Cook Out Southern 500 odds have Denny Hamlin on top of the board at +400 as the NASCAR Cup Series opens its 10-race Chase at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, September 6, 2026. Hamlin arrives as the regular-season champion and the No. 1 seed in the 16-driver Chase field set at Daytona. Here is how the board is shaped, and why.
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 2, 2026
2026 Cook Out Southern 500 — Time & How to Watch
| Where | Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC |
| When | Sunday, September 6 – 5:00 PM ET |
| TV | USA Network |
2026 Cook Out Southern 500 Betting Preview
Darlington is a 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, and the Southern 500 runs 367 laps and 501.322 miles across three stages. The corners are not symmetrical and the groove migrates toward the wall. Tire wear decides long runs. The market treats this as a driver track first and a horsepower track second.
One rules change matters. Darlington is one of five ovals moved to the 750-horsepower short-track package for 2026, alongside Bristol, Dover, Nashville and Gateway. More power and a smaller rear spoiler put the lap back in the driver’s hands. The spring race already ran under it, so the board is not pricing an unknown.
Recent history pulls the top of the board in two directions. Chase Briscoe has won the last two Southern 500s, taking 2024 with Stewart-Haas Racing and 2025 with Joe Gibbs Racing, where he led 309 of 367 laps. Tyler Reddick swept the pole and the win in the spring Darlington race. Hamlin owns the deepest résumé of anyone entered. The Chase reset does the rest: every one of the 16 postseason drivers starts level over 10 races, which raises the premium on a proven Darlington car and compresses the top of this market.
2026 Cook Out Southern 500 — Top Odds to Win
| Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| Denny Hamlin | +400 |
| Tyler Reddick | +550 |
| Chase Briscoe | +650 |
| Kyle Larson | +900 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1000 |
| William Byron | +1000 |
| Christopher Bell | +1100 |
| Ty Gibbs | +1600 |
| Brad Keselowski | +2000 |
| Chase Elliott | +2000 |
Odds accurate as of Wednesday, September 2, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NASCAR Odds – Props
2026 Cook Out Southern 500 Odds: Denny Hamlin Favored
Why the market has Hamlin at +400
Hamlin’s +400 carries an implied probability near 20 percent. He won the regular-season title and the top seed, and his summer included three straight wins at Nashville, Michigan and Pocono — the first three-race streak of his career. The track record does more of the work, though. Hamlin has five career Cup wins at Darlington, with 14 top-five finishes and 20 top-10s in 28 starts. He also has short-track form under this package, including the Richmond win covered in our Cook Out 400 odds preview.
The other side is the price itself. In a 37-driver field, +400 asks for one-in-five on a 501-mile race that regularly turns on a single brush with the wall. Reddick and Briscoe both hold fresher Darlington wins. The board says Hamlin is the most complete package here. It does not say the margin is comfortable.
NASCAR Cook Out Southern 500 Odds: Mid-Board Contenders
Chase Elliott (+2000) is the clearest case of a driver priced below his seed. He is the No. 8 seed and the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to reach victory lane in 2026, winning at Martinsville and Texas. The market has discounted the whole Hendrick stable rather than Elliott specifically.
Brad Keselowski (+2000) is not in the Chase at all. He finished second in the spring Darlington race behind Reddick, which is why he prices ahead of several postseason drivers. With no championship stakes attached, the market has him on track fit alone.
Corey Heim (+3000) is the band’s wild card. The 23XI Racing driver is running a partial schedule before going full-time in 2027, and he won at San Diego in his 13th Cup start. He is not Chase-eligible, so this price reflects speed in strong equipment with no postseason context.
Cook Out Southern 500 Long Shot Odds on the Board
Daniel Suárez (+15000) is the biggest disconnect on the board. He made the Chase as the No. 11 seed, yet sits at 150-1, behind several drivers who did not qualify. Spire Motorsports equipment explains part of it, but no other driver’s seed and price diverge this far.
Shane van Gisbergen (+15000) is here for a different reason. He was eliminated from Chase contention when Ryan Preece won the Daytona finale and claimed the final spot. Van Gisbergen’s speed lives on road courses, and Darlington asks for a skill set he has had less time to build.
Connor Zilisch (+25000) is a true flier. The 19-year-old Trackhouse Racing rookie arrived with a large reputation, but his strongest days have come on road courses, and Darlington is among the hardest ovals for a first-year driver. Preece’s Daytona win, covered in our Coke Zero Sugar 400 odds preview, is the reminder that this end of a board sometimes produces the winner.
2026 Cook Out Southern 500: What to Watch
This board is top-heavy for a 37-car field. Hamlin, Reddick and Briscoe absorb roughly half the implied probability between them, and all three have won at Darlington inside the last 18 months. Everything from Kyle Larson at +900 down to Ty Gibbs at +1600 is priced as a capable winner without a recent Darlington result anchoring the number.
Two forces should move prices before the green flag. The first is on-track speed once cars run the 750-horsepower package this weekend. The second is the Chase reset, which tends to firm up the top of a postseason board rather than loosen it. The middle band is worth watching too — Elliott and Keselowski are level at +2000, and any separation there says more about how the market reads this package than the favorites do.
NASCAR Cook Out Southern 500 FAQ: Sunday September 6, 2026
Who is the favorite to win the Cook Out Southern 500?
Denny Hamlin is the favorite at +400 for the 2026 Cook Out Southern 500. He enters as the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season champion and the No. 1 seed in the 16-driver Chase field, and he owns five career Cup wins at Darlington Raceway.
What time does the Cook Out Southern 500 start?
The 2026 Cook Out Southern 500 starts at 5:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. The race opens the NASCAR Cup Series Chase, the 10-race postseason that decides the season championship.
What channel is the Cook Out Southern 500 on?
The 2026 Cook Out Southern 500 airs on USA Network. Coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway begins at 5:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 6, with Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio carrying the radio broadcast.
How many laps is the Cook Out Southern 500?
The Cook Out Southern 500 is 367 laps around the 1.366-mile Darlington Raceway oval, a race distance of 501.322 miles. It is run in three stages and ranks among the longest events on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule by distance and elapsed time.
Who won the Cook Out Southern 500 last year?
Chase Briscoe won the 2025 Cook Out Southern 500, leading 309 of the 367 laps in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. It was his second consecutive Southern 500 victory after winning the 2024 race with Stewart-Haas Racing, and Tyler Reddick finished second.