Motorsports
Cup Series playoff picture update before Darlington race
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs opens on Aug. 31 with the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the first race of the Round of 16.
Playoff rules remain the same as previous seasons, so a win by a playoff driver locks that driver into the next round. Four drivers will be eliminated after the Round of 16, which includes races at Darlington, Gateway and Bristol.
Chase Elliott (21st) and Alex Bowman (29th) are the playoff drivers starting outside of the top 20, but the race will be plenty long enough for both drivers to make up ground. And with the first stage at 115 laps, the field will have at least three full tire runs before the first stage end.
Here’s the Cup Series playoff picture ahead of the Southern 500 at Darlington:
Ahead of Race 1 of 3 in Round of 16; Top 12 drivers advance to next round, with a win locking drivers into next round
1. William Byron +26 ahead of 13th
2. Kyle Larson +26
3. Denny Hamlin +23
4. Ryan Blaney +20
5. Christopher Bell +17
6. Shane van Gisbergen +16
7. Chase Elliott +7
8. Chase Briscoe +4
9. Bubba Wallace +2
10. Austin Cindric +2
11. Ross Chastain +1
12. Joey Logano +1
———————————————–
13. Josh Berry -1 behind 12th
14. Tyler Reddick -1
15. Austin Dillon -2
16. Alex Bowman -5
- Green Flag Time: Approx. 5:05 p.m. CT on Sunday, August 31
- Track: Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval) in Darlington, South Carolina
- Length: 367 laps, 501.3 miles
- Stages: 115 laps, 115 laps, 137 laps
- TV coverage: USA Network
- Radio: MRN
- Streaming: Watch FREE on Fubo; HBO MAX app for in-car cameras (subscription required); NASCAR.com and SiriusXM on Channel 90 for audio (subscription required)
The Southern 500 will be broadcast nationally on USA Network. Other streaming options for the race include HBO MAX for in-car cameras for each driver.