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NASCAR is shifting from the Superspeedway at Daytona International Speedway to the egg-shaped oval at Darlington Raceway this weekend for the Cook Out Southern 400. The weekend will be full of thrilling racing action as the 1.366-mile-long track will host Next Gen cars for the second time since hosting Goodyear 400.
Fresh off the weekend at Daytona Beach, it will be interesting to see how drivers cope with unknown challenges at Darlington in the eventful Cook Out Southern 400.
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A total of 36 Cup Series cars are set to start the race on Sunday, including 16 playoff drivers, competing over 367 laps and 502 miles of bumper-to-bumper racing. Ahead of Sunday’s first playoff race, there will be a qualifying race for the main event to determine the starting grid for the 27th Cup Series race of the season and the first race of the Round of 16.
The Cup car with the fastest qualifying speed will win the pole for Sunday's race. The rest of the grid for the first playoff race of the season will be determined according to their qualifying speed.
Denny Hamlin, the driver of the #11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, won last year’s Cook Out Southern 400 and will be looking for back-to-back wins this Sunday.
Where to watch 2022 NASCAR Cook Out Southern 400 qualifying at Darlington Raceway?
Saturday, September 3, 2022
12:05 pm ET: Cook Out Southern 400 practice race
12:50 pm ET: Cook Out Southern 400 qualifying race
Both sessions will be broadcast live on the USA Network and NBC Sports app.
Who are the top 5 in the points table ahead of NASCAR Cook Out Southern 400?
With the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season done and dusted, all qualified drivers for the playoffs will look to finish higher in the Cup Series points table.
With four wins and 10 top-five finishes, Chase Elliott sits at the top of the points table with 2040 points. He has been leading the points table for the past 24 races.
Team Penske driver Joey Logano stands second with 2025 points and two wins. He finished 12th in the previous race at Daytona International Speedway.
Logano is followed by two-time winner of the season Ross Chastain in third place with 2020 points and two wins, while Kyle Larson stands in fourth with 2019 points. A two-time winner of the season, William Byron completes the top five with 2014 points.
