Two races into NASCAR's new Chase, the championship standings are already showing how quickly things can change.
Kyle Larson left Darlington 49 points behind Denny Hamlin. One win at Gateway later, he sits second, just nine points back.
Ryan Blaney experienced the opposite. He entered Gateway 16 points behind Hamlin before a brake failure ended his race in 35th. Now he trails by 33.
Next comes Bristol Motor Speedway, and there is no reset waiting on the other side.
Under NASCAR's previous playoff format, drivers raced through elimination rounds with points resets along the way. The 2026 Chase is different. After the initial reseeding, all 10 races count toward the same championship total.

#points #championship

Spire Motorsports owner Jeff **** erson responded to Denny Hamlin's bold statement about his team being an "unserious" one. The comments were made on Hamlin's "Actions Detrimental" podcast in the wake of a controversial incident involving Brad Keselowski and Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar at Darlington.
Towards the end of Stage 1 in the Cook Out Southern 500, contact between Hocevar and Keselowski sent the latter spinning. After the race, Hocevar was tight-lipped in his reaction to the incident, simply saying:
"I don't know. He spun."
Keselowski, meanwhile, had fiery comments for the driver of the No. 77 after the race."His day's coming and it's coming hard. Watch out, Carson," he said.
Hocevar said he will "tighten his belts" in response to Keselowski's comments.

#keselowski #spire

The NASCAR Cup Series circuit heads to the World Wide Technology Raceway, also known as Gateway, for the second race of the Cup Series Chase this weekend. Earlier this week, NASCAR released the full entry list for Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 as 36 drivers and teams are entered for the race.
Absent from this week's entry list are Corey Heim and Chad Finchum, who both raced in last Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Heim, the defending Craftsman Truck Series champion and two-time Cup winner in 2026, is on a part-time basis in the Cup Series for 23XI Racing in the No. 67 Toyota.
Finchum and the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford also competes on a part-time basis and did not enter Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300.
Here is a look at the full 36-car entry list for the Enjoy Illinois 300.
Ross Chastain — No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

#enjoy #entry

Spire Motorsports has been in the news all week for all the wrong reasons, especially for Daniel Suarez, who is in the NASCAR Chase.
Suarez, driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, has grown weary of hearing about his teammate Carson Hocevar spinning out Brad Keselowski at Darlington on Sept. 6 and the subsequent criticism aimed at Spire.
He is ready to shift gears and focus on the Sept. 12 NASCAR Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (2 p.m. C.T., USA).
DENNY HAMLIN BLASTS SPIRE MOTORSPORTS: What Carson Hocevar said about Brad Keselowski's threat and Denny Hamlin's podcast comments
"It's difficult because I think we're doing a lot of great things at Spire Motorsports," Suarez said. "Carson is going to have his personality, I am going to have my personality, Michael (McDowell) is going to have his personality, and that's Ok. We have to be authentic. But we don't want to affect the reputation or the integrity or create a distraction within the team. We already have enough distractions within the team."

#suarez #personality #brad

Chase Briscoe left Darlington Raceway with a solid finish, but it was difficult for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to view it that way.
Briscoe finished sixth in Sunday's Southern 500 after leading 30 laps and spending much of the night in contention for the victory. More importantly, he entered the race as the two-time defending winner and had a chance to become the first driver to win three consecutive Southern 500s.
Instead, Christopher Bell captured the Chase opener.
For Briscoe, the frustration centered on the final restart.
After a late caution, Briscoe chose the inside lane and initially appeared to have an opportunity to control the closing laps. Instead, several cars passed him after Turn 2, dropping him to sixth by the finish.

#laps #raceway

During the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota pit crew of Bubba Wallace set a new pit stop record while changing four tires during the race.
The crew completed the stop in 7.86 seconds, beating the previous record of 7.98, which was held by the pit crew for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Christopher Bell and took place as Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March of the year. Those are the only two known four-tire pit stops under eight seconds.
Wallace's blistering fast pit crew responsible for the stop included front tire changer Austin **** ey, rear tire changer Adam Hartman, tire carrier Joe Crossen, jackman Nathan Ricketts, and fueler Joshua Pech.
You can see the complete pit stop video in the post video:
A new NASCAR pit stop record has been set by the No. 23 pit crew of Bubba Wallace. That 23XI Racing pit crew completed a four tire change in just 7.86 seconds at Darlington Raceway and beat the previous record set by the No. 20 crew. This is the first recorded four tire pit stop… pic.twitter.com/wJ9XUIort2

