By After seven months of NASCAR action, the Cup Series is down to one last race before the playoffs begin. The grid returns to Darlington Raceway for the second and final time in 2024 with one more chance for drivers to make a push before the playoffs.
Thirteen of the 16 playoff spots are set heading into the final round. Darlington’s reputation as one of the most demanding tracks of the year will make a win hard-earned. A new playoff contender may emerge, like last weekend in Daytona, or one of the 13 may add to their resume with another win prior to the Round of 16.
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In either case, Sunday night’s race will likely be another thrilling chapter from the green flag to victory lane. Follow along here for all of the updates from the Cook Out Southern 500.
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Truex took responsibility for the second-lap collision that forced him out of the race when he spoke with NBC Sports.
Blaney had received medical attention after his collision with Truex for an apparent arm injury. He said he was alright in a later update on USA’s broadcast and explained he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when Truex overcorrected.
Truex Jr., racing in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, almost made contact with William Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and overcorrected himself right into Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford. Both cars are out of race after the crash around Turn 1 on lap two, and Blaney is receiving medical attention.
“I’m an idiot,” Truex said on his radio after the crash.
The collision has massive implications for Truex, who just needed a clean performance in today’s race to remain inside the playoff picture. Now, he’ll have to wait and see if his points lead entering the day is enough to stay in the top 16.
NASCAR Cook Out Southern 500: How to watch
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
- Location: Darlington Raceway
- TV: USA Network
- Streaming: Peacock, NBCSports.com, fuboTV
Don’t miss NASCAR action with a Fubo subscription
Bubba Wallace, driving out of the No. 23 for 23X1 Racing, will be situated in the pole position to kick off the race at Darlington.
Lineup, start time and more information on the NASCAR Cook Out Southern 50 can be found here.
- 1. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, Toyota
- 2. Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
- 3. Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
- 4. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
- 5. Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
- 6. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, Toyota
- 7. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Ford
- 8. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
- 9. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
- 10. Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, Ford
- 11. Austin Cindric, Team Penske, Ford
- 12. Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, Ford
- 13. Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
- 14. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
- 15. Josh Berry, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
- 16. Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
- 17. Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
- 18. John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy Motor Club, Toyota
- 19. Corey Lajoie, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
- 20. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
- 21. Justin Haley, Rick Ware Racing, Chevrolet
- 22. Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet
- 23. Joey Logano, Team Penske, Ford
- 24. Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford
- 25. Daniel Hemric, Kaulig Racing, Chevrolet
- 26. Zane Smith, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
- 27. Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
- 28. Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club, Toyota
- 29. Noah Gragson, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
- 30. Ryan Preece, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
- 31. Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
- 32. Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet
- 33. Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
- 34. Shane van Gisbergen, Kaulig Racing, Chevrolet
- 35. Kaz Grala, Rick Ware Racing, Chevrolet
- 36. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet
- 37. Timmy Hill, Power Source, Ford
Darlington Raceway was NASCAR’s first superspeedway when it debuted on the calendar in 1950. It also hosted the first 500-mile race in Cup Series history, the Southern 500, on Labor Day in 1950.
The playoff field is nearly set. Thirteen drivers have secured a spot in the playoffs via at least one race win.
Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs, and Chris Buescher are currently ninth, 10th, and 11th in the Cup Series standings, respectively, with no regular season wins. The gap from Truex Jr. to Buescher is 37 points. If there is a new race winner from outside of that group on Sunday, one of the three will not make the playoffs.
The following drivers have already clinched a playoff spot:
- William Byron
- Daniel Suárez
- Kyle Larson
- Christopher Bell
- Denny Hamlin
- Chase Elliott
- Tyler Reddick
- Brad Keselowski
- Austin Cindric
- Ryan Blaney
- Joey Logano
- Alex Bowman
- Harrison Burton
The playoffs start next Sunday, Sept. 8, with the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.
Round of 16
- Sept. 8: Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart | Atlanta Motor Speedway | 3 p.m. ET | USA Network
- Sept. 15: Go Bowling at The Glen | Watkins Glen International | 3 p.m. ET | USA Network
- Sept. 21: Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | 7:30 p.m. ET | USA Network
Round of 12
- Sept. 29: Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN BET | Kansas Speedway | 3 p.m. ET | USA Network
- Oct. 6: YellaWood 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | 2 p.m. ET | NBC
- Oct. 13: Bank of America Roval 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval) | 2 p.m. ET | NBC
Round of 8
- Oct. 20: South Point 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 2:30 p.m. ET | NBC
- Oct. 27: Straight Talk Wireless 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | 2:30 p.m. ET | NBC
- Nov. 3: Xfinity 500 | Martinsville Speedway | 2 p.m. ET | NBC
Championship 4
- Nov. 10: NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race | Phoenix Raceway | 3 p.m. ET | NBC
Brad Keselowski broke a 110-race win drought with his win at Darlington in May at the Goodyear 400. The 2012 Cup Series champion was battling with Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher when contact forced both to pit road and left Keselowski in front for the closing laps.
Kyle Larson won the 2023 Cook Out Southern 500 in what was the opening round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs last season.
Jeff Gordon has the most career wins in the event with six (1995-1998, 2002, 2007).
NASCAR Hall of Fame driver David Pearson has the most career wins at the track with 10.
Fourteen drivers have won regular season NASCAR Cup races in 2024, including:
- William Byron (Daytona 500, EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, Cook Out 400)
- Daniel Suárez (Ambetter Health 400)
- Kyle Larson (Pennzoil 400, AdventHealth 400, Toyota/Save Mart 350, Brickyard 400)
- Christopher Bell (Shriners Children’s 500, Coca-Cola 600, USA Today 301)
- Denny Hamlin (Food City 500, Toyota Owners 400, Würth 400)
- Chase Elliott (Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400)
- Tyler Reddick (GEICO 500, FireKeepers Casino 400)
- Brad Keselowski (Goodyear 400)
- Austin Cindric (Enjoy Illinois 300)
- Ryan Blaney (Iowa Corn 350, Great American Getaway 400)
- Joey Logano (Ally 400)
- Alex Bowman (Grant Park 165)
- Harrison Burton (Coke Zero Sugar 400)
- Austin Dillon* (Cook Out 400)
*= Dillon won the race but had playoff eligibility removed for it.
Logano and Ty Gibbs won the NASCAR All-Star Race and NASCAR All-Star Open, respectively, but neither race counts towards the championship.
The Cook Out Southern 500 in Darlington Sunday is 367 laps. Stage 1 and 2 are 115 laps each and Stage 3 is 137 laps.
The 2024 Cook Out Southern 500 will be broadcast on USA Network starting at 6 p.m. ET. The channel will also have a pre-race show starting at 5:30 p.m. ET.
You can live stream the Cook Out Southern 500 on the NBCSports website and the NBC Sports app. The race is also available to stream on Fubo.
The latest weather forecast from AccuWeather predicts 72 degrees Sunday night during the Cook Out Southern 500.
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