The 76th running of the Southern 500 will open the NASCAR Cup Series playoff as Darlington Raceway shifts back to begin the 10-race run to the championship for the fifth time.
“The Track Too Tough To Tame” has produced a long roster of winners recently. Denny Hamlin, who won at the 1.366-mile oval in April, is the only repeat winner in the past 11 races at Darlington. Hamlin also has led in the past 11 races at Darlington, earning three victories.
William Byron, who won the regular-season championship, set a track record by leading the first 243 laps April 6 at Darlington in a race that featured only four lead changes (the fweest since the inaugural Southern 500 in 1950).
There were 26 lead changes in last year’s Southern 500, the most in the crown jewel event since 2008.
Details for Sunday’s Cup race at Darlington Raceway
(All times Eastern)
START: The green flag is scheduled to wave at 6:05 p.m.
PRERACE: The Cup garage will open at 3 p.m. … The drivers meeting will be at 4:50 p.m. … Driver introductions will be at 5:15 p.m. … The national anthem will be performed at 5:48 p.m. by the Parris Island Marine Band. … The command to start engines is scheduled to be given at 5:55 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 367 laps (501.32 miles) on the 1.366-mile oval in Darlington, S.C..
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 115. Stage 2 ends at Lap 230.
PURSE: $10,447,135
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 38 cars entered at Darlington Raceway.
TV/RADIO: USA will broadcast the race starting at 5:30 p.m. … Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage.
FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — Partly cloudy with a 23% chance of rain. A high of 82 degrees with winds from the northeast at 5 to 10 mph. It’s expected to be 79 degrees with a 24% chance of rain at the start of the Cup race.
LAST YEAR: Chase Briscoe won the regular-season finale to earn a spot in the playoffs with the final victory for Stewart-Haas Racing.
