NASCAR Live Race Updates: Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington
Welcome to Racing America On SI's live NASCAR race updates post for Sunday night's NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. This post will be updated throughout the day and night on Sunday with key updates leading into and through the opening race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Video highlights of crashes or incidents will be populated along with lead changes, stage and race results, and more. Continue checking back for additional updates on the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway throughout the day.
Final Stage Updates
CHECKERED FLAG: CHASE BRISCOE HOLDS OFF REDDICK TO WIN THE SOUTHERN 500
Chase Briscoe held off an insane charge from Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones in the final laps to cap off a dominant performance in the Southern 500. Briscoe is the first driver since Greg Biffle (2005 and 2006) to win back-to-back Southern 500s.
Pos | # | Driver |
|---|---|---|
1 | 19 | Chase Briscoe |
2 | 45 | Tyler Reddick |
3 | 43 | Erik Jones |
4 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek |
5 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger |
6 | 23 | Bubba Wallace |
7 | 11 | Denny Hamlin |
8 | 8 | Kyle Busch |
9 | 77 | Carson Hocevar |
10 | 17 | Chris Buescher |
Lap 360: Chase Briscoe Makes Wall Contact; The Top-Three Tighten
Chase Briscoe scrubbed the wall coming to seven laps to go, allowing Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones to close in even closer.
Lap 344: Tyler Reddick, Erik Jones, and John Hunter Nemechek are CLOSING!
Chase Briscoe had extended his lead to way over a second, but as the laps continue to wind down, Tyler Reddick, Erik Jones, and John Hunter Nemechek are CLOSING. At the end of the previous run the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB drivers were closing fast, can they do it again?
Lap 320: Back to Green!
Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick are locked in a side-by-side battle for the lead, which Briscoe will prevail.
Lap 314: Caution!
Derek Kraus suffered a big fire on his No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet. He pulled to the inside of the track, stopped and was able to get out. We're back under caution as a result.
Lap 300: Briscoe Continues to Lead, Reddick Reeling Him In
Chase Briscoe is up to 242 laps led in this race, but Tyler Reddick is consistently turning faster laps and is starting to reel him in. Briscoe leads by 1.396 seconds over Reddick. John Hunter Nemechek, Erik Jones, and Bubba Wallace are the remainder of the top-five on Lap 300.
Lap 281: Briscoe Cycles Back to Lead
Chase Briscoe is back in the lead following the green flag pit stops cycling out. Tyler Reddick runs second, and is 1.6 seconds behind.
Lap 273: Green Flag Pit Stops Begin
We have Chase Briscoe and several others kicking off a round of green flag pit stops on Lap 273.
Lap 240: Briscoe Takes Lead Back!
In an aggressive move to the inside, coupled with Tyler Reddick snapping loose, Chase Briscoe has regained the lead of this race on Lap 240.
Lap 237: Back to Green!
We go back to green, and Chase Briscoe does not get a great restart. This allows Tyler Reddick to squeeze by to take the race lead.
Lap 233: Briscoe Wins Race Off Pit Road
Chase Briscoe will continue to lead as he won the race off pit road in the Stage Break caution after the end of Stage 2.
Running order after pit stops: 1. Briscoe, 2. Tyler Reddick, 3. AJ Allmendinger, 4. Bubba Wallace, 5. Kyle Larson, 6. Ross Chastain, 7. Erik Jones, 8. John Hunter Nemechek, 9. Ryan Preece, 10. Kyle Busch
Stage 2 Updates
Lap 230: Chase Briscoe Sweeps Stages
Chase Briscoe has had them covered this evening in Darlington as he took the Stage 2 win in addition to earliers Stage Win in Stage 1. Briscoe held off Tyler Reddick by 0.998 seconds to win the Stage.
Playoff Drivers in Stage 2:
1st: Chase Briscoe, 2nd: Tyler Reddick, 4th: Kyle Larson, 6th: Ross Chastain, 7th: Bubba Wallace, 10th: William Byron, 13th: Joey Logano, 15th: Denny Hamlin, 18th: Austin Cindric, 21st: Chase Elliott, 26th: Austin Dillon, 27th: Christopher Bell, 29th: Shane van Gisbergen, 31st: Ryan Blaney, 33rd: Alex Bowman, 38th: Josh Berry
Stage 2 Results:
Fin | Car | Driver | Stage Points | Playoff Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | 10 | 1 |
2 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 9 | -- |
3 | 43 | Erik Jones | 8 | -- |
4 | 5 | Kyle Larson | 7 | -- |
5 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | 6 | -- |
6 | 1 | Ross Chastain | 5 | -- |
7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 4 | -- |
8 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | 3 | -- |
9 | 60 | Ryan Preece | 2 | -- |
10 | 24 | William Byron | 1 | -- |
Lap 215: Green Flag!
