Southern 500 at Darlington entry list features 38 NASCAR Cup teams
The fourth and final crown jewel in the NASCAR Cup season is this weekend, as the 2026 edition of The Chase gets underway at Darlington Raceway. This weekend, the historic track will host the 77th running of the Southern 500, which has been a part of the Cup schedule since 1950. 38 drivers are teams are entering this weekend's race, the lowest for any crown jewels this year but also comparable…
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase for the championship reaches the historic Darlington Raceway for the 2026 Southern 500. Ten drivers, separated by only 100 points, will compete in this grueling 500-mile race. Darlington, known as the "Lady in Black," is one of the most challenging tracks on the NASCAR schedule. Its egg-shaped oval, 1.366 miles in length, has steep banking in the turns and slight banking on the straightaways, making it a difficult track to master.
Denny Hamlin, the winningest driver in Cup Series history without a title, is the top seed at 2100 points and enters the postseason as the clear favorite. Ryan Preece, the runner-up in the 2025 championship, holds the 16th seed with 2075 points. The 2026 edition of the Southern 500 promises to be an intense battle for the championship, with only ten drivers left in the running.
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