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.
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.
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.
Denny Hamlin won April's race at Darlington Raceway
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.
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