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The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs kicks off this weekend with the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Absolute fire. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TcySk5NM7G
— Jordan McAbee (@FanRacingOnline) August 27, 2025
Darlington is one of the most storied race tracks on the NASCAR schedule, and the Southern 500 is one of the "Crown Jewel" races each year.
This 1.366-mile track is one of the most unique that we race on, and a true test of a driver's skill. Darlington has a super abrasive surface and requires a good mix of speed and driver control of tire wear to come out on top at the end of 500 miles.
Weekend Schedule at Darlington
There are 367 laps scheduled for this weekend's Cook Out Southern 500, with the first and second Stages set at 115 laps each, while the third and final Stage is scheduled for 137 laps.
The weekend schedule for this Sunday's race at Darlington looks like this:
- Practice and Qualifying: 9:00-11:00 am ET on Saturday (broadcast on truTV)
- Start Time Green Flag for Race: 6:05 pm ET on Sunday
- Broadcast TV: USA
Pre-Race Loop Data Box Score for Darlington-2
Click here to download the PDF of the pre-race loop data box score.
The Favorites Heading Into the Race Weekend
Kyle Larson (+550 to win) - Somehow, Kyle Larson only has one victory here at Darlington Raceway, but that's just how things go at "The Lady in Black." Larson won the 2023 Southern 500 and has finished fourth or better in seven of his last 13 starts at this track. Additionally, his 1,048 career laps led here is the best among all active drivers. There's a reason the No. 5 Chevrolet is the favorite heading into this weekend's race.
Denny Hamlin (+600 to win) - Denny Hamlin is ridiculously impressive at Darlington Raceway. When you consider the fact that this venue it nicknamed, "The Track Too Tough To Tame," and then realize that Hamlin's average finish over 26 starts here is 7.9 (over four full positions better than the next-best), you know he's damn good at this race track. Denny won the spring race here this season, which is one of his five career victories at this track.
William Byron (+600 to win) - The regular season points Champion has been one of the best at Darlington in the Next Gen era, especially when he gets track position. Earlier this season, we saw William Byron do just that, leading 243 laps from the pole here at Darlington en route to a runner-up finish behind Denny Hamlin. Overall in five of the last six races at this track, Willy B has ended up finished eighth or better, including a win here back in 2023.
Underdogs to Keep an Eye On
Bubba Wallace (+1900 to win) - This No. 23 team is firing on all cylinders right now, with one win and four finishes of eighth or better over the last six races. Bubba also had the best car at Richmond a couple of weeks ago--another high-wear track--before ultimately finishing 28th. Here at Darlington, Bubba has been strong in the Next Gen era, with four results between fifth and ninth in his last six starts at "The Lady in Black."
Brad Keselowski (+1900 to win) - If a non-Playoff driver is going to spoil the party week one, it wouldn't be surprising if it is Brad Keselowski. BK won here in 2024 and has been a top-five contender in pretty much every Next Gen race at Darlington. Earlier this season, the No. 6 Ford was a legitimate top-five threat but lost a wheel nut mid-race and ended up finishing 33rd.
Todd Gilliland (+25000 to win) - Todd Gilliland isn't going to win this race, but he could definitely sneak in a top-10 finish. Gilly has had a knack for Darlington ever since he joined the Cup Series, as he has finished 17th or better in five of his seven career starts at this race track. Statistically, this is his sixth-best track on the schedule, and it ranks as his second-best among tracks where he has a larger sample size of races (more than four starts).
Betting Odds to Win the Southern 500 at Darlington
As of Wednesday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook had the following odds listed to win this weekend's race at Darlington Raceway.
| Driver |
Odds to Win
|
| Kyle Larson | +550 |
| William Byron | +600 |
| Ryan Blaney | +600 |
| Denny Hamlin | +600 |
| Tyler Reddick | +700 |
| Christopher Bell | +1300 |
| Chase Briscoe | +1300 |
| Joey Logano | +1700 |
| Brad Keselowski | +1900 |
| Bubba Wallace | +1900 |
| Chase Elliott | +1900 |
| Ross Chastain | +2000 |
| Chris Buescher | +2000 |
| Josh Berry | +2700 |
| Kyle Busch | +3000 |
| Austin Cindric | +3500 |
| Carson Hocevar | +4500 |
| Ty Gibbs | +4500 |
| Alex Bowman | +4500 |
| Ryan Preece | +5500 |
| Erik Jones | +6000 |
| Austin Dillon | +15000 |
| Michael McDowell | +15000 |
| Daniel Suarez | +15000 |
| Noah Gragson | +20000 |
| Shane van Gisbergen | +20000 |
| Todd Gilliland | +25000 |
| AJ Allmendinger | +25000 |
| John Hunter Nemechek | +25000 |
| Zane Smith | +30000 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | +30000 |
| Justin Haley | +35000 |
| Cole Custer | +50000 |
| Josh Bilicki | +50000 |
| Derek Kraus | +50000 |
| Cody Ware | +50000 |
| Ty Dillon | +50000 |
| Riley Herbst | +50000 |
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