By Matt Marr Pole winner Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace brought the field to the green flag to start the Cook Out 400. Wallace's battle for the lead came up short with Larson holding on to the lead for the first 80 laps, as he earned the Stage One victory. Larson spun his tires at the start of Stage Two, giving Joey Logano the lead. Logano had made up some track position by only taking two tires during the stage break. Christopher Bell had to make an unscheduled pit stop due to a right front tire issue on lap 111.  Initially it stayed green, but eventually the caution came out for debris with Bell on pit road. Denny Hamlin took the lead away from Logano with 10 to go in Stage Two and held Wallace off again for the stage win. Elliott took the lead over Hamlin on lap 195. Bell once again brought out the caution on lap 203, this time for a spin in turn 4. William Byron led a Hendrick Motorsports charge at the front of the field with 38 laps to go. With just 3 laps remaining, John Hunter Nemechek had a tire go down and hit the wall bringing out the caution to send us into overtime. Byron held off the field in overtime to score his third win of the year and 29th win at Martinsville for Hendrick Motorsports during their 40th anniversary celebration. Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott came home 2nd and 3rd marking the first time a race organization has ever filled the top three at Martinsville Speedway.  Alex Bowman finished 8th to round out the Hendrick team. Cook Out 400 Top 5: 1. William Byron 2. Kyle Larson 3. Chase Elliott 4. Bubba Wallace 5. Ryan Blaney

Press Release | RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING WELCOME, N.C. (April 3, 2024) – Lucas Oil, a long-time partner of both Richard Childress Racing and ECR Engines, continues the expansion of its partnership as the primary sponsor of the No. 8 Chevrolet driven by two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch for multiple races in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. Fans will see the familiar race-winning Lucas Oil paint scheme for the first time at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on April 8, kicking off a multi-race primary partnership. “After reaching victory lane with Kyle’s No. 8 Chevrolet in 2023, we are very excited to announce that we’ve expanded our primary sponsorship to include multiple races in 2024 at some of NASCAR’s most legendary tracks,” said Brandon Bernstein, director of partnership marketing for Lucas Oil. “In addition to being one of the winningest organizations in NASCAR and all of motorsports, RCR and ECR Engines continue to be an amazing partner both on and off the track. We are very proud to again have Kyle represent the Lucas Oil shield as he competes for his third Cup championship.” Lucas Oil has served as the official lubricant of RCR and ECR Engines since 2014 and is the official motor oil of ECR Engines. ECR Engines and Lucas Oil have recorded a total of 133 wins between 2014 and 2023, with another four victories already in 2024. “Over the past 10 years, Lucas Oil has been an amazing partner to RCR and ECR Engines and we are thrilled to have them back as the primary sponsor of the No. 8 Chevrolet,” said Torrey Galida, president of RCR. “The technical support they provide to our race teams and ECR has resulted in numerous victories, which is why it is so special to highlight this partnership on the No. 8 Chevrolet. We have no doubt Kyle will be competing for wins this year while representing the Lucas Oil brand.” In addition to the NASCAR Cup Series races, Lucas Oil is also the Official Oil of Kyle and Brexton Busch. Kyle is competing in 20-25 Micro Sprint events in 2024 with a Lucas Oil full-car wrap and racing suit. Lucas Oil is also a proud associate sponsor for all of Brexton's racing disciplines. Brexton is a third-generation racer, beginning his racing career at age five. He earned his first win just one month into his racing career, and now Lucas Oil is at the heart of this father/son racing legacy. Since 2014, expert scientists and technicians at Lucas Oil have worked closely with RCR and ECR to refine the perfect blend of engine oil capable of drawing out every competitive advantage possible. The teams test engines in simulators and real-world racing scenarios capturing hundreds of data points to measure and find areas of improvement. For more information and all that is going on at RCR, visit rcrracing.com.

