NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Cook Out Southern 500
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Sunday, September 5
The Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN, 5:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 501.3 miles (367 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 115),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 230), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 367)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Saturday, September 4
The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN, 3 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 200.1 miles (147 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 147)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: In It To Win It 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Sunday, September 5
The Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 1 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 200.1 miles (147 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 147)
NASCAR Cup Series
Darlington Raceway returns as Playoff opener for the NASCAR Cup Series
The 2021 season marks the second year the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs has opened at Darlington Raceway (2020-2021) for the Cook Out Southern 500 on September 5 at 6 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
| 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Schedule | |
| Tracks | Date |
| Darlington | Sunday, September 5, 2021 |
| Richmond | Saturday, September 11, 2021 |
| Bristol | Saturday, September 18, 2021 |
| Las Vegas | Sunday, September 26, 2021 |
| Talladega | Sunday, October 3, 2021 |
| Charlotte RC | Sunday, October 10, 2021 |
| Texas | Sunday, October 17, 2021 |
| Kansas | Sunday, October 24, 2021 |
| Martinsville | Sunday, October 31, 2021 |
| Phoenix | Sunday, November 7, 2021 |
Darlington Raceway is the fourth different track to host the first race of the NASCAR Cup Series postseason. New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosted the first race of the Playoffs from 2004–2010, then Chicagoland Speedway held the first race of the Playoffs from 2011–2017 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted the first race of the Playoffs from 2018-2019.
Prior to the 2020 season, Darlington Raceway had hosted just one other Playoff race, the penultimate event in the inaugural Playoffs in 2004. The race was won by seven-time series champion and former Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson.
The winner of the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs has gone on to win the title four times. In 2004 (inaugural Cup Playoffs), Kurt Busch won the opening race of the Playoffs at New Hampshire and went on to win the title. In 2011 (race was delayed until Monday due to rain) Tony Stewart won his first race of the season at Chicago to open the Playoffs. Stewart went on to set the record for the most wins in a Playoff run with five victories and the title. In 2012, Brad Keselowski won the Playoff race at Chicago and went on to win the title. And in 2017, Martin Truex Jr.won the Playoff race at Chicago and went on to win the championship.
| First Race Of The Playoffs – Race Winners | ||
| Track | Playoff Race Winners | Date |
| New Hampshire | Kurt Busch | Sunday, September 19, 2004 |
| New Hampshire | Ryan Newman | Sunday, September 18, 2005 |
| New Hampshire | Kevin Harvick | Sunday, September 17, 2006 |
| New Hampshire | Clint Bowyer | Sunday, September 16, 2007 |
| New Hampshire | Greg Biffle | Sunday, September 14, 2008 |
| New Hampshire | Mark Martin | Sunday, September 20, 2009 |
| New Hampshire | Clint Bowyer | Sunday, September 19, 2010 |
| Chicago | Tony Stewart | Monday, September 19, 2011 |
| Chicago | Brad Keselowski | Sunday, September 16, 2012 |
| Chicago | Matt Kenseth | Sunday, September 15, 2013 |
| Chicago | Brad Keselowski | Sunday, September 14, 2014 |
| Chicago | Denny Hamlin | Sunday, September 20, 2015 |
| Chicago | Martin Truex Jr | Sunday, September 18, 2016 |
| Chicago | Martin Truex Jr | Sunday, September 17, 2017 |
| Las Vegas | Brad Keselowski | Sunday, September 16, 2018 |
| Las Vegas | Martin Truex Jr | Sunday, September 15, 2019 |
| Darlington | Kevin Harvick | Sunday, September 6, 2020 |
The worst finish in the opening race of the Playoffs by a driver that went on to win the title was Jimmie Johnson’s 39th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the 2006 postseason. The worst finish in the opening Playoff race at Chicago for a driver that went on to win the title was Jimmie Johnson’s12th-place finish in 2016. The worst finish in the opening race of the Playoffs at Las Vegas by a driver that went on to win the title was Kyle Busch’s 19th-place finish in 2019. Last season, Chase Elliott finished 20th at Darlington Raceway to open the Playoffs and went on to win the title.
No non-Playoff driver has ever won the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Since the inception of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs in 2014, entering the Playoffs as the No. 1 seed has been the most successful seeding, producing three championships among two drivers – Kyle Busch (2015, 2019) and Martin Truex Jr. (2017). The deepest seed an eventual champion has started the Playoffs was seventh by Kevin Harvick (2014) and Joey Logano (2018). Elliott was seeded fifth last season entering the Playoffs.
