2023 NASCAR Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway Driver Ratings
Chris Buescher: 10
An emphatic victory for the driver and the team, locking in a Playoff spot.
Denny Hamlin: 9
Hamlin was in position to steal another victory but a mistake on the final restart cost him.
Kyle Busch: 8
He started up front and finished up front but the middle of the race did not go well.
Joey Logano: 7
Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Logano quietly snuck in for another top-five result.
Ryan Preece: 9
It was an impressive drive from Preece, who was certainly in his element today.
Brad Keselowski: 9
He led a race-high 102 laps and went to victory lane as an owner, but his mistake on the final pit stop may have cost him the win.
Martin Truex Jr: 9
Martin's run from the back of the field to the front was arguably the most impressive drive of the day.
Aric Almirola: 8
A strong day for Almirola, who rebounded from an early pit commitment violation.
Austin Dillon: 7
This was a much-needed result for Dillon, after an embarrassing exit last weekend at Pocono.
Kevin Harvick: 7
Probably not the way he wanted his final race at Richmond to go, but the four-time winner earned another top-ten finish.
Chase Briscoe: 6
All Stewart Haas cars finished inside the top 11 but Briscoe was the last of the bunch.
Bubba Wallace: 8
It was shaping up to be a strong day for Wallace, but another costly pit crew mistake ruined that.
Chase Elliott: 7
He was never in contention for the win, but still managed to narrow his points deficit with four races to go.
Ryan Blaney: 6
Ford was strong but Blaney was unable to capitalize with just a 14th place finish.
Ty Gibbs: 7
This was a decent showing for the rookie, who remains in the hunt for one of the final Playoff positions.
Tyler Reddick: 5
It was a tale of two races for Reddick, who led every lap in Stage 1 but made a mistake coming to pit road on his final stop while running in 2nd place, which earned him a penalty.
Alex Bowman: 3
Bowman is in a must-win situation but throwing blocks at his teammate while battling for the Lucky Dog did not have anyone in the organization smiling.
Kyle Larson: 4
After winning the Spring race at Richmond, Larson (like the entire Hendrick team) was out to lunch today.
Christopher Bell: 3
A horrible weekend for Bell, who made a mistake in qualifying and was penalized during the race, where he was never a factor.
William Byron: 3
Perhaps the most surprising outcome today was Byron being such a non-factor as Hendrick struggled.
Michael McDowell: 3
Front Row tried to go off-strategy to get McDowell some track position, but it didn't work out as he clings to the final Playoff spot.
Ross Chastain: 2
Chastain might not have even been mentioned on the broadcast today, which is becoming a recurring theme this season.
AJ Allmendinger: 1
Kaulig decided to gamble on letting AJ race at Road America on Friday and Saturday, and delivered a dud today as they fall 22 points below the Playoff cut line.
Daniel Suarez: 1
For the second week in a row, Suarez saw his day end with a crash. The Trackhouse driver was never a factor in the race and is now 34 points below the cut line.