Press Release | RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING WELCOME, N.C. (April 5, 2024) – United Rentals, the world's largest equipment rental company, will partner with Richard Childress Racing to sponsor Austin Hill for select races in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2024. Hill is slated to race the No. 33 United Rentals Chevrolet Camaro on a part-time basis, beginning with the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 14. The race will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET. “United Rentals has supported me throughout all of the key moments of my racing career so far, which makes their involvement in my upcoming NASCAR Cup Series starts for Richard Childress Racing that much more special,” said Hill. “I’m happy to have another opportunity to race in the Cup Series for RCR. The amount of success that we’ve been able to accomplish together in the Xfinity Series makes me excited for this slate of races. It’s not going to be easy, competing against the best drivers on Sundays, but I’m thankful to Richard, everyone at RCR, and United Rentals for allowing this Cup Series schedule to come to life. Racing a Next Gen Chevrolet at a mile-and-a-half will be a new challenge, but one that I’m looking forward to.” United Rentals has an integrated network of over 1,500 rental locations in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, United Rentals offers general, aerial, and specialty rentals to a customer base that includes construction and industrial companies, utilities, municipalities, and homeowners. “We are excited to support Richard Childress Racing and Austin Hill in the NASCAR Cup Series.” said Craig Schmidt, vice president of national accounts, United Rentals. “We have a great partnership with Austin and RCR and look forward to supporting them and giving our customers an unforgettable experience.” The 2024 campaign marks United Rentals’ third year of partnership with RCR, but the relationship with Hill has been a constant for over seven years. United Rentals and Hill have found success together both on and off the track, most recently with the Winston, Georgia native winning the United Rentals 300 Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway in February. “We’re proud to represent a great brand like United Rentals, and to be a part of their efforts to help Austin achieve success at the next level,” said Torrey Galida, president of RCR. “United Rentals is a long-time supporter of our sport and they have done a superb job of using their relationship with Austin to achieve their business goals from an on-site activation and hosting standpoint.” Hill made his Cup Series debut for the Welcome, N.C.-based organization at Michigan International Speedway in 2022. The 29-year-old, who is in his third full-time season piloting the No. 21 RCR Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, has captured a total of eight wins, including three consecutive victories in the season-opening event at the World Center of Racing, 32 top-five, and 51 top-10 finishes. Hill is the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular Season Champion. For more information and all that is going on at RCR, visit rcrracing.com.

Press Release | RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING WELCOME, N.C. (April 2, 2024) – Richard Childress Racing announced this week several competition personnel changes designed to strengthen the organization’s NASCAR Cup Series teams. Justin Alexander has been appointed to the role of crew chief for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 team in the NASCAR Cup Series. In addition to the crew chief change, Joel Keller has been appointed lead engineer for the No. 3 team. Alexander replaces Keith Rodden, who had been paired with Dillon at RCR since the beginning of 2023. Rodden, a veteran crew chief and race engineer, will take on a larger role across the organization to help maximize the capabilities of RCR’s Chevys and provide leadership, coordination and support. “The organizational changes were made to help Richard Childress Racing’s overall NASCAR Cup Series program as we prepare for the rest of the season and locking two teams into the NASCAR Playoffs,” said Andy Petree, executive vice president for RCR. “Justin Alexander and Austin Dillon share a unique chemistry that has proven effective in the past. We want to thank Keith Rodden for his leadership of the No. 3 team and know that the contributions he will continue to make to RCR in his new role will be valuable across the organization.” Alexander, who has been serving as RCR’s competition director, was a crew chief for the No. 3 team in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2017 to 2018 and 2020 to 2022, notably guiding Dillon to all four of his NASCAR Cup Series wins. Together, the Alexander/Dillon duo captured two of the sport’s “Crown Jewel” races – the Coca-Cola 600 in 2017 and the Daytona 500 in 2018. The changes are effective immediately. For more information and all that is going on at RCR, visit rcrracing.com.

By Matt Marr Kyle Larson and Chase Elliot brought the field to the green flag to start the race. As it had rained earlier in the day, NASCAR told teams to start the race on wet weather tires. A competition caution came out at lap 30, which allowed teams to switch back to slick tires. On lap 64, Josh Berry got into the back of Daniel Suarez, taking him for a spin.  Suarez managed to keep it off the wall but the caution had already come out. The caution ended Stage One with Larson winning. Martin Truex Jr. dominated all of Stage Two. Christopher Bell was in the lead as green flag pit stops took place, starting on lap 288. The battle for the lead got tighter after pit stops cycled through, as Denny Hamlin and Larson fought Truex for the top spot on lap 296. Hamlin took over the lead with 63 laps remaining, but was quickly passed again by Truex. Bubba Wallace got loose and spun Larson on the frontstretch with 2 laps to go, leading to an overtime finish. Denny Hamlin made a questionable jump on the restart but held off Joey Logano to win the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond. Toyota Owners 400 Top 5: 1. Denny Hamlin 2. Joey Logano 3. Kyle Larson 4. Martin Truex Jr 5. Chase Elliott

Each week here on Racing Refresh we like to take a look back to the week that was in the world of racing on X. Let's get started! 10. Dave Moody is a voice for the voiceless. 9. Time will tell, but I believe Rajah will be one of the sport's next big stars. 8. It's kind of like NASCAR's version of scorigami. 7. Update. It happened. 6. Should NASCAR race on Easter? I don't have any issues with it myself. But, as a sport, they proudly display their Christian values so I can understand the argument for why they shouldn't. Most of the teams likely prefer having the week off. Especially in an era where there are so few off-weeks. 5. I am all for this and hope it comes to fruition. Trying new things is never a bad thing. 4. It's always wonderful to see "The cat in the hat" at the track. 3. Who throws a bumper? I mean, seriously. 2. We know teams like Trackhouse and 23XI Racing are in the market? We also know Dale Jr will like to be an owner on the Cup side one day. Lot's of questions. 1. Wait. What?! I can't overstate how bad I think this is for the sport. Rules should be rules and enforced at all times. How is this okay?