Richmond Raceway to host truck, Cup series races again in August 2026

Days after hosting Richmond Raceway hosted its only NASCAR race weekend of the year – including a sold-out NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 under the lights Saturday night – track officials learned that it will again host a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and a Cup Series race on back-to-back days next August.

The former will take place Friday, Aug. 14, 2026 while the latter will run Saturday, Aug. 15.

NASCAR officials announced the dates Wednesday as part of their overall schedule release for the two series and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Austin Dillon won the Cook Out 400 Saturday at Richmond, claiming his second straight win at the track and punching a ticket to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff. Corey Heim claimed the Eero 250 Craftsman Truck Series race the night before – his circuit-best seventh win of the season, which came in the last race of the series’ regular season.

With the exception of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, this was the first year that Richmond did not host two NASCAR race weekends since 1958. Last August, NASCAR eliminated what had been the track’s first race weekend, awarding it to Mexico City instead.

Only 10 tracks will host two NASCAR Cup Series raced in 2026, as the sport continues to expand to (or in some cases, re-enter) other markets. Next year’s schedule will include a new road course stop in San Diego, a return to North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina (which last hosted a Cup Series points race in 1996) and another to Chicagoland Speedway (which last hosted an event in 2019).