Richmond Turning Point: Welcome back to racing what lies ahead?

Here‘s what‘s happening in the world of NASCAR with the 2024 Olympic break in the rearview and Richmond Raceway (Sun., 6 p.m. ET, USA) up next.

THE LINEUP ️

1️⃣ Welcome back to racing — here’s where we’re at

2️⃣ Now, what lies ahead at Richmond?

3️⃣ Rubber meets road: Option tire returns

4️⃣ This year’s short-track superstars

5️⃣ Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage

1. Welcome back to racing — here’s where we’re at

After two weekends without racing, we’re ready to get back to it. Here’s a refresher on where things stand with the push to the playoffs in full swing.

Aaand we‘re back.

The NASCAR Cup Series is gearing up to return to action this Sunday at Richmond Raceway following a brief hiatus in the schedule due to the 2024 Summer Olympics. Let‘s catch back up in case you need a refresher.

Plenty of compelling story lines continue to unfold, with just four races remaining before the 16-driver field is locked in for the 2024 NASCAR Playoffs.

Kyle Larson looks every bit on a path that leads to him competing for championship No. 2 later this year at Phoenix Raceway, having secured his series-leading fourth win of the season before the break at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in convincing fashion. He and crew chief Cliff Daniels, pictured above, are the 1A combination in the sport at the moment and only appear to be gaining with their combined powers, which is a scary thought for the rest of the series.

The playoff landscape is becoming clearer, with the season‘s 12 victors now officially all completely locked in with no chance at more than 16 winners. That leaves four coveted spots up for grabs, with nearly every driver below the elimination line likely needing to win if they want one of them. If that were to happen — holy drama.

The final playoff position on points is worth keeping a close eye on, however, as a red-hot Bubba Wallace has narrowed the gap to just seven points behind a sagging Ross Chastain, who has seen a dramatic decline in the standings after averaging a 26.5 finish over the past four races.

A lot could swing over the next four races, with positions 14th through 17th separated by just 42 points. Of the four above the elimination line but not yet locked in, RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher, currently 15th in the standings and 17 points to the good, should feel the most confident despite the modicum of cushion. No. 17 is the defending winner of three of the four remaining races, including Sunday‘s Cook Out 400 at Richmond. He‘s been running well of late, too, so things would have to go catastrophically wrong at this point for him not to be a 2024 playoff driver.

Tyler Reddick, Wallace‘s 23XI teammate, is on a hot streak of his own and might just be in the process of emerging as Larson‘s top competition during the stretch run. The No. 45 driver is riding the longest top-10 streak of any driver at the moment, with five in a row, while also working his way into a tie with the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver for most top fives this season. Reddick still has just the lone win — Talladega Superspeedway back in the spring — but feels on the verge of a major breakout that could see him pile on multiple wins over the coming weeks.

The four final regular-season races offer a varied menu of tracks, with Richmond, Michigan International Speedway, Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway each presenting a unique opportunity for drivers to secure their spots. Notably, Richmond this weekend will be the first points race to feature multiple tire compound options, introducing a new strategic element that could significantly impact race outcomes and flip the whole playoff field on its head.

2. Now, what lies ahead at Richmond?

Richmond saw a surprise winner last summer and now adds the wrinkle of giving teams an in-race tire option. What can we expect to see under the lights?

With the industry refreshed and ready for the last leg of the regular season, the stage is set for an intriguing battle on one of the circuit’s most challenging short tracks — with a twist in store. Sunday‘s Cook Out 400 under the lights at Richmond promises to be a pivotal moment in the season, with several compelling story lines converging at this historic venue.

Adding to the excitement is the introduction of a new tire strategy, with Goodyear providing two tire compounds for teams to choose from: a prime (hard) tire with standard yellow lettering, serving as the baseline, and an option (soft) tire featuring red lettering. The soft tire is crafted from the same rubber as wet-weather tires but without tread, offering teams a new tactical element to consider in their race strategy.

With the first-of-its-kind tire element at play, it‘s tough to forecast how the dominoes may fall at the Virginia short track, but for now, all eyes will likely fall on a pair of past teammates in particular — Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

This could very well be Rowdy‘s best remaining shot to extend both his playoff appearances and consecutive wins streak, each extending as far back as the eye can see. Busch has an impressive past history on short tracks with 16 wins, yet he finds himself in an unusual position this weekend. Despite his past success, Busch currently ranks 17th in points earned on short tracks in the Next Gen car era. He‘s rapidly approaching must-win territory, though, so Rowdy fans hope the two-week break was just what he and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing group needed to get refocused and get NASCAR‘s all-time winningest driver back to Victory Lane.

For Truex Jr., Richmond represents more than just another race — it’s perhaps his best remaining opportunity to end a 38-race winless streak and win in his final full-time season before exiting the No. 19 JGR Toyota. The 2017 champ‘s history at Richmond is rock solid, having won three of the last 10 races at the track and leading the most laps in six of the last 15. He very nearly secured his playoff spot at the track earlier this season, picking up nearly half of his laps led this season (461) in that race alone before dipping to fourth after “The Restart.”

RELATED: Drivers to win in their final full-time season

You can bet he‘s had this one circled all season … but especially since then.

The short-track landscape has seen a bit of a shift in recent times, with ace Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin firmly establishing his long-standing dominance there and Team Penske‘s Ryan Blaney emerging as perhaps the next short-track superstar. Together, they’ve claimed five of the last six short-track wins.

The Virginia native Hamlin is aiming to recalibrate before the playoffs after strong runs of late have all gone sour, and Richmond (five wins) is the perfect spot for him to accomplish that. Blaney, on the other hand, gets to put his short-track status to the test, where Richmond has been arguably his worst overall track. The reigning champ has turned in just three top 10s in 16 tries for an un-Blaney-like 20.0 average finish.

3. Rubber meets road: Option tire returns for Cup Series at Richmond

NBC’s Steve Letarte and MRN’s Todd Gordon break down the potential strategy options as the option tire returns at Richmond Raceway.

4. This year’s short-track superstars

With several short tracks already in the books for 2024, we have a strong idea of who’s excelling on them — will a fresh face emerge at Richmond, however?

5. Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage

Power Rankings: Driver below the bubble most likely to make a playoff run

Truck and Cup Series paint schemes slated for Richmond

NASCAR betting: 2024 Richmond Summer race odds

How to get notified for 2025 schedule release

Tire-choice strategy element shakes up Cup Series‘ return to action at Richmond

Assessing Cup playoff bubble ahead of final month of regular season

Paths to success: How drivers on playoff bubble can achieve their goals

Predicting the 2034 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field

Sherwood to sub as Christopher Bell‘s crew chief; Stevens recovering from injury

Retrospective: How 10 years of elimination-style playoffs set NASCAR on its current course

First look: Ross Chastain’s Jockey paint scheme for Richmond

First look: Chase Elliott’s Coca-Cola paint scheme for Richmond

Crew chief Travis Peterson to join Spire, McDowell for 2025 season

Playoff Grid 101: Updated projection for Cup, Xfinity, Truck Series

Power Rankings: Ryan Blaney within striking distance of regular-season crown

Updated championship odds following Indianapolis