In the context of NASCAR history, the playoffs — and the idea of a 10-race battle for the championship in general — are still a fairly recent development. Introduced in 2014 and building off an idea first implemented in 2004, the NASCAR playoffs are a reflection of the modern state of stock car racing and a sport that, for better or worse, is trying to compete for national attention in the greater sports landscape. It’s ironic, then, that the playoffs start with perhaps the single most time-honored tradition in all of NASCAR.

Before NASCAR could even dare to dream of a Daytona 500, much less being the most popular form of racing in all of America, there was Darlington Raceway and the Southern 500. First held in 1950, the Southern 500 was brought about as Darlington resident Harold Brasington’s means of holding an event like the Indianapolis 500 right in his backyard, and it became the first 500 mile race in NASCAR and revered as such. Through time and through changes to the sport — and even in the faces of existential challenges — the Southern 500 has persisted as a race that reflects NASCAR’s southern heritage and links great drivers and champions of all eras through victory — Including the 16 who now seek to be champions in 2025.

This year’s renewal of the Cook Out Southern 500 marks the opening race of the NASCAR playoffs, and the first race in the Round of 16.

Where to watch the Cook Out Southern 500

When: Sun., Aug. 31, 6 p.m. ET
Where: Darlington Raceway — Darlington, S.C.
TV: USA
Stream: fubo (Start watching, save $20!)

Storyline to watch

It’s natural to say that the biggest pivot man of the playoffs is Joey Logano, given that he is the defending Cup Series champion and has won two out of the last three Cup titles. An examination of why and how, though, makes Logano’s pursuit of a fourth Cup championship in 2025 simultaneously more complicated and more compelling.

Logano’s 2024 championship was roundly criticized for its circumstances — Logano’s average finish of 17.1 was the worst in NASCAR hsitory for a Cup champion, and his title run was greatly aided by a disqualification to Alex Bowman at the Charlotte Roval that wiped away Logano’s elimination in the Round of 12 plus two wins on fuel strategy — and it became enough of a black swan event that it and its response prompted the creation of NASCAR’s playoff committee to re-evaluate the championship format that has been used since 2014. In a way, talk of revamping the playoffs or switching to an entirely different format altogether amounts to a figurative “Joey-proofing” of the playoffs, much like Jimmie Johnson’s five-straight championships from 2006 to 2010 led to talks of how to “Jimmie-proof” the old Chase for the Championship format.

This year, Logano has the chance to become the fifth driver in NASCAR history to win more than three Cup championships, which would put him in leagues with Johnson (seven), Richard Petty (seven), Dale Earnhardt (seven) and Jeff Gordon (four). But perhaps more importantly, he also has the chance to prove a point about himself, his 2024 championship, and the very nature of the playoff system in general.

“As a fan, I want to see (drivers) scared, and our playoff system now does that,” Logano told The Athletic. “I’ve always been the person to say, ‘If you’re complaining about it, then just do better.’ If you scored a bunch of points during a regular season and you didn’t make it to the Championship 4, then shame on you. You had a head start, and you still couldn’t do it.

“But don’t say it’s not legit. You could have gone out there and won to get in. You didn’t. Just because it didn’t work for you, it doesn’t mean change the rules.”

Logano starting the playoffs with a victory, as he did by winning at Atlanta a year ago, would go a long way towards his title defense. While Logano has never won the Southern 500, he did earn a Darlington win in the spring of 2022 en route to his eventual second Cup title.

NASCAR news of the weekThe animus of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports’ antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR spilled over in a Charlotte, N.C. courtroom on Thursday, as the contents of internal texts and emails from both sides of the lawsuit were publicly shared in a hearing over whether the two race teams should have their charter status reinstated or if NASCAR should be allowed to issue their charters to other teams for 2026.

Among the most explosive remarks were made in discussions between 23XI Racing leadership, specifically as it pertained to their stance on failed charter negotiations. Team co-owner Michael Jordan was shown to have called Joe Gibbs Racing “f—ers” for signing the charter agreement, referring to others who agreed to NASCAR’s terms as “p—–s” in a Sept. 2024 text with business partner Curtis Polk. Meanwhile, a June 2024 text showed 23XI president Steve Lauletta intimating that a long-term resolution to their issues would be to wait for 80 year old NASCAR CEO Jim France to die: “Being in for the long haul and Jim dying is probably the answer.”

Meanwhile, internal messages at NASCAR were similarly contentious. May 2024 texts between commissioner Steve Phelps, president Steve O’Donnell and chief strategy officer Scott Prime described the approach of their superiors’ proposed charter deal as amounting to “here is a bit more money, f–k off everywhere else,” with O’Donnell saying that one proposal amounted to a “f–k the teams” deal that would set the sport back to a “1996 … dictatorship, motorsport, redneck, southern, tiny sport.”

A ruling from Judge Kenneth Bell is expected next week, but Bell warned both parties that neither should feel assured of winning the case.

“I’m not going to let your animosity for each other inconvenience me,” Bell said in his closing statement, per Motorsport.com. “Everybody is going to get hurt if this thing goes a certain way. If either party feels certain they are going to win, they’re wrong.”

In a highly expected move, Trackhouse Racing announced last Saturday that Connor Zilisch will move up to the Cup Series full-time in 2026. Zilisch will move to Trackhouse’s Cup program after running the full Xfinity Series season for JR Motorsports while also having made three Cup starts for Trackhouse with a best finish of 11th at Atlanta.Kaulig Racing has been named the anchor team for Ram’s re-entry into the Craftsman Truck Series, with Kaulig fielding up to five Ram trucks in 2026. Exact specifics of each team, including drivers and personnel, remain to be determined.Craftsman Truck Series driver Frankie Muniz will miss Darlington and potentially more races after suffering a wrist fracture this week after falling off a ladder while working in his backyard at his home in Arizona. Mason Maggio will fill in for the actor-turned-racer this weekend behind the wheel of the Reaume Brothers Racing No. 33 Ford.Pick to Win

William Byron (+400) – When NASCAR last visited Darlington in April, William Byron had a chance to pitch the Cup Series’ first shutout in a quarter century. Byron led the opening 243 laps, putting him 50 laps away from becoming the first driver to lead every single lap in a Cup race since Jeff Burton in 2000, before that opportunity and the race as a whole got away from him on a late cycle of green flag stops. Byron wound up finishing second to Denny Hamlin, the latest in five top five finishes he has earned in his career at Darlington.

While the Southern 500 is a much different beast than Darlington’s 400 mile race in the springtime, the extra 100 miles should work in Byron’s favor if he and his team bring yet another superior car like they had back in April. Byron will try to become the first driver to win both the Daytona 500 and the Southern 500 in the same season since Jeff Gordon did so on his way to the Winston Million in 1997.