There’s an unmistakable frontrunner as the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs open with Saturday’s Sober or Slammer 200 at Darlington Raceway (12 noon ET on FS1, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
playoffs
The Playoffs Are Here! NASCAR Cup Series Round Of 16 Kicks Off At Darlington Raceway This Sunday At 6 P.M ET On USA Network
STAMFORD, Conn. – Aug. 28, 2025 – The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin with the Cook Out Southern 500 from Darlington Raceway in South Carolina this Sunday, Aug. 31, at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network. Live pre-race coverage on USA Network begins at 5:30 p.m. ET with Countdown to Green. A “Crown Jewel” event, the Cook Out Southern 500 is one of the sport’s most iconic races, taking place on a track both physically and mentally demanding.
NASCAR Cup Playoffs Odds and Ends
Chase Briscoe has turned in a personal best season in his first year driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, claiming a series-high six pole positions (including the Daytona 500), winning at Pocono Raceway this summer and eclipsing all his season-best marks in top-five (10) and top-10 (12) finishes with 10 races remaining. And he made the Playoffs.
Will Shane Van Gisbergen Be The Surprise Of The 2025 Playoffs?
While this is the first appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for Shane Van Gisbergen, the 2025 Rookie of the Year candidate is certainly used to Playoff pressure.
Ryan Blaney Hopes To Extend Team Penske Streak In NASCAR Cup Playoffs
When it comes to the NASCAR Cup Series championship, Team Penske is undefeated in the era of the Next Gen race car, which debuted in NASCAR’s top division in 2022.
NASCAR Playoffs Feature A “Different” Bubba Wallace This Year
The Bubba Wallace who takes the green flag in the Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway won’t be the same Bubba Wallace who eked out a Playoff berth two years ago.
How do we know? Wallace says so.
Defending Champ Joey Logano Exudes Confidence As Playoffs Begin
Three-time and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano seemed almost ready to dare someone to doubt his chances at a historically significant fourth NASCAR Cup Series title, as the Playoffs begin.
NASCAR Cup Drivers See 2025 Playoffs As A Wide-Open Affair
CHARLOTTE, N.C.— Unlike in previous years, none of the frontrunners competing in this season’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs could—or were willing to—name an absolute favorite to hoist the champion’s trophy Nov. 2 at Phoenix.
In fact, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, a three-race winner, said he’s feeling as calm as he’s ever felt entering the 10-race Playoff stretch that begins Sunday in the Cook Out Southern 500 at historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (6 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Fresh Look Entering The Playoffs For Kaden Honeycutt
CRAFTSMAN Truck Series rookie Kaden Honeycutt goes into his first Playoff appearance in rather unusual circumstances. The talented 22-year-old drove a truck for Niece Motorsports the first 16 weeks of the season and is now steering the No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota for the Playoffs.
Honeycutt addressed the change in teams Tuesday and said he was optimistic going forward, driving the truck for the injured owner-driver Stewart Friesen.
NCS Race Recap: Austin Dillon Erases Last Year’s Heartbreak, Punches Ticket To Playoffs
RICHMOND, Va. – Austin Dillon claimed his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series race trophy, earned a 2025 Playoff bid and just as importantly, he enjoyed some sweet redemption in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.
Dillon led 107 laps on the night, including the final 49 to claim the victory and automatic berth in the 16-driver Playoff field – vaulting from a 25th place position in the championship standings before the green flag to a championship berth at the checkered flag in a clutch effort from the 2018 Daytona 500 winner and his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team.