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- UpdatedSep 6, 2026 at 8:10am
GettyDARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 Columbia Toyota, and Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Xfinity Toyota, lead the field on a pace lap prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on March 22, 2026 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/
The NASCAR Cup Series takes over Darlington Raceway today, Sunday, Sept. 6, with the Cook Out Southern 500 serving as the opening race of the 2026 Cup Series Chase. Fans looking for the NASCAR TV schedule will find a single national-series race on Sunday.
Coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, with the Southern 500 scheduled for 5 p.m. and the green flag expected around 5:10 p.m. Fans can also watch NASCAR streaming coverage on HBO Max. MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide radio coverage.
The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series already raced Saturday night, while the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is not racing at Darlington this weekend. Today’s focus is on the NASCAR Cup Series and the Southern 500.
NASCAR Cup Series TV Schedule and Streaming
The Cook Out Southern 500 is the only NASCAR race at Darlington Raceway today. The 77th running of the Labor Day event is scheduled for 367 laps and about 501 miles. The race is set for three stages of 115, 115, and 137 laps.
For fans asking how to watch NASCAR today, USA Network will carry the race. The NASCAR TV coverage begins with USA’s pre-race show at 4:30 p.m. ET. The race is listed for 5 p.m., with the green flag expected around 5:10 p.m. HBO Max will provide the NASCAR streaming option.
Cup Series practice and qualifying took place Saturday. Practice started at 4 p.m. ET, while qualifying followed at 5:10 p.m. Both were carried by truTV and HBO Max. No Cup Series practice session is scheduled for Sunday before the race.
Denny Hamlin enters the NASCAR Cup Series Chase as the No. 1 seed after the regular season. Chase Briscoe is the two-time defending Southern 500 winner and will attempt to win the race for a third straight year. Tyler Reddick won the spring race at Darlington.
Thirty-eight cars are entered for the Southern 500. The field includes Chad Finchum and Corey Heim. The purse is listed at about $11.85 million.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Darlington
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series is not racing today after the Fleetio 200 was held at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, Sept. 5. The race opened the 2026 Chase, a nine-race points battle involving the top 12 drivers.
Sheldon Creed won the Fleetio 200 in the No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet. Creed took the lead during a pit stop around Lap 94 and led the final 53 laps. He beat Corey Day by 2.961 seconds for his second win of the 2026 season and the second series victory of his career.
Justin Allgaier led 60 laps and won Stage 1 but finished 17th after handling issues affected his car during the final long run.
Creed moved from third to second in the Chase standings and cut Allgaier’s 25-point pre-Chase advantage to seven points.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Schedule
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is also not racing at Darlington today. In fact, the Truck Series has no race scheduled at the track this weekend.
The series last competed at Darlington on March 20, when Corey Heim won the race. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Chase will resume Thursday, Sept. 17, at Bristol with the UNOH 200 on FS1. The next playoff race is scheduled for Kansas on Sept. 26.
That means fans searching for the NASCAR TV schedule today will not find a Truck Series race. Corey Heim can still appear on the NASCAR Cup Series broadcast because he is entered in a 23XI Racing Toyota for the Southern 500.
For today, the NASCAR schedule is simple: the Cook Out Southern 500 is the only points-paying national-series race at Darlington Raceway. USA Network begins coverage at 4:30 p.m. ET, with the race scheduled for 5 p.m. and streaming on HBO Max.
