2021 Cook Out Southern 500
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Race 27 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series
Date September 5, 2021 (2021-09-05)
Location Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Distance 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.666 km)
Average speed 121.279 miles per hour (195.180 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Team Penske
Grid positions set by competition-based formula
Most laps led
Driver Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 156
Winner
No. 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network NBCSN
Announcers Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers Dave Moody (1 & 2) and Mike Bagley (3 & 4)

The 2021 Cook Out Southern 500, the 72nd running of the event, was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 5, 2021 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 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, first race of the Playoffs, and the first race of the Round of 16. Denny Hamlin took his first victory of the season and clinched a spot in the round of 12.

Report

Background

Darlington Raceway where the race was held.
The 2021 Cook Out Southern 500 program cover.

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.

Surface Issues

Darlington Raceway was last repaved following the May 2007 meeting (from 2005 to 2019, there was only one meeting; the second meeting was reinstated in 2020), and from 2008 to 2019, there was one night race. In 2020, a day race returned to the schedule, and instead of two races (one Xfinity and one Cup) during the entire year, the track hosted six races (three Cup, two Xfinity, and one Truck). The circuit kept repairing the circuit with patches during each summer before the annual Cup race in September. The circuit's narrow Turn 2 rapidly deteriorated with cracks in the tarmac allowing water to seep in the circuit. In July 2021, the circuit repaved a six hundred foot section at the entrance of Turn 2 and ending at the exit of the turn to repair the tarmac and resolve the issue for safety and to reduce the threat of weepers and surface issues in that section of the circuit.[7]

Entry list

  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
00Quin HouffStarCom RacingChevrolet
1Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
2Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord
3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord
5Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
6Ryan NewmanRoush Fenway RacingFord
7Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsChevrolet
8Tyler ReddickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
10Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord
11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord
14Chase Briscoe (R)Stewart-Haas RacingFord
15Joey Gase (i)Rick Ware RacingChevrolet
17Chris BuescherRoush Fenway RacingFord
18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
19Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota
20Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
21Matt DiBenedettoWood Brothers RacingFord
22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord
23Bubba Wallace23XI RacingToyota
24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
34Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord
37Ryan PreeceJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
38Anthony Alfredo (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord
41Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord
42Ross ChastainChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
43Erik JonesRichard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet
47Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
48Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
51Cody Ware (i)Petty Ware RacingChevrolet
52Josh BilickiRick Ware RacingFord
53James DavisonRick Ware RacingChevrolet
77Justin Haley (i)Spire MotorsportsChevrolet
78B. J. McLeod (i)Live Fast MotorsportsFord
99Daniel SuárezTrackhouse Racing TeamChevrolet
Official entry list

Qualifying

Ryan Blaney was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.[4]

Starting Lineup

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 12Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord
2 11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
3 1Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
4 9Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
5 48Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
6 5Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
7 8Tyler ReddickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
8 10Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord
9 4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord
10 19Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota
11 22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord
12 18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
13 20Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
14 24William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
15 34Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord
16 2Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord
17 23Bubba Wallace23XI RacingToyota
18 37Ryan PreeceJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
19 6Ryan NewmanRoush Fenway RacingFord
20 77Justin Haley (i)Spire MotorsportsChevrolet
21 3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
22 43Erik JonesRichard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet
23 42Ross ChastainChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
24 14Chase Briscoe (R)Stewart-Haas RacingFord
25 7Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsChevrolet
26 99Daniel SuárezTrackhouse Racing TeamChevrolet
27 78B. J. McLeod (i)Live Fast MotorsportsFord
28 52Josh BilickiRick Ware RacingFord
29 47Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
30 21Matt DiBenedettoWood Brothers RacingFord
31 41Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord
32 38Anthony Alfredo (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord
33 51Cody Ware (i)Petty Ware RacingChevrolet
34 17Chris BuescherRoush Fenway RacingFord
35 15Joey Gase (i)Rick Ware RacingChevrolet
36 53James DavisonRick Ware RacingChevrolet
37 00Quin HouffStarCom RacingChevrolet
Official starting lineup

