWAY – NASCAR 101
After a two-week break, NASCAR Cup Series teams and drivers are back in action at Richmond Raceway, where a new competition element will debut. For the first time in a points-paying race, teams can choose between two Goodyear tire options: the “Prime” tire, with a harder compound offering less grip but more durability, and the “Option” tire, which has a softer compound for better short-term grip and speed but reduced longevity. The “Prime” tire will be marked with yellow sidewall lettering, while the “Option” tire will feature red lettering. This adjustment is expected to introduce a new level of strategy to the race as just four races remain in the regular season before the Cup Series Playoffs begin at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
- Joey Logano, driver, No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – 9th
- Ryan Blaney, driver, No. 12 BODYARMOR SportWater Ford Mustang – 11th
- Austin Cindric, driver, No. 2 Menards/Libman Ford Mustang – 18th
HEAR FROM LOGANO: “I feel like we got a decent read on it but eager to find out the balance change and overall lap times that you’re looking for to try to create a strategy for tomorrow, then the adjustments you need to make sure your car is balanced to take advantage of the softer tire. It’s definitely different – [the option tire] fires off faster and it falls off harder. That’s kind of what I was looking for. It’s going to change the strategy a lot. It’s definitely going to be different from the racing we’ve seen.”
RICHMOND BY THE NUMBERS: Team Penske owns nine Cup Series victories at Richmond Raceway over 144 starts, with the most recent win being scored in 2020 by former Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski. Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Ford Mustang, has amassed two wins at the Virginia short track in 30 career starts and has recorded an impressive 14 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes, netting him an average finish of 9.7. Driver of the No. 2, Austin Cindric, has a best finish of 12th in six premier series starts at the Richmond venue. Teammate Ryan Blaney, pilot of the No. 12 Ford Mustang, has scored three top-10 results with a best finish of seventh.
TUNE IN ON SUNDAY: Coverage of Sunday’s 300-mile race at Richmond begins at 6:00 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.