NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR's Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington: How to win $1,000 for free

Published Sep. 4, 2021 12:39 p.m. ET

By Kevin Cooney
Special to FOX Sports

In every form of a playoff, the motto has always been "survive and advance."

Focus on what is going to take place in the upcoming contest, and don’t worry about the next step until you get there.

NASCAR’s Cup chase has reached its postseason tournament, and for 16 drivers, the dream of lifting the big trophy on the first Sunday in November in Phoenix is alive and well. The key now is for them to make sure that their best racing of the year occurs in these final 10 races.

The playoffs begin Sunday with the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The short track will be a good test of driver and car on this Labor Day weekend, with plenty of bumper-to-bumper racing going on.

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You can win as well with FOX’s Super 6. Just answer all six questions on Sunday’s race correctly, and you could win $1,000. It’s quick, easy and free to play by downloading the FOX Super 6 app on your phone or mobile device.

Here are the six questions for Sunday’s race:

Which of these drivers will finish in the best position at the end of Stage 1?
The options: Kyle Larson, Aric Almirola, Tyler Reddick, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano

Truex and Larson went 1-2 at Darlington in the previous race there on May 9. Almirola, on the other hand, has only two top-10s at the track in 12 NASCAR Cup series races. That's all worth keeping in mind.

Which of these drivers will finish in the worst position at the end of Stage 2?
The options: Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Michael McDowell, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman

McDowell finished below the top 20 in seven straight races and has been falling like a rock, with few stage wins as well. At Darlington, his numbers are pretty bad, with a high finish of 16th in 12 races there. This might not be the track or the time for him.

Which driver will finish best at the end of the race?
The options: Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson

Hamlin has three wins at Darlington, including one last year. The only issue? He hasn’t won a single race in 2021, despite some really good finishes and stage wins. At some point, the law of averages could play a role here.

How many Fords will finish in the top five?
The options: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

During the Cook Out 500 last year, two Fords finished in the top 5. However, in the earlier race at Darlington this season, there were no Fords in the top five, as Toyota took three of the spots.

Which of these Chevy drivers will finish with the most points in the race?
The options: Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Kurt Busch, tie

Elliott’s numbers at Darlington are pretty good: four top-10 finishes and two top-5s in nine races at the track. Don’t be surprised if Elliott puts a really good number up this weekend and sets himself up for a nice run in the playoff.

Which of these Joe Gibbs Racing drivers will finish with the most points in the race?
The options: Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, tie

As stated above, Hamlin is a driver everyone should be worried about, despite the fact that he has zero regular-season wins. His racing has been so solid all season, so you have to believe he has an excellent shot to take home the Bill France trophy. This is where he starts — breaking the drought and becoming the driver to beat the rest of the way.

Play our NASCAR Super 6 contest for free, and you could win $1,000! Just download the Super 6 app and make your picks now for your chance to win!