What’s Happening?

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Portland International Raceway this weekend, while the NASCAR Truck and Cup Series battle on one of the sport’s traditional battle grounds, Darlington Raceway, for the first race of the 2025 Playoffs.

• The 1.366-mile Darlington Raceway hosts two of NASCAR’s most anticipated weekends each season. First is NASCAR’s throwback weekend in May alongside Labor Day Weekend’s Southern 500, NASCAR’s oldest crown jewel race.
• Darlington hosted the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time in 1950, with Johnny Mantz winning the inaugural Southern 500. The Craftsman Trucks Series made its Darlington debut in 2001 and left after 2004, returning from 2010 to 2011, and made its most recent return to the track in 2020.
• Jeff Gordon is the winningest driver in Southern 500 history, having won an impressive four in a row from 1995 to 1998. Only one active driver has more than one Southern 500 win, that being Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who won the race in 2010, 2017, and 2021.

Weekend TV Schedule (All Times EST) (Portland International Raceway)

Saturday, August 30: Xfinity Series Practice and Qualifying | Xfinity Series Race

• 3:05 PM – 4:00 PM — Xfinity Series Practice on the CW App
• 4:10 PM – 5:00 PM — Xfinity Series Qualifying on the CW App
• 5:30 PM – Xfinity Series Pacific Office Automation 147 on the CW [TV] & MRN [Radio]

Weekend TV Schedule (All Times EST) (Darlington Raceway)

Friday, August 29: Truck Series Practice and Qualifying

• 3:05 PM – 4:00 PM: Truck Series Practice on FS2
• 4:10 PM – 5:00 PM: Truck Series Qualifying on FS2

Saturday, August 30: Cup Series Practice and Qualifying | Truck Series Race

• 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Cup Series Practice
• 10:10 AM – 11:00 AM: Cup Series Practice and Qualifying
• 12:00 PM: Truck Series Sober or Slammer 200 on FS1 [TV] & MRN [Radio]

Sunday, August 31: Cup Series Race

• 6:00 PM — Cup Series Southern 500 on USA [TV] & MRN [Radio]

Race Facts: Portland International Raceway

Track Facts: Portland International Raceway

• Year Opened: 1961
• Length: 1.967 Miles
• Turns: 12
• Surface: Asphalt
• Rain Tires: Yes
• Lights: No

Pacific Office Automation 147 on the CW:

• Race Length: 75 Laps (147.75 Miles)
• Stages: 25 Lap Stage One, 25 Lap Stage Two, 25 Lap Final Stage
• Most Recent Race Winner: Shane van Gisbergen

Race Facts: Darlington Raceway

Track Facts: Darlington Raceway

• Year Opened: 1950
• Length: 1.366 Miles
• Banking: 25° in Turns One and Two; 23° in Turns Three and Four
• Surface: Asphalt
• Rain Tires: No
• Lights: Yes

Sober or Slammer 200 on FS1:

• Race Length: 147 Laps (200.8 Miles)
• Stages: 45 Lap Stage One, 45 Lap Stage Two, 57 Lap Final Stage
• Most Recent Race Winner: Ross Chastain (Spring 2024)

Southern 500 on USA:

• Race Length: 367 Laps (501.32 Miles)
• Stages: 115 Lap Stage One, 115 Lap Stage Two, 137 Lap Final Stage

2024 Southern 500 Results:

• First: Chase Briscoe — No. 14
• Second: Kyle Busch — No. 8
• Third: Christopher Bell — No. 20
• Fourth: Kasey Kahne — No. 5
• Fifth: Ross Chastain — No. 1

Top Storylines of the Weekend

• The first race of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoffs is here. Unlike the NASCAR Cup Series, the trucks have yet to touch Darlington Raceway in 2025. During the series’ most recent race last spring, current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points leader Corey Heim went on to lead a race-high 77 laps en route to a 28th-place finish after a mid-race crash.
• This is the final Road Course race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season. So far, Connor Zilisch has won three of the five road course races, with the other two going to JRM part-timers Shane van Gisbergen and Daniel Suarez. While the 19-year-old may be the favorite this weekend, look out for other talented road course racers like Sheldon Creed to be hungry for a win and a playoff birth.
• The Southern 500 returns to round one of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in 2025, and gives several drivers an opportunity to prove their worth early on. During the spring race at Darlington, all four drivers to lead laps eventually made the playoffs, including William Byron, who led 243 of the race’s 297 laps (though ultimately coming up short), and went on to win the NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season title.

Entry Lists

Cup Series

This information will be available when NASCAR releases it on Monday afternoon.

Xfinity Series

This information will be available when NASCAR releases it on Monday afternoon.

Truck Series

This information will be available when NASCAR releases it on Monday afternoon.

Note: This article will be updated as more information about the weekend comes out.