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
- Denny Hamlin has 41 starts at Darlington Raceway with 10 wins and a 7.5 average finish.
- Chase Briscoe has 13 starts at Darlington Raceway with 2 wins and a 13.3 average finish.
- Ryan Blaney has 22 starts at Darlington Raceway with a 17.9 average finish.
Based on Cup Series results at Darlington Raceway from 1949-2026.
The 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 | 1679 | P11 |
| 2 | Chase Briscoe | 1605 | P12 |
| 3 | Chris Buescher | 1579 | P9 |
| 4 | Ryan Blaney | 1568 | P3 |
| 5 | Chase Elliott | 1560 | P15 |
| 6 | Christopher Bell | 1559 | P19 |
| 7 | William Byron | 1555 | P8 |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick | 1544 | P1 |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace | 1544 | P34 |
| 10 | Daniel Suarez | 1526 | P7 |
NR-Rating Predictions
Last updated: Sun, Aug 16, 2026, 07:09 AM ET
| # | Driver | Exp. Finish | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin Best in Field | 6.2 | 18.2% |
| 2 | Chase Briscoe | 7.8 | 17.8% |
| 3 | Ryan Blaney | 8.2 | 16.3% |
| 4 | Chris Buescher | 9.2 | 15.4% |
| 5 | Christopher Bell | 9.2 | 12.8% |
| 6 | Chase Elliott | 10.1 | 11.0% |
| 7 | Ty Gibbs | 10.7 | 9.9% |
| 8 | William Byron | 10.7 | 8.7% |
| 9 | Tyler Reddick | 11.2 | 7.7% |
| 10 | Joey Logano | 11.9 | 6.7% |
| 11 | Daniel Suarez | 12.7 | 5.5% |
| 12 | Bubba Wallace | 12.7 | 5.2% |
| 13 | Kyle Larson | 13.1 | 4.5% |
| 14 | Carson Hocevar | 13.2 | 3.9% |
| 15 | Ryan Preece | 13.3 | 3.6% |
| 16 | Ross Chastain | 14.5 | 3.1% |
| 17 | Erik Jones | 14.7 | 2.8% |
| 18 | Austin Cindric | 15.4 | 2.2% |
| 19 | Brad Keselowski | 15.4 | 2.2% |
| 20 | Alex Bowman | 16.2 | 1.7% |
| 21 | Michael McDowell | 16.9 | 1.3% |
| 22 | A.J. Allmendinger | 17.1 | 0.9% |
| 23 | Shane van Gisbergen | 18.3 | 0.7% |
| 24 | John Hunter Nemechek | 18.3 | 0.7% |
| 25 | Zane Smith | 18.3 | 0.5% |
| 26 | Todd Gilliland | 19.1 | 0.5% |
| 27 | Casey Mears | 19.1 | 0.5% |
| 28 | Austin Dillon | 19.9 | 0.4% |
| 29 | Riley Herbst | 19.9 | 0.3% |
| 30 | Kevin Magnussen | 19.9 | 0.3% |
| 31 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 19.9 | 0.3% |
| 32 | Jimmie Johnson | 19.9 | 0.3% |
| 33 | Noah Gragson | 22.9 | 0.1% |
| 34 | Josh Berry | 21.4 | 0.1% |
| 35 | Cole Custer | 22.0 | 0.1% |
| 36 | Ty Dillon | 22.9 | 0.1% |
| 37 | Katherine Legge | 22.2 | 0.1% |
| 38 | B.J. McLeod | 24.7 | 0.1% |
| 39 | Connor Zilisch | 26.1 | 0.0% |
| 40 | Cody Ware | 57.0 | 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
Anduril 250: Model picked Chase Elliott at P1 → Actual P12
(1/5 top-5 hits)
37% top-5 hit rate across 13 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 | 574 |
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