Darlington Raceway will be the site of the playoff openers for the Cup and Truck series this weekend.
The Truck Series will hold a 200-mile race Saturday, the first of seven races over three rounds to determine the championship.
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The Cup Series will begin its 10-race playoff Sunday night with the Southern 500. Chase Briscoe is the defending winner of the crown jewel event, which returns to the playoffs this year after serving as the regular-season finale in 2024.
This is the first late summer visit for the Truck Series to “The Track Too Tough to Tame” since 2021. Ross Chastain won the most recent Truck race at Darlington on May 10, 2024.
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USA Network will have coverage from Darlington Raceway beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
Darlington Raceway weekend schedule
(All Times Eastern)
Friday, Aug. 29
Garage open
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10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. — Truck Series
11 a.m. – 4 p.m. — Cup Series
Track activity
3:05 – 4 p.m. — Truck practice (FS2)
4:10 – 5 p.m. — Truck qualifying (FS2)
Saturday, Aug. 30
Garage open
7 – 11:30 a.m. — Cup Series
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. — Truck Series
Track activity
9 – 10 a.m. — Cup practice (truTV, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
10:10 – 11 a.m. — Cup qualifying (truTV, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Noon — Truck race (147 laps, 200 miles; Stage 1 at Lap 45, Stage 2 at Lap 90; FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday, Aug. 31
Garage open
3 – 11:55 p.m. — Cup Series
Track activity
6 p.m. — Cup race (367 laps, 501.32 miles; Stage 1 at Lap 115, Stage 2 at Lap 230; USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Weekend weather
Friday: Partly cloudy with 7% chance of rain. A high of 87 degrees with light and variable winds.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy skies with a 24% chance of rain. A high of 85 degrees with winds from the northeast a 5 to 10 mph. It’s expected to be 83 degrees with a 1% chance of rain at the start of the Truck race.
Sunday: Partly cloudy with a 21% chance of rain. A high of 82 degrees with winds from the northeast at 5 to 10 mph. It’s expected to be 78 degrees with a 22% chance of rain at the start of the Cup race.