Qualifying results set starting grid for Darlington

The field is set for the first race in the first round of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Denny Hamlin, hoping to win the first Cup Championship of his long and successful career, will start the postseason at the front. He won Saturday’s pole qualifying at Darlington Raceway, narrowly edging the pole king of 2025, Chase Briscoe.

Hamlin toured the 1.36-mile track in an average speed of 171.381 mph. Briscoe averaged 171.255. The top 12 speeds were turned in by playoff drivers.

It might be worth studying the upper rungs of the qualifying results. The last three winners at Darlington have started among the top three spots on the grid, including Hamlin, who started third and won the Goodyear 400 this past April. A year ago, Briscoe started third and won the Southern 500. Josh Berry was third-fastest Saturday.

Sixteen racers and their teams arrived at Darlington Raceway this weekend with chances to win the 2025 Cup Series championship. Sunday night brings the first of three races in the Round of 16. After those three races, the playoff field will trim to 12, then to eight after three more “Round of 12” races.

The three-race “Round of 8” will produce the four racers who go to Phoenix in November for the one-race championship battle, with the title going to the driver who finishes best among those four.

Remember the excitement of last Saturday night, when several underdogs were in the mix at Daytona with real shots to win and crash the playoff roster? Well, don’t expect any of that Sunday night at Darlington, a narrow and demanding track where the demands on man and machine generally weed out a big chunk of the field.

10 fastest NASCAR speeds in Darlington qualifying

Denny Hamlin: 171.381

Chase Briscoe: 171.255

Josh Berry: 170.578

Tyler Reddick: 170.466

Kyle Larson: 170.466

Ross Chastain: 169.965

Christopher Bell: 169.795

Bubba Wallace:169.660

Austin Dillon: 169.549

Austin Cindric: 169.438

Darlington lineup as NASCAR playoffs crank up

1. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (29.694 seconds)
2. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (28.715)
3. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford (29.829)
4. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota (28.848)
5. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (28.925)
6. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (28.933)
7. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (28.962)
8. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota (28.985)
9. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (29.004)
10. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford (29.023)
11. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (29.025)
12. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford (29.032)
13. Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (29.060)
14. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford (29.080)
15. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford (29.082)
16. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (29.127)
17. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (29.172)
18. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford (29.196)
19. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota (29.216)
20. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (29.223)
21. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (29.226)
22. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (29.234)
23. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (29.235)
24. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford (29.245)
25. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (29.249)
26. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (29.249)
27. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford (29.254)
28. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford (29.263)
29. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (29.269)
30. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota (29.327)
31. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (29.338)
32. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford (29.401)
33. Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota (29.445)
34. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford (29.511)
35. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet (29.663)
36. Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford (29.997)
37. Derek Kraus, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet (30.451)
38. Timmy Hill, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford (31.025)

How to watch Sunday’s playoff race

How to watch: Time and TV channels

Saturday: Truck Series race at Darlington (FS1).

Sunday: Cup Series, Southern 500, from Darlington (USA).