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 1.366-mile (2.198 km) 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.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 27 of 36 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | September 3, 2023 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.666 km) | ||
| Average speed | 120.906 miles per hour (194.579 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 29.065 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 177 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | USA | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Todd Gordon | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1–2) and Jason Toy (3–4) | ||
Report
editBackground
editDarlington 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
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes the driver ineligible for series driver points.
- (P) denotes playoff driver.
- (OP) denotes owner’s playoffs car.
Practice
editChristopher Bell was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 29.197 seconds and a speed of 168.428 mph (271.059 km/h).[10]
Practice results
edit| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.197 | 168.428 |
| 2 | 34 | Michael McDowell (P) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.398 | 167.277 |
| 3 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 29.438 | 167.049 |
| Official practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editChristopher Bell scored the pole for the race with a time of 29.065 and a speed of 169.193 mph (272.290 km/h).[11]
Qualifying results
editRace
editRace results
editStage results
editStage One Laps: 115
| Pos | No | 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 Two Laps: 115
| Pos | No | 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
editStage Three Laps: 137
| Pos | Grid | No | 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
edit- 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: 120.906 miles per hour (194.579 km/h)
Media
editTelevision
editUSA 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.
| USA | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Throwback commentator: Dale Jarrett Throwback commentator: Kyle Petty |
Dave Burns Kim Coon Marty Snider |
Radio
editMRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Todd Gordon |
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Jason Toy |
Steve Post Chris Wilner Brienne Pedigo Alex Weaver |
Standings after the race
edit
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References
edit- ^ "2023 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ "Darlington Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
- ^ Taranto, Steven (September 14, 2022). "NASCAR releases 2023 Cup Series schedule highlighted by new Chicago, All-Star race stops". CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ "NASCAR unveils 2023 schedule for its national series". National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC. September 14, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ "Cook Out Southern 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Utter, Jim (September 2, 2023). "Christopher Bell leads Darlington Cup practice". Motorsport.com. Darlington, South Carolina: Motorsport Network. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ Utter, Jim (September 2, 2023). "JGR locks out front row for Southern 500 with Bell on pole". Motorsport.com. Darlington, South Carolina: Motorsport Network. Retrieved September 2, 2023.