2023 Cook Out Southern 500 Explained

Type:	CUST
Description:	Race 27 of 36 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series
Race Name:	Cook Out Southern 500
Details Ref:	^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4] ^[5] ^[6] ^[7] ^[8] ^[9]
Year:	2023
Location:	Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina
Course Mi:	1.366
Course Km:	2.198
Distance Laps:	367
Distance Mi:	501.322
Distance Km:	806.666
Avg:	120.906mph
Pole Driver:	Christopher Bell
Pole Team:	Joe Gibbs Racing
Pole Time:	29.065
Most Driver:	Denny Hamlin
Most Team:	Joe Gibbs Racing
Most Laps:	177
Car:	5
First Driver:	Kyle Larson
First Team:	Hendrick Motorsports
Network:	USA
Announcers:	Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty
Radio:	MRN
Booth Ann:	Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Todd Gordon
Turn Ann:	Dave Moody (1–2) and Jason Toy (3–4)

The 2023 Cook Out Southern 500, the 74th running of the event, was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 3, 2023, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 367 laps on the 1.366miles egg-shaped oval, it was the 27th race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, the first race of the 2023 NASCAR playoffs, and the first race of the Round of 16.

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.

Entry list

• (R) denotes rookie driver.
• (i) denotes the driver ineligible for series driver points.
• (P) denotes playoff driver.
• (OP) denotes owner’s playoffs car.

	Driver	Team	Manufacturer
1	Ross Chastain (P)		Chevrolet
2			Ford
3			Chevrolet
4	Kevin Harvick (P)		Ford
5	Kyle Larson (P)		Chevrolet
6	Brad Keselowski (P)		Ford
7			Chevrolet
8	Kyle Busch (P)		Chevrolet
9	Chase Elliott (OP)		Chevrolet
10			Ford
11	Denny Hamlin (P)		Toyota
12	Ryan Blaney (P)		Ford
14			Ford
15	J. J. Yeley (i)		Ford
16			Chevrolet
17	Chris Buescher (P)		Ford
19	Martin Truex Jr. (P)		Toyota
20	Christopher Bell (P)		Toyota
21			Ford
22	Joey Logano (P)		Ford
23	Bubba Wallace (P)		Toyota
24	William Byron (P)		Chevrolet
31			Chevrolet
34	Michael McDowell (P)		Ford
38			Ford
41			Ford
42	Carson Hocevar (i)		Chevrolet
43			Chevrolet
45	Tyler Reddick (P)		Toyota
47	nowrap	Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P)		Chevrolet
48			Chevrolet
51			Ford
54	Ty Gibbs (R)		Toyota
77			Chevrolet
78			Chevrolet
99			Chevrolet
Official entry list

Practice

Christopher Bell was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 29.197 seconds and a speed of 168.428mph.^[10]

Practice results

Pos		Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Time
1	20	Christopher Bell (P)			29.197	168.428
2	34	Michael McDowell (P)			29.398	167.277
3	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P)			29.438	167.049
Official practice results

Qualifying

Christopher Bell scored the pole for the race with a time of 29.065 and a speed of 169.193mph.^[11]

Qualifying results

Pos		Driver	Team	Manufacturer
1	20	Christopher Bell (P)		Toyota	28.985	29.065
2	11	Denny Hamlin (P)		Toyota	28.907	29.091
3	45	Tyler Reddick (P)		Toyota	28.800	29.103
4	12	Ryan Blaney (P)		Ford	28.870	29.224
5	6	Brad Keselowski (P)		Ford	29.078	29.232
6	22	Joey Logano (P)		Ford	28.924	29.245
7	4	Kevin Harvick (P)		Ford	29.155	29.249
8	17	Chris Buescher (P)		Ford	28.944	29.278
9	34	Michael McDowell (P)		Ford	29.177	29.290
10	10			Ford	29.161	29.406
11	8	Kyle Busch (P)		Chevrolet	29.030	—
12	14			Ford	29.034	—
13	9	Chase Elliott (OP)		Chevrolet	29.095	—
14	2			Ford	29.108	—
15	42	Carson Hocevar (i)		Chevrolet	29.154	—
16	16			Chevrolet	29.168	—
17	54	Ty Gibbs (R)		Toyota	29.192	—
18	5	Kyle Larson (P)		Chevrolet	29.200	—
19	23	Bubba Wallace (P)		Toyota	29.206	—
20	43			Chevrolet	29.215	—
21	99			Chevrolet	29.236	—
22	7			Chevrolet	29.252	—
23	24	William Byron (P)		Chevrolet	29.256	—
24	48			Chevrolet	29.284	—
25	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P)		Chevrolet	29.299	—
26	77			Chevrolet	29.306	—
27	1	Ross Chastain (P)		Chevrolet	29.337	—
28	3			Chevrolet	29.410	—
29	31			Chevrolet	29.447	—
30	38			Ford	29.452	—
31	19	Martin Truex Jr. (P)		Toyota	29.462	—
32	21			Ford	29.477	—
33	15	J. J. Yeley (i)		Ford	29.478	—
34	41			Ford	29.574	—
35	51			Ford	29.711	—
36	78			Chevrolet	29.989	—
Official qualifying results

Race

Race results

Stage results

Stage OneLaps: 115

Pos		Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Points
1	11	Denny Hamlin (P)	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	10
2	45	Tyler Reddick (P)	23XI Racing	Toyota	9
3	5	Kyle Larson (P)	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	8
4	4	Kevin Harvick (P)	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	7
5	12	Ryan Blaney (P)	Team Penske	Ford	6
6	6	Brad Keselowski (P)	RFK Racing	Ford	5
7	9	Chase Elliott (OP)	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	4
8	20	Christopher Bell (P)	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	3
9	17	Chris Buescher (P)	RFK Racing	Ford	2
10	10	Aric Almirola	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	1
Official stage one results

Stage TwoLaps: 115

Pos		Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Points
1	11	Denny Hamlin (P)	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	10
2	5	Kyle Larson (P)	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	9
3	43	Erik Jones	Legacy Motor Club	Chevrolet	8
4	45	Tyler Reddick (P)	23XI Racing	Toyota	7
5	24	William Byron (P)	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	6
6	8	Kyle Busch (P)	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	5
7	12	Ryan Blaney (P)	Team Penske	Ford	4
8	3	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	3
9	6	Brad Keselowski (P)	RFK Racing	Ford	2
10	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P)	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet	1
Official stage two results

Final Stage results

Stage ThreeLaps: 137

Pos	Grid		Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Laps	Points
1	18	5	Kyle Larson (P)	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	367	57
2	3	45	Tyler Reddick (P)	23XI Racing	Toyota	367	51
3	8	17	Chris Buescher (P)	RFK Racing	Ford	367	36
4	23	24	William Byron (P)	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	367	39
5	27	1	Ross Chastain (P)	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet	367	32
6	5	6	Brad Keselowski (P)	RFK Racing	Ford	367	38
7	19	23	Bubba Wallace (P)	23XI Racing	Toyota	367	30
8	13	9	Chase Elliott (OP)	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	367	33
9	4	12	Ryan Blaney (P)	Team Penske	Ford	367	38
10	20	43	Erik Jones	Legacy Motor Club	Chevrolet	367	35
11	11	8	Kyle Busch (P)	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	367	31
12	6	22	Joey Logano (P)	Team Penske	Ford	367	25
13	16	16	A. J. Allmendinger	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet	367	24
14	10	10	Aric Almirola	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	367	24
15	12	14	Chase Briscoe	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	367	22
16	25	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P)	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet	367	22
17	15	42	Carson Hocevar (i)	Legacy Motor Club	Chevrolet	367	0
18	31	19	Martin Truex Jr. (P)	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	367	19
19	7	4	Kevin Harvick (P)	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	367	25
20	28	3	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	367	20
21	17	54	Ty Gibbs (R)	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	367	16
22	22	7	Corey LaJoie	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet	367	15
23	1	20	Christopher Bell (P)	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	366	17
24	29	31	Justin Haley	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet	366	13
25	2	11	Denny Hamlin (P)	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	366	32
26	30	38	Todd Gilliland	Front Row Motorsports	Ford	366	11
27	35	51	Ryan Newman	Rick Ware Racing	Ford	365	10
28	34	41	Ryan Preece	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	364	9
29	26	77	Ty Dillon	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet	364	8
30	33	15	J. J. Yeley (i)	Rick Ware Racing	Ford	362	0
31	14	2	Austin Cindric	Team Penske	Ford	361	6
32	9	34	Michael McDowell (P)	Front Row Motorsports	Ford	329	5
33	24	48	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	322	4
34	21	99	Daniel Suárez	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet	320	3
35	32	21	Harrison Burton	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford	318	2
36	36	78	B. J. McLeod	Live Fast Motorsports	Chevrolet	210	1
Official race results

Race statistics

• Lead changes: 13 among 7 different drivers
• Cautions/Laps: 8 for 51 laps
• Red flags: 1 for 10 minutes
• Time of race: 4 hours, 8 minutes, and 47 seconds
• Average speed: 120.906mph

Media

Television

USA covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, two–time Darlington winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. called Stages 1 and 3 of the race from the broadcast booth. Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty called Stage 2 of the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Kim Coon and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties from pit lane.

Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	William Byron	2,075
4	2	Kyle Larson	2,074 (–1)
7	3	Tyler Reddick	2,060 (–15)
	4	Chris Buescher	2,057 (–18)
2	5	Denny Hamlin	2,057 (–18)
4	6	Martin Truex Jr.	2,055 (–20)
2	7	Kyle Busch	2,050 (–25)
1	8	Brad Keselowski	2,048 (–27)
1	9	Ryan Blaney	2,046 (–29)
2	10	Ross Chastain	2,043 (–32)
	11	Joey Logano	2,033 (–42)
5	12	Christopher Bell	2,031 (–44)
3	13	Bubba Wallace	2,030 (–45)
1	14	Kevin Harvick	2,029 (–46)
1	15	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	2,027 (–48)
3	16	Michael McDowell	2,012 (–63)
Official driver's standings

Manufacturers' Championship standings

	Pos	Manufacturer	Points
	1	Chevrolet	1,000
	2	Ford	929 (–71)
	3	Toyota	927 (–73)

• Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2023 schedule . Jayski.com. . October 10, 2022.
2. Web site: Darlington Raceway . NASCAR.com . NASCAR Media Group, LLC. . August 7, 2022 . April 30, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170430210206/http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nascar-tracks/darlington-raceway.html . dead .
3. News: NASCAR releases 2023 Cup Series schedule highlighted by new Chicago, All-Star race stops . Taranto, Steven . September 14, 2022 . March 29, 2023 . CBS Broadcasting Inc.
4. News: NASCAR unveils 2023 schedule for its national series . September 14, 2022 . March 29, 2023 . National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC.
5. Web site: Entry List. Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. August 28, 2023. August 28, 2023.
6. Web site: Practice Results. NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC.. September 2, 2023. September 2, 2023.
7. Web site: Qualifying Results. NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC.. September 2, 2023. September 2, 2023.
8. Web site: Cook Out Southern 500 Results. NASCAR.com. NASCAR. September 3, 2023. September 3, 2023.
9. Web site: Points standings. Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. September 3, 2023. September 3, 2023.
10. Web site: Utter. Jim. Christopher Bell leads Darlington Cup practice. Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. September 2, 2023. Darlington, South Carolina. September 2, 2023.
11. Web site: Utter. Jim. JGR locks out front row for Southern 500 with Bell on pole. Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. September 2, 2023. Darlington, South Carolina. September 2, 2023.