NASCAR lineup at Darlington: Starting order, pole for 2024 Southern 500 based on qualifying results

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Back in black...

The final race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season calendar sees drivers trawl across one of the circuit's most storied sites, Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.

It's a platform that has elevated a great many of the sport's greatest talents. David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip are among the best performers across the 1.366-mile apparatus.

In more recent times, a host of the sport's biggest names have trickled their way into victory lane, including Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson.

MORE: Why Austin Dillon's win at Richmond won't count for NASCAR playoffs

Keselowski was the most recent winner on "The Lady in Black," vanquishing all comers en route to his first Cup Series win in 110 races. His team, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, could very well field another contender for Sunday's Southern 400.

RFK Racing's Chris Buescher finds himself just above the playoff cut line with one race to go. And although he hasn't been able to match his three-win campaign from 2023, Buescher has been a force on Darlington Raceway. He has four top-10 and one top-five finish in his past seven races on that track.

Buescher is attempting to fend off the likes of Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain for the final ticket to this year's postseason. A strong showing at Darlington could go just that for the 31-year old, one of NASCAR's more impressive talents.

The Sporting News details the results of qualifying for Sunday's Southern 500.

Who won the Southern 500 pole for 2024?

Wallace could not have picked a better time for his first pole of the season. He earned pole position for Sunday's Southern 500 race at Darlington, beating out Carson Hocevar and Chase Briscoe. 

The 30-year-old currently is on the outside looking in for the playoff picture, sitting in 17th place in the standings. The top 16 drivers advance to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, so Wallace needs every advantage possible this weekend in order to keep his 2024 season alive. 

Southern 500 starting lineup 2024

Starting pos. Driver Car No. Team
1. Bubba Wallace No. 23 23XI Racing
2. Carson Hocevar  No. 77 Spire Motorsports
3. Chase Briscoe No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
4. Kyle Larson No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports
5. Martin Truex Jr. No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
6. Tyler Reddick No. 45 23XI Racing
7. Ryan Blaney No. 12 Team Penske
8. William Byron No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports
9. Christopher Bell No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
10. Chris Buescher No. 17 RFK Racing
11. Austin Cindric No. 2 Team Penske
12. Brad Keselowski No. 6 RFK Racing
13. Ty Gibbs No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing
14. Denny Hamlin No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
15. Josh Berry No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
16. Austin Dillon No. 3 Richard Childress Racing
17. Kyle Busch No. 8 Richard Childress Racing
18. John Hunter Nemechek No. 42 Legacy Motor Club
19. Corey LaJoie No. 7 Spire Motorsports
20. Chase Elliott No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports
21. Justin Haley No. 51 Rick Ware Racing
22. Ross Chastain No. 1 Trackhouse
23. Joey Logano No. 22 Team Penske
24. Harrison Burton No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing
25. Daniel Hemric No. 31 Kaulig Racing
26. Zane Smith No. 71 Spire Motorsports
27. Alex Bowman No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports
28. Erik Jones No. 43 Legacy Motor Club
29. Noah Gragson No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
30. Ryan Preece No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
31. Michael McDowell No. 34 Front Row Motorsports
32. Daniel Suarez No. 99 Trackhouse
33. Todd Gilliland No. 38 Front Row Motorsports
34. Shane van Gisbergen No. 16 Kaulig Racing
35. Kaz Grala No. 15 Rick Ware Racing
36. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. No. 47 JTG Daughtery Racing
37. Timmy Hill No. 66 Hill Motorsports
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David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News.
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