We're back to green and Chase Briscoe continues to dominate this race, but the questions persist about the voltage in his race car. Additionally, Kyle Larson, who is running near the front is possibly having radio issues which may necessitate him switching helmets under the next caution.
Lap 209: Back to Green! And Caution Again
Chase Briscoe brings the field back to green, and he remains in the lead in a three-wide battle with Kyle Larson and Erik Jones. Coming off of Turn 4, Ryan Blaney spins attempting to avoid Kyle Busch, who turned sidewsys in front of him.
We're back under caution.
That could've been much worse for @Blaney. pic.twitter.com/xUdxuzObVo
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 1, 2025
Lap 206: Chase Briscoe Wins Race Off Pit Road
The voltage is dropping on Briscoe's No. 19 Toyota, but he wins the race off pit road. Running order off of pit road: 1. Briscoe, 2. Tyler Reddick, 3. Erik Jones, 4. Kyle Larson, 5. AJ Allmendinger, 6. Ross Chastain, 7. Chris Buescher, 8. John Hunter nemechek, 9. Bubba Wallace, 10. Ryan Preece.
Lap 203: Caution!
Cody Ware has gone for a spin on the backstretch, which has brought out the caution. Ware is stuck on track due to a flat tire.
Just before the caution, race leader Chase Briscoe reported potential battery/alternator issues.
Lap 170: Erik Jones to 2nd
Erik Jones worked past Ross Chastain to move into the second position on Lap 170. He now sits abour 4 seconds behind Chase Briscoe, the race leader.
Lap 158: Back to Green!
Chase Briscoe brings the field back to the green flag, but he is locked in a fierce fight with Ross Chastain for the race lead. Briscoe leads Lap 158, and prevails in the battle, but Chastain was there.
Lap 155: Chase Briscoe Wins Race off Pit Road
Chase Briscoe will maintain the lead after a yellow flag round of pit stops. Denny Hamlin had a disastrous pit stop, and he will drop to the 23rd position.
Running order after pit stops: 1. Briscoe, 2. Ross Chastain, 3. Tyler Reddick, 4. Kyle Larson, 5. Erik Jones, 6. Christopher Bell, 7. Ty Gibbs, 8. AJ Allmendinger, 9. Chase Elliott, 10. Chris Buescher.
Bell, who came off pit road in sixth, received big contact with Carson Hocevar, who got spun, on pit road.
Lap 151: Caution!
Carson Hocevar has gone for a spin in Turn 4, and the race is back under caution. Chase Briscoe leads the race over Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Bubba Wallace.
A save and spin for @CarsonHocevar.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 31, 2025
The yellow flag waves on Lap 152. pic.twitter.com/4ryaIBoNhT
Lap 142: Ross Chastain to P2
Ross Chastain worked his way around Denny Hamlin for the runner-up spot. He sits about 1.5 seconds behind race leader Chase Briscoe. Erik Jones has climbed to the seventh spot.
Lap 135: Reddick Reporting Smoke
Tyler Reddick says there is smoke beginning to appear in the cockpit of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. Reddick received contact in the driver's side door from Josh Berry on the opening lap, and there may be door foam getting heated by the exhaust of the car. May end up being nothing, may end up being a major something for a Playoff contender.
Lap 132: Lead Change
Chase Briscoe got along side Denny Hamlin in Turns 1 and 2, and Hamlin chose to let him go in Turn 2. Briscoe goes to the lead again, and Hamlin is reporting damage to the toe on his No. 11 Toyota.
Lap 130: Briscoe Pressuring Hamlin for Lead
Denny Hamlin continues to lead, but Chase Briscoe has mounted a charge and he is now pressuring his teammate for the lead.
Lap 125: Elliott and Hocvear Make Contact
Chase Elliott received contct from Carson Hocevar on Lap 125, which led to a lot of tire smoke between the two. A lap later, Hocevar nearly spun trying to get around Elliott, and he ended up walling Chris Buescher trying to get back into line.
