Cook Out 400 Predictions & Odds 2026: NASCAR Picks, Props, Best Bets at Richmond

Following a fun race at Iowa, the NASCAR Cup Series comes back east for another short-track race at Richmond on Saturday night. Let's get right into my NASCAR predictions at Richmond for the 2026 Cook Out 400.

The action is scheduled to get underway on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 7 p.m. ET (USA Network, HBO Max) from the Richmond Raceway. Qualifying is slated for Friday, Aug. 14, at 3:30 p.m. ET (truTV).

📈 NASCAR odds at Richmond: Cook Out 400

Latest NASCAR odds at BetMGM as of Friday, Aug. 14; subject to change.

💡 How to bet NASCAR at Richmond Raceway

The Cup Series is embarking on a short-track swing to end the regular season. Richmond Raceway is a 0.75-mile flat oval, slightly smaller and slower than Iowa, but certainly comparable. I recommend looking at Iowa, Martinsville, and North Wilkesboro to handicap this race–all those venues are less than a mile in length, and none of them have particularly steep banking.

While the short, flat ovals were Team Penske’s playground for a few years, the Toyotas have caught up to an extent, with Ty Gibbs besting Ryan Blaney at Iowa and Denny Hamlin keeping pace with Joey Logano at North Wilkesboro. Across the three comparator events, the Team Penske Fords have six of the 15 possible top-5 performances by average green-flag speed. Toyota has seven. Chevrolet has just two.

🏆 Best bet to win Cook Out 400

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske (No. 12)

• Ryan Blaney to win: +800 via DraftKings (0.4u)
• Ryan Blaney top Ford: +165 via DraftKings (0.6u)

Blaney posted the best average green-flag speed at Iowa, but he couldn’t come up with the win. The performance continued Blaney’s streak of ranking inside the top 10 by the metric at short, flat ovals – he has ranked no worse than seventh across the four events (including Phoenix).

The consistency with which the No. 12 team brings pace to short, flat ovals basically guarantees that Blaney will be in the mix somehow. He has led at least one lap in all four of the races at these tracks so far. Despite his solid runs, we’re getting Blaney at the surprisingly good price of +800 (11.1%) on DraftKings.

I also like Blaney to finish as the top Ford car for +165 (37.7%) on DraftKings. Caesars has him at +100 (50%) to do the same thing in what most books are projecting as essentially a head-to-head race between Blaney and Logano. I expect Blaney to keep carrying the banner for Ford at Richmond with the playoff seeding race at the top getting tight.

🔥 More NASCAR picks & prop bets

Shane Van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing (No. 97)

• Shane Van Gisbergen to win: +10000 via BetMGM (0.1u)
• Shane Van Gisbergen top 10: +380 via DraftKings (0.9u)

Will Shane Van Gisbergen ever win on an oval? The answer has begun to look increasingly favorable. He has scored two top 5s and four top 10s so far, and that doesn’t even include a trio of 11th-place finishes. Across the four comparator events, SVG has a lone top 5, but two of those 11th-place results came at comparator tracks (Phoenix and Martinsville). With him ranked inside the top 10 by average green-flag speed at North Wilkesboro and Martinsville, I want some exposure to SVG at these prices.

Austin Cindric, Team Penske (No. 2)

• Austin Cindric to win: +4500 via DraftKings (0.25u)
• Austin Cindric top 10: +210 via DraftKings (1.75u)

While neither Cindric nor Josh Berry has looked as good as their teammates, Blaney and Logano, the market isn’t respecting the No. 2 team enough. Cindric struggled at Iowa but was top 10 by average green-flag speed at Phoenix, Richmond, and North Wilkesboro, albeit with a lone top 10 to show for it. Still, at odds of +210 (32.3%) on DraftKings for a simple top 10, I like Cindric to deliver with his playoff hopes in the balance.

💰 My NASCAR bets at Richmond

Here are the actual NASCAR bets I'm making for the Cook Out 400 with the best odds from our best sports betting sites for Sunday's race at Richmond Raceway.

Total wagered: 4 units | Max profit: 17.44 units (if SVG wins)

🏆 Past NASCAR winners at Richmond

Here is a list of every NASCAR race winner at Richmond Raceway in the Next Gen era:

📺 How to watch NASCAR at Richmond: 2026 Cook Out 400

• Date: Saturday, Aug. 15
• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Location: Richmond Raceway (Richmond, Va.)
• TV: USA Network
• Streaming: HBO Max
• Track: 0.75-mile flat oval (400 laps, 300 miles)
• Stages: Stage 1 (70 laps), Stage 2 (160 laps), final stage (170 laps)