STEWART-HAAS RACING
Cook Out Southern 500
Date: Sept. 3, 2023
Event: Cook Out Southern 500 (Round 27 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)
Format: 367 laps, broken into three stages (115 laps/115 laps/137 laps)
Race Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
SHR Race Finish:
● Aric Almirola (Started 10th, Finished 14th / Running, completed 367 of 367 laps)
SHR Points:
● Aric Almirola (23rd with 471 points)
SHR Notes:
● Almirola finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn one bonus point.
● This was Almirola’s eighth top-15 this season and his second straight. He finished third last week at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
Race Notes:
● Kyle Larson won the Cook Out Southern 500 to score his 22nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Darlington. His margin over second-place Tyler Reddick was .447 of a second.
● There were eight caution periods for a total of 51 laps.
● Only 22 of the 36 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
Sound Bites:
“All things considered, that turned out to be a decent day for our race team. We had a top-10 car all day and the guys executed on pit road. We got damage to the nose and splitter on that restart in stage two when everyone stacked up, which wasn’t repairable and completely changed the balance of our car. It was like a totally different car after that and I was just way too tight to be as competitive as we were. We fought all day and stayed out of trouble and found our way from 28th back up into the top-10. I’m proud of this team and these guys for working so hard. It’s a testament to what this team can do for the rest of the year.” – Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday, Sept. 10 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City The second race in the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.