Overview
- Bell passed Kyle Larson with 12 laps to go to win the Cook Out Southern 500, giving him his first Cup victory of the 2026 season.
- Rain and a late red flag reshuffled the finish after Saturday practice and qualifying were cancelled by persistent lightning, so NASCAR set the starting lineup by its performance metric.
- Kyle Larson led a race-high 99 laps but fell back on older tires after the late pit cycle and finished fifth.
- Denny Hamlin suffered toe-link damage after contact with Michael McDowell, finished 18th but kept a 12-point lead over Bell in the 16-driver, 10-race Chase.
- Toyota swept the podium with Bell, Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick, underscoring manufacturer strength at Darlington and shaping strategy for next Sunday’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway.