Cook Out Southern 500
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is this week’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway and it will be the final race of the 2026 regular season. This is the last chance for drivers to earn points to qualify for the Cup Series Chase.
The regular season started here with the Daytona 500 and will end here with this weekend’s race, so we have a lot of data points here given that there are two races a season at the track. It is a Saturday early-evening race at 4:30 p.m. ET and will be the first race on NBC and the last until we get to the final three races of the season.
How to Watch The Cook Out Southern 500
When: Saturday, September 6, 2026
Where: Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
Channel: NBC
2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Schedule
- Cook Out Southern 500 (Darlington) – September 6
- Enjoy Illinois 300 (World Wide Technology Raceway) – September 13
- Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Bristol) – September 19
- Hollywood Casino 400 (Kansas) – September 27
- South Point 400 (Las Vegas) – October 4
- Bank of America 400 (Charlotte) – October 11
- Freeway Insurance 500 (Phoenix) – October 18
- Yellawood 500 (Talladega) – October 25
- Xfinity 500 (Martinsville) – November 1
- Straight Talk Wireless 400 (Homestead-Miami) – November 8
2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Standings
All 16 drivers who qualified for the Cup Series Chase will be in the running to win the championship for the duration of the season. The point totals were reset based on a new format, ranging from 2,100 to 2,000.
- Denny Hamlin – 2100
- Ryan Blaney – 2075
- Tyler Reddick – 2065
- Ty Gibbs – 2060
- Chase Briscoe – 2055
- Christopher Bell – 2050
- Chase Elliott – 2045
- Kyle Larson – 2040
- Joey Logano – 2035
- Chris Buescher – 2030
- Daniel Suarez – 2025
- Carson Hocevar – 2020
- William Byron – 2015
- Bubba Wallace – 2010
- Austin Cindric – 2005
- Ryan Preece – 2000
The race winners from the regular season were Tyler Reddick (5), Denny Hamlin (4), Blaney (3), Chase Elliott (2), Shane van Gisbergen (2), Corey Heim (2), Gibbs (2), Logano (2), Daniel Suarez, Carson Hocevar, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Preece. Preece’s win stole van Gisbergen’s playoff spot from him, as it came at just the right time.
Cook Out Southern 500 Winners
Over the last 10 races at Darlington, we’ve had two multiple winners, as Hamlin and Briscoe have two wins apiece. The other race winners are Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski, Larson, Reddick, Byron, and Logano. In terms of average finish, Hamlin (9.1) and Reddick (9.6) are easily the best in the field.
Reddick actually has six top-five finishes and seven top-10 finishes over that 10-start span. Hamlin has four top-fives and six top-10s. Buescher also has seven top-10 finishes, but only one in the top five. Byron is another guy with some success here, having led 328 laps with six top-five finishes.
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.
