NASCAR Qualifying Results: Playoff stars dominate as Briscoe denied history

Denny Hamlin will start Sunday's NASCAR Cook Out Southern 500 from the front of the field, after a brilliant qualifying lap on Saturday at Darlington.

The Cup Series playoffs begin this weekend, with the top 12 places on the grid all occupied by playoff drivers as the qualifiers proved exactly why they're in the postseason.

Hamlin's lap, in which he nailed the second half of his lap to a degree nobody else could match, meant that Chase Briscoe was cruelly denied an incredible record of taking pole at every crown jewel race of the year.

The track rapidly improved around halfway through the session, going from the top six being separated by two hundredths of a second to drivers beginning to knock tenths off those previous pole marks by the time the playoff drivers started running.

For all the concerns surrounding Shane van Gisbergen's oval performance coming into the playoffs, the New Zealander outpaced both Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman on Saturday to secure a place in the top 20.

With that said, let's take a look at the full starting order below!

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After Friday evening's qualifying session at Darlington, here is the starting lineup for the 2025 Cook Out Southern 500:

1. Denny Hamlin, No. 11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota - 28.694secs
2. Chase Briscoe, No. 19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota - +0.021secs
3. Josh Berry, No. 21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford - +0.135secs
4. Tyler Reddick, No. 45, 23XI Racing, Toyota - +0.154secs
5. Kyle Larson, No. 5, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet - +0.231secs
6. Ross Chastain, No. 1, Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet - +0.239secs
7. Christopher Bell, No. 20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota - +0.268secs
8. Bubba Wallace, No. 23, 23XI Racing, Toyota - +0.291secs
9. Austin Dillon, No. 3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet - +0.310secs
10. Austin Cindric, No. 2, Team Penske, Ford - +0.329secs
11. William Byron, No. 24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet - +0.331secs
12. Ryan Blaney, No. 12, Team Penske, Ford - +0.338secs
13. Justin Haley, No. 7, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet - +0.366secs
14. Joey Logano, No. 22, Team Penske, Ford - +0.386secs
15. Chris Buescher, No. 17, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, Ford - +0.388secs
16. Ty Gibbs, No. 54, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota - +0.433secs
17. Daniel Suarez, No. 99, Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet - +0.478secs
18. Cole Custer, No. 41, Haas Factory Team, Ford - +0.502secs
19. Erik Jones, No. 43, Legacy Motor Club, Toyota - +0.522secs
20. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88, Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet - +0.529secs
21. Chase Elliott, No. 9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet - +0.532secs
22. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16, Kaulig Racing, Chevrolet - +0.540secs
23. Kyle Busch, No. 8, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet - +0.541secs
24. Zane Smith, No. 38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford - +0.551secs
25. Michael McDowell, No. 71, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet - +0.555secs
26. Carson Hocevar, No. 77, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet - +0.555secs
27. Ryan Preece, No. 60, RFK Racing, Ford - +0.560secs
28. Todd Gilliland, No. 34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford - +0.569secs
29. Alex Bowman, No. 48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet - +0.575secs
30. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42, Legacy Motor Club, Toyota - +0.633secs
31. Ty Dillon, No. 10, Kaulig Racing, Chevrolet - +0.644secs
32. Brad Keselowski, No. 6, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, Ford - +0.707secs
33. Riley Herbst, No. 35, 23XI Racing, Toyota - +0.751secs
34. Noah Gragson, No. 4, Front Row Motorsports, Ford - +0.817secs
35. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47, HYAK Motorsports, Chevrolet - +0.969secs
36. Cody Ware, No. 51, Rick Ware Racing, Ford - +1.303secs
37. Derek Kraus, No. 44, NY Racing Team, Chevrolet - +1.757secs
38. Timmy Hill, No. 66, Garage 66, Ford - +2.331secs

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