#seconds

Christopher Bell opened The Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series by earning his first victory of the 2026 season. After passing Kyle Larson for the lead with 12 circuits remaining, Bell captured the victory in Sunday night's Cook Out Southern 500 at the Darlington Raceway.
It was Bell's first Darlington win, first victory of the 2026 season and 14th career Cup win overall. The win was huge for Bell's championship hopes as he moved into the second position in the standings, 12 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.
It was a trying evening for Hamlin, who entered the Chase as the top seed. In the final stage, contact between Hamlin and Michael McDowell caused toe link damage on the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
The contact forced Hamlin to go a lap behind. The 45-year-old gained his lap back and ultimately finished 18th. Going into Darlington, Hamlin had a 25-point lead over second place Ryan Blaney. Now, the JGR driver has a 12-point edge over Bell.
William Byron had a difficult evening at Darlington as he posted a DNF of 37th place. The driver of the No. 24 suffered a flat tire in the final stage, then suffered an engine failure on the subsequent restart.

#darlington #bell #season #behind

Sometimes to win in the NASCAR Cup Series, you have to take a gamble. And sometimes, that gamble simply doesn't work out.
Such was the case for Kyle Larson on Saturday, who made the decision to stay out on the track with 24 laps to go at Darlington. All but four other cars pitted to take fresh tires.
The decision put Larson in the race lead, where he would do his best to fend off those on fresher tires hunting him down. While he held on admirably, eventually he was caught and passed by Christopher Bell with 12 laps left to race.
A power move by CBellRacing!

He takes the lead in the #Southern500 . pic.twitter.com/WTgMOGMivC
After the race, Larson was asked if he regretted the decision to stay out. He instantly turned the offer down, standing by his team's strategy.

#stay #laps

The NASCAR Cup Series began the Chase on Sunday night, and it was a thrilling show. Christopher Bell and the No. 20 team for Joe Gibbs Racing won at Darlington Raceway, earning their first victory of the 2026 Cup Series season. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin struggled after damage, shrinking his championship lead.
Leaving Darlington, Hamlin only holds a 12-point advantage over Bell for the lead in the Chase. There are nine races remaining, so there is plenty of time; however, it wasn't an ideal start for the No. 1 seed. For Bell, it was a much-needed victory in the 2026 Southern 500 at Darlington.
Check out the Chase standings for the Cup Series with nine races left in 2026!
No. 11 Denny Hamlin: +12
No. 20 Christopher Bell: -12

#series #christopher #lead

The first race of the Chase did not go the way Denny Hamlin was hoping for on Saturday at Darlington.
Heading into the Chase as the top car in the standings and the favorite to finally win his first championship, Hamlin was hoping to extend his lead on the field with a strong finish at the Track Too Tough to Tame.
While the No. 11 ran out front to start the race, a poor pit stop later put him out in the middle of the field, where he made contact with Michael McDowell. That contact caused a bit of damage that kept him from the speed he had maintained early in the day, and Hamlin ultimately had to settle for an 18th-place finish.
After the race, Hamlin was frustrated, as he felt his car was just starting to peak when the contact occurred.
"Certainly not the finish we were hoping for. Good first couple of stages. Just got to where our car was actually the best right before that wreck in stage three," Hamlin said. "We certainly made gains on it all day. It was really good in the short run, we got it really good in the long run by the time that third stage came, but never got to see it through."

#hoping #field

Carson Hocevar finds himself the center of attention once again after another messy day at the race track.
With the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington for the first race of the Chase on Saturday, Hocevar was competing for points that would hopefully push him up the points standings and further into championship contention. Instead, he left with more negative attention, and more frustrated competition.
As the first stage of the race was coming to a close, Hocevar drifted up the track and spun the No. 6 of Brad Keselowski. Watching the replay, it is extremely, extremely clear what happened. Hocevar simply gets into him.
After the race, in which Hocevar finished 11th, the No. 77 driver dismissed the contact he made with Keselowski.
"Yeah he spun," he said smiling, when asked about the incident. "I don't know what happened. He spun."

