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It’s time for the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway! Just like the last time the Cup Series visited the track, Kyle Larson comes in as a favorite! Larson and Hamlin are co-favorites both at +650. This is the first race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs following a wild race weekend at Daytona to close out the regular season.
Austin Dillion won a rain-delayed Daytona race and it was the only way that he could have made the playoffs. Dillon put himself in the right spot when the red flag waved and he defended that position when the race resumed for the final handful of laps. That’s classic NASCAR racing!
Now the Series heads to Darlington, known as both “The Lady in Black” and the “Track Too Tough to Tame”, for the opening round of the Cup Series playoffs. Darlington is a modified Oval speedway with one end shorter than the other – think egg-shaped.
Larson and Hamlin are co-favorites this weekend but the numbers are tight down the odds list. While he has never won at the track he does run well there. On the other hand, Hamlin has logged 4 Dalringtion Cup wins over his Cup career. In all, there are six former Darlington winners in this race. Hamlin is the only one of those drivers among the five favorites listed through +850 to win the Cook Out Southern 500 outright.
Kyle Larson +650
Denny Hamlin +650
Chase Elliott +700
Tyler Reddick +750
Ross Chastain +850
2022 Cook Out Southern 500 Preview
Date: Sunday, September 4, 2022, 6:00 pm EST
Track: Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC
Type: Oval, Asphalt, 1.366 miles, 4 turns
Race Distance: 501.3 miles, 367 laps
Defending Track Winner: Joey Logano, Ford
TV/Radio: USA/ Peacock/SiriusXM/MRN & local affiliates.
This is the first week of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff. Sixteen drivers qualified to race for the Championship. The playoffs consist of three-race rounds with the bottom four drivers eliminated after each round. Here are the current standings before the green flag waves at Darlington.
1. Chase Elliott, 4 wins, 15 playoff pts
2. Joey Logano, 2 wins, 25 playoff pts
3. Ross Chastain, 2 wins, 20 playoff pts
4. Kyle Larson, 2 wins, 19 playoff pts
5. William Byron, 2 wins, 14 playoff pts
6. Denny Hamlin, 2 wins, 13 playoff pts
7. Ryan Blaney, 0 wins, 13 playoff pts
8. Tyler Reddick, 2 wins, 12 playoff pts
9. Kevin Harvick, 2 wins, 12 playoff pts
10. Christopher Bell, 1 win, 11 playoff pts
11. Kyle Busch, 1 win, 10 playoff pts
12. Chase Briscoe, 1 win, 9 playoff pts
13. Daniel Suarez, 1 win, 7 playoff pts
14. Austin Cindric, 1 win, 6 playoff pts
15. Alex Bowman, 1 win, 6 playoff pts
16. Austin Dillon, 1 win, 5 playoff pts
2022 Cook Out Southern 500 Predictions
Tyler Reddick +750
Tyler Reddick has turned into a driver that can win on many different types of tracks. Earlier this season he finished 2nd at Darlington behind Joey Logano and has additional top-ten runs on the track and two wins this season. He’s finished 7th or better in four of his last six starts. That includes his 2nd place run last week at Daytona and a 7th place finish at Watkins Glen.
Kevin Harvick +1600
Kevin Harvick made the playoffs by running consistently all season and winning two races towards the end of the regular season. Harvick has three wins at Darlington in his last ten visits to the track including two in 2020. During those ten races, he finished 10th or better ten times. Harvick would love a win to lock in the next round early while avoiding any talk of another winless streak beginning.
Martin Truex Jr +1000
Martin Truex Jr failed to make the playoffs this season and did not win a race – the first time that’s happened to him in the last seven years. However, Truex always runs well at Darlington. Yes, he was wrecked out of the Darlington race earlier this year, but he also led for over twenty laps during that same race. In 20 Cup Series starts at Darlington he has 17 runs of 19th or better, 10 top-ten finishes, and two wins.
Others: Kyle Larson’s dropped engine last week is of concern. That’s the third one this season. But if his equipment runs well then he will be a contender. Joey Logano comes in at +1000 and won here a few months ago. Logano just seems to run hot or cold over the last few months.
2022 Cook Out Southern 500 Betting Lines
Kyle Larson +650
Denny Hamlin +650
Chase Elliott +700
Tyler Reddick +750
Ross Chastain +850
Joey Logano +1000
Martin Truex Jr +1000
Kyle Busch +1000
Kevin Harvick +1600
William Byron +1800
Christopher Bell +1800
Ryan Blaney +2000
Alex Bowman +2800
Daniel Suarez +3300
Austin Dillon +5000
Chase Briscoe +5000
Michael McDowell +6000
Darrell Wallace Jr. +6000
Ty Gibbs +6000
Erik Jones +6600
Austin Cindric +7000
Chris Buescher +8000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +10000
Brad Keselowski +10000
Aric Almirola +10000
Justin Haley +17500
Landon Cassill +20000
Cole Custer +30000
Ty Dillon +50000
Harrison Burton +50000
Daniel Hemric +50000
Todd Gilliland +100000
Corey Lajoie +100000
Cody Ware +150000
BJ McLeod +150000
J.J. Yeley +150000
