The Chase for the title will start on Sunday in one of NASCAR’s crown jewel races, the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in its typical slot on Labor Day weekend at Darlington, S.C.
The 10-race playoffs appropriately begin on the egg-shaped layout known as “The Track Too Tough to Tame.”
Also known as “The Lady in Black,” Darlington’s monikers serve as warning signs of danger for every driver who flips the starter switch at the 1.366-mile venue, not just for those 16 seeking to raise the Bill France Cup at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.
The challenges at Darlington are well known, ever since it started to host NASCAR competition in 1950, nine years before Daytona International Speedway’s first NASCAR race. Of primary concern is tire wear.
Darlington’s abrasive surface and high-banked corners will play a key role in determining who wins Sunday.
NASCAR will bring the same setup that it had when Darlington played host to the Goodyear 400 in March that was won by Tyler Reddick. The tire allotment will be raised to 15 sets, including 12 new sets for the race.
Tire strategy at Darlington is far from a new development. Three-time Daytona 500 winner Ken Schrader, now 71, once said tires should be changed at speedways like Darlington and Rockingham, N.C., after the car is pushed from the garage to pit road.
Hazards are expected to present themselves immediately.
As if tire management wasn’t enough, the late-afternoon start means drivers will have to contend with the setting sun along the backstretch heading toward Turn 3.
Racing can be downright brutal on an ill-handling car, plus the transition during ingress and egress of pit road sometimes leads to spins.
Reddick, third in points behind leader Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney, manhandled the competition in March. He beat Brad Keselowski by 5.847 seconds at Darlington for his fourth victory in a season-opening stretch of five wins over the first nine races of the season.
A Toyota has claimed the past three Darlington wins. Chase Briscoe is the defending Southern 500 winner and has earned the past two checkered flags in the Labor Day classic, although he was driving the No. 14 Ford two seasons ago.
“I’m definitely excited,” Briscoe said. “Of all the tracks we go to, Darlington is at the top of the list as my favorite and the Southern 500, just the way it plays out … I definitely feel like we can start our Chase off on the right foot.
“Still, a lot can happen. Darlington can be a chaotic race.”
Hamlin took over the top spot in the standings following the road race at Sonoma, Calif., in June. Reddick led over the first 17 races.
Seeking his first title, Hamlin has five victories at the South Carolina track, most recently in April of 2025. Hamlin is one of eight Darlington winners in Sunday’s field.