#track #first #points

It was a tumultuous night for William Byron at the Darlington Raceway in the Cook Out Southern 500. The driver of the No. 24 was forced to exit the race prematurely in the final stage after his engine expired, resulting in a 37th-place finish.
Byron, who has failed to win in 2026, entered the NASCAR Cup Series Chase 13th in the standings. Following a tough result on Sunday night at Darlington, the Hendrick Motorsports driver finds himself at the bottom of the Chase in the 16th position.
Moments prior to Byron's motor blowing, the North Carolina native triggered a caution after spinning out due to a tire failure.
Byron was having a solid run at "The Track Too Tough to Tame" for most of the evening. The 28-year-old placed ninth in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2, aiming to put together a quality run to kick off the Chase. Yet, things were going well until they weren't.
Byron's tire failure happened during the final stage as his Valvoline Chevrolet went sliding through turns 3 and 4, which brought out the caution on Lap 315. On the subsequent restart, Byron suffered an engine failure, forcing him to take his HMS machine behind the wall.

#darlington #tough #night

Christopher Bell finally broke through when it mattered most.
Bell won the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday night, capturing his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2026 season and opening the Chase with a massive statement win. The victory was Bell's 14th career Cup Series win and ended a frustrating stretch of near-misses that had seen him finish runner-up seven times.
Tyler Reddick entered Darlington with plenty of momentum and started the race from the pole after weather forced NASCAR to cancel qualifying.
Reddick immediately showed why he was considered one of the favorites, winning the opening stage after battling with Denny Hamlin throughout the first portion of the race. Bubba Wallace and Hamlin remained near the front as the field dealt with Darlington's notoriously difficult tire-wear conditions.
Reddick's strong start put him in position to score valuable playoff points, but the race was far from over.

#darlington #series

Christopher Bell — winner: "It's been too ***** long. Oh my gosh, man. I'm just so, so proud of all these guys. All this No. 20 car. All the mechanics. All the pit crew members. They deserve it more than anyone. This has been a long time coming. Darlington has been one that I've always wanted to win since I got into the sport. This is the ultimate driver's track. I knew we'd able to win it. We can win any week. It just hadn't happened yet. But yes, when I was sitting in the infield care center at Michigan, I thought my season was over. I thought I was going to be out a couple of weeks. I thought I wasn't going to make the Chase. We're still in it, baby."
Ty Gibbs — second: "Well, I think it's just goes back to where we started. They had a pretty squirrelly metric, and we started 28th ranked in the fourth seed. Hopefully we can fix that for next time. I feel like the Toyota Camry was great. Yeah, I don't know. I'm glad Christopher won. I'm happy for him and the 20 team. We just missed it a little bit and had some issues happen a little bit. But appreciate all the effort from everyone on my team."
Tyler Reddick — third: "We just had a little hiccup on the left front on one of those green-flag cycles in Stage 2. The guys did a great job catching it. That could have been catastrophic in the first pit stall. Good job the boys not making a mistake much worse. Just lost a little bit of track position at a critical time. I think for us, where our car went was just track position. We got where it needed to be for that final restart. It was a little tough at the end, but we know where we need to be at the end of this race and years to come. Good day for the Chase. Really want to win this race bad and one day we will. It's good to be in contention every year."
WILL BE UPDATED

#thought #christopher

Denny Hamlin preserved his NASCAR Cup Series Chase lead after an eventful Cook Out Southern 500 on Sept. 6 at Darlington.
Hamlin is 12 points ahead of Christopher Bell going into next week's race at Gateway, the second of 10 races in the Chase.
Bell broke the seal in 2026 with the victory at Darlington, his first win since last year at Bristol.
Hamlin recovered from a broken toe link to finish 18th while bagging 16 stage points to minimize the points damage.
Here's the updated NASCAR Cup Series points standings:

#cook

Carson Hocevar spun out Brad Keselowski, bringing out a caution and ending the first stage of the NASCAR Darlington race on Sept. 6.
There were still a few laps left in the stage, but when the yellow comes out so near the end, a new NASCAR rule states the stage ends.
Hocevar came close to taking out Joey Logano as well when he got into the back of Keselowski. There did not seem to be a reason for Hocevar making contact.
It was the first caution of the race.
Tyler Reddick won the stage, with Bubba Wallace second and Denny Hamlin third.

