# 2023 Cook Out Southern 500

The 2023 Cook Out Southern 500, the 74th running of the event, was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 3, 2023, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 367 laps on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped oval, it was the 27th race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, the first race of the 2023 NASCAR playoffs, and the first race of the Round of 16.

## Report
### Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes the driver ineligible for series driver points.
* (P) denotes playoff driver.
* (OP) denotes owner’s playoffs car.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Ross Chastain (P) | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick (P) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski (P) | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Kyle Busch (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott (OP) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Team Penske | Ford |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher (P) | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano (P) | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace (P) | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Michael McDowell (P) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Carson Hocevar (i) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick (P) | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Ryan Newman | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice

Christopher Bell was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 29.197 seconds and a speed of 168.428 mph (271.059 km/h).

### Practice results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.197 | 168.428 |
| 2 | 34 | Michael McDowell (P) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.398 | 167.277 |
| 3 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 29.438 | 167.049 |
| Official practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Christopher Bell scored the pole for the race with a time of 29.065 and a speed of 169.193 mph (272.290 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.985 | 29.065 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.907 | 29.091 |
| 3 | 45 | Tyler Reddick (P) | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 28.800 | 29.103 |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 28.870 | 29.224 |
| 5 | 6 | Brad Keselowski (P) | RFK Racing | Ford | 29.078 | 29.232 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 28.924 | 29.245 |
| 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick (P) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.155 | 29.249 |
| 8 | 17 | Chris Buescher (P) | RFK Racing | Ford | 28.944 | 29.278 |
| 9 | 34 | Michael McDowell (P) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.177 | 29.290 |
| 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.161 | 29.406 |
| 11 | 8 | Kyle Busch (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.030 | — |
| 12 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.034 | — |
| 13 | 9 | Chase Elliott (OP) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.095 | — |
| 14 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 29.108 | — |
| 15 | 42 | Carson Hocevar (i) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 29.154 | — |
| 16 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 29.168 | — |
| 17 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.192 | — |
| 18 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.200 | — |
| 19 | 23 | Bubba Wallace (P) | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 29.206 | — |
| 20 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 29.215 | — |
| 21 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 29.236 | — |
| 22 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.252 | — |
| 23 | 24 | William Byron (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.256 | — |
| 24 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.284 | — |
| 25 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 29.299 | — |
| 26 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.306 | — |
| 27 | 1 | Ross Chastain (P) | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 29.337 | — |
| 28 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.410 | — |
| 29 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 29.447 | — |
| 30 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.452 | — |
| 31 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.462 | — |
| 32 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.477 | — |
| 33 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 29.478 | — |
| 34 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.574 | — |
| 35 | 51 | Ryan Newman | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 29.711 | — |
| 36 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.989 | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race
### Race results
#### Stage results

Stage One Laps: 115
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 45 | Tyler Reddick (P) | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick (P) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 6 | Brad Keselowski (P) | RFK Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott (OP) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 17 | Chris Buescher (P) | RFK Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 115
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 45 | Tyler Reddick (P) | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 24 | William Byron (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 8 | Kyle Busch (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 6 | Brad Keselowski (P) | RFK Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage results

Stage Three Laps: 137
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 18 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 | 57 |
| 2 | 3 | 45 | Tyler Reddick (P) | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 367 | 51 |
| 3 | 8 | 17 | Chris Buescher (P) | RFK Racing | Ford | 367 | 36 |
| 4 | 23 | 24 | William Byron (P) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 | 39 |
| 5 | 27 | 1 | Ross Chastain (P) | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 32 |
| 6 | 5 | 6 | Brad Keselowski (P) | RFK Racing | Ford | 367 | 38 |
| 7 | 19 | 23 | Bubba Wallace (P) | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 367 | 30 |
| 8 | 13 | 9 | Chase Elliott (OP) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 | 33 |
| 9 | 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 367 | 38 |
| 10 | 20 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 367 | 35 |
| 11 | 11 | 8 | Kyle Busch (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 31 |
| 12 | 6 | 22 | Joey Logano (P) | Team Penske | Ford | 367 | 25 |
| 13 | 16 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 24 |
| 14 | 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 24 |
| 15 | 12 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 22 |
| 16 | 25 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 22 |
| 17 | 15 | 42 | Carson Hocevar (i) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 367 | 0 |
| 18 | 31 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 | 19 |
| 19 | 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick (P) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 25 |
| 20 | 28 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 20 |
| 21 | 17 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 | 16 |
| 22 | 22 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 | 15 |
| 23 | 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 366 | 17 |
| 24 | 29 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 366 | 13 |
| 25 | 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 366 | 32 |
| 26 | 30 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 366 | 11 |
| 27 | 35 | 51 | Ryan Newman | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 365 | 10 |
| 28 | 34 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 364 | 9 |
| 29 | 26 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 364 | 8 |
| 30 | 33 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 362 | 0 |
| 31 | 14 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 361 | 6 |
| 32 | 9 | 34 | Michael McDowell (P) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 329 | 5 |
| 33 | 24 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 322 | 4 |
| 34 | 21 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 320 | 3 |
| 35 | 32 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 318 | 2 |
| 36 | 36 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 210 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 13 among 7 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 8 for 51 laps
* Red flags: 1 for 10 minutes
* Time of race: 4 hours, 8 minutes, and 47 seconds
* Average speed: 120.906 miles per hour (194.579 km/h)

## Media
### Television

USA covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, two–time Darlington winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. called Stages 1 and 3 of the race from the broadcast booth. Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty called Stage 2 of the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Kim Coon and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties from pit lane.
USA :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Throwback commentator: Dale Jarrett Throwback commentator: Kyle Petty | Dave Burns Kim Coon Marty Snider |

### Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
MRN Radio :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Todd Gordon | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Jason Toy | Steve Post Chris Wilner Brienne Pedigo Alex Weaver |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | William Byron | 2,075 |
| 4 | 2 | Kyle Larson | 2,074 (–1) |
| 7 | 3 | Tyler Reddick | 2,060 (–15) |
| | 4 | Chris Buescher | 2,057 (–18) |
| 2 | 5 | Denny Hamlin | 2,057 (–18) |
| 4 | 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 2,055 (–20) |
| 2 | 7 | Kyle Busch | 2,050 (–25) |
| 1 | 8 | Brad Keselowski | 2,048 (–27) |
| 1 | 9 | Ryan Blaney | 2,046 (–29) |
| 2 | 10 | Ross Chastain | 2,043 (–32) |
| | 11 | Joey Logano | 2,033 (–42) |
| 5 | 12 | Christopher Bell | 2,031 (–44) |
| 3 | 13 | Bubba Wallace | 2,030 (–45) |
| 1 | 14 | Kevin Harvick | 2,029 (–46) |
| 1 | 15 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 2,027 (–48) |
| 3 | 16 | Michael McDowell | 2,012 (–63) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 1,000 |
| 2 | Ford | 929 (–71) |
| 3 | Toyota | 927 (–73) |