Cook Out 400 (Martinsville) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cook Out 400

NASCAR Cup Series
Venue	Martinsville Speedway
Location	Ridgeway, Virginia, United States
Corporate sponsor	Cook Out
First race	1950
Distance	210.4 mi (338.606 km)
Laps	400 Stage 1: 80 Stage 2: 100 Final stage: 220
Previous names	Unnamed (1950–1955) Virginia 500 (1956–1981, 2001–2003) Virginia 500 Sweepstakes (second 1961 race) Virginia National Bank 500 (1982–1983) Sovran Bank 500 (1984–1987) Pannill Sweatshirts 500 (1988–1989) Hanes Activewear 500 (1990) Hanes 500 (1991–1995) Goody's Headache Powder 500 (1996–1998) Goody's Body Pain 500 (1999–2000) Advance Auto Parts 500 (2004–2005) DirecTV 500 (2006) Goody's Cool Orange 500 (2007–2008) Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 (2009–2010) Goody's Fast Relief 500 (2011–2012) STP Gas Booster 500 (2013) STP 500 (2014–2019) Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 (2020–2021) Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 (2022) NOCO 400 (2023)
Most wins (driver)	Richard Petty (9)
Most wins (team)	Petty Enterprises (12)
Most wins (manufacturer)	Chevrolet (29)
Circuit information
Surface	Asphalt (straightaways and top of turns) Concrete (turns)
Length	0.526 mi (0.847 km)
Turns	4

The Cook Out 400 is an exciting annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race. It takes place at the Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. This race is one of two Cup Series events held at this track each year. The other big race is the Xfinity 500, which is part of the NASCAR playoffs.

The race used to be 500 laps long. However, starting in 2022, it was shortened to 400 laps. This makes the race about 210.4 miles (338.6 kilometers) long.

Unlike most races where the winner gets a trophy, the winner of the Cook Out 400 and other NASCAR races at Martinsville receives a special grandfather clock. This unique tradition has been happening since 1964!

Race History

A view of the race in 2019.

The Cook Out 400 has a long history, dating back to 1950. For its first few years, from 1950 to 1955, the race didn't have a specific name. In 1956, it became known as the Virginia 500.

Over the years, different companies have sponsored the race, giving it new names. For example, Goody's Powder was a sponsor for many years, first in the fall races and then in the spring races. In 2007, it was called the Goody's Cool Orange 500.

Later, STP, a famous sponsor in NASCAR, took over as the main sponsor from 2013 to 2019.

The race logo from 2022. Blue-Emu sponsored the race in 2020 and 2021 when it was 500 laps long.

In 2020, Blue-Emu became the new sponsor. They sponsored the race for a few years. In 2022, a big change happened: the race was shortened from 500 laps to 400 laps.

In 2023, The NOCO Company, which makes car parts, became the sponsor. Then, in 2024, the race got its current name, the Cook Out 400, thanks to the restaurant chain Cook Out.

Memorable Races

• 1953: Herb Thomas was first thought to be the winner, but it was later found he had an extra lap. Lee Petty was then declared the real winner.
• 1971: Richard Petty won, even though he lost his gas cap during the race. Drivers were not usually allowed to continue without it.
• 1976: Darrell Waltrip earned his first win for the DiGard Motorsports team.
• 1981: Morgan Shepherd surprised everyone by winning his first career Winston Cup race. It was also the first win for a Pontiac car in 17 years!
• 1982: After many second-place finishes, Harry Gant finally got his first win.
• 1984: Geoff Bodine won, marking the first victory for Hendrick Motorsports, a very successful team today.
• 1986: Ricky Rudd won a race where many cars crashed or had engine problems. This meant almost every other car was at least one lap behind him.
• 1989: Darrell Waltrip won the last race for Chevrolet's older Monte Carlo race car.
• 1991: Dale Earnhardt achieved his 50th Cup Series win, just one day before his 40th birthday.
• 1993–1996: Rusty Wallace was amazing, winning the Martinsville Spring Race four years in a row! He is the only driver to do this in the spring race.
• 1997: Jeff Gordon won, stopping Rusty Wallace's four-year winning streak at this event.
• 1999: John Andretti had an exciting race. He lost a lap, but fought back to win, giving Petty Enterprises their 200th short track win.
• 2004: Rusty Wallace earned his final Nextel Cup win here.
• 2007: This race featured the new "Car of Tomorrow." Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson had a thrilling battle, with Johnson winning.
• 2010: Denny Hamlin made an incredible move on a late restart, passing several cars at once to win.
• 2012: Ryan Newman won after a chaotic finish that included multiple attempts at a NASCAR Overtime finish.
• 2014: Kurt Busch won his first race with Stewart-Haas Racing. The lead changed hands 33 times, setting a new track record!
• 2018: The race was delayed until Monday because of snow. Clint Bowyer won, ending a long winless streak.
• 2019: Brad Keselowski led almost the entire race, leading 446 laps on his way to victory.
• 2020: This race was supposed to be the first-ever night race at the track for the Cup Series. It was also postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Past Winners

• 1957: The race was shortened because of a crash.
• 1961 (first): This race was stopped early due to rain.
• 1961 (second): This race was held as a replacement for the first 1961 race.
• 1970, 1977, and 1995: These races were shortened because of rain.
• 1974: The race was shortened due to the energy crisis at the time.
• 1998 and 2010: These races were moved from Sunday to Monday due to rain.
• 2010, 2012, 2022 and 2024: These races went into "NASCAR Overtime" (also called a green–white–checker finish) to decide the winner. The 2012 race needed two tries to finish!
• 2018: The race was moved from Sunday to Monday because of snow.
• 2020: The race was moved from May 9 to June 10 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 2021: The race started on Saturday night but had to finish on Sunday afternoon because of rain.
• 2022: The race length was officially shortened to 400 laps.

Drivers with Multiple Wins

Teams with Multiple Wins

Manufacturer Wins