#hocevar #first

Mother Nature had other plans for the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Saturday as a lengthy lightning delay canceled the single-car session. Based on the metric, Tyler Reddick will start the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway from the pole position.
Because of this, Reddick earns the luxury of not only starting up front, but having an advantage on pit road. The driver of the No. 45 will be pitting from the No. 1 pit stall on Sunday night, the closest box to the exit of pit road.
Ryan Blaney lost his privilege of selecting his own pit stall after issues during pre-race inspection. The driver of the No. 12 will be pitting from the No. 27 pit stall, based on where every other team selected.
Here is a look at where every driver will pit for Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington.
Image courtesy of NASCAR.com

#stall #road

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The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin at Darlington Raceway with the Cook Out Southern 500. (Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin Sunday night at Darlington Raceway, and the Cook Out Southern 500 gives The Chase the kind of opener it deserves. Ryan Preece forced his way into the 16-driver field with a win at Daytona last weekend, grabbing the final playoff spot and adding one more dramatic twist before the ***** le fight officially begins. Now the regular season is over, the field is set, and only 16 drivers have a path to the championship.
Denny Hamlin starts The Chase in the best position, carrying a 25-point lead over Ryan Blaney, while the rest of the field has plenty of ground to make up. Preece enters as the final seed and starts 100 points back, but with 10 races still ahead, there is still plenty of time for chaos, comebacks, and mistakes that can reshape the standings quickly. Darlington is the perfect place to start, with its tire wear, narrow racing groove, and unforgiving walls ready to punish anyone who gets too aggressive too early. The Chase is wide open, and Sunday night is the first real test.
The green flag drops for the first race of The Chase at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, and racing fans can watch every lap on Sling TV.

#series

Twenty-six races are in the books. The points have been reset. And now the real fight begins.
NASCAR's 16-driver Chase field opens its 10-race championship run Sunday night with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. But the regular season left behind more than race winners and a postseason field.
There were run-ins, rivalries, manufacturer battles and even a legal fight away from the track.
Before the green flag falls on NASCAR's first Chase since the championship format was overhauled, here are six of the biggest feuds, clashes and tension points that helped shape the 2026 regular season.
One of the season's wildest confrontations came at Martinsville.

#field #race #twenty

The NASCAR O'Reilly Series competed at Darlington Raceway, and it marked the first race of the 2026 Chase. Justin Allgaier entered the event with a 25-point advantage over Carson Kvapil; however, that has disintegrated. Following a victory at Darlington, a Haas Factory Team driver has shrunk the gap.
Sheldon Creed and the No. 00 team for Haas Factory Team won Saturday's Chase race at Darlington, earning their second victory of the 2026 O'Reilly Series season. Creed, who won his first O'Reilly Series race at EchoPark Speedway in the spring, beat Corey Day and Brent Crews with a dominant final green-flag run.
The driver of the No. 00 car for Haas Factory Team is now seven points behind Allgaier, who finished in 17th place at Darlington. The Chase is back and Creed is the first driver to take advantage of the 20 points in a victory. The top 8 drivers in points after seperated by 58 points with eight races left in 2026.
No. 00 Sheldon Creed
No. 17 Corey Day

#factory #points

23XI Racing will lead the NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup for the Chase race at Darlington Raceway in September. Tyler Reddick won the pole for the 2026 Southern 500 at Darlington this weekend. Daniel Suarez will join Reddick on the front row for Sunday afternoon's event. Qualifying was cancelled due to lightning.
Ryan Preece and Denny Hamlin will follow the two drivers on the second row. Most notably, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, Carson Hocevar, and Chris Buescher are the Chase drivers starting 20th or worse for Sunday afternoon's event.
The full NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup at Darlington in September 2026 is below!
No. 45 Tyler Reddick*
No. 7 Daniel Suarez*

#darlington

What time does NASCAR start today? TV schedule, channel, live stream to watch 2026 Darlington playoff race originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Now that the NASCAR regular season is officially over, it's time to head into a thrilling playoff Chase. Drivers will not get much time to ease into competition, as the Cook Out Southern 500 gets things started on Sunday.
With the playoff circuit heading to Darlington, things should get interesting. The South Carolina oval is also known as "The Track Too Tough to Tame", and the Cook Out Southern features a grueling 501-mile stretch that has been humbling drivers for more than 70 years.
This weekend's race serves as the first of 10 postseason competitions that will culminate in a 2026 Cup Series champion. Only 16 drivers qualified for the Chase, with Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick leading points, and Ryan Preece just squeaking in after winning last weekend's ******* e Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.
Who can make an impression as the NASCAR postseason gets started?

