Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (⏰ 6 p.m. ET | 📺 USA Network, NBC Sports App | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington, the first playoff event of the 2022 campaign.

[ndmsvideo vid="365010" play="false"]Where: Darlington, South Carolina Approximate start time: 6 p.m. ET | Weekend schedule TV/Radio: USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio | Full TV schedule The purse: $7,823,733 Forecast: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69, according to NOAA.gov | Weather tracker Race distance: 367 laps | 501.3 miles Stages: 115 | 230 | 367 Pit-road speed: 45 mph Caution car speed: 50 mph Darlington 101: Get the full lowdown Starting lineup: Where drivers will start Sunday Pit stalls: See where your driver pits on Sunday Playoff grid: Print yours now Key things to watch 🔑 Big story line Darlington is one of the most treacherous tracks to navigate on the Cup Series schedule. High tire wear and high speeds leave drivers needing to ride the wall to keep pace with the best of them, battling to avoid the daunting 'Darlington stripe.' This track is not easy to master and is as seasoned as the drivers who have found success here. Only one driver under the age of 30 has won here in the last 14 races — Erik Jones in 2019. Jumpstarting the Cup Series Playoffs with such an iconic and difficult race could immediately separate contenders from the pretenders. Will age and experience be the story of these playoffs? Or will the crop of four first-time contenders shock the field? Who's hot? Who's not?  Denny Hamlin is arguably the best bet at Darlington, based on his career success. But it is Kevin Harvick who has been more consistent lately. Harvick has an incredible 13 consecutive top-1o finishes at the track and won three of the last 12 races here. Finishing fourth in May moved his tally of leading laps in races there to 12 of the last 16. Coming into the playoffs with a newfound form that makes him a top contender, Harvick is certainly one to watch out for this weekend and moving forward. For a driver as talented as Christopher Bell, it is hard to put a finger on why he has struggled at Darlington in the Cup Series. Bell has five finishes of 11th or worse in six career starts, but that is not telling of how well he has been running in general and could continue to run here. Based on speed in recent weeks, Bell and the No. 20 group clearly have something to prove. Look for them to readjust and build off Bell's career-best finish of sixth in May. Driving under the radar Yeah, yeah, it's very hard to ever say that Joey Logano is driving under the radar. But is anyone picking him to win the championship this season? It seems like the No. 22 group has contended at every single track type. In addition, four finishes of eighth or better in the last five races here, including the win in May, make him a serious candidate to claim an early stake in the Round of 12. Logano has two wins this season and only one finish outside the top 12 since June. With all the chatter about top title contenders, don't forget to throw Logano's name in the mix. [caption id="attachment_365164" align="aligncenter" width="922"] Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images[/caption]

Race-day staples ✅

Our biggest pieces of the week -- get covered for race day from all angles. • Paint Scheme Preview: All dressed up for the "Lady in Black" | Pick a favorite • Power Rankings: Is it Chase Elliott's title to lose? | Updated driver rankings • NASCAR betting: Odds for 2022 Darlington playoff race | Underdogs, value bets • Fantasy Fastlane:  It's time for the playoffs, Fantasy Live style | Top plays, sleepers • Backseat Drivers: Who is a Round of 16 sleeper in the Cup Series? | Watch the debate • Meet the contenders: Analyzing the drivers in the playoffs | Read more • Our staff speaks: Playoff predictions from NASCAR.com staff | See them here

Catch the pack 💨

Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday's race. • Predictions: Predicting the winner of every Cup Series playoff race | Do you agree? | No clear favorite • Playoff trends: Drivers with most playoff berths in elimination era | See them here | Winners of every opener • Press Pass insights: Chastain chimes in on first playoff run | Gustafson with high praise for Elliott  • Crash info: Next Gen's impacts in spotlight, under observation | Read more • Number swap: Bubba Wallace now in No. 45 Toyota | Read more • Pit road: Drivers must overcome these challenges to advance in playoffs | Sunoco Pit Stop breakdown • DVP clock: Increases to 10 minutes from six for playoffs | Read more • Rivalries, renewed: Revisit this season's rivalries before the opener | Remember these? • New paint: Chase Elliott drives exclusive DESI9N to DRIVE scheme | See it here • Kyle Busch: Two-time champion weighing multiple offers | Read more • Justin Alexander: Crew chief to leave No. 3 RCR Chevy after the season | Read more • @nascarcasm: Best ways to fill out your playoff grid | Expert's insight • eNASCAR: Wilson locks up top seed for iRacing Series playoffs | Read more

Get in on the action 💰

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy. • The Action Network: Deciding 'coin-flip' Cindric-Dillon matchup | Read more • BetMGM: Breaking down driver matchups for Darlington | Read more • More betting: Elliott overvalued as favorite, Darlington parity shows | Read more • Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | New rules for playoffs • Going all the way: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Back to the 'Lady in Black' 🖤

Winning at one of NASCAR's most iconic tracks is always a treat — but it's tougher than it looks.  • History behind name: Why Darlington is the "Lady in Black" | In-depth breakdown • Last year: Denny Hamlin storms out the gates with statement win | Full recap, highlights • Throwback: Remember Busch, Craven's battle in 2003? | Watch it again • Burton, Gordon: Jeff Burton reflects on 1997 loss to Jeff Gordon at Darlington | Watch here

Fast facts ⏩

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights. • The last four races at Darlington were each won by a different driver. • The Darlington winner has finished in the top-10 in both Stage 1 and 2 in all nine races with stages. • A driver led more than 100 laps in 21 of the last 22 Darlington races, • Erik Jones in 2019 is the only Darlington winner under the age of 30 in the last 14 races. • Six drivers got their first Cup Series win at Darlington, most recently Regan Smith in May 2011.

Say what? 🎙

Check out what playoff drivers had to say ahead of this week's crucial Round of 16 race. • Quotes by drivers from Cup Series Playoffs Media Day