After taking the past two weeks off while NASCAR’s broadcast partner NBC focused on the Olympics, the Cup Series is back in action with Sunday evening’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.
Jeremy Bullins, crew chief of the No. 21 DEX Imaging Mustang Dark Horse driven by Harrison Burton, said the break was refreshing, but he’s anxious to get back to work with the No. 21 race team.
“I have to admit, the two-week break has been great, and we were all able to hit the reset button and get prepared for the end of the season,” Bullins said. “It was nice to spend some time away, but I’m definitely ready to get back to the race track with our DEX Mustang.”
The 400-lap run on the three-quarter-mile Richmond oval is unique in that it will feature two different tire compounds, much like the recent All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
One choice of tires, which will be referred to as Primes, is the standard compound that was used at Richmond earlier this year. The Option tire has more grip – and therefore more speed – initially but is expected to fall off as the laps go by. Teams will have a total of eight sets of tires allotted for the race, six Primes and two Options.
Bullins said that will give him plenty to think about on the pit box as Sunday’s race plays out.
“This week should offer some interesting challenges with the addition of the Option tire that was used at the All-Star race,” he said. “With only having two sets of them for the race, it’ll add some variety to the race strategies based on when teams choose to use them.”
Practice for the Cook Out 400 is set for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to be followed by qualifying at 5:35. The NBC Sports App will carry the coverage of practice and qualifying.
Sunday’s 300-mile, 400-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 6 p.m., with Stage breaks planned for Laps 70 and 230. USA Network will carry the live TV broadcast.