DARLINGTON, S.C. -- The Cup Series teams take on one of NASCAR's hardest tracks Sunday afternoon. They will compete for playoff spots during the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.
This race is the eighth of the season. It marks the 128th time that the Cup Series has competed at the 1.366-mile South Carolina track. Johnny Mantz won the inaugural event in 1950.
Cup Series at Darlington Raceway information
Weather: The WeatherUnderground forecast calls for partly cloudy skies throughout the day. A high of 86 degrees and a 1% chance of rain at the start of the Cup Series race.
Green flag time: The Wood family will give the command to fire engines at 3:02 p.m. ET. Honorary starter Carl Edwards will wave the green flag at 3:12 p.m. ET.
Starting lineup: William Byron won the pole for the Cup Series race.
Pre-race: The garage opens at 12 p.m. ET. Driver introductions will take place at 2:25 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage begins with "NASCAR RaceDay" on FS1 at 2 p.m. ET. Race coverage continues on FS1 at 3 p.m. ET.
The invocation will be at 2:54 p.m. ET. The national anthem will be performed at 2:55 p.m. ET.
Stages: The race will consist of three stages. The first stage ends at Lap 90. The second stage ends at Lap 185. The scheduled end of the race is Lap 293.
Playoff picture: The Cup Series drivers have completed seven points-paying races. Five have locked up spots in the playoffs.
William Byron secured his spot by winning the Daytona 500. Christopher Bell then won the following week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Bell also won at Circuit of the Americas and Phoenix Raceway.
Josh Berry punched his ticket to the playoffs for the first time by winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kyle Larson then won at Homestead-Miami Speedway to secure his spot.
Denny Hamlin is the most recent winner. He captured the checkered flag at Martinsville Speedway for the sixth time in his career.
Kyle Busch is the first driver above the playoff cutline with 150 points. John Hunter Nemechek is the first driver below the cutline with 148 points.
Past winners: Multiple Cup Series drivers have celebrated wins at Darlington Raceway. Hamlin leads the group with four trips to victory lane (2010, 2017, 2020, 2021).
Erik Jones (2019, 2022) and Brad Keselowski (2018, 2024) have celebrated two wins each at The Lady in Black. Chase Briscoe (2024), William Byron (2023), Kyle Larson (2023), Joey Logano (2022), and Kyle Busch (2018) have each won once.