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 September 6 at 5 p.m. ET on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) – the first race of the 10-race Chase.

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 (Sept. 6, 2026)
The Purse: $11,849,963
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

2025 Cook Out Southern 500 pole winner:
Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 171.381 mph, 28.694 secs., August 30, 2025

2025 Cook Out Southern 500 winner:
Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 130.148 mph, (03:51:07), August 31, 2025

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 130 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 481 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).
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in starts at Darlington Raceway with 28 starts.
• Top five in Darlington Cup Starts (Active): Denny Hamlin (28), Joey Logano (25), Brad Keselowski (25), Michael McDowell (22), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (21).
• 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 8.464 in 28 starts.

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

• A total of 124 different drivers have made their NASCAR Cup Series career debut at Darlington Raceway; the most recent was 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.

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.
• Tyler Reddick (2024, 2026), Deny Hamlin (2018, 2025), 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 (8), 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 56 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Darlington Raceway.
• A total of 31 of the 56 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, 2021, 2025) leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in wins at Darlington with five victories.
• This weekend. eight of the 56 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 (22) than any other starting position at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series (16.9%).
• The outside front row (second-place) has produced the second-most wins (20) in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway (15.4%).
• The front row starting positions combined have produced 32.3% of the race winners at Darlington Raceway with 42 wins coming from the two spots.
• A total of 13 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) and Tyler Reddick (2026) are the only active drivers to win from the pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington.

• A total of 22 of the 130 (16.92%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway have been won from the pole or first starting position; the most recent was Tyler Reddick in 2026.
• 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 47 different organizations have won a race in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway.
• This weekend eight of the 47 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 a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.
• Chevrolet leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Darlington Raceway with 44 victories; followed by Ford (34), Toyota (13), 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), Toyota (Once: 2024-2026).
• Six drivers have won at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series in more than one manufacturer, 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) and Chevrolet (2022)
  • Chase Briscoe – Ford (2024) and Toyota (2026).

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 155 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 248 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 20 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 8.0 in 28 starts.

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

LAP LEADERS

• A total of 181 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 1,070 laps led in 17 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 finish 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 130 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 340 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.

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