Cook Out Southern 500
Darlington RacewayThe Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is the oldest superspeedway race on the NASCAR schedule and one of the most prestigious non-Daytona events in the sport. The Track Too Tough To Tame opened in 1950 and has worn a distinctive egg-shape ever since — 1.366 miles of asymmetrical, 23-degree banked turns where Turn 1 is tighter and faster than Turn 4, and the wall eventually catches every driver who pushes too hard. That's the origin of the Darlington Stripe, the unmistakable scrape mark that nearly every car carries home from this place. The Labor Day weekend tradition reaches back decades — Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jeff Gordon, and Dale Jarrett all won Southern 500s that shaped their legacies, and Kyle Larson's 2023 Southern 500 win came on a late restart that showcased everything that makes Darlington great. The 367-lap race serves as the traditional kickoff to The Chase, where the 16 qualifiers begin their 10-race run to the championship. Throwback weekend paint schemes celebrate NASCAR's history, and the unforgiving old-school racing surface separates the Chase contenders from the pretenders.
Your watchlist, historical context, and race-week curiosities.
Your Drivers' Outlook
Historical Context
- Tyler Reddick has 21 starts at Darlington Raceway with 1 win and a 13.4 average finish.
- Chase Elliott has 23 starts at Darlington Raceway with 1 win and a 12.8 average finish.
- Denny Hamlin has 41 starts at Darlington Raceway with 10 wins and a 7.6 average finish.
Based on Cup Series results at Darlington Raceway from 1949-2026.
Denny Hamlin has won 10 times at Darlington Raceway with a 7.6 average finish.
See Denny Hamlin's full statsThe last Cup race at Darlington Raceway was the 2026 Goodyear 400 (chaos score: 54.2).
Track historyThe narrative arc, drivers to watch, and race-weekend color.
Schedule, predictions, entry list, track history, fantasy, and betting angles.
TV & Start Time
What channel is the Cook Out Southern 500 on?
The Cook Out Southern 500 airs on USA on Sunday, September 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET, broadcast from Darlington Raceway. The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule splits between FOX, FS1, TNT, NBC, USA, and Amazon Prime Video.
What time does the NASCAR Cup race start today?
The Cook Out Southern 500 green flag is set for 5:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 6, 2026, airing on USA. All NASCAR start times are listed in Eastern Time.
NR-Rating Track Rankings
| # | Driver | Elo Rating | Last Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 1624 | P11 |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 1617 | P15 |
| 3 | Tyler Reddick | 1597 | P1 |
| 4 | Chris Buescher | 1591 | P9 |
| 5 | Chase Briscoe | 1579 | P12 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 1570 | P2 |
| 7 | William Byron | 1561 | P8 |
| 8 | Ryan Preece | 1544 | P13 |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace | 1543 | P34 |
| 10 | Christopher Bell | 1539 | P19 |
NR-Rating Predictions
Last updated: Wed, May 13, 2026, 07:50 AM ET
| # | Driver | Exp. Finish | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Reddick Best in Field | 6.2 | 18.2% |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 7.8 | 17.8% |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 8.2 | 16.3% |
| 4 | Chris Buescher | 9.2 | 15.4% |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | 9.2 | 12.7% |
| 6 | Ryan Preece | 10.1 | 10.9% |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | 10.7 | 9.6% |
| 8 | William Byron | 10.7 | 8.4% |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski | 11.2 | 7.6% |
| 10 | Chase Briscoe | 11.9 | 6.4% |
| 11 | Kyle Larson | 12.7 | 5.2% |
| 12 | Bubba Wallace | 12.7 | 5.1% |
| 13 | Carson Hocevar | 13.1 | 4.3% |
| 14 | Ross Chastain | 13.3 | 3.8% |
| 15 | Alex Bowman | 13.5 | 3.3% |
| 16 | Daniel Suarez | 14.0 | 3.1% |
| 17 | Ty Gibbs | 14.5 | 3.0% |
| 18 | Joey Logano | 14.7 | 2.7% |
| 19 | Austin Cindric | 15.4 | 2.2% |
| 20 | Erik Jones | 16.7 | 1.7% |
| 21 | Casey Mears | 16.9 | 1.4% |
| 22 | Michael McDowell | 17.0 | 1.2% |
| 23 | Kyle Busch | 17.0 | 1.1% |
| 24 | Austin Dillon | 17.1 | 0.9% |
| 25 | Shane van Gisbergen | 18.3 | 0.7% |
| 26 | A.J. Allmendinger | 18.3 | 0.5% |
| 27 | Zane Smith | 19.1 | 0.5% |
| 28 | John Hunter Nemechek | 19.1 | 0.5% |
| 29 | Todd Gilliland | 19.1 | 0.4% |
| 30 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 19.9 | 0.3% |
| 31 | Josh Berry | 22.9 | 0.2% |
| 32 | Connor Zilisch | 22.9 | 0.1% |
| 33 | Katherine Legge | 21.4 | 0.1% |
| 34 | Cole Custer | 22.9 | 0.1% |
| 35 | Noah Gragson | 21.4 | 0.1% |
| 36 | Riley Herbst | 21.4 | 0.1% |
| 37 | Ty Dillon | 23.4 | 0.1% |
| 38 | B.J. McLeod | 24.8 | 0.0% |
| 39 | Cody Ware | 56.1 | 0.0% |
Win probabilities reflect full-field Monte Carlo simulations. A 10% pWin means roughly 1-in-10 chance of winning — higher than most bettors realize for a 36-car field where the average driver has ~2.8% odds. Top 5 and Top 10 percentages similarly reflect simulated outcomes, not historical averages. Learn how the model works.
Predictions powered by NR-Rating model (MAE: 8.5 positions)
Prediction Scorecard
Go Bowling at The Glen: Model picked Chase Elliott at P1 → Actual P24
(1/5 top-5 hits)
38% top-5 hit rate across 11 races
History at Darlington Raceway
Cup Series data from 1949-2026 (22 races)
Recent Results
| Year | Race | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Goodyear 400 | Tyler Reddick |
| 2025 | Cook Out Southern 500 | Chase Briscoe |
| 2025 | Goodyear 400 | Denny Hamlin |
| 2024 | Cook Out Southern 500 | Chase Briscoe |
| 2024 | Goodyear 400 | Brad Keselowski |
All Results at This Track
Laps Led Leaders
| Driver | Total Laps Led |
|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | 1070 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 841 |
| Denny Hamlin | 724 |
| Kyle Busch | 620 |
| Brad Keselowski | 570 |
Track Type Tendencies
Intermediate tracks like Darlington Raceway reward the complete package — car setup, pit strategy, and driver consistency all factor in. These are the races where elite teams separate themselves.
Track position and tire management are critical, especially in long green-flag runs.
Fantasy
High laps-led totals at this track
50%+ top-5 rate at this track
Strong avg finish but no wins — lower ownership