There's lots of contact! 😳 pic.twitter.com/ZbZq2hh8Ff
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 31, 2025
Lap 123: Back to Green!
Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe are locked into a side-by-side battle for the lead as we are green. They remain side-by-side through turns 3 and 4, and heading into Turn 1 on Lap 124, Hamlin makes slight contact with Briscoe and he goes to the lead!
Lap 118: Chase Briscoe Wins the Race Off Pit Road
Chase Briscoe and the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team won the race off pit road, and Briscoe, who has already led 88 laps on the night, will continue atop the scoring sheet. Here is the running order off of pit road under the Stage break caution: 1. Chase Briscoe, 2. Denny Hamlin, 3. Ross Chastain, 4. Tyler Reddick, 5. Bubba Wallace, 6. Kyle Larson, 7. Shane van Gisbergen, 8. Christopher Bell, 9. Austin Cindric, 10. John Hunter Nemechek
Stage 1 Updates
Lap 115: Chase Briscoe Takes Stage 1 Win
Chase Briscoe had no challengers in the closing laps of Stage 1 as he cruised to the Stage 1 win of Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington over Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin.
Playoff drivers as they run at the end of Stage 1:
1st: Chase Briscoe, 2nd: Tyler Reddick, 3rd: Denny Hamlin, 4th: Ross Chastain, 5th: Bubba Wallace, 6th: Kyle Larson, 7th: Christopher Bell, 8th: Austin Cindric, 10th: Ryan Blaney, 11th: William Byron, 14th: Austin Dillon, 16th: Joey Logano, 19th: Chase Elliott, 25th: Shane van Gisbergen, 34th: Alex Bowman, 38th: Josh Berry.
Stage 1 Results:
Fin | Car | Driver | Stage Points | Playoff Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | 10 | 1 |
2 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 9 | -- |
3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | 8 | -- |
4 | 1 | Ross Chastain | 7 | -- |
5 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 6 | -- |
6 | 5 | Kyle Larson | 5 | -- |
7 | 20 | Christopher Bell | 4 | -- |
8 | 2 | Austin Cindric | 3 | -- |
9 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | 2 | -- |
10 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | 1 | -- |
Lap 76: Bubba Wallace Avoids Disaster on Pit Road
Bubba Wallace was exiting his pit crew as Zane Smith was pulling into his stall, and the two nearly collided. Fortunately, both drivers were able to avoid an incident. Wallace came to a stop, which cost him some time, though.
Lap 67: Alex Bowman Finds Trouble
Josh Berry isn't the only Playoff contender that has found bad luck in the opening portion of this race. Alex Bowman pitted on Lap 47, and the air gun jammed on his pit stop, which slowed things down tremendously. Bowman now sits three laps down in 36th.
Lap 62 Running Order
Here is the running order after the green flag pit sequence cycled out:
1. Chase Briscoe, 2. Bubba Wallace, 3. Denny Hamlin, 4. Kyle Larson, 5. Ross Chastain, 6. Austin Cindric, 7. Austin Dillon, 8. William Byron, 9. Tyler Reddick, 10. Christopher Bell.
Lap 56: Briscoe Back to Lead
Chase Briscoe passed John Hunter Nemechek, who has still not pitted, to retake the lead on Lap 56.
Lap 45: Keselowski Penalized
Brad Keselowski is two laps down in 37th after he was forced to serve a pass through penalty after he finished his pit stop in the No. 22 Team Penske pit box. His No. 6 RFK Racing team realized they didn't get a wheel all the way tight, so the 22 team helped prevent a detached wheel.
Loose wheel on the No. 6 car of @keselowski.
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) August 31, 2025
Logano’s crew helped service the car.
The team will pit again because there’s still an issue. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/uQRpxiwiSE
Lap 42: Bubba Wallace Pits
The green flag pit sequence is still shaking out. Bubba Wallace has relinquished the lead on Lap 42. John Hunter Nemechek, Shane van Gisbergen, Michael McDowell and Daniel Suarez have yet to pit.
Lap 35: Briscoe Pits From Lead
Chase Briscoe has taken his first pit stop of the day, which handed the lead of the race to Bubba Wallace on Lap 35.
Lap 34: Bubba Wallace Continues Climb
Bubba Wallace has moved into the runner-up spot after a pass on his 23XI Racing team owner Denny Hamlin on Lap 34. Wallace has been turning laps well faster than Hamlin and race leader Chase Briscoe, and it has led to him reeling them in.
