Cook Out 400 odds open race week with Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin sharing the top of the board at +450 apiece, as the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Richmond Raceway on Saturday, August 15, 2026. This is race 24 of the 26-race regular season, and 37 cars are entered for the 300-mile short-track event. Here is how the board is shaped, from the co-favorites down to the long end.
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 12, 2026
2026 Cook Out 400 — Time & How to Watch
| Where | Richmond Raceway, Richmond, VA |
| When | Saturday, August 15 – 7:00 PM ET |
| TV | USA Network |
2026 Cook Out 400 Betting Preview
Richmond is a 0.75-mile D-shaped asphalt oval, and the Cook Out 400 runs 400 laps for 300 miles. Stage one ends on lap 70 and stage two on lap 230, leaving a 170-lap final stage. That format matters to the market. A long closing stage rewards tire management and track position over single-lap speed, and passing is difficult once cars spread out.
The board reflects that. Austin Dillon sits third-shortest at +700 despite running 10th at Iowa and sitting outside the Chase cutline. The reason is straightforward: Dillon has won this race in each of the last two years, taking Richmond back to back in 2024 and 2025.
The wider storyline is the closing regular season. Denny Hamlin leads the standings with 923 points, 103 clear of Ty Gibbs, who held off Christopher Bell to win at Iowa. Behind them the cutline fight is tight. Austin Cindric holds the final Chase spot by 29 points over Ryan Preece, with 68 points covering positions 15 through 20 and three races left. That pressure shapes the board as much as track history does.
2026 Cook Out 400 — Top Odds to Win
| Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| Christopher Bell | +450 |
| Denny Hamlin | +450 |
| Austin Dillon | +700 |
| Ryan Blaney | +750 |
| Joey Logano | +900 |
| Ty Gibbs | +1000 |
| Kyle Larson | +1100 |
| Bubba Wallace | +1800 |
| Chase Briscoe | +1800 |
| William Byron | +1800 |
Odds accurate as of Wednesday, August 12, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NASCAR Odds – Props
2026 NASCAR Cook Out 400 Odds Favorites: Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin
The market could not separate the two Joe Gibbs Racing entries. Bell and Hamlin are both +450, and no other driver is shorter than +700.
Hamlin owns the resume. He has five Cup wins at Richmond, his home-state track, plus four wins in 2026. He finished fifth at Iowa after brake trouble forced him to start from the rear. The case against the price is real, though. He has not won at Richmond since 2024, Dillon has taken the last two, and Hamlin is already locked into the Chase, which removes the urgency several rivals are carrying.
Bell is the more interesting price. He sits sixth in points and has finished second seven times in 2026, four of those in the last five races. He was runner-up again at Iowa and is still winless. The board is pricing speed and consistency, and Bell has both. What he has not shown this season is the closing move, which is the vulnerability in a +450 number.
Behind them, Ryan Blaney is +750 after leading a race-high 129 laps at Iowa and finishing third. Joey Logano is +900, winless but a two-time Richmond winner, and Ty Gibbs is +1000 off the Iowa win.
2026 Cook Out 400 Mid-Board Contenders
The middle of this 37-car board runs from roughly +1800 out past +6000. It is where drivers with real equipment sit at long prices because 2026 results have not backed the machinery, as our Iowa Corn 350 odds breakdown showed a week ago.
William Byron (+1800) is the clearest example. He is winless in 2026, ending a run of six straight years with at least one victory. He has five top fives and nine top 10s and sits 11th in points. The market is not questioning his car. It is discounting a season without a closing kick.
Chase Elliott (+2200) has two wins this year, at Martinsville and Texas, and sits seventh in the standings. However, he has not put together a big scoring day since the Texas win. That is why a two-time 2026 winner sits outside the top 10 on the board.
Carson Hocevar (+3300) is eighth in points on the strength of his Talladega win. Superspeedway form does not translate cleanly to a 0.75-mile oval, so the price reflects that gap rather than doubt about his season.
Brad Keselowski (+3500) and Ryan Preece (+6600) are the pressure cases. Keselowski is a two-time Richmond winner sitting 19th in points, outside the cutline. Preece is 17th, 29 points behind Cindric. Neither price is built on recent form; both reflect track fit and a spot where a win solves everything.
2026 NASCAR Cook Out 400 Long Shots on the Board
The long end starts around +10000 and runs out to +250000.
Shane van Gisbergen (+10000) sits at the front of that group. He has two wins in 2026, at Watkins Glen and Sonoma, and is 15th in points. Both came on road courses, which is exactly why the market pushes him out this far for a short track.
Connor Zilisch (+20000) is the youngest driver in the field at 20, running the No. 88 for Trackhouse Racing in his first full Cup season, and rookie pricing at a track that punishes traffic mistakes is standard.
AJ Allmendinger (+25000) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+35000) form the veteran tier of the long end. Both have won Cup races, and both are priced on 2026 results rather than career ability. Two entries also sit outside the points picture entirely: Austin Hill in the No. 33 and Josh Bilicki in the No. 66 are listed as ineligible for championship points. Bilicki is the lone open entry at +250000.
2026 Cook Out 400 Odds – Final Thoughts and Race Outlook
The shape of this board is unusual for a short track: two co-favorites at +450, a back-to-back defending winner at +700, then a long flat middle from +1800 to +8000. The market sees no clear separation past the Joe Gibbs Racing pair.
Qualifying runs Friday, and starting position matters more here than at most tracks on the schedule. Expect prices to move once the grid is set, particularly for mid-board names who need track position to convert. The other variable is the cutline. With three races left and 68 points covering six drivers around the cut, the final stage may be shaped by playoff math as much as by the win.
NASCAR Cook Out 400 FAQ: Saturday August 15, 2026
Who is the favorite to win the Cook Out 400?
Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin are co-favorites at +450 each, with no other driver shorter than +700. Both drive for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin leads the Cup standings with 923 points and has five career Richmond wins, while Bell sits sixth in points and is winless in 2026.
What time does the Cook Out 400 start?
The 2026 Cook Out 400 is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026, with the green flag at 7:00 p.m. ET at Richmond Raceway. Coverage airs on USA Network, with Cup Series practice and qualifying set for Friday, August 14.
How many laps is the Cook Out 400?
The Cook Out 400 runs 400 laps around the 0.75-mile Richmond Raceway oval, a total race distance of 300 miles. The race is split into three stages, with stage one ending on lap 70 and stage two ending on lap 230.
Where is the Cook Out 400 being held?
The Cook Out 400 is held at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. The track is a 0.75-mile D-shaped asphalt oval, classified as a short track. It is race 24 of the 26-race 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season.
Who won the Cook Out 400 last year?
Austin Dillon won the 2025 Cook Out 400 at Richmond, his second consecutive victory at the track. He returns in the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and is third-shortest on the 2026 board at +700.
What are the odds to win the Cook Out 400?
Current Cook Out 400 odds run from +450 on co-favorites Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin out to +250000 on the longest entries. Austin Dillon is +700, Ryan Blaney +750 and Joey Logano +900 in a 37-car field.