The 76th running of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will host the 27th round of the 2025 NASCAR Cup season, but the first of its Playoffs. 16 drivers will begin the title hunt on Sunday, facing 500 miles of racing around the track 'too tough to tame'
Kyle Larson is the No. 1 seed with 32 playoff points after the reset, which is equal to teammate and regular season champion William Byron. The four drivers who begin the Playoffs in the hole are Josh Berry (-1pt), Tyler Reddick (-1pt), Austin Dillon (-2pts), and Alex Bowman (-5pts).
News of the week
This week, Ram announced plans to partner with Kaulig Racing in 2026, entering five trucks as they make their highly anticipated return to NASCAR. Trackhouse Racing also confirmed Connor Zilisch's promotion to Cup, replacing Daniel Suarez next year.
On the Truck Series side, Frankie Muniz has been sidelined after suffering a wrist injury when he fell off his ladder at home. Trevor Bayne is also making his NASCAR return, driving for TRICON in this Saturday's Truck race.
Rising stars Corey Heim and Connor Zilisch dominated Saturday's action, as Heim earned his eighth win of the year in the NASCAR Truck race at Darlington, while Zilisch also collected his eighth win of the year in the NASCAR Xfinity race at Portland.
What is the NASCAR at Darlington and Portland schedule?
(Schedule is tentative and subject to change)
Friday, August 29th
3pm -- NASCAR Truck Series practice and qualifying -- FOX SPORTS 2
Saturday, August 30th
9am -- NASCAR Cup practice and qualifying -- TRUTV
12pm -- NASCAR Truck Series race -- FOX SPORTS 1
3pm -- NASCAR Xfinity practice and qualifying (Portland) -- CW APP
7:30pm -- NASCAR Xfinity Series race (Portland) -- The CW
Sunday, August 31st
6pm EST -- NASCAR Cup 76th running of the Southern 500 at Darlington -- USA NETWORK
How can I watch the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington?
- Date: Sunday, August 31st
- TV start time: 5:30 p.m. ET
- Green flag: 6:05pm EST
- Laps/Miles: 367 laps / 500 miles
- TV channel: USA NETWORK | TSN (Canada) | Other international viewing options
- Live stream: In-car cameras on HBO MAX
- Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Who won the pole for the Southern 500 at Darlington?
There were 38 entries for the Cup race with two part-time entries. In the end, playoff drivers dominated qualifying with Denny Hamlin securing pole position. He will share the front row with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe.
The worst qualifiers both came from Hendrick Motorsports, with Chase Elliott lining up 21st and Alex Bowman in 29th.
| Cla | Driver | # | Manufacturer | Laps | Time | Interval | Mph | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D. HamlinJoe Gibbs Racing | 11 | Toyota | 1 |
28.694 |
171.381 | ||
| 2 | C. BriscoeJoe Gibbs Racing | 19 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.021 28.715 |
0.021 | 171.255 | |
| 3 |
J. BerryWood Brothers Racing
|
21 | Ford | 1 |
+0.135 28.829 |
0.114 | 170.578 | |
| 4 | T. Reddick23XI Racing | 45 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.154 28.848 |
0.019 | 170.466 | |
| 5 | K. LarsonHendrick Motorsports | 5 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.231 28.925 |
0.077 | 170.012 | |
| 6 | R. ChastainTrackHouse Racing | 1 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.239 28.933 |
0.008 | 169.965 | |
| 7 | C. BellJoe Gibbs Racing | 20 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.268 28.962 |
0.029 | 169.795 | |
| 8 | B. Wallace23XI Racing | 23 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.291 28.985 |
0.023 | 169.660 | |
| 9 | A. DillonRichard Childress Racing | 3 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.310 29.004 |
0.019 | 169.549 | |
| 10 | A. CindricTeam Penske | 2 | Ford | 1 |
+0.329 29.023 |
0.019 | 169.438 | |
| 11 | W. ByronHendrick Motorsports | 24 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.331 29.025 |
0.002 | 169.426 | |
| 12 | R. BlaneyTeam Penske | 12 | Ford | 1 |
+0.338 29.032 |
0.007 | 169.386 | |
| 13 | J. HaleySpire Motorsports | 7 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.366 29.060 |
0.028 | 169.222 | |
| 14 | J. LoganoTeam Penske | 22 | Ford | 1 |
+0.386 29.080 |
0.020 | 169.106 | |
| 15 | C. BuescherRFK Racing | 17 | Ford | 1 |
+0.388 29.082 |
0.002 | 169.094 | |
| 16 | T. GibbsJoe Gibbs Racing | 54 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.433 29.127 |
0.045 | 168.833 | |
| 17 | D. SuarezTrackHouse Racing | 99 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.478 29.172 |
0.045 | 168.573 | |
| 18 | C. CusterHaas Factory Team | 41 | Ford | 1 |
+0.502 29.196 |
0.024 | 168.434 | |
| 19 | E. JonesLegacy Motor Club | 43 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.522 29.216 |
0.020 | 168.319 | |
| 20 | S. van GisbergenTrackHouse Racing | 88 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.529 29.223 |
0.007 | 168.278 | |
| 21 | C. ElliottHendrick Motorsports | 9 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.532 29.226 |
0.003 | 168.261 | |
| 22 | A. AllmendingerKaulig Racing | 16 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.540 29.234 |
0.008 | 168.215 | |
| 23 | K. BuschRichard Childress Racing | 8 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.541 29.235 |
0.001 | 168.209 | |
| 24 | Z. SmithFront Row Motorsports | 38 | Ford | 1 |
+0.551 29.245 |
0.010 | 168.152 | |
| 25 | C. HocevarSpire Motorsports | 77 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.555 29.249 |
0.004 | 168.129 | |
| 26 | M. McDowellSpire Motorsports | 71 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.555 29.249 |
0.000 | 168.129 | |
| 27 | R. PreeceRFK Racing | 60 | Ford | 1 |
+0.560 29.254 |
0.005 | 168.100 | |
| 28 | T. GillilandFront Row Motorsports | 34 | Ford | 1 |
+0.569 29.263 |
0.009 | 168.048 | |
| 29 | A. BowmanHendrick Motorsports | 48 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.575 29.269 |
0.006 | 168.014 | |
| 30 | J. NemechekLegacy Motor Club | 42 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.633 29.327 |
0.058 | 167.682 | |
| 31 | T. DillonKaulig Racing | 10 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.644 29.338 |
0.011 | 167.619 | |
| 32 | B. KeselowskiRFK Racing | 6 | Ford | 1 |
+0.707 29.401 |
0.063 | 167.260 | |
| 33 | R. Herbst23XI Racing | 35 | Toyota | 1 |
+0.751 29.445 |
0.044 | 167.010 | |
| 34 | N. GragsonFront Row Motorsports | 4 | Ford | 1 |
+0.817 29.511 |
0.066 | 166.636 | |
| 35 | R. Stenhouse JrHyak Motorsports | 47 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+0.969 29.663 |
0.152 | 165.782 | |
| 36 | C. WareRick Ware Racing | 51 | Ford | 1 |
+1.303 29.997 |
0.334 | 163.936 | |
| 37 | D. KrausNY Racing Team | 44 | Chevrolet | 1 |
+1.757 30.451 |
0.454 | 161.492 | |
| 38 | T. HillGarage 66 | 66 | Ford | 1 |
+2.331 31.025 |
0.574 | 158.504 |
