NASCAR at Richmond results, highlights: Chris Buescher dominates en route to third win of Cup Series career

It was only a matter of time for Chris Buescher.

The No. 17 driver had been blazing for much of the season, and he sat comfortably inside the playoff cut line.

Still, there's nothing quite like a Cup Series win. Buescher knew that well, having left remnants of his tires at the start-finish line two different times prior to Sunday.

A subpar showing in qualifying did little to blot his team's optimism. The RFK Racing driver showed off every bit of his skillset en route to a dominant win at Richmond Raceway, his second career triumph on a short track.

Buescher was flanked by team owner Brad Keselowski for much of the day. The 2012 Cup Series champion has been a model of class since joining RFK as he has helped to move Buescher and the organization up a level. Keselowski's No. 6 car fell away as the race went on faded to a sixth-place finish, but his influence continued to loom over Buescher and his team.

Not even a late-race caution could deter Buescher, who cruised past Denny Hamlin to snag the hardware. Between Buescher — now a playoff driver officially — and Keselowski, RFK is a threat going forward.

MORE: Watch NASCAR races live with Fubo (free trial)

The Sporting News tracked live updates from Sunday's race at Richmond. Below are the highlights and race results as the action unfolded at the Cook Out 400.

NASCAR at Pocono results

(Results are unofficial)

NASCAR at Richmond live updates, highlights from 2023 race

(All times Eastern)

6:19 p.m.: Good launch for the No. 17 on the restart! But Hamlin keeping things tight! Just two laps to go! And Hamlin's left front locks up. It's Buescher in first with some space. The white flag is out. It's looking like Buescher's day! He'll take the checkered flag!

6:16 p.m.: Busch with a blazing pit stop! He's thrust up into the front row! Rowdy has a real shot here!

6:14 p.m.: CAUTION! Daniel Suarez goes spinning around the bend! That's going to change everything! Big moments coming up for each pit crew on the lead lap.

6:12 p.m.: Buescher keeping things calm at the front. Keeping his distance from 13th-place Elliott, all while maintaining a widening gap in front of second-place Hamlin. If things stay clean he'll be notching his third-career Cup Series win!

6:03 p.m.: Hamlin finds himself facing a six-second deficit behind Buescher. 30 laps left and it looks like he's looking to take the No. 17 car on the long run.

5:54 p.m.: Truex on the brink of being overtaken by the No. 17. It's just been Buescher's day thus far.

5:51 p.m.: Looks like this might be the last stretch of pit stops of today's race. The likes of Buescher, Preece, Reddick, Hamlin and Wallace will get their tires and and fuel adjusted.

5:47 p.m.: Larson gives Hamlin the slightest of love taps. Letting him know that he's there.

5:41 p.m.: Hamlin looking like he's got a top-three car. He swept beyond Wallace with relative ease. Still, Buescher is in a league of his own with 82 laps to go.

5:35 p.m.: Buescher takes the lead from Truex, who is on old tires. Meanwhile, further down the track is a good battle between Preece and Wallace for fourth place.

5:29 p.m.: Awkward pit stop from the No. 6 team will bring Buescher to the front. The No. 17 car is firmly in the playoffs at the moment. But a win would be much desired.

5:27 p.m.: Buescher pushing hard on his teammate. He's cut Keselowski's lead to less than half a second. Looks like he's headed to pit road, however. That should bring some more cars to pit road.

5:15 p.m.: Elliott slides into P9 after getting past Dillon. Fords still dominant, with Keselowki and Buescher sitting P1 and P2.

5:08 p.m.: RFK in the front row (Keselowski, Chris Buescher), 23XI in the second row. Time to get it on! Final stage starts now! And it's Hamlin attempting to get wide on the restart! He'll compete with his drivers Wallace and Reddick for third. The No. 11 is surging.

4:59 p.m.: Keselowski holding firm at the front. However, the more interesting battle is going down nearby. Larson and Alex Bowman are fighting for the Lucky Dog as we approach the final lap of the stage. It'll be Bowman who stays on the lead lap! Keselowski wins the stage!

4:46 p.m.: McDowell dropping like a stone down the field. He's down to P11. Losing serious track position — and cushion for a playoff spot.

4:36 p.m.: Keselowski will take the lead! A slow stop puts Wallace behind the eight-ball. 23XI still ironing out the kinks in regards to their pit crews.

.@BubbaWallace cannot catch a break! #NASCAR | #NASCAR75🟢 | #CookOut400 pic.twitter.com/jTiREZk2QA

— JJ (@TomcatNASCAR_2) July 30, 2023

Bubba Wallace has a really slow pit stop as the car falls off the jack.

