NASCAR playoff race at Darlington: How to watch and starting lineup

The first round of the 2020 NASCAR playoffs kicks off Sunday at Darlington Raceway, where 16 drivers are looking to lock themselves into the Round of 12 through a win at the track deemed “Too Tough to Tame.”

The Cook Out Southern 500 starts at 6 p.m. Sunday on NBC Sports Network. The grid will feature vintage paint schemes for NASCAR’s Throwback Weekend, which will also allowed limited fans on-site. The raceway does not release its ticket sale numbers, but the state of South Carolina said it will allow up to 8,000 spectators for the race.

No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott is starting on the pole based on a formula that weighs past race performance and will be used to determine the starting order without qualifying throughout the playoffs.

HOW TO WATCH NASCAR PLAYOFF RACE AT DARLINGTON

• Race: Cook Out Southern 500

• Distance: 501 miles, 367 laps (stages end on lap 115, 230, 367). The track is 1.366 miles long.

• When: Sunday 6 p.m.

• TV: NBCSN (broadcast starts at 5:30 p.m.)

• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Worth Mentioning: The non-playoff Xfinity race at Darlington is Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on NBC. The non-playoff Trucks race at Darlington is Sunday at 2 p.m. on FS1.

NASCAR CUP RACE AT DARLINGTON STARTING LINEUP

This story was originally published September 5, 2020 at 7:45 AM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription