This week, it’s off to Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Take note, this is a Saturday night race, so make sure to get those bets placed early! The .75-mile D-shaped oval has been hosting NASCAR Cup Series races since 1953, and has had at least one date each year since 1958. This year, it’s back down to the single date as the spring race was moved elsewhere. Let’s jump in and take a look at this week’s NASCAR picks, odds, and best bets for the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.
Richmond is the second-to-last race of the regular season. Next week’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona is the regular season finale. All winners in the regular season are now completely locked into the playoffs via Shane Van Gisbergen’s win at Watkins Glen last week. That win ensures there won’t be more than 15 regular-season winners. That also means at least one driver will get in on points, with up to three making it on points if there are no new winners in these final two races. The points race between Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, and Ryan Preece for those last 1-3 spots will be intense over the next two weeks.
Odds to Win Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway
Denny Hamlin +380
Christopher Bell +430
Kyle Larson +900
William Byron +1000
Joey Logano +1000
Chase Elliott +1400
Chase Briscoe +1600
Ryan Blaney +1600
Brad Keselowski +1700
Tyler Reddick +2500
Chris Buescher +2700
Ross Chastain +2700
Josh Berry +2700
Kyle Busch +3000
Alex Bowman -3500
Bubba Wallace +3500
Carson Hocevar +4500
Austin Dillon +4500
Ryan Preece +5000
Ty Gibbs +5000
Corey Heim +7500
Austin Cindric +10000
Daniel Suarez +10000
Erik Jones +15000
John Hunter Nemechek +17500
Michael McDowell +25090
Noah Gragson +25000
Shane Van Gisbergen +30000
AJ Allmendinger +35000
Todd Gilliland +35000
Jesse Love +35000
Zane Smith +35000
Riley Herbst +50000
Justin Haley +50000
Cody Ware +50000
Cole Custer +50000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +50000
Ty Dillon +50000
NASCAR Picks: Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway Odds and Best Bets
Denny Hamlin Top 3 Finish (+130)
Denny Hamlin has a great relationship with Richmond Raceway. He boasts the best average finish of all active drivers in the NextGen era (5.0). He’s finished top two in the last three visits here. And in six of the last eight races here, he’s scored a first or second-place finish. In 15 of his last 18 starts at Richmond, he’s come home sixth or better. He’s also insanely hot right now on traditional “ovals” (non-road course or drafting tracks). Outside of a 25th-place day at Iowa, where he struggled last year, he’s on a run of third at Indianapolis, first at Dover, second at Pocono, first at Michigan, and third at Nashville. That’s a top-three finish in five of the last six traditional ovals. Hamlin is the hottest driver in the sport, and all he has to do is something he’s done 16 times before here.
Chase Briscoe Top 5 (+130)
Hamlin’s teammate, Briscoe, has been a cash cow for NASCAR bettors lately. His last lap pass for a fifth-place finish last week at Watkins Glen endeared us even more to him. If Hamlin’s the hottest driver, Briscoe is right on his heels. He’s riding four top-five finishes in the last five races. Over the last 14 races, he’s been top five in seven of them. Briscoe has a decent record at this track, but it’s hard to lean on that when his car is exponentially better now than it was at Stewart-Haas Racing.
Briscoe has proven to be good at the same tracks Martin Truex Jr was good at, a nod to James Small and company for having great notes at those tracks. Truex had engine troubles here last fall, but throwing that out, he finished top 11 in the previous 11 races at Richmond. Hot streak, plus good car, plus this car being good here in the past. Put it all together and keep rolling with Briscoe.
Brad Keselowski Over Tyler Reddick (-130)
The matchup market has a thin margin early on this week. This matchup pops off the board to me as a no-brainer, even at a -130 number. Reddick may be the defending regular-season champion, but his 2025 hasn’t looked nearly as good. Going back to that traditional oval look, it’s been rough for Reddick. He finished 19th at Iowa, 29th at Indianapolis, 12th at Dover, 32nd at Pocono, 13th at Michigan, 9th at Nashville, and 26th at Charlotte. That’s going all the way back to the All-Star beak. He was no better than 18th in the four races prior to the break, either.
For Keselowski, who was the fastest car at the comparison track of Iowa, he’s racked up strong finishes of third there, fifth at Indianapolis, 10th at Dover, ninth at Pocono, and 10th at Michigan. Before that, his season was tough, but once they got things figured out, they’ve been clicking as a team. That’s five traditional ovals in a row for Keselowski over Reddick.
Joe Gibbs Winning Race Team (+120)
Joe Gibbs Racing has won seven of the 13 races at this track. Their top three drivers are all in great form currently. Denny Hamlin, as pointed out above, has been great here. Christopher Bell is the next favorite on the board as the “short flat track” specialist in the series, and he’s coming off a second-place run at Watkins Glen. Briscoe, again as noted above, has been on fire down the stretch of the regular season and steps into a car that’s been great here. Ty Gibbs had had a rough few weeks, but adding him into this mix feels well; his first win isn’t far away. This team has been the best top to bottom in the series, especially on ovals lately. So give me all four of them in the same to-win bet.