Race

Ryan Blaney started the race from the pole position. Early in the race, playoff driver Alex Bowman scraped the wall while playoff driver Michael McDowell was taken out of the race after hitting the wall. Denny Hamlin won the first stage of the race. In the second stage, Austin Dillon and playoff driver Kyle Busch made contact, with Busch hitting the wall and going to the garage, ending his night. Kyle Larson won the second stage of the race. Several other playoff drivers had trouble during the race including William Byron, who hit the wall after cutting a tire, Chase Elliott, who hit the wall after going three-wide with Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell, and Blaney, who spun late in the race. In the closing laps, Hamlin was leading Larson. On the final lap, Larson tapped Hamlin, but Hamlin blocked the top line to win the race, his first win of the season, to move on to the next round of the playoffs.

Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 115

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
111Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota10
25Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet9
31Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet8
412Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord7
54Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet6
619Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota5
78Tyler ReddickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4
810Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord3
942Ross ChastainChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet2
1022Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 115

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
15Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet10
220Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingToyota9
342Ross ChastainChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet8
411Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota7
54Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord6
61Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet5
722Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord4
89Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3
912Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord2
107Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsChevrolet1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 137

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1211Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota36757
265Kyle LarsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet36754
32342Ross ChastainChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet36744
41019Martin Truex Jr.Joe Gibbs RacingToyota36738
594Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingFord36744
631Kurt BuschChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet36744
7162Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord36730
81122Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord36734
93417Chris BuescherRoush Fenway RacingFord36728
10213Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet36727
113141Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord36726
121837Ryan PreeceJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet36725
132699Daniel SuárezTrackhouse Racing TeamChevrolet36724
14196Ryan NewmanRoush Fenway RacingFord36723
15257Corey LaJoieSpire MotorsportsChevrolet36723
16810Aric AlmirolaStewart-Haas RacingFord36624
172947Ricky Stenhouse Jr.JTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet36620
1878Tyler ReddickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet36623
192414Chase Briscoe (R)Stewart-Haas RacingFord36618
201320Christopher BellJoe Gibbs RacingToyota36626
211723Bubba Wallace23XI RacingToyota36616
22112Ryan BlaneyTeam PenskeFord36624
233021Matt DiBenedettoWood Brothers RacingFord36514
243238Anthony Alfredo (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord36413
252077Justin Haley (i)Spire MotorsportsChevrolet3640
26548Alex BowmanHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet36311
272778B. J. McLeod (i)Live Fast MotorsportsFord3590
282852Josh BilickiRick Ware RacingFord3599
293515Joey Gase (i)Rick Ware RacingChevrolet3570
303700Quin HouffStarCom RacingChevrolet3557
3149Chase ElliottHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3279
322243Erik JonesRichard Petty MotorsportsChevrolet2645
333351Cody Ware (i)Petty Ware RacingChevrolet2090
341424William ByronHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1993
351218Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota1252
363653James DavisonRick Ware RacingChevrolet501
371534Michael McDowellFront Row MotorsportsFord301
Official race results

Race statistics

  • Lead changes: 18 among 10 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 11 for 52
  • Red flags: 0
  • Time of race: 4 hours, 8 minutes and 1 second
  • Average speed: 121.279 miles per hour (195.180 km/h)

Media

Television

NBC Sports 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, Parker Kligerman and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties from pit lane.

NBCSN
Booth announcersPit 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
Parker Kligerman
Marty Snider

Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

MRN Radio
Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Announcer: Rusty Wallace
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley
Steve Post
Kim Coon

Standings after the race

References

  1. "2021 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  2. "Darlington Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  3. "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  5. "Cook Out Southern 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. September 5, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  6. "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. September 5, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  7. Long, Dustin. "Darlington Raceway repaves Turn 2 ahead of Cook Out Southern 500". NBCSports.com. Comcast. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
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