Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington will serve as the final race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season. With three playoff spots up for grabs, here’s what you need to know before the 16-driver playoff field for the Cup Series is decided.
Wallace, Buescher battle on the bubble
Chris Buescher (+21) currently holds the 16th and final provisional playoff spot, but Bubba Wallace (-21) won’t be going down without a fight.
It was Wallace who won the pole on Saturday with a monster lap while Buescher straggled into the final round of qualifying and will start 10th. Wallace was also the better of the two bubble drivers in Saturday’s practice session, posting the sixth-fastest time. Buescher was 15th.
Reddick looks to claim regular-season title
Like Buescher’s gap to the cut line, Tyler Reddick’s 17-point lead over Kyle Larson may seem safe, but safe is a word that can’t be in a driver’s vocabulary at Darlington. Don’t count out Chase Elliott (-18) in the regular-season hunt, either, as the 2020 Cup Series champion put together a fourth-place effort in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race. On Sunday, Larson (fourth) will roll off in front of the other two leaders, while Reddick (sixth) and Elliott (20th) will be forced to play catch up.
Truex, Gibbs look to lock up playoff spots
The Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Martin Truex Jr. (+58) and Ty Gibbs (+39) are ever-so-close to locking up spots in the 2024 playoffs. Even with seemingly insurmountable advantages, however, neither driver can afford to be complacent. JGR has been plagued by a rash of engine issues in 2024. At Darlington in 2022, both Truex and Kyle Busch saw their Toyota engines expire near the end of the Southern 500.
Hocevar, Busch look to claim walk-off wins
Everyone below Wallace — from Kyle Busch (18th) to Zane Smith (34th) in the Cup Series standings — needs a win in order to snag a playoff berth. Don’t look past rookie Carson Hocevar, though. Hocevar sits 22nd in points and has quietly put together a solid rookie season. He will start alongside Wallace on the front row and if recent speed is any indication, he could be in contention for his first Cup Series win on Sunday.
Kyle Busch has won two championships and 63 races in his illustrious Cup Series career, but his 20th full-time season has been his worst. Never before has Busch sunk to such lows. A win on Sunday would save his season and put him back in victory lane for the first time in 46 races.
The Southern 500 at Darlington will go green shortly after 6 p.m. ET on Sunday. Coverage will be provided by USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
