Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Cook Out Southern 500

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina going into the Cook Out Southern 500 on August 31 at 6 p.m. ET on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) – the first race of the 10-race Playoffs.

NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Fast Facts: Race #1 (Darlington Raceway)

• The 2025 season marks the fifth year the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs opened at Darlington Raceway.
• Darlington Raceway is one of five different tracks to open the postseason for the NASCAR Cup Series:
• New Hampshire Motor Speedway (2004–2010)
• Chicagoland Speedway (2011–2017)
• Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2018–2019)
• Darlington Raceway (2020–2023, 2025)
• Atlanta Motor Speedway (2024)

• Five times the winner of the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs has gone on to win the championship – 2004, 2011, 2012, 2017 and 2024:
  • 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 the first race of the Playoffs at Chicagoland Speedway and 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 opening Playoff race at Chicagoland Speedway and went on to win the title.
  • In 2017, Martin Truex Jr. won the opening Playoff race at Chicagoland Speedway and went on to win the title.
  • In 2024, Joey Logano won the opening Playoff race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and went on to win the title.

• The worst finish in the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series 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 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Chicagoland Speedway for a driver that went on to win the title was Jimmie Johnson’s 12th-place finish in 2016.
• The worst finish in the opening race of the Playoffs at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by a driver that went on to win the title was Kyle Busch’s 19th-place finish in 2019.
• The worst finish in the opening race of the Playoffs at Darlington Raceway by a driver that went on to win the title was Chase Elliott’s 20th-place finish in 2020.
• In 2023, Ryan Blaney finished ninth at Darlington Raceway to open the Playoffs and went on to win the title.
• 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 four championships among three drivers – Kyle Larson (2021), Kyle Busch (2019, 2015) and Martin Truex Jr. (2017).
• The deepest seeding an eventual champion has started the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with is 12th – by Ryan Blaney (2023). Blaney entered the 2023 Playoffs with just eight Playoff points.
• Below are the seedings of the eventual champions as they entered the Playoffs (2014-2023):
  • Kevin Harvick, 2014 (seventh seed)
  • Kyle Busch, 2015 (No. 1 seed)
  • Jimmie Johnson, 2016 (fifth seed)
  • Martin Truex Jr., 2017 (No. 1 seed)
  • Joey Logano, 2018 (seventh seed)
  • Kyle Busch, 2019 (No. 1 seed)
  • Chase Elliott, 2020 (fifth seed)
  • Kyle Larson, 2021 (No. 1 seed)
  • Joey Logano, 2022 (second seed)
  • Ryan Blaney, 2023 (12th seed)
  • Joey Logano , 2024 (ninth seed)

Clinch Scenarios: Darlington Raceway

Already Clinched

No drivers have clinched a spot in the 12-driver field of the next round.

Can Clinch Via Win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: Kyle Larson, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Shane Van Gisbergen, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, Josh Berry, Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman

NASCAR Cup Series 2025 Top 16 in the Driver Standings at Darlington Raceway

* – Based on last 26 races at Darlington Raceway (2005 – 2025).

Darlington Raceway – Statistics & Tidbits
Track Length: 1.366-Mile
Degree of Banking in Corners: 25 degrees – Turns 1 & 2 and 23 degrees – Turns 3 & 4
Degree of Banking on Straights: 6 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 1,229 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,229 feet

Season Race: #27 of 36 (August 31, 2025)
The Purse: $10,447,135
Race Length: 501.32 Miles (367 laps)
Stage 1 & 2 Length: 115 Laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 137 Laps

QUALIFYING & RACE RECORDS

Track Qualifying Record:
Aric Almirola, Ford, 184.145 mph, 26.705 secs., April 11, 2014, (Set in Round 1 of 2)

Track Race Record (500 miles):
Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 141.383 mph, (03:32:45), May 11, 2013

2024 Cook Out Southern 500 pole winner:
Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 167.146 mph, 29.421 secs., August 31, 2024

