After two weeks of inactivity, two of the national NASCAR series are ready for a busy weekend at Richmond Raceway. It all starts with a Saturday schedule featuring both series on track.
The Craftsman Truck Series drivers will practice, qualify, and race. The Cup Series teams will practice and qualify in preparation for Sunday evening's race.
Two guests will take on the Truck Series race. Connor Zilisch will join Spire Motorsports for his second Truck start of the season. CARS Tour points leader Connor Hall will join McAnally-Hilgemann Racing as he makes his national NASCAR series debut.
Weather forecast
Saturday forecast: Partly cloudy skies with the possibility of a stray thunderstorm. A high of 84 degrees and a 14% chance of rain at the start of the Truck Series race. A high of 88 degrees and a 15% chance of rain at the start of Cup qualifying.
Saturday, Aug. 10, schedule (Eastern Time)
- 9 a.m. -- Truck Series garage hours
- 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. -- Cup Series garage hours
- 2:30 - 2:50 p.m. -- Truck Series practice (FS1)
- 3 - 4 p.m. -- Truck Series qualifying (FS1)
- 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. -- Cup Series practice (Streaming on NBC Sports app)
- 5:35 - 6:30 p.m. -- Cup Series qualifying (Streaming on NBC Sports app)
- 7:30 p.m. -- Truck Series race (250 laps, 187.5 miles. FS1, Radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Pre-race: Seven-time Cup Series champion Richard Petty will serve as the grand marshal. He will give the command to fire engines at 7:39 p.m. ET. The green flag to start the race will wave at 7:46 p.m. ET.
Playoff picture: The Saturday night race at Richmond marks the end of the Truck Series regular season. This is the final opportunity for drivers to lock up a spot in the 10-driver playoff field.
Five drivers have secured spots in the playoffs. Christian Eckes is the points leader after winning three races. Corey Heim (five wins), Nicholas Sanchez (two wins), Ty Majeski (one win), and Rajah Caruth (one win) are all set to compete for the championship.
Tyler Ankrum is in the best position of the winless drivers this season. He is 83 points above the cutline. Grant Enfinger (+77), Taylor Gray (+48), Ben Rhodes (+22), and Tanner Gray (+5) are the other drivers above the cutline.
Daniel Dye is five points below the cutline and the first driver outside of a playoff spot. Stewart Friesen is 16 points below the cutline while three-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton is 43 points below the cutline.