NASCAR 2022: Starting lineup for Cook Out Southern 400 at Darlington Raceway

After an action-packed regular-season finale race, the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series arrived at the Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina for the first playoff race. Fans were also eagerly awaiting the start of yet another exciting race this Sunday, September 4, 2022. The Cook Out Southern 400 will be live on USA Network and MRN at 6:00 pm ET.

The 27th race of the 2022 NASCAR season will be contested on a 1.366-mile-long egg-shaped oval track. 36 drivers, including 16 playoff drivers, will compete for over 367 laps in the first playoff race of the season to secure a chance at driving down Victory Lane.

Motorsport journalist Bob Pockrass shared the starting line-up for Cook Out Southern 400 on his official Twitter account:

In Saturday’s qualifying races, former NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano won his second pole of the season at a speed of 168.521 mph. In doing so, the #22 Ford driver became the first driver to win the pole for both Darlington races in the same season since former driver Sterling Marlin did so in 1992. Meanwhile, Christopher Bell will share the front row with Logano after turning a lap of 168.469 mph.

They will be followed by William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Kyle Busch rounding out the top five.

Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, and Michael McDowell completed the top 10.

The defending champion of the event, Denny Hamlin, will start 11th on Saturday and will look to defend his title.

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2022 NASCAR Cook Out Southern 400 starting line-up

Here are the starting positions of the 36-car grid at Darlington Raceway:

1. #22 - Joey Logano
2. #20 - Christopher Bell
3. #24 - William Byron
4. #8 - Tyler Reddick
5. #18 - Kyle Busch
6. #2 - Austin Cindric (R)
7. #5 - Kyle Larson
8. #45 - Bubba Wallace
9. #12 - Ryan Blaney
10. #34 - Michael McDowell
11. #11 - Denny Hamlin
12. #1 - Ross Chastain
13. #3 - Austin Dillon
14. #31 - Justin Haley
15. #43 - Erik Jones
16. #48 - Alex Bowman
17. #19 - Martin Truex Jr.
18. #4 - Kevin Harvick
19. #14 - Chase Briscoe
20. #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
21. #23 - Ty Gibbs
22. #10 - Aric Almirola
23. #9 - Chase Elliott
24. #16 - Daniel Hemric
25. #6 - Brad Keselowski
26. #77 - Landon Cassill
27. #17 - Chris Buescher
28. #21 - Harrison Burton (R)
29. #42 - Ty Dillon
30. #41 - Cole Custer
31. #38 - Todd Gilliland (R)
32. #51 - Cody Ware
33. #15 - J.J. Yeley
34. #7 - Corey LaJoie
35. #78 - B.J. McLeod
36. #99 - Daniel Suarez