How to watch Sunday's Cup race at Darlington Raceway: Start time, TV info, weather
As the Cup Series returns to Darlington Raceway, the top two finishers from last May are looking to recapture their form.
Brad Keselowski ended a 110-race winless streak at Darlington with his 36th career victory in Cup but has been mired in a 30-race victory drought since. The 2012 Cup champion is having the toughest start of his career in 2025.
Dustin Long,
Through seven races, Keselowski has no top 10s for the first time since 2011 and an average finish of 25.1 that would rank as his lowest ever.
Ty Gibbs, the runner-up to Keselowski last year at Darlington, hasn't fared much better. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is ranked 31st in points (one spot behind Keselowski) with no top 10s and average finish of 23.857.
They'll be looking for a spark at 'The Track Too Tough To Tame,' which is celebrating 75 years of playing host to Cup Series races. The 1.366-mile oval opened with the Southern 500 in 1950.
Denny Hamlin, who is coming off a Martinsville win that snapped a 31-race winless streak, leads active Cup drivers with four victories at Darlington. Erik Jones and Keselowski each have two wins there.
Details for Sunday's Cup race at Darlington Raceway
(All times Eastern)
START: The Wood Brothers family will give the command to start engines at 3:02 p.m. ... The green flag is scheduled to wave at 3:12 p.m.
PRERACE: The Cup garage opens at noon. ... The drivers meeting will begin at 2 p.m. ... Driver introductions will begin at 2:25 p.m. ... Former driver Lake Speed, the 1988 Darlington Raceway TranSouth 500 winner, will deliver the invocation at 2:54 p.m. ... The 282nd Army Band from Fort Jackson, South Carolina, will perform the anthem at 2:55 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 293 laps (400.2 miles) on a 1.366-mile oval.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 90. Stage 2 ends at Lap 185.
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 38 cars entered
TV/RADIO: FS1 will begin its race broadcast at 3 p.m. Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage.
FORECAST: WeatherUnderground: Cloudy in the afternoon with a chance for evening showers. High of 89 degrees and winds from the south to southwest at 10 to 20 mph. It's expected to be 86 degrees with a 3% chance of rain at the start of the Cup race.
LAST TIME: Chase Briscoe led the final 26 laps to win the regular-season finale and qualify for the playoffs in the final season for Stewart-Haas Racing.
A YEAR AGO: After Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick made contact while battling for the lead, Brad Keselowski went from third to first and hung on for his first victory
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New York Times
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New York Times
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