Cook Out Southern 500
The Cup Championship Playoffs get underway this week with the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, as 16 drivers have a shot at the title and the rest will be out there looking for victories, high finishes, and additional cash. There were 26 races in the regular season and now we’ll have 10 more to determine a champion.
A schedule of the playoff races will follow after we take a look at the 16 drivers in the hunt and their initial point totals.
How to Watch The Cook Out Southern 500
When: Sunday, August 31, 2025
Where: Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Channel: USA
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Standings
The race winners so far are Byron (2), Larson (3), Bell (3), Hamlin (4), van Gisbergen (4), Blaney (2), Chastain, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Briscoe, Elliott, Wallace, and Dillon through 26 points races. So those 14 drivers are in the playoffs, along with wild cards Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman.
All playoff drivers had their point totals set to 2000 and then bonus points accumulated during the season were then added. The bottom four in points of the playoff drivers will be cut from contention after each round of three races.
Kyle Larson 2,032
William Byron 2,032
Denny Hamlin 2,029
Ryan Blaney 2,026
Christopher Bell 2,023
Shane van Gisbergen 2,022
Chase Elliott 2,013
Chase Briscoe 2,010
Bubba Wallace 2,008
Austin Cindric 2,008
Ross Chastain 2,007
Joey Logano 2,007
Josh Berry 2,006
Tyler Reddick 2,006
Austin Dillon 2,005
Alex Bowman 2,002
2025 NASCAR Cup Championship Playoffs Schedule
Round of 16
Cook Out Southern 500 (Darlington) – August 31, 6 p.m. ET
Enjoy Illinois 300 (World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison) – September 7, 3 p.m. ET
Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Bristol) – September 13, 7:30 p.m. ET
Round of 12
USA Today 301 (New Hampshire) – September 21, 2 p.m. ET
Hollywood Casino 400 (Kansas) – September 28, 3 p.m. ET
Bank of America Roval 400 (Charlotte) – October 5, 3 p.m. ET
Round of 8
South Point 400 (Las Vegas) – October 12, 5:30 p.m. ET
YellaWood 500 (Talladega) – October 19, 2 p.m. ET
Xfinity 500 (Martinsville) – October 26, 2 p.m. ET
Championship Race
NASCAR Cup Championship Race (Phoenix) – November 2, 3 p.m. ET
Cook Out Southern 500 Winners
The first Darlington race was back on April 6, as the Goodyear 400 was won by Hamlin, as he tamed “The Track Too Tough To Tame” for the fourth time in his career. The reigning champ in this race is Briscoe, preceded by Larson, Jones (x2), Keselowski, and Hamlin among active drivers.
Byron, Logano, and Hamlin are among the recent winners in the spring race at Darlington.
Cook Out Southern 500 Predictions
For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s simulation results and more stats on the drivers.