Cook Out Southern 500:
The final race of the NASCAR regular season is here! The Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in upstate South Carolina is the 26th even of the year and that means that the Cup Championship Playoffs are on the horizon.
Before we get there, will we have another surprise? Harrison Burton won his first NASCAR Cup Series race last week at Daytona to claim a playoff spot, much to the chagrin of those on the bubble. With one race left, drivers on the outside looking in have no choice but to be aggressive, which could make for a terrific ending.
How to Watch The Cook Out Southern 500
When: Sunday, September 1, 2024
Where: Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Channel: USA
2024 NASCAR Cup Series Standings
Burton’s win means that we now have 14 different race winners this season. It also means that he earned a playoff spot, despite sitting 34th in points with zero other top-five finishes. It also means that the drivers without a win, including runner-up Kyle Busch, only have one more shot.
Kyle Larson remains the only driver with four wins. Christopher Bell, Hamlin, and William Byron all have three wins each. Ryan Blaney and Reddick are the only drivers with two wins. Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric, and Austin Dillon all have one win each. Dillon kept his win, but lost his playoff berth based on how he won at Richmond, so he is not assured a spot in the playoffs.
Larson now has the most Bonus Playoff Points with 28. Bell’s 25 points rank second. There are 21 full-time drivers with playoff points and six – Bell, Larson, Byron, Blaney, and Reddick – are in double digits. Hamlin had Bonus points taken away prior to the Daytona race and only has six now.
The first playoff race is the Quaker State 400 on September 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
2024 NASCAR Cup Championship Playoffs
Here are the drivers that have locked up a playoff berth with one race to go:
- Tyler Reddick
- Kyle Larson
- Chase Elliott
- Ryan Blaney
- William Byron
- Christopher Bell
- Brad Keselowski
- Denny Hamlin
- Alex Bowman
- Joey Logano
- Daniel Suarez
- Austin Cindric
- Harrison Burton
- Martin Truex Jr.
Ty Gibbs is 39 points ahead of Bubba Wallace. Chris Buescher is 21 points ahead of Wallace. Ross Chastain is 27 points behind Buescher and 45 points behind Gibbs.
Truex has not won a race, but he cannot be caught by anybody outside the top 16.
Cook Out Southern 500 Winners
Keselowski won the Goodyear 400 at Darlington back in mid-May. Larson is the reigning champ here. Darlington has been on the NASCAR calendar since 1950, but the track was only a once-a-year stop from 2005-19.
Since 2020, when the drivers started going twice a year again, the winners among active drivers are Keselowski, Larson, Byron, Logano, Truex, Hamlin (2), and Erik Jones.
Cook Out Southern 500 Predictions
For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s simulation results and more stats on the drivers.
