NASCAR qualifying results: Christopher Bell takes pole for playoff opener at Darlington; Full starting lineup – Yahoo Sports

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin this weekend with one of the calendar’s traditional gems, the Southern 500 in Darlington, South Carolina.

Regular-season champion Martin Truex Jr. enters the 10-week championship hunt as the betting favorite. He was a model of consistency throughout the 2023 season, achieving three wins, 15 top-10 finishes and completing 99.7% of all laps driven. Truex enters the Round of 16 tied with William Byron – who won five races in the regular season – with 2,036 points, 11 ahead of Denny Hamlin and 15 ahead of the suddenly up-and-coming Chris Buescher.

Here’s what you should know before the Southern 500:

Southern 500 starting lineup

Southern 500 TV/Streaming Schedule

Always east

Saturday
12:30-1:20 p.m.: Training (USA, NBC Sports App)
1:20 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports App)

Sunday
5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Pre-race show (USA, NBC Sports app)
6-10:30 p.m.: Southern 500 (USA, NBC Sports App)

Southern 500 race details

Rail: Darlington Raceway (1.366 mile long egg-shaped oval), Darlington, South Carolina
Length: 367 laps for 501,322 miles
Banking: Front straight – 3 degrees | Rotates 1-2 – 25 degrees | Back straight – 2 degrees | Rotates 3-4 – 23 degrees
Stage lengths: Stage 1 – 115 laps | Stage 2 – 115 laps | Stage 3 – 137 laps
Winner 2022: Joey Logano

Opened in 1950, the track they call “too hard to tame” is one of the oldest on the circuit and one of the most famous. The unique, egg-shaped, 1.366-mile oval features wide, sweeping Turns 1 and 2, but features tighter third and fourth turns to preserve the pond that the original owner of the farmland had to keep in place when the highway was built . On the track known for its numerous racing grooves, long-distance drivers like to find what works for them, and mid-race adjustments are crucial.

Top drivers and best bets for the Southern 500

According to BetMGM, Truex is not only the betting favorite to win the championship, but he also enters the Southern 500 weekend with the best odds (+500). Byron (+750) and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson (+525) are between Truex and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin (+800).

Overall, the top eight drivers with the best odds are all playoff drivers, and 14 of the top 15 are in the postseason.

Best chances of winning
Martin Truex Jr. +500
Kyle Larson +525
William Byron +750
Denny Hamlin +800
Christopher Bell +1100
Kyle Busch +1100
Ross Chastain +1100

Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports wrote about the betting landscape for the race earlier this week and suggests finding a good middle ground with defending champion Joey Logano (+1800) and Buescher (+2200), who has won three of the last five races. Bromberg also recommends betting on Erik Jones, who has odds of 40 to 1 despite two wins in the event, including last year.

Denny Hamlin has by far the best average Darlington finish position of all drivers in the field at 7.7. (Photo by Jared East/Getty Images)

Southern 500 playoff rankings

1. Martin Truex Jr. – 2,036
2. William Byron – 2,036
3. Denny Hamlin – 2,025
4. Chris Buescher – 2,021
5. Kyle Busch – 2,019
6. Kyle Larson – 2,017
7. Christopher Bell – 2,104
8th. Ross Chastain – 2,011
9. Brad Keselowski – 2,010
10 Tyler Reddick – 2,009
11. Joey Logano – 2,008
12. Ryan Blaney – 2,008
____________________ cutting line
13. Michael McDowell – 2,007
14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 2,005
15. Kevin Harvick – 2,004
16. Bubba Wallace – 2,000

Southern 500 entry list

Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford
Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford
Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford
Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
JJ Yeley (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford
AJ Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford
Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford
Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota
William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Michael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Ryan Preece (41), Stewart Haas Racing Ford
Carson Hocevar (42), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Ryan Newman (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
BJ McLeod (78), Live Fast Motorsports Ford
Daniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Southern 500 weather

Warm temperatures around 80 degrees are forecast for practice and qualifying on Saturday, while race day will be hot with highs of 89 degrees. As the race takes place at dusk and in night conditions, this predicted maximum value should not have as much of an impact on tire degradation over the course of the race, but the stress placed on the right side tires – particularly in the long, sweeping Corners 1 – 2 – makes for some interesting pitting strategies.