Historical Darlington Raceway is a challenge itself for the competitors
Darlington Raceway is the perfect stage for NASCAR Cup Series Playoff opener, the Cook Out Southern 500 (Sunday, 6 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The historic 1.366-mile egg-shaped paved oval has hosted 120 NASCAR Cup Series races dating back to 1950.
Originally, the raceway was built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-1950 and hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on Sept. 4, 1950. A total of 75 cars competed in the inaugural event and Curtis Turnerwon the pole at 82.034 mph, and the race was won by Johnny Mantz(Plymouth, 75.250 mph). The race took 6 hours, 38 minutes, and 40 seconds to complete.
Since then, Darlington Raceway has undergone some changes through the years. In 1953, the track was re-measured to 1.375 miles. Then in 1970, the track was re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race of that season. The track was repaved in 1995 and then again prior to the 2008 season. Over the years the historic facility has become known amongst its competitors as ‘the track too tough to tame’.
In total, the 120 NASCAR Cup Series races has produced 51 different pole winners and 51 different race winners. Six of the 51 NASCAR Cup Series pole winners at Darlington Raceway are active this weekend – Kevin Harvick (two poles), Kurt Busch (two), Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin and William Byron (each have one pole). NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the series in poles at Darlington with 12 (1967, ’70, ’72, ’73 sweep, ’75 sweep, ’76 sweep, ’77, ’78 and ’82). Kurt Busch(2001, 2013) andKevin Harvick(2014, 2017) lead all active drivers in poles at Darlington with two each.
Of the 51 NASCAR Cup Series Darlington Raceway race winners, six are active this weekend.
| Rank | Active Race Winners | Wins | Seasons |
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 3 | 2020-3, 2020-1, 2014 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 3 | 2020-2, 2017, 2010 |
| 3 | Martin Truex Jr | 2 | 2021, 2016 |
| 4 | Erik Jones | 1 | 2019 |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | 1 | 2018 |
| 6 | Kyle Busch | 1 | 2008 |
NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in victories at Darlington with 10 wins (1968, ’70, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’76 sweep, ’77, ’79, 80); followed by Dale Earnhardt with nine and Jeff Gordon with seven. Kevin Harvick (2020, 2020, 2014) and Denny Hamlin (2020, 2017, 2010) lead all active drivers in victories at Darlington with three wins each.
This weekend’s Cook Out Southern 500 will be 367 laps (501.3 miles) and will be broken up into three stages. The first stage will be 115 laps, the second stage will be 115 laps and the final stage will be 137 laps.
The starting lineup for this weekend’s Cook Out Southern 500 was determined by Metric Qualifying and as a result Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney will start from the pole and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin will join Blaney on the front row.
The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Darlington. The outside front row (second-place) has produced the second-most wins (17). In total, 20 of the 120 (16.667%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway have been won from the pole or first starting position; the most recent driver to accomplish the feat was Kevin Harvick in 2014.
Quick Rundown: NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoff format is competed over the final 10 races and includes 16 drivers and four rounds – the Round of 16, the Round of 12, the Round of 8 and the Championship 4.
An overview:
- A victory in the first 26 races all but guarantees a berth in the 10-race Playoffs.
- The number of Playoff drivers in contention for the championship will decrease after every three Playoff races, from 16 to start; 12 after race No. 3; eight after race No. 6; and four after race No. 9.
- The first three races (27-29) will be known as the Round of 16; races 30-32 will be known as the Round of 12; races 33-35 will be Round of 8; and race No. 36 will be the Championship 4.
- A win by a championship-eligible driver in any Playoff race automatically clinches the winning driver a spot in the next Playoff round.
- Four drivers will enter the Championship Race with a chance at the title, with the highest finisher among those four capturing the prestigious NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Eligibility For The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs
- The top 15 drivers with the most wins over the first 26 races will earn a spot in the Playoffs – provided they have finished in the top 30 in points and attempted to qualify for every race (except in rare instances).
- The 16th Playoff position will go to the points leader after race No. 26 if he/she does not have a victory. In the event that there are 16 or more different winners over 26 races, the only winless driver who can earn a Playoff spot would be the points leader after 26 races.
- If there are fewer than 16 different winners in the first 26 races, the remaining Playoff positions will go to those winless drivers highest in points. If there are 16 or more winners in the first 26 races, the ties will first be broken by number of wins, followed by points.
