The NASCAR Cup Series Chase officially begins Saturday at Darlington Speedway. The Cook Out Southern 500 is the first of 10 races that will decide the championship — whoever accumulates the most points will hoist the trophy from Homestead-Miami Speedway in early November.

Our NASCAR predictions are in for Sunday's Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. Here's who our experts are picking to win the 2026 Southern 500.

The Cup Series regular season will conclude Saturday night on NBC.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece fights through penalties, harsh critics and a tough playoff battle after his dramatic Daytona win.

NASCAR enters The Chase with broad momentum highlighted by growth across attendance, social and digital, as well as commercial and fan development.

Here are the 16 drivers who will compete for a championship over the final 10 races of the season.

Chase Briscoe made a run to the NASCAR Cup Series championship race last year, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver feels this time is actually his best chance yet to win the title.

NASCAR wants fans to have a bleeping good time during "The Chase" for the 2026 Cup Series championship. This season, NASCAR will be putting $5 in the pot every time a driver swears on the radio, and fans who correctly predict how many total swears there will be—or come closest—can win the entire pot as part of a new promotion: