With one race to go in the regular season, everything is on the line for the NASCAR Cup Series drivers at Darlington Raceway’s Southern 500 on Sunday evening.
This weekend NASCAR travels to Darlington Raceway. The Cook Out Southern 500 is the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season for the first time since the Playoffs began in 2004.
The 2018 Daytona 500 champion from Welcome, North Carolina, officially faces a "must-win" scenario entering the 2024 Cup Series regular-season finale at Darlington Raceway to race his way back into Playoff contention after being denied a final overturn attempt of his Richmond penalties from the Final Appeal Officer.
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Christopher Bell: Bell finished third in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.
"Ty Gibbs' No. 54 car...
With their respective top-10 runs at Daytona, Chris Buescher and Ty Gibbs are currently scored above the top-16 cutline to make the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs while Bubba Wallace is scored below the cutline ahead of next weekend's regular-season finale at Darlington.
The 23-year-old Burton from Huntersville, North Carolina, executed a final lap pass on Kyle Busch amid an overtime shootout to become the 205th competitor to win in NASCAR's premier series, the 13th competitor to claim a 2024 Cup Series Playoff berth by winning a regular-season event and deliver a milestone victory for Wood Brothers at the World Center of Racing.
The three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, New Zealand, will pilot the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing that is set to expand to three cars in 2025.
The 2021 Daytona 500 champion from Glendale, Arizona, posted a pole-winning lap at 183.165 mph in 49.136 seconds, which was enough to edge teammate Todd Gilliland by three-tenths of a second for his fourth Cup pole of the 2024 season and set the best qualifying lap in a Next Gen car at Daytona.
The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team was docked 75 driver/owner points and crew chief Chris Gabehart was fined $100,000 due to the team violating Sections 14.7.1.E&F and 14.7.1.1.B&E of the NASCAR Rule Book involving meeting specific engine seal requirements.
The 2018 Daytona 500 champion from Welcome, North Carolina, remains in a "must-win" situation to make the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs after the National Motorsports Appeals Panel upholds the penalties levied to Dillon and Richard Childress Racing at Richmond.
