NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying Report - Darlington

August 30, 2025

Cook Out Southern 500
Darlington, South Carolina - August 30, 2025

Austin Cindric, driver, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse - 10th

Ryan Blaney, driver, No. 12 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang Dark Horse - 12th

Joey Logano, driver, No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse - 14th

THE LADY IN BLACK: NASCAR Cup Series drivers and teams took to the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval bright and early Saturday morning for practice and qualifying in preparation for Sunday night's Cook Out Southern 500 - the crown jewel event that also serves as the opening race of the 2025 NASCAR Playoffs. Team Penske has four total Cup Series victories at the track Too Tough to Tame, with the most recent victory being scored in 2022 by Joey Logano. Including Sunday's 367-lap event, Darlington has now hosted a NASCAR Playoffs race six times, with 2025 marking the fifth time it has opened the postseason (2020-2023, 2025). Coming off his second win of the season, Ryan Blaney enters the weekend riding a streak of six consecutive top-10 finishes, the longest such streak of his Cup Series career, as he and his Team Penske teammates look to carry momentum into the postseason.

CINDRIC SAID IT: "It was a solid day. I feel like I left a little bit out there for my qualifying lap, but, overall, I had really good long run speed. I feel like we have a good window of where to work on our Discount Tire Ford Mustang for 500 miles. It takes total focus and total execution for the whole race. It's one of our longest and most mentally challenging of the year, so we were able to step through everything today with good execution. I'm happy with that, but tomorrow is a big goal."

RACE DAY RUNDOWN: The green flag is set to wave just after 6 p.m. ET Sunday on USA Network, with live radio coverage available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).