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NASCAR Cup Series Fans Respond To Austin Dillon’s Shocking Cook Out 400 Victory At Richmond Raceway

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
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NASCAR Cup Series Fans Respond To Austin Dillon’s Shocking Cook Out 400 Victory At Richmond Raceway

Two wins at Richmond Raceway in one year ended with radically different outcomes.

In 2024, Austin Dillon earned the win by wrecking two machines on the final lap. NASCAR Cup Series officials later ruled Dillon’s win would stand, but his playoff eligibility was revoked.

In 2025, there is no doubt about the No. 3 Chevrolet team’s postseason status. Dillon captured the Cook Out 400 on Saturday night. Cleanly.

“It feels good,” Dillon told USA. “I really wanted that one. Last year hurt really bad. Going through the whole process of it, but this one feels so sweet.”

Displaying grit, Dillon has been competing with broken ribs the past few weeks. He entered the weekend ranked No. 28 in the playoff standings, 212 points behind the cutoff mark.

The sold-out crowd at the iconic three-quarter-mile oval witnessed a racing spectacle. With 23 laps remaining and Dillon beginning to take command, the event featured 24 lead changes among 11 pilots.

X (Twitter) users responded to the racing getting hotter when the sun went down …

A call from the youth of America …

Going green at Richmond …

Along Turns 3 and 4, Tyler Reddick passed pole-sitter Ryan Preece, who led the initial 59 laps, and was followed by Denny Hamlin, who struck the backstretch wall, but maintained control …

With the only lead change through 70 caution-free laps, Reddick earns a Stage 1 victory Saturday night …

Daniel Suarez’s bump turned Ty Gibbs’ machine into Reddick along Turn 4. The No. 45 Toyota was definitely in the wrong place at the worst time …

The race’s third caution period was a doozy along Turn 3 on Lap 198. Beginning with Kyle Busch turning Chase Briscoe from P11, the incident triggered a multi-machine mashup, engulfing Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, Justin Haley, Hamlin, Briscoe, William Byron, Todd Gilliland, Cole Custer and Erik Jones. After the crash, Busch took out Chase Elliott along Turn 4, forcing him into Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. Was this Daytona? …

Bubba Wallace clinched his first career short track stage win as Suarez placed second …

Dillon played the Stage 3 daily double …

Is Wallace buying? …

Dillon versus Ryan Blaney, the 2023 circuit champion …

Dillon dedicated his sixth career-winning burnout to his grandfather, team owner Richard Childress. The grandson led 107 of 400 laps and won by 2.471 seconds over Alex Bowman as Blaney faded to P3.

Grandpa love …

With one regular-season race remaining, William Byron clinched the drivers’ regular-season championship …

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  
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