#nascar #drivers #darlington #cook

Justin Allgaier leads the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase points standings after the Darlington race on Sept. 5.
But Sheldon Creed climbed to within seven points of Allgaier by winning at Darlington.
Carson Kvapil is third in the points standings, 19 points behind his teammate.
Here's the updated NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series points standings:
RACE RECAP: NASCAR O'Reilly Series Darlington race live updates, highlights, leaderboard

#nascar #o 'reilly #standings #parts

Sheldon Creed and his team got the tire strategy right, and Creed drove to victory in the Fleetio 200 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Sept. 5 at Darlington.
Creed pulled away to a 3-second lead over Corey Day and Sammy Smith, then massaged the lead to the checkered flag.
Creed opens the Chase with a win and a big boost to his championship hopes.
Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil battled for the lead for the entirety of the first two stages, but their cars' handling fell off in the final 40 laps as they each fell outside the top 10.
Here are the full results from Saturday's race:

#creed #race #fell #auto

The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase begins with the Fleetio 200 on Sept. 5 at Darlington.
Carson Kvapil will lead the field to the green flag, with Justin Allgaier joining him on the front row.
All 12 Chase drivers qualified inside the top 15.
Cup Series practice and qualifying was impacted by weather earlier on Sept. 5, so an eye on the radar will be needed as race time approaches in South Carolina.
Follow along with the Tennessean's race updates below:

#series #darlington

Carson Kvapil is on the pole for the Fleetio 200 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Sept. 5 at Darlington.
Kvapil bested teammate Justin Allgaier with a lap of 30.424 seconds to claim the pole.
Among Chase drivers, all 12 qualified inside the top seven rows.
Here's the full starting lineup for Saturday's O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race:
NASCAR CUP CHASE PICKS: NASCAR Chase picks, surprises: Will Denny Hamlin finally win the Cup Series ****** le?

#race

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Let's get ready to cook - the NASCAR Cook Out Southern 500 will be heating up the track at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina this weekend! The race will air on USA Network at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 6, while practices and qualifying races will air on truTV and HBO Max on Saturday.
Before this weekend's race, you can check out the most up-to-date Cup Series standings here. Here's everything you need to know about the Cook Out Southern 500 and how to watch every other 2026 NASCAR Cup Series race this season.
Date: Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026
Time: 5 p.m. ET

#nascar #sept #series #date

Sunday night's Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is the first race in NASCAR's The Chase for the Cup Series. It adds to the importance of Cup Series qualifying on Saturday, with starting positions potentially going to influence who is the eventual champion.
Let's take a look at the NASCAR qualifying order this weekend at Darlington for the Cup Series. You can find info on Cup Series qualifying further below.
Related: NASCAR Weekend Schedule at Darlington
Pos.
Drivers

#sunday #southern

A win at Darlington counts the same in the standings as any other NASCAR Cup Series victory. But the Southern 500 has never been just another race.
First run in 1950, the Southern 500 has grown into one of NASCAR's crown-jewel races, combining more than 75 years of history with a Labor Day tradition and a winner's list filled with some of the sport's biggest names.
Why the Southern 500 Is One of NASCAR's Crown-Jewel Races
Darlington Raceway opened in 1950 as NASCAR's first paved superspeedway and hosted the inaugural Southern 500. Seventy-five cars entered and roughly 25,000 fans showed up to watch, but it was Johnny Mantz, the slowest qualifier in the entire field, who ultimately won. While other drivers spent the race battling tire failures, Mantz used hard-compound truck tires to outlast the field and drive his way into NASCAR history. Darlington Raceway
Over the decades, the Southern 500 became closely tied to Labor Day weekend and established itself among NASCAR's biggest events. Its status was reinforced in 1985 when the race became one of four included in the Winston Million, a $1 million bonus available to a driver who could win three of NASCAR's major races. Bill Elliott secured the bonus by winning the Southern 500 that year, and Jeff Gordon repeated the accomplishment in 1997. NASCAR

#southern #race

Darlington Raceway doesn't need much of an introduction to longtime NASCAR fans.
For everyone else, the South Carolina track can take some explaining.
Why does it look like an egg? Why do drivers talk about earning a "Darlington Stripe"? Where did "The Lady in Black" come from? And what exactly makes a 1.366-mile oval so difficult that NASCAR has spent decades calling it "The Track Too Tough to Tame"?
With the Cup Series returning to Darlington this weekend for the Cook Out Southern 500 and the opening race of the 2026 Chase, consider this your Darlington Raceway 101.
From the track's unusual dimensions and famous nicknames to its history, records and quirks, here's everything NASCAR fans need to know about one of the sport's most recognizable race tracks.

#track #stripe