The Cup playoffs begin with Sunday night’s Southern 500.
Chase Elliott enters as the No. 1 ranked driver after winning the regular season championship, but only nine points separate fifth from 16th in the standings. This is the closest the field has been since the current playoff format in 2017.
The opening round of the Cup playoffs features Darlington, Kansas and Bristol. Last year, nine of the 16 playoff drivers finished outside the top 15 in the Southern 500.
Details for Sunday’s Cup race at Darlington Raceway
(All times Eastern)
START: The command will be given at 6:09 p.m. by Jeremy Reaves, Max Reaves and Rue Reaves of Cook Out. ... The green flag is scheduled to wave at 6:19 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 367 laps (501.32 miles) on the 1.366-mile speedway.
COMPETITION CAUTION: Lap 25
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 115. Stage 2 ends at Lap 230.
TO THE REAR: Daniel Suarez (three inspection failures and also must serve a pass-through penalty after the start of the race).
STARTING LINEUP: Darlington Cup starting lineup
TV/RADIO: USA Network will broadcast the race at 6 p.m. ... Countdown to Green airs at 5 p.m. on USA Network. .. The post-race show will air on USA Network. ... Motor Racing Network coverage begins at 5 p.m. and also will stream at mrn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the MRN broadcast.
STREAMING: NBCsports.com
FORECAST: According to wunderground.com, the forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 84 degrees at the start of the race. There is an 11% chance of rain.
LAST TIME: Joey Logano bumped William Byron out of the lead in the final laps to win in May. Tyler Reddick finished second. Justin Haley placed third. Byron finished 13th.
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Friday 5: Trackhouse duo completes long journey to playoffs
Kyle Busch nearing a decision on his future
Playoff puzzle: Key questions for all 16 Cup title contenders
Dr. Diandra: The seven habits of successful championship contenders
NASCAR increases damaged vehicle repair time to 10 minutes
Drivers to watch at Darlington
Bubba Wallace switching numbers to No. 45 for rest of season
Darlington’s hard road a landmark starting point for Cup playoffs