The Cook Out Southern 500 is scheduled for Sunday, August 31, at Darlington Raceway. The 27th race of the season and the first race of the playoffs will be broadcast on NBC Sports and USA Network from 6 p.m. ET.Held in Darlington, South Carolina, the Cook Out Southern 500 is the final crown jewel event of the year. It will see the Next Gen car in action for the eighth time at the Darlington Raceway oval. The 367-lap race will be divided into three stages. Stage 1 ends on lap 115, Stage 2 consists of 115 laps, and the final stage consists of 137 laps.The 1.366-mile-long track features 25 degrees of banking in Turns 1 and 2, and 23 degrees of banking in Turns 3 and 4, including 3 degrees on the frontstretch and 2 degrees on the backstretch. Darlington hosted its first edition in 1950, and Johnny Mantz won the inaugural Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington.It will be the 62nd annual Cook Out Southern 500, hosted by Darlington Raceway. The 37 drivers entering this week’s Cup Series race will compete across 367 laps and 501.332 miles.The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season's playoff weekend in Darlington will begin with a practice session on Saturday, August 30, at 9 am ET, followed by qualifying at 10:10 am ET to determine the starting lineup for the main event on Sunday.Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe is the defending winner of the event after securing the thrilling victory in last year’s Southern 500. Briscoe will look to reclaim his title this weekend.NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon is the most successful driver of the Cook Out Southern 500, with six wins. The next closest winner is Cale Yarborough with five wins each.Full weekend schedule for the 2025 Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington RacewayHere’s the complete practice, qualifying, and race schedule for this exciting weekend at Darlington Raceway, as the event will be the first race of the 2025 playoffs of the season:Friday, August 29, 20252 pm ET: ARCA Menards Series practice3:05 pm ET: NASCAR Truck Series practice3:20 pm ET: ARCA Menards Series West qualifying4:10 pm ET: NASCAR Truck Series qualifying7 pm ET: Portland 112Saturday, August 30, 20259 am ET: NASCAR Cup Series practice10:10 am ET: NASCAR Cup Series qualifying12 pm ET: Sober or Slammer 2003 pm ET: NASCAR Cup Series practice4:05 pm ET: NASCAR Cup Series qualifying7:30 pm ET: Pacific Office Automation 147Sunday, August 31, 20256 p.m. ET: Cook Out Southern 500Fans can catch the adrenaline-fueled NASCAR Cup and Truck Series weekend at Darlington Raceway from August 29 to 31.