2024 Cook Out Southern 500 winner:
Chase Briscoe, Ford, 127.870 mph, (03:55:14), September 1, 2024

HISTORY

• Darlington Raceway was built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-1950 in Darlington, South Carolina.
• Darlington Raceway hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on September 4, 1950 – 75 cars competed in the event – Curtis Turner won the pole at 82.034 mph, and the race was won by Johnny Mantz (Plymouth, 75.250 mph, 6:38:40).
• The track was re-measured to 1.375 miles in 1953.
• The track was re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race in 1970.
• The track was repaved in 1995.
• The 2005 race was the first Saturday night race at Darlington Raceway.
• The track was repaved again prior to the 2008 season.
• In 2020, Darlington Raceway hosted the NASCAR Cup Series three times in one season as part of the reschedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. One of the first live sporting events to come back after the pandemic break.
• In total there have been 128 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Darlington Raceway from 1950-2025.

STARTS

• A total of 758 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway;
• A total of 478 drivers have competed in more than one Cup Series race at Darlington.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Darlington Raceway with 65 starts.
• Top five in Darlington Cup Starts (All-Time): Richard Petty (65), Buddy Baker (58), Dave Marcis (58), Ricky Rudd (58), Darrel Waltrip (55).
• Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in starts at Darlington Raceway with 27 starts.
• Top five in Darlington Cup Starts (Active): Kyle Busch (27), Denny Hamlin (26), Joey Logano (23), Brad Keselowski (23), Michael McDowell (20).
• A total of 124 different drivers have made their NASCAR Cup Series career debut at Darlington Raceway; the most recent was T.J. Bell on May 7, 2011.

• Of the 124 drivers making their NASCAR Cup Series career debuts at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte posted the best finish of fourth-place after starting 19th on September 4, 1978.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen (16 starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Darlington Raceway with a 3.688.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in average starting position at Darlington Raceway with an 8.731 in 26 starts.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Darlington Raceway (All-Time and Active)

POLES

• A total of 56 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at least one pole at Darlington Raceway.
• Curtis Turner won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series pole at Darlington Raceway in 1950 driving an Oldsmobile with an average speed of 82.034 mph.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Darlington Raceway with 12 poles – (1967, ’70, ’72, ’73 sweep, ’75 sweep, ’76 sweep, ’77, ’78 and ’82)
• Pearson’s 12 Darlington poles are tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough (12 poles at Daytona) for the second-most poles all-time at a single track in the NASCAR Cup Series. Pearson also holds the series record with 14 poles at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Joey Logano (2022 sweep) and William Byron (2019, 2025) lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in poles at Darlington Raceway with two each.
• This weekend, seven of the 56 NASCAR Cup Series Darlington Raceway pole winners are active this weekend.

• Youngest Darlington Cup pole winner: William Byron (09/01/2019 – 21 years, 9 months, 3 days).
• Oldest Darlington Cup pole winner: David Pearson (09/06/1982 – 47 years, 8 months, 15 days).
• In total, 10 drivers have won consecutive poles at Darlington Raceway – Fonty Flock (1952-1953), Fireball Roberts (three: 1959, 1960 sweep), Fred Lorenzen (three: 1963 sweep, 1964), Cale Yarborough (1969 sweep), David Pearson (1973 sweep and five straight: 1975 sweep, 1976 sweep, 1977), Bill Elliott (1985 sweep), Sterling Marlin (1992 sweep), Dale Jarrett (1996-1997), Kasey Kahne (2004, 2005) and Joey Logano (2022 sweep).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive Cup poles at Darlington Raceway with five straight (1975 – 1977).
• A total of eight drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Darlington Raceway.

• A total of 47 different organizations in the NASCAR Cup Series have won a pole at Darlington Raceway.
• Wood Brothers Racing leads all organizations in NASCAR Cup Series poles at Darlington Raceway with 12 poles among three drivers: David Pearson (’72, ’73 sweep, ’75 sweep, ’76 sweep, ’77, and ’78), Cale Yarborough (1969 sweep) and Donnie Allison (1971).
• Of the 47 organizations with Cup poles at Darlington, seven are active this weekend.