- Prior to the start of the Playoffs, all Playoff drivers will have their points adjusted to 2,000, with all Playoff points added to their total. Those Playoff points will stay with the driver as long as he/she remains in the Playoffs (except for the Championship 4 Round race).
Playoff Structure
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs are an elimination-style format that is broken up into four rounds. After the third Playoff race, there will be 12 drivers. After the sixth Playoff race, the field will drop to eight drivers, and following the ninth Playoff race, only four drivers will remain in championship contention.
- Round of 16: The first round (races 27-29) is the Round of 16. If a Playoff driver wins a race in this round, the driver automatically advances to the next round (Round of 12). The remaining available positions 1-12 that have not been filled based upon wins will be based on points. Each driver will then have their points reset to 3,000, with any awarded Playoff points added.
| NASCAR Cup Series Driver Playoff Outlook Following Race No. 26 | ||||||
| Rank | Driver | Points | Race Wins | Stage Wins | Playoff Pts | Pts From Cutoff |
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 2,052 | 5 | 12 | 52 | 47 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 2,024 | 3 | 4 | 24 | 19 |
| 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 2,024 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 19 |
| 4 | Kyle Busch | 2,022 | 2 | 5 | 22 | 17 |
| 5 | Chase Elliott | 2,021 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 16 |
| 6 | Alex Bowman | 2,015 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 10 |
| 7 | Denny Hamlin | 2,015 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 10 |
| 8 | William Byron | 2,014 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 9 |
| 9 | Joey Logano | 2,013 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 8 |
| 10 | Brad Keselowski | 2,008 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 3 |
| 11 | Kurt Busch | 2,008 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 3 |
| 12 | Christopher Bell | 2,005 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 13 | Michael McDowell | 2,005 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 14 | Aric Almirola | 2,005 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 15 | Tyler Reddick | 2,003 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -2 |
| 16 | Kevin Harvick | 2,002 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 |
- Round of 12: The second round (races 30-32) is the Round of 12. Likewise, if a driver in the top 12 in points wins a race in this round, the driver automatically advances to the next round (Round of 8). The remaining available positions 1-8 that have not been filled based upon wins will be based on points. Each driver will then have their points reset to 4,000, with any awarded Playoff points added.
- Round of 8: The third round (races 33-35) is the Round of 8. If a driver in the top eight in points wins a race in this round, the driver automatically advances to the next round (Championship 4). The remaining available positions 1-4 that have not been filled based upon wins will be based on points. Each will then have their points reset to 5,000.
- Additionally, drivers who are eliminated in the Round of 16, Round of 12 and Round of 8 will have their points readjusted. Each eliminated driver will return to the Playoff-start base of 2,000 with any awarded Playoff points and any accumulated points starting with race No. 27 added. This will allow all drivers not in contention for the title to continue to race for the best possible season-long standing, with final positions fifth-through-16th still up for grabs.
Championship Finale
- The 36th and final race of the season will be the Championship Race, which will feature the Championship 4 Round. Simply stated, the highest finisher in that race among the remaining four eligible drivers will win the NASCAR Cup Series title.
- Playoff points for stage wins will not apply in the season finale, so the official finishing position alone will decide the champion.
- Note: All rules outlined above also apply to the owner championship structure.
Scouting the Playoff field at Darlington
Darlington Raceway is set to kick off the 18th running of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs (2004-2021) in this Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at 6 p.m. ET on NBC. MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Since the inception of the postseason in 2004, 42 different drivers have qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs; including this season’s 16-driver field. Three drivers this season are making the Playoff career debuts in the NASCAR Cup Series – Christopher Bell, Michael McDowell and Tyler Reddick. Veterans Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch are making their NASCAR Cup Series record tying 15th Playoff appearance – tied with Jimmie Johnson for most all-time.
Nine former NASCAR Cup Series champions make up this season’s 16-driver Playoff field; Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch is the only active competitor with multiple championships (2015, 2019).
| Champions – Playoff Era | |||
| Rank | Titles | Drivers | Years |
| 1 | 7 | Jimmie Johnson | 2016, ‘13, ’10, ‘09, ‘08, ‘07, ‘06 |
| 2 | 2 | Kyle Busch | 2019, ’15 |
| Tony Stewart | 2011, ‘05 | ||
| 4 | 1 | Chase Elliott | 2020 |
| Joey Logano | 2018 | ||
| Martin Truex Jr. | 2017 | ||
| Kevin Harvick | 2014 | ||
| Brad Keselowski | 2012 | ||
| 9 | Kurt Busch | 2004 |
