The first race of the Round of 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs took the checkered flag at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Sunday, with Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson locking into the next round with a victory.
Larson’s triumph at The Track Too Tough To Tame was a long time coming after three previous runner-up finishes at the 1.366-mile track.
For Larson, it’s his first points-paying Cup Series victory since Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April — nearly five months ago.
With the Southern 500 victory, Larson also secured his second NASCAR crown jewel. The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in 2021.
“This race — all these crown jewels only come around once a year. There’s been lots of times where I’ve left here bummed out and sad that I had a good shot to win and it just didn’t work out, so I felt like I was going to have that feeling again today, but things were able to work out, and yeah, get a really big win,” Larson said. “This is in the top three or four for the races — crown jewel, prestigious races of our season.
“I think the only two I don’t have would be the 500 and maybe the Brickyard 400 if it comes back to the oval.
“Yeah, you always want to win the big ones, but really just winning a race, it feels good.”
While Larson is locked into the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, 15 other drivers head into next week’s race at Kansas Speedway needing a good result.
Solidly Safe
2. William Byron (+45)
William Byron entered Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 a solid 29 points above the cutline. A fourth-place result padded the HMS driver’s points gap to 45 markers.
The winningest (five) driver in Cup Series competition this season continues to surge, as he notched his third consecutive top-10 finish on Sunday.
Heading to Kansas, Byron has an average finish of 14th, with seven top 10s in the last eight races. The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet earned the pole at Kansas in May as well.
3. Tyler Reddick (+30)
Tyler Reddick nearly won at Darlington, as he led 90 laps on Sunday. Larson’s late surge was Reddick’s ultimate demise, as the driver of the No. 45 settled for second.
His stout performance vaulted the 23XI Racing driver from two points above the cutline to 30 points to the good with two races left in the first round. Despite a lack of consistency throughout the regular season, Reddick is getting hot at the right time with three top 10s in the last four races.
Reddick finished ninth at Kansas in May, but has a dismal average finish of 18.8 in eight previous starts at the 1.5-mile track.
4. Chris Buescher (+27)
Chris Buescher’s breakout season continued with a strong third-place finish. Nobody’s been more consistent than Buescher over the last six races, who’s racked up three wins and five top-seven finishes.
The RFK Racing driver gained substantial ground above 13th in the standings, as he was only 14 points to the good entering Darlington.
While Buescher’s track record at Kansas isn’t strong with an average finish of 18.3, his positive momentum may help turn the tide.
Safe, But Not Secure
5. Denny Hamlin (+27)
It looked to be Denny Hamlin’s race to lose through the first two stages at Darlington, with the Joe Gibbs Racing driver sweeping the opening two stints.
Though trouble brewed for the No. 11 Toyota with 95 laps to go after Hamlin complained of a potential loose wheel, forcing him to pit a second time.
That sent Hamlin back to 30th, one lap down, before he was collected in an accident with 37 laps to go. He finished 25th.
Despite a tumultuous evening, Hamlin gained nine points above the cutline. Entering Kansas next week, Hamlin is the defending winner and has tallied four victories there.
6. Martin Truex Jr. (+25)
Martin Truex Jr.’s Darlington weekend was a rough one. The regular season champion started near the rear of the field after a mistake in qualifying, then endured a loose wheel in the early going of the race.
From there, the JGR driver played catch up all night, finishing 18th. Truex only lost four points to 13th in the process.
Truex has two wins at Kansas and boasts an impressive 12 top-10 runs in his last 13 races.
7. Kyle Busch (+20)
Starting at the rear of the field because of a toe-link change, Kyle Busch was behind the eight ball at Darlington. The first-year Richard Childress Racing climbed into the top 10 and eventually finished 11th.
Busch began the Southern 500 12 points above the cutline and left with a net gain of eight points.
The two-time Cup Series champion has two previous wins at Kansas, though has three finishes of 26th or worse in the last four races there.
8. Brad Keselowski (+18)
Without a victory through the first 26 races, Brad Keselowski only had a three-point cushion heading into the playoffs. A strong sixth-place finish at Darlington gave the 2012 Cup Series champion an added 15 points.
