# US stock car racing competition > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/us-stock-car-racing-competition > Updated: 2026-09-07T13:07:39.000Z. Sources: 39. Developments: 3. Racing events at Florence Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway have highlighted recent competition in the CARS Tour and NASCAR series. At Florence Motor Speedway, Kaden Honeycutt won the CARS Tour Pro Late Model race. During the 100-lap event, Dale Earnhardt Jr. secured second place after passing Treyton Lapcevich with 37 laps remaining. At Darlington Raceway, Carson Kvapil secured his first career pole position for the NASCAR O'Reilly Series Fleetio 200, posting a qualifying lap of 161.636 mph. Kvapil, driving for JR Motorsports, will start the championship Chase alongside teammate Justin Allgaier, who will start second. Weather disruptions significantly impacted the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500. Persistent lightning forced the cancellation of both practice and qualifying sessions, leading NASCAR to determine the starting lineup via a performance metric. Under this rule, Tyler Reddick inherited the pole position. Christopher Bell ultimately won the Southern 500, marking his first victory of the 2026 season and snapping a 33-race winless streak. Bell secured the win after overtaking race leader Kyle Larson with 12 laps remaining, utilizing fresher tires to take the lead. The victory, which serves as the opening race for the 10-race championship Chase, propelled Bell to second place in the standings, leaving him just 12 points behind leader Denny Hamlin. The race was characterized by errors among Chase contenders, including pit road miscues and on-track incidents involving 10 of the 16 playoff drivers. Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) demonstrated significant strength during the postseason opening, with all four of its drivers claiming victories this year. Other championship contenders faced challenges; Ty Gibbs finished second, followed by Tyler Reddick in third, Ryan Blaney in fourth, and Kyle Larson in fifth. Denny Hamlin finished 18th after contact with Michael McDowell, while William Byron suffered a DNF due to engine failure. ## Claims - NASCAR cancelled Cup Series qualifying due to persistent lightning in the area. (corroborated by 2 sources) - Tyler Reddick secured the pole position for the Cook Out Southern 500. (corroborated by 2 sources) - The starting grid was determined by a metric combining 30% of owners' standings and 70% of the most recent race result. (single source) - Daniel Suarez will start in second position. (single source) - Ryan Preece will start the race in third position. (single source) - Denny Hamlin will start in fourth position. (single source) - John Hunter Nemechek will make his 100th NASCAR Cup Series start in a Toyota Camry XSE. (single