The NASCAR Cup Series‘ 10-race playoff schedule kicked off Sunday with the Cook Out Southern 500 in front of a sold-out crowd at Darlington Raceway, and we had you covered with all the action from start to surface!
NASCAR’s top stars are fought it out over 3 phases and 367 laps on the renowned South Carolina speedway, and it was Kyle Larson who purchased a ticket to the round of 12 with a excellent come-from-behind win.
It’s the veryfirst of 3 races in the round of16 The 16-driver playoff field consistedof William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Larson, Chris Buescher, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell (last Sunday’s pole winner), Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael McDowell, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Bubba Wallace.
The 4 chauffeurs who wear’t win a round and have the least points are gottenridof after each of the veryfirst 3 race rounds. You can discover a complete list of winners so far this year, as well as the season’s staying schedule here.
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Green
Just like that, it was engines go for the NASCAR playoffs, with a area in the round of 12 up for grabs at Darlington!
Pit issues
Both Bell and Stenhouse ran into some issues on their veryfirst pit stops, with the sluggish repairwork for Bell costing him the race lead early on.
A smooth maneuver
Hamlin quickly moved past Reddick with a smooth inside relocation to capture the lead.
A bit chippy
It wasn’t significant, however Chastain and Larson revealed some early hostility as they combated for position on Turn 4.
Going for a spin!
Wallace ran into some difficulty at the end of Stage 1, spinning out simply inthepast the flag, as Hamlin caught Stage 1 win.
Tough break
Truex was required back into the pits after his No. 19 automobile came down with a loose wheel early in Stage 2.
Falling behind
McDowell continued to experience problem on the track, and he dropped to a three-lap deficit midway through the phase.
Night shift
The care flag emerged to repair the lights in Turns 3 and 4, which left the arena looking strangely dark.
FIRE!!
Well, that’s definitely a method to bring some light into the frame. Buescher’s team had to do some fast preventative work after the back of his automobile captured fire.
Lights on
The race resumed after a coupleof minutes assoonas the lights were returned to working order.
Mechanical concerns
Logano had a hard go of things late in Stage 2, and his pit team made its pay as it worked intensely to right his ship.
Boom
Smoke was bountiful as Cindric clashed with Gibbs, spinning him out at the end of Stage 2.
Denny’s day?
Hamlin was vigorous as ever through the race’s open, breezing to a Stage 2 triumph to accompany his Stage 1 win.
Look out!
Did we speak too quickly? Hamlin was required to pit quickly after Stage 3 started with some automobile difficulty.
Don’t blink!
Or you’ll missouton the fireworks of this stunning sequence including Harvick, Reddick and Newman.
Chaos isplentiful!
With less than 50 laps to race, Bowman, Suárez and Burton discovered problem in an eventful crash. The accident put Suárez out for the night. The trio was assessed and launched from the infield care center soon after the occasion.
Look out!
More playoff motorists, consistingof McDowell – who’s been on a tear as of late – and Hamlin were included in a vital fracas on a turn.
Battling it out
After Hamlin fell behind, Larson and Reddick took over the race for veryfirst, and the 2 carriedout an impressive fight to the checkered flag.
“Southern 500 child!”
It was Larson who was able to pull away and capture the win. And his pit team couldn’t haveactually been better with the effort. He protected a area in the round of 12 with the success, commemorating with a spinout that was genuinely impressive.
PRE-RACE
Setting the phase
Ahead of the action, FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass broke down what and who to watch out for in Sunday’s race.
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