Updated Saturday, September 5, 2026.
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship starts here. The Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is the first of the 10 Chase races on Sunday evening, and for the first time since 2013 there is no elimination bracket waiting at the end of it. The 16 drivers who made the field simply race for points from now through Homestead in November, and whoever has the most is the champion.
Here is everything you need to watch it.
| Date | Sunday, September 6, 2026 |
| Start time | 5:00 p.m. ET (green flag shortly after) |
| TV | USA Network |
| Streaming | HBO Max, plus any live TV service that carries USA Network |
| Radio | MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio |
| Distance | 367 laps, 500 miles on the 1.366 mile egg shaped oval |
| Stages | 115 / 115 / 137 laps |
| Entry list | 38 cars, including Truck Series star Corey Heim in a 23XI Racing entry |
Start time by time zone
| Eastern | Central | Mountain | Arizona | Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. |
Darlington Weekend Schedule
| Session | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Cup practice, Saturday | 4:00 p.m. | truTV, HBO Max |
| Cup qualifying, Saturday | 5:10 p.m. | truTV, HBO Max |
| Fleetio 200 (O’Reilly Series Chase opener), Saturday | 7:30 p.m. | The CW, ESPN Unlimited |
| Cook Out Southern 500, Sunday | 5:00 p.m. | USA Network, HBO Max |
What Is at Stake
This is the 77th Southern 500 and the first race of the new Chase. NASCAR scrapped the elimination playoff after 2025 and went back to a points race: the top 16 drivers after 26 regular season races were reseeded, and the driver with the most points after the finale at Homestead on November 8 wins the title. No rounds, no cut lines, no championship four. A race win is now worth 55 points, and a perfect day with both stage wins pays 75, so one big Sunday can swing the standings, but it cannot end anyone’s season.
Denny Hamlin enters as the No. 1 seed and regular season champion on 2,100 points, 25 clear of Ryan Blaney. He is the winningest active driver at Darlington with five Cup victories here and is still chasing his first championship. Chase Briscoe has won the last two Southern 500s and is trying to become the first driver in nearly three decades to win three in a row. Tyler Reddick won the spring race at Darlington in March. Ryan Preece, who won at Daytona a week ago to take the 16th and final Chase spot, starts on 2,000 points with the steepest climb in the field.
The full reseeded standings and the Chase schedule are on our NASCAR Chase standings page. After Darlington the series goes to World Wide Technology Raceway outside St. Louis, then Bristol.
The Bottom Line
The Cook Out Southern 500 goes green at 5 p.m. ET Sunday from Darlington Raceway on USA Network and HBO Max, with MRN and SiriusXM on radio. It is the opening race of a 10 race, no elimination Chase. Hamlin is the top seed and the track’s most decorated active driver, Briscoe is going for a third straight Southern 500, and 500 miles on the Lady in Black will sort out who actually has a championship car.