NASCAR at Darlington 2017 Southern 500: Start time, lineup, TV schedule, more
It’s NASCAR race day at Darlington Raceway, and we’ve got some essential information you need to get ready for Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 Monster Energy Cup Series race:
START TIME: Bojangles’ CEO Clifton Rutledge and 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees Ray Evernham, Robert Yates, Ron Hornaday, and Ken Squier will instruct drivers to start their engines at 6:07 p.m. ET., followed by the green flag at 6:15 p.m.
RACE DISTANCE: The Bojangles' Southern 500 is 367 laps around the 1.366-mile track for a total of 501 miles.
SEGMENTS: Beginning this season, NASCAR is dividing every race into segments and awarding one bonus point to the winner of each stage. Segment lengths will be different for every race. Also, the top 10 finishers of the first two segments will be awarded regular-season points in descending order from 10 to 1. Here are the segments for the Bojangles' Southern 500: Stage 1: 100 laps; Stage 2: 100 laps; Stage 3: 167 laps.
NATIONAL ANTHEM/FLYOVER: Country music legends The Oak Ridge Boys will perform the national anthem followed by a flyover by a C-17 from Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
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TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: NBC Sports Network will broadcast the race on TV and has a pre-race show beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. Motor Racing Network and Sirius/XM Radio will call the race on the radio.
LIVE STREAMING: NBCSports.com will live-stream the race for those who sign in with their cable/satellite provider's credentials.
WEATHER: The National Weather Service is calling for sunny skies at the green flag giving way to mostly clear conditions after sundown. Temperatures will begin in the high 80s decreasing to the mid-60s as the night goes on. Expect moderate winds from 5-7 mph.
LAST TIME: Kevin Harvick led 214 laps, but it was Martin Truex Jr. who scored the win after taking the lead on lap 352 of 367 to capture his first career victory at Darlington.
STARTING LINEUP: Harvick won the pole with a fast lap of 177.730 mph in the final round. He swept all three qualifying segments. Truex will start second.
Here is the starting lineup for the Bojangles' Southern 500 (car number in parentheses):
1. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 177.730.
2. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 177.077 mph.
3. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 176.682.
4. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 176.568.
5. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 176.422.
6. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 176.107.
7. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford, 176.037.
8. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 176.006.
9. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 175.918.
10. (77) Erik Jones, Toyota, 175.403.
11. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 175.372.
12. (21) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 175.022.
13. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 175.830.
14. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 175.391.
15. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 175.328.
16. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 175.291.
17. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 175.060.
18. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 175.022.
19. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 174.948.
20. (24) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 174.910.
21. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 174.662.
22. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 174.618.
23. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 174.007.
24. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 173.712.
25. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 174.804.
26. (38) David Ragan, Ford, 174.718.
27. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 174.556.
28. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 174.482.
29. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 173.761.
30. (95) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 173.705.
31. (34) Landon Cassill, Ford, 172.978.
32. (15) Reed Sorenson, Toyota, 171.824.
33. (10) Danica Patrick, Ford, 171.758.
34. (72) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 171.458.
35. (23) Corey LaJoie, Toyota, 171.441.
36. (83) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 170.958.
37. (33) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 170.301.
38. (55) Derrike Cope, Toyota, 167.425.
39. (51) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 166.326.
40. (66) Carl Long, Chevrolet, 165.592.
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