Lap 16: Bell Passes Reddick
Christopher Bell has gotten around Tyler Reddick, who was involved in that Lap 1 incident with Josh Berry, and is now inside the top-five. Currently, the top-11 drivers in this race are Playoff drivers. The first non-Playoff contender is Justin Haley in 12th.
Lap 9: Bubba Enters Top-Five
Bubba Wallace got around Kyle Larson to move inside of the top-five, and moments later, he goes by teammate Tyler Reddick for fourth. Bubba Wallace is on the move. Chase Briscoe continues to lead.
Lap 6: Back to Green!
We are back to green, Chase Briscoe had snuck the lead away from Denny Hamlin as the caution came out on Lap 1, and he continues to lead on this restart as he is out front in Turns 1 and 2.
Lap 1: Caution!
In Turns 1 and 2, Josh Berry, who started third, got into the gas and his No. 21 Ford looped around. This caused a stack up and we are under caution already. Berry got some rear end damage.
16 enter, but only one can be champion.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 31, 2025
The #NASCARPlayoffs kick off now with the #Southern500 at @TooToughToTame but there's trouble early! pic.twitter.com/eTBDcitTb5
6:05 PM ET: Green Flag!
Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe bring the field to the green flag, and this race has begun!
Pre-Race Updates
After a command from Roo Reaves of the Cook Out family, the engines in the 38 cars in the starting lineup for Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington have roared to life! Pace laps are about to begin at Darlington Raceway.
NASCAR Reveals Pre-Race Festivities Schedule
- Driver's Meeting: 4:50:00 PM ET
- Driver Introductions: 5:15:00 PM ET
- Invocation: 5:47:20 PM ET
- National Anthem: 5:48:00 PM ET
- Command to Start Engines: 5:55:00 PM ET
- Green Flag: 6:05:00 PM ET
Denny Hamlin Thwarts Briscoe's Chance at History for Southern 500 Pole
Denny Hamlin will begin Sunday night's NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway from the pole position. Hamlin bumped Chase Briscoe, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, from the pole position late in the session,
Briscoe, who started from the pole in the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Brickyard 400, was looking to become the first driver to ever sweep the pole positions in all four crown jewel events in a single season. He came up just short.
Cook Out Southern 500 Starting Lineup
Pos | Car | Driver | Lap time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | 28.694 | 171.381 |
2 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | 28.715 | 171.255 |
3 | 21 | Josh Berry | 28.829 | 170.578 |
4 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 28.848 | 170.466 |
5 | 5 | Kyle Larson | 28.925 | 170. |
6 | 1 | Ross Chastain | 28.933 | 169.965 |
7 | 20 | Christopher Bell | 28.962 | 169.795 |
8 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 28.985 | 169.660 |
9 | 3 | Austin Dillon | 29.004 | 169.549 |
10 | 2 | Austin Cindric | 29.023 | 169.438 |
Click here for the full Cook Out Southern 500 starting lineup.
Cook Out Southern 500 Pre-Race Info
The Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will be televised on USA Network and can be streamed on the HBO Max streaming platform, as well as the NBC Sports App. The race broadcast will begin at 6:00 PM ET.
The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide the radio broadcast of Sunday's race. For subscribers of the HBO Max streaming service, NASCAR Driver Cam, which streams live in-car camera footage from every car in the field, will be available for today's race.
The overall race purse, which teams will fight for their portion of in Sunday's race, is a total of $10,447,135.
The race distance is 367 laps around the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, which equates to a 501.32-mile race distance.
The Cook Out Southern 500 will be broken up into three Stages. Stage 1 will end at the conclusion of Lap 115. Stage 2 will end at the conclusion of Lap 230. And the race is scheduled to finish at the end of Lap 367, barring an Overtime finish.
The winner of Stages 1 and 2 will be awarded one Playoff Point, and the overall race winner will be awarded five Playoff Points. The Playoff Points will be added to the reseeded point totals in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, and will be carried through each round of the Playoffs.
This race is the opening race of the three-race Round of 16 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. If one of the 16 drivers in the Playoffs wins this event, they will automatically advance to the Round of 12 of the Playoffs.
Chase Briscoe, who was driving for Stewart-Haas Racing last season, is the defending winner of this race. He'll look to defend his win in the race behind the wheel of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
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Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.
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