2026 Cook Out Southern 500
| Race details[1][2][3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 27 of 36 in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
| Date | September 6, 2026 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.366 miles (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.800 km) | ||
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | USA | ||
| Announcers | Leigh Diffey, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
The 2026 Cook Out Southern 500 is an upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 6, 2026, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped asphalt oval, it is the 27th race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, the first race of the NASCAR Chase, and 77th running of the event.
Report
Background
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.
During the offseason, NASCAR announced that Darlington would now get the short track package, as opposed to running the intermediate package from previous years.[4]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Media
Television
USA Sports will cover the race on the television side. Leigh Diffey, 1999 Southern 500 winner Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte will call the race from the broadcast booth. Reporters TBA will handle the pit road duties from pit lane.
| USA | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Leigh Diffey Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte |
TBA |
Radio
MRN will have the radio call for the race, which will also be simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Mike Bagley, and former championship crew chief Todd Gordon will call the action for MRN when the field races thru the front straightaway. Dave Moody will call the action for MRN from atop the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 2 when the field races thru turns 1 & 2. Tim Catalfamo will work the action for MRN when the field races thru turns 3 & 4. Pit road will be operated by lead pit reporter Steve Post, Brienne Pedigo, and Chris Wilner.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Mike Bagley Announcer: Todd Gordon |
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Tim Catalfamo |
Steve Post Brienne Pedigo Chris Wilner |
References
- ^ "2026 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ "Darlington Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
- ^ "NASCAR releases 2026 schedule, adding Chicagoland and shifting All-Star to Dover". NASCAR. August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ "NASCAR issues technical updates, specifying rules for 750-horsepower tracks, A-post flaps". NASCAR. November 14, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.