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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