Denny Hamlin won Sunday night’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway to start the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
RESULTS: Where everybody finished in the Southern 500
Kyle Larson recorded his third consecutive runner-up finish at Darlington (Sept. 2019, May 2021).
Ross Chastain finished third, earning his third top five of the season.
Martin Truex Jr. finished fourth to follow his win at Darlington back in May.
Kevin Harvick‘s finished fifth, earning his 12th consecutive top 10 at Darlington. That ties Hall of Famer Bill Elliott for the longest ever top 10 streak there.
POINTS REPORT
Denny Hamlin advances to the Round of 12 in the Cup playoffs with his Darlington win.
DRIVER POINTS: Full Cup standings after Southern 500
Here’s how the Cup playoff standings look after the first playoff race:
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1. Denny Hamlin – WIN
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2. Kyle Larson – 2,106 points (+80 above cut line)
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3. Martin Truex Jr. – 2,062 points (+36)
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4. Kurt Busch – 2,052 points (+26)
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5. Ryan Blaney – 2,048 points (+22)
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6. Joey Logano – 2,047 points (+21)
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7. Kevin Harvick – 2,046 points (+20)
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8. Brad Keselowski – 2,038 points (+12)
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9. Christopher Bell – 2,031 points (+5)
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10. Chase Elliott – 2,030 points (+4)
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11. Aric Almirola – 2,029 points (+3)
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12. Tyler Reddick – 2,026 points (0)
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13. Alex Bowman – 2,026 points (0)
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14. Kyle Busch – 2,024 points (-2)
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15. William Byron – 2,017 points (-9)
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16. Michael McDowell – 2,006 points (-20)
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Southern 500 race results, driver points originally appeared on NBCSports.com