Brad Keselowski should lead the 2-stop strategy.

— Austin Konenski (@AustinKonenski) July 30, 2023

4:33 p.m.: Keselowski takes second. He's running about a tenth of a second faster than Wallace in first. If he can get in some open air, he should have a shot at displacing the No. 23 in first.

4:28 p.m.: A battle starting to unfold for first. Reddick is spurning the outside line in an effort to retain his tires' grip. Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski is pushing hard behind the No. 45. Both drivers are closing in on Wallace, whose lead has shrunk to a little under a half second. Still more than 70 laps left in the stage. The action is starting to percolate.

4:23 p.m.: Wallace filters his way back to the front, usurping fellow playoff hopeful Michael McDowell. He's got a 1.3 second edge over his teammate Reddick.

4:15 p.m.: Almirola incurs two penalties on pit road. He'll drop a few spots.

4:14 p.m.: Cars starting to filter through for green flag pit stops. Ryan Preece and William Byron made a little contact on pit road. Both fell back down the field a bit.

4:05 p.m.: Wallace holding firm at the top of the pack! Those 23XI whips have some serious speed.

3:59 p.m.: Hamlin trying to pass Elliott via the outside line. Looks like he's mimicking the move Wallace made to usurp Reddick for first. The second groove seems to the preferred method of movement for those hoping to get themselves up the track.

3:56 p.m.: Back to green! Wallace looks like he might steal a march on his 23XI teammate! He's got the lead! Elliott not too far back in third.

NEW LEADER: @BubbaWallace!

Watch #NASCAR on @USANetwork. pic.twitter.com/F4oUlzbgP8

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 30, 2023

3:50 p.m.: Another driver to look out for: Aric Almirola. The Stewart-Haas Racing veteran climbed from P24 to P8 in the blink of an eye.

3:48 p.m.: A wonderful showcase in Stage 1 by 23XI Racing, with Reddick, Wallace and Hamlin finishing 1-2-3 through the opening 70. Big points for Wallace, who sits just above the cut line.

3:39 p.m.: Allmendinger showing some decent speed at the back of the track. He's up 10 spots since starting from the back.

3:24 p.m.: Bubba Wallace uses a sneaky dive bomb to slip past Chase Elliott for fourth-place. 18 laps down, 52 to go in the stage.

3:21 p.m.: Hamlin picking up speed on the corners. He's in second through nine laps, but he might be showcasing better speed than Reddick so far.

3:20 p.m.: Contact between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. on Lap 4. The will drop the No. 19 back ever so slightly. He's down to P21.

3:18 p.m.: Green flag out at Richmond! We're off the mark!

3:01 p.m.: Pre-race prayer coupled with that signature NASCAR American propaganda. Nasty stuff. Race commands moments away.

2:55 p.m.: Doesn't seem like Tyler Reddick is too concerned about Austin Dillon causing him trouble on the track. The pole sitter is calm ahead of the Richmond race, unfettered by his dustup with his former Richard Childress Racing teammate.

2:50 p.m.: Denny Hamlin shrouded in boos as he walks into the arena. A bit of surprise given his hometown roots. Could be an enticing matchup.

Denny Hamlin is introduced to the hometown crowd at Richmond. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/MU03WtsiCY

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 30, 2023

2:45 p.m.: Driver introductions starting now. We're about 30 minutes from the start of the today's race. Very consequential event to fill out that playoff field.

1:58 p.m.: As of now, just one driver to the rear: A.J. Allmendinger, whose car didn't qualify. Things could change depending on the results of preface checks, however.

1:42 p.m.: NASCAR rolling out the red carpet for its latest Richmond Cup Series race. It's hard not to be starstruck.

The track is handing out some items for fans to try to stay cool as they wait for drivers on the red carpet. pic.twitter.com/OSc2yttAED

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 30, 2023

What channel is the NASCAR race on today?

• TV channel: USA (U.S.) | TSN5 (Canada)
• Live stream: Peacock, Fubo

The Cook Out 400 will be broadcast on USA Network in the United States. Canadian viewers can follow the action on TSN5.

MORE: Why NASCAR is on NBC instead of Fox

Veteran broadcaster Rick Allen will lead NBC's coverage, serving as the race's lap-by-lap announcer. He'll be joined in the booth by Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte.

Fans can watch online via Peacock or Fubo, which offers a free trial.

NASCAR start time today

• Date: Sunday, July 30
• Start time: 3 p.m. ET

Sunday's race has a 3 p.m. ET listed start time, but pre-race activities are expected to push the waving of the green flag to 3:16 p.m. ET.

NASCAR at Richmond starting lineup