NASCAR at Darlington lineup 2025: Starting order & pole for 2025 Cook Out Southern 500

After the Coke Zero Sugar 400, the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season has arrived at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, for the Cook Out Southern 500. The first playoff race of the season will go live on NBC Sports at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 31.

The Darlington playoff race will be contested on a 1.33-mile-long track. Thirty-eight drivers will compete over 367 laps to drive down Victory Lane at Darlington.

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Who is on pole for the Cook Out Southern 500?

On Saturday, August 30, in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin won the Cook Out Southern 500 pole with a time of 28.694 and a speed of 171.381 mph. It marked his second pole of the 2025 NASAR Cup season, his 45th career pole in the series.

Hamlin is set to lead the field to the green flag at the start of the 2025 Cup Series Darlington playoff race, and his teammate Chase Briscoe will join him in the front row. Briscoe, the defending winner of the event, posted the second-best speed of 171.255 mph.

The pair will be followed by Josh Berry, Tyler Reddick, and Kyle Larson in the top five.

Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Austin Dillon, and Austin Cindric complete the top 10. FOX Sports journalist Bob Pockrass shared the starting lineup at Darlington on X.

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2025 Cook Out Southern 500 starting line-up

Below is the complete starting lineup for the 38-car grid at Darlington Raceway:

1. #11 - Denny Hamlin (P)
2. #19 - Chase Briscoe (P)
3. #21 - Josh Berry (P)
4. #45 - Tyler Reddick (P)
5. #5 - Kyle Larson (P)
6. #1 - Ross Chastain (P)
7. #20 - Christopher Bell (P)
8. #23 - Bubba Wallace (P)
9. #3 - Austin Dillon (P)
10. #2 - Austin Cindric (P)
11. #24 - William Byron (P)
12. #12 - Ryan Blaney (P)
13. #7 - Justin Haley
14. #22 - Joey Logano (P)
15. #17 - Chris Buescher
16. #54 - Ty Gibbs
17. #99 - Daniel Suárez
18. #41 - Cole Custer
19. #43 - Erik Jones
20. #88 - Shane van Gisbergen (P) (R)
21. #9 - Chase Elliott (P)
22. #16 - A. J. Allmendinger
23. #8 - Kyle Busch
24. #38 - Zane Smith
25. #71 - Michael McDowell
26. #77 - Carson Hocevar
27. #60 - Ryan Preece
28. #34 - Todd Gilliland
29. #48 - Alex Bowman (P)
30. #42 - John Hunter Nemechek
31. #10 - Ty Dillon
32. #6 - Brad Keselowski
33. #35 - Riley Herbst (R)
34. #4 - Noah Gragson
35. #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
36. #51 - Cody Ware
37. #44 - Derek Kraus
38. #66 - Timmy Hill (i)

Fans can watch all NASCAR Cup Series teams and drivers in live action at the Darlington Raceway for Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 on NBC Sports and USA Network.