The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series continues this weekend as the drivers hit Darlington Raceway for the second time this season.
April's race just so happened to be NASAR's throwback weekend, but this time around, the stakes are far higher, with Sunday's race marking the start of the playoffs, with 16 drivers having put themselves in contention to challenge for the Cup Series championship.
Sunday's race - branded the Cook Out 500 - is set to see the drivers complete 367 laps at the 1.33-mile track in South Carolina, with its 20-plus degrees of banking on its turns set to provide a very different challenge to Daytona International Speedway last time out, where Ryan Blaney was victorious in the No. 12 Ford.
Denny Hamlin will start on pole, with the top 12 starters all playoff drivers as the season ramps up in style.
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In the Spring race at Darlington, Blaney was also the driver who looked on for the victory with a late pass on Tyler Reddick. However, a late caution presented Denny Hamlin's pit crew the chance to impress, with the No. 11 team making all the difference on pit road to put their man out front for a late restart.
Hamlin leapfrogged Blaney and Reddick in doing so, and held off the pair and others in overtime to take what was his second victory of the season.
It will certainly be interesting to see who comes out on top this time around, and with that said, let's get into the all-important details that you came here for.
What time is the NASCAR race today?
The Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway is scheduled to start at 6pm ET today, Sunday, August 31.
The race start time converted to local time zones is as follows:
United States (ET): 6pm
United States (CT): 5pm
United States (MT): 4pm
United States (PT): 3pm
What TV channel is the NASCAR race on today?
Saturday's race will be broadcast live on USA Network, with pre-race coverage getting underway at 5:30pm ET.
For those wanting to tune into the action via the radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN have the call.
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Live stream options
Several streaming options are available for Saturday's race.
You can watch live on the NBC Sports App, while the USA Network channel is also available on several streaming services, including:
– fuboTV
– YouTubeTV
– Sling TV (blue package)
– Hulu + Live TV
– DirecTV Stream
NASCAR lineup today
Here is the full Cup Series starting lineup for today's race:
1. Denny Hamlin, No. 11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
2. Chase Briscoe, No. 19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
3. Josh Berry, No. 21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford
4. Tyler Reddick, No. 45, 23XI Racing, Toyota
5. Kyle Larson, No. 5, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
6. Ross Chastain, No. 1, Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet
7. Christopher Bell, No. 20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
8. Bubba Wallace, No. 23, 23XI Racing, Toyota
9. Austin Dillon, No. 3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
10. Austin Cindric, No. 2, Team Penske, Ford
11. William Byron, No. 24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
12. Ryan Blaney, No. 12, Team Penske, Ford
13. Justin Haley, No. 7, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
14. Joey Logano, No. 22, Team Penske, Ford
15. Chris Buescher, No. 17, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, Ford
16. Ty Gibbs, No. 54, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
17. Daniel Suarez, No. 99, Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet
18. Cole Custer, No. 41, Haas Factory Team, Ford
19. Erik Jones, No. 43, Legacy Motor Club, Toyota
20. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88, Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet
21. Chase Elliott, No. 9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
22. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16, Kaulig Racing, Chevrolet
23. Kyle Busch, No. 8, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
24. Zane Smith, No. 38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
25. Michael McDowell, No. 71, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
26. Carson Hocevar, No. 77, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
27. Ryan Preece, No. 60, RFK Racing, Ford
28. Todd Gilliland, No. 34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
29. Alex Bowman, No. 48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
30. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42, Legacy Motor Club, Toyota
31. Ty Dillon, No. 10, Kaulig Racing, Chevrolet
32. Brad Keselowski, No. 6, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, Ford
33. Riley Herbst, No. 35, 23XI Racing, Toyota
34. Noah Gragson, No. 4, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
35. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47, HYAK Motorsports, Chevrolet
36. Cody Ware, No. 51, Rick Ware Racing, Ford
37. Derek Kraus, No. 44, NY Racing Team, Chevrolet
38. Timmy Hill, No. 66, Garage 66, Ford
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