The playoff grid is set and the final ten weeks of the 2022 season will be intense as the field of 16 is whittled down to four challengers, and ultimately, one champion
Kurt Busch withdrew his playoff waiver before Daytona, setting up an odd situation for the playoffs. Austin Dillon won the regular season finale, knocking Martin Truex Jr. out. Ryan Blaney is the only non-winner in the postseason. Although Busch is out of the title hunt, the No. 45 car remains in the owner playoffs, which has led to the team switching numbers and putting Bubba Wallace behind the wheel of the No. 45 Toyota.
Chase Elliott leads the playoff field with 40 bonus points, followed by Joey Logano and Ross Chastain.
How to watch NASCAR at Darlington
- Race: Cook Out Southern 500
- Date: Sunday, September 4th
- Start time: 6:00 p.m. ET
- TV channel: USA | TSN 3/5 (Canada)
- Live stream: Peacock, fuboTV
- Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Denny Hamlin is the defending winner of the Southern 500, and he leads all active Cup drivers in wins at the track with four. Hamlin was going to pull double duty this weekend, but he will now skip the Xfinity race, citing soreness after a massive wreck at Daytona. Logano won at Darlington earlier this year, moving William Byron out of the way for the victory.
Rick Allen leads the NBC Cup Series broadcast team in the booth, where he’s joined by former star racers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton. Veteran crew chief Steve Letarte adds his technical knowledge for extra analysis.
NBC will cover all races from now through the playoffs either on the main NBC channel or USA Network.
Here’s how and where to watch all the on-track activity for NASCAR this weekend:
Saturday, September 3
- (Schedule is tentative and subject to change)
- 10:05 a.m. ET – NASCAR Xfinity Series practice – NBC Sports App
- 10:35 a.m. ET – NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying – NBC Sports App
- 12:05 p.m. ET – NASCAR Cup Series practice – USA NETWORK
- 12:50 p.m. ET – NASCAR Cup Series qualifying – USA NETWORK
- 3:00 p.m. ET – NASCAR Xfinity Series race (147 laps / 200 miles) – USA NETWORK
Sunday, September 4
- 6 p.m. ET – NASCAR Cup Series race (367 laps / 500 miles) – USA NETWORK
Who’s on the entry list for NASCAR Cup at Darlington?
There are 36 cars on the NASCAR Cup Series entry list with no open entries.
| JJ Yeley | |||
What’s next on the NASCAR Cup schedule?
With the 10-race playoffs finally underway at Darlington this weekend, NASCAR will then head to the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway.
| Date | Track | Network | Time | Radio |
| Sunday, September 11 | Kansas | USA | 3:00 p.m. ET | MRN/SiriusXM |
| Saturday, September 17 | Bristol | USA | 7:30 p.m. ET | PRN/SiriusXM |
| Sunday, September 25 | Texas | USA | 3:30 p.m. ET | PRN/SiriusXM |
| Sunday, October 2 | Talladega | NBC | 2:00 p.m. ET | MRN/SiriusXM |
| Sunday, October 9 | Charlotte Roval | NBC | 2:00 p.m. ET | PRN/SiriusXM |
| Sunday, October 16 | Las Vegas | NBC | 2:30 p.m. ET | PRN/SiriusXM |
| Sunday, October 23 | Homestead | NBC | 2:30 p.m. ET | MRN/SiriusXM |
| Sunday, October 30 | Martinsville | NBC | 2:00 p.m. ET | MRN/SiriusXM |
| Sunday, November 6 | Phoenix | NBC | 3:00 p.m. ET | MRN/SiriusXM |