Like his RFK teammate Buescher, Keselowski’s been heating up at the right time. Six of his last nine races have resulted in a top-six finish.
Two wins and an average finish of 12.4 highlight Keselowski’s résumé at Kansas.
9. Ryan Blaney (+16)
After starting fourth on Sunday, Ryan Blaney stayed out of trouble en route to a ninth-place finish. Initially one point above 13th in the playoffs, Blaney gained 15 points after his solid run aboard the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.
It’s been an up and down trend for Blaney over the summer months as he’s failed to finish better than ninth since a sixth-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway in June.
In 17 starts at Kansas, Blaney is winless with an average finish of 16.4.
10. Ross Chastain (+13)
While the summer months have appeared gloomy for Ross Chastain outside his win at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, the Trackhouse Racing driver kicked off the NASCAR Playoffs with a fifth-place finish.
It was a strong showing for the driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet, who went a lap down in Stage One after starting 27th. With a good result, Chastain gained valuable points, jumping from four points to 13 above the cutline.
Chastain’s last three races at Kansas have been solid with three straight top-seven finishes, including a fifth in May.
On The Bubble
11. Joey Logano (+3)
Joey Logano had a roller-coaster race at Darlington. The reigning Cup Series champion suffered a bent toe link at the end of Stage One, resulting in extensive repairs throughout the rest of the 367-lap race.
Though he and the No. 22 Team Penske crew chipped away until the checkered flag, salvaging a 12th-place finish.
Logano added two points to his already slim margin above the cutline heading into the final two races of the first round.
While Logano has three wins in Kansas, he also has three finishes outside the top 15 in his last five starts.
12. Christopher Bell (+1)
Darlington polesitter Christopher Bell ran into trouble at the end of Stage One after tagging the wall with his No. 20 Toyota. From there, his Joe Gibbs Racing team worked tirelessly to help Bell feel comfortable with a bent lower control arm.
Bell’s evening ended in 23rd, the first driver one lap down. The 28-year-old lost six points and is 12th on the playoff grid.
His rough start to the playoffs might end at Kansas, as he’s finished eighth or better in three of his last four starts.
Outside Looking In
13. Bubba Wallace (-1)
While he may sit below the cutline, Bubba Wallace’s performance at Darlington was among the best of the 16 playoff drivers.
Wallace started 19th and quickly moved through the field. Despite early contact with Logano, Wallace rebounded to run inside the top 10 before ultimately finishing seventh.
Wallace entered the playoffs eight points below the cutline and is now one point out of the Round of 12.
The 23XI Racing driver won the fall race at Kansas last year and owns three straight top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile track.
14. Kevin Harvick (-2)
Sunday looked to be a potential breakthrough win for Kevin Harvick in his final season of Cup Series competition. Unfortunately for the 2014 champion, a penalty for pitting when pit road was closed cost Harvick while he was running second.
Restarting at the rear of the field, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver finished 19th.
Now, Harvick heads to Kansas Speedway where he’s had tremendous success over his 22-year career. In 35 starts, Harvick owns three victories and an average finish of 9.9.
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (-4)
Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had a costly speeding penalty on his first pit stop, setting the JTG Daugherty Racing driver back a lap early.
Though he’d rebound to finish 16th. Darlington was neither a win or a loss for the No. 47 Chevrolet, as he entered the playoffs three points below the cutline and ended Darlington four markers behind.
Stenhouse only holds one top-10 finish in 21 starts at Kansas Speedway.
16. Michael McDowell (-19)
The driver that got the worst end of lady luck at Darlington was Michael McDowell. The Front Row Motorsports driver struggled mightily before getting collected in an accident during the closing laps.
McDowell finished 32nd after starting ninth. Now, he’s entering must-win territory after beginning the playoffs only one point out of 12th.
He’ll need a strong result at Kansas in order to keep up with his title rivals. McDowell has never finished better than 13th at Kansas, and he has an average finish of 27.5.