Overview
- Teams were put on a lightning safety hold Saturday that was lifted at 4:15 p.m., and persistent nearby lightning later forced NASCAR to cancel Cup practice and qualifying for the Southern 500.
- NASCAR applied its metric — 70% most recent race finish and 30% owner standings — to set the Cup starting lineup, with Tyler Reddick awarded the pole for Sunday’s race.
- Carson Kvapil won the pole for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Fleetio 200 with a 30.424-second lap, and that race will start Saturday night on The CW with streaming on ESPN Unlimited.
- NASCAR’s released entry list shows a 38-car Cup field for Darlington and lists Austin Hill as the driver replacing Kyle Busch in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing entry.
- Shortened practice and the metric grid matter because Darlington’s abrasive, temperature-sensitive surface makes long-run setup and tire wear data vital, and the new 10-race Chase format with reseeded points increases the stakes of starting position and early race results.