Austin Dillon Drives to Dominant Victory at Richmond Raceway

Austin Dillon was all smiles after capturing his second consecutive Cook Out 400 win at Richmond Raceway. (Photo: Daniel Rankin | The Podium Finish)

RICHMOND, Va. — A year after controversy clouded his victory at Richmond Raceway , Austin Dillon returned to the 0.75-mile short track and left no doubts under the Saturday night lights.

Dillon drove from his 11th-place starting position to the front, led 107 laps on five separate occasions, and captured his second straight Cook Out 400 victory in front of a sellout crowd. This time, the win came cleanly and with added resilience, as the Richard Childress Racing driver revealed afterward that he’s been competing with a broken rib.

“Man, that feels good,” Dillon said. “Got to thank the good Lord above. I really wanted that one. Last year hurt really bad, just going through the whole process of it. But this one feels so sweet. Man, I love Richmond.

“Our No. 3 Winchester/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet was really good. I didn’t feel great this week. I’ve actually been racing with a broken rib right now for the last two weeks. But man, that was awesome.”

The victory secured Dillon a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, adding to his growing resume at the Virginia short track where tire management, strategy and patience are often the keys to success.

Dillon’s Richmond triumph last August came with questions after post-race scrutiny centered on restarts and contact late in the event. That win was upheld, but the discourse overshadowed his celebration. This time, Dillon insisted the emotions were different.

“Oh, for sure,” he said. “God has timing. His timing is the best timing. So excited to get my wife and kids here to celebrate with us.

“Man, it’s so sweet. My dad prayed with me before the race. He was at our hunting land doing some food plots. It’s just so special. Every one of these means so much to me. My grandfather, for all that he’s put up in believing in me because there’s been a lot of ups and downs. It could have been easy for him to change the drivers in this No. 3 car. Today, it feels really darn good.”

Dillon credited the style of racing Richmond requires, long green-flag stretches, heavy tire wear and methodical pace, as a natural fit for his driving style.

Austin Dillon, with his grandfather, Richard Childress, celebrate their victory in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. (Photo: Daniel Rankin | The Podium Finish)

“Tire management,” Dillon explained. “I’m probably the slowest to get going on some of these tracks when it really comes to high grip. But when it comes to these places and taking care of your stuff, I’ll go against the best of them.”

With his grandfather Richard Childress watching, Dillon also recognized the weight of what the win meant for the entire RCR organization.

“We really love it,” Dillon said. “Welcome, North Carolina, when you cross those railroad tracks, it’s all for one and one for all. Really pumped to be driving for my grandfather and my family.”

Bowman Takes Richmond Runner-Up

Behind Dillon, Alex Bowman mounted a late charge but fell just short in his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet. Starting ninth, Bowman slid to 17th by the end of Stage 1 before rebounding to fifth in Stage 2. In the final stage, adjustments by crew chief Blake Harris gave Bowman a car capable of challenging Dillon, but traffic and tire wear prevented a pass for the lead.

“A couple favors,” Bowman said of what he needed in the closing laps. “I sure complained about it on the radio, but that’s just part of what we do.

“We had a really good No. 48 Ally Chevrolet in the last run, just broke the tires off too much in lap traffic. We didn’t get any breaks and that made me kind of work the rears harder than I needed to. We just needed to be a little better through there to get to him [Dillon, race winner]. I certainly think we had the better car, but unfortunately, we didn’t get there. Blake [Harris, crew chief] and all the guys did a great job. Just came up a little bit short.”

The runner-up finish kept Bowman 60 points above the playoff cutline heading into the regular season finale next weekend at Daytona International Speedway. Though he still sits on the bubble, Bowman’s performance at Richmond represented his strongest showing in months.

Blaney Captures Podium Finish

Ryan Blaney (No. 12) battled with Austin Dillon (No. 3) late for the Cook Out 400 victory at Richmond Raceway. (Photo: Daniel Rankin | The Podium Finish)

Ryan Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion, settled for third after appearing poised to challenge Dillon in the closing laps. On a strategy call, Blaney’s No. 12 BodyArmor Ford pitted later than Dillon’s Chevrolet, giving him four fresher tires for the run to the finish. On paper, the move seemed like the winning play. On track, however, Blaney’s tires fell off suddenly, erasing his advantage.

“Yeah, me too,” Blaney said when asked if he expected to run Dillon down. “Overall, honestly, it was a really good night and a really good weekend. We got better all night and led some laps. I thought we were in a great position to try to contend for it.

“I thought running long was the play there because he came up there and passed me. So we were like, let’s try and have a handful of fresher tires. I was trying to be really disciplined when I got back on the racetrack of like, ‘let the tires do their thing and maybe I’ll get to him at the end of this run.’ I don’t know. They just fell off a cliff really hard. It kind of surprised me a little bit, but, overall, a good night.

“I wish we could have been closer. It’s unfortunate that our worst run of the race was our last run, but I don’t really know what we could have done different. It was just one of those odd things, but, overall, a really good finish and a good showing. We work really hard at this place, so hopefully we learned some stuff going forward.”

From the drop of the green flag, Dillon showed strength. He quickly moved from 11th into the top 10 and remained there throughout the night. He scored fourth-place finishes in both Stage 1 and Stage 2, using consistent pace and strong pit work to stay in contention.

The pivotal moment came in the final stage when Dillon’s crew elected to pit early and undercut the leaders. That call, combined with Dillon’s ability to manage his tires over the long run, allowed him to cycle to the lead. From there, he controlled the pace, withstanding challenges from both Blaney and Bowman.

Dillon led 107 laps, the most of any driver, underscoring his dominance in a race that saw multiple strategies unfold and several playoff hopefuls press for points.

Playoff Picture Tightens

Austin Dillon captured the Cook Out 400 victory at Richmond Raceway. (Photo: Daniel Rankin | The Podium Finish)

Dillon’s win altered the playoff landscape, bumping another driver below the cutline and turning next weekend’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway into a must-watch elimination race. With Dillon locked in, Tyler Reddick and Bowman find themselves near the bubble. Daytona’s history of surprise winners looms large, meaning nothing is guaranteed until the checkered flag falls.

For Dillon, though, Richmond represented relief and redemption. He became just the sixth driver in track history to win consecutive Cup Series races at Richmond and the first since Martin Truex Jr. in 2019.

And this time, the spotlight was solely on his performance, not controversy.

“Every one of these means so much to me,” Dillon said. “My grandfather, for all that he’s put up in believing in me … today, it feels really darn good.”

Stage 1 Top 10 Finishers

1. Tyler Reddick
2. Bubba Wallace
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Austin Dillon
5. Austin Cindric
6. Christopher Bell
7. Ryan Blaney
8. Brad Keselowski
9. Josh Berry
10. Daniel Suárez

Stage 2 Top 10 Finishers

1. Bubba Wallace
2. Daniel Suárez
3. Ryan Blaney
4. Austin Dillon
5. Alex Bowman
6. Ryan Preece
7. Carson Hocevar
8. Austin Cindric
9. William Byron
10. Kyle Larson

Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway Race Results

Austin Dillon hoists the Commonwealth of Virginia trophy after winning the 2025 Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. (Photo: Daniel Rankin | The Podium Finish)