• A total of 12 different manufacturers have won at least one pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway.
• Ford leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Darlington Raceway with 45 poles; followed by Chevrolet (23), Mercury (13), Pontiac (10), Dodge (8), Toyota (6), Buick (3), Oldsmobile (3), Plymouth (3), Chrysler (1), Hudson (1) and Studebaker (1).
• Mercury leads the NASCAR Cup Series in consecutive poles at Darlington Raceway with five straight from 1975-1977.

WINS

• A total of 55 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Darlington Raceway.
• A total of 30 of the 55 have multiple Cup wins at Darlington Raceway.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway was on September 4, 1950 and was won by Johnny Mantz driving a 1950 Plymouth for car owner Hubert Westmoreland (75.250 mph, average time: 06:38:40).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in victories at Darlington Raceway with 10 wins (1968, ’70, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’76 sweep, ’77, ’79, 80); followed by Dale Earnhardt with nine and Jeff Gordon with seven.
• Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin (2010, 2017, 2020-2, 2021-2) leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in wins at Darlington with four victories.
• This weekend. eight of the 55 NASCAR Cup Series Darlington race winners are active this weekend.

• Youngest Cup Series Darlington winner: Kyle Busch (5/10/2008 – 23 years, 0 months, 8 days).
• Oldest Cup Series Darlington winner: Harry Gant (09/01/1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 22 days).
• 13 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Darlington; Dale Earnhardt (1989-1990) and Jeff Gordon (1995-1996) are tied for the series-most consecutive wins at Darlington with three each.
• Six drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Darlington Raceway: Johnny Mantz (1950), Nelson Stacy (1961), Larry Frank (1962), Terry Labonte (1980), Lake Speed (1988) and Regan Smith (2011).
• A total of 21 different starting positions on the grid have resulted in victories in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (21) than any other starting position at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series (16.7%).
• The outside front row (second-place) has produced the second-most wins (19) in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway (15.1%).
• The front row starting positions combined have produced 31.7% of the race winners at Darlington Raceway with 40 wins coming from the two spots.
• A total of 12 different drivers have won from the pole or first starting position at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series; led by NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson with four wins from the pole (1971, 1972, 1976 sweep).
• Joey Logano (2022) is the only active driver to win from the pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington. 

• A total of 21 of the 128 (16.41%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway have been won from the pole or first starting position; the most recent was Joey Logano in 2022.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Darlington is 43rd by Johnny Mantz in 1950 – the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series event held at the historic raceway.

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Darlington Raceway

• A total of 46 different organizations have won a race in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway.
• This weekend seven of the 46 organizations that have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway will be active, led by Hendrick Motorsports.
• Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins by an organization at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series with 16 victories among eight drivers – Tim Richmond (1986), Ricky Rudd (1991), Jeff Gordon (1995, ’96 sweep, ’97, ’98, ’02, ’07), Terry Labonte (2003), Jimmie Johnson (2004 sweep and 2012), Mark Martin (2009), William Byron (2023) and Kyle Larson (2023).

NASCAR Cup Series Darlington Raceway Active Winning Organizations

• Hendrick Motorsports (1995-1996 sweep and 2003-2004 sweep) and Richard Childress Racing (1989-1990 sweep) are tied for the most the consecutive wins in the Cup Series at Darlington with three straight each.
• A total of 11 different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway.
• Chevrolet leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Darlington Raceway with 44 victories; followed by Ford (34), Toyota (11), Mercury (10), Oldsmobile (six), Dodge (five), Pontiac (five), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Hudson (three) and American Motor Company (two).
• The most consecutive Cup Series races won by manufacturer at Darlington Raceway is four straight – Ford (Once: 1961-1962), Chevrolet (Four times: 1979-1980; 1986-1987; 1989-1991; 1995-1996).
• Four drivers won at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series in more than two manufacturers, led by Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough who each won in four different manufacturers at the track:
  • Bobby Allison – Mercury (1971), Chevrolet (1972), American Motor Co. (1975 sweep) and Buick (1983)
  • Cale Yarborough – Mercury (1968), Chevrolet (1973, 1974), Oldsmobile (1978) and Buick (1982)
  • Buck Baker – Oldsmobile (1953), Pontiac (1960), Dodge (1964)
  • David Pearson – Ford (1968, 1970), Mercury (1972, ’73, ’74, ’76 sweep, ’77), Chevrolet (1979, 1980)
• Erik Jones (Toyota 2019, Chevrolet 2022) is the only active driver to win in more than one manufacturer at Darlington, but former active winners Chase Briscoe (Ford 2024) and Kyle Busch (Toyota 2008) currently drive different makes than what they have previously won in.

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

• A total of 65 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished runner-up at Darlington Raceway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty lead the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Darlington Raceway with eight second-place finishes each.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in second-place finishes at Darlington with four.

Top Five In Runner-Up Finishes at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)

Top-Five Finishes:

• A total of 151 different drivers have finished in the top-five in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes at Darlington Raceway with 25.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top-five finishes at Darlington with 14.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 245 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted top-10 finishes at Darlington Raceway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott leads all NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top 10s at Darlington with 35 top 10s.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top 10s at Darlington with 19 top 10s.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)

Average Finishing Position:

• Bob Burdick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Darlington Raceway with a 3.0 in two starts.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Darlington with a 7.923 in 26 starts.

Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)

LAP LEADERS

• In total of 182 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have led at least one lap at Darlington Raceway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Darlington Raceway with 2,648 laps led in 44 series starts.
• Kyle Larson leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in laps led with 1,048 laps led in 15 starts.
• The most laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway by the race winner was 351 laps of the scheduled 400 laps (87%) by Johnny Mantz on September 4, 1950. He started the race from the 43rd position.
• The most laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway by a driver that did not win the race was 284 laps of the scheduled 367 laps (77%) by Kyle Larson on September 2, 2018. He started the race from the second position.
• The fewest laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway by the race winner was just the final lap by Ricky Craven on March 16, 2003. He started the race from the 31st position.

Top 10 Lap Leaders at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)

FEMALE COMPETITORS

• Three female drivers have competed at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series – Danica Patrick, Janet Guthrie and Shawna Robinson. Patrick is the only female competitor to make multiple starts at Darlington.

TRACK / EVENT STATS

• Since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway is the March 16, 2003 race won by Ricky Craven with a margin of victory of 0.002 second over Kurt Busch.
• Darlington’s 0.002 sec. margin of victory is tied with the 2011 Spring Talladega race for the second-closest finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series using electronic scoring.

Top Five Closest Margins of Victory at Darlington Raceway

• Four NASCAR Cup Series races have resulted in a NASCAR Overtime finish at Darlington Raceway:

• Nine of the 128 races at Darlington Raceway have been shortened from their scheduled number of laps; the most recent was in 2020.

• Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway seven times: 1952, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2016.
• The five qualifying sessions from 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and instead the starting lineup was determined by a random draw or inverted field.

NASCAR IN SOUTH CAROLINA

• South Carolina has hosted a total of 335 NASCAR national series races among 10 different tracks.

• The first NASCAR Cup Series race held in the state of South Carolina was at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 4, 1950 – the event was won by Johnny Mantz in a Plymouth.

SOUTH CAROLINA IN NASCAR

• A total of 140 different drivers have made at least one NASCAR national series start with their home state recorded as South Carolina.
• James Hylton leads all NASCAR drivers from South Carolina with the most NASCAR national series starts with 607.
• Four drivers from South Carolina have been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame – David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Cotton Owens and Tiny Lund.
• 11 drivers from South Carolina have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; seven have won in the NASCAR Cup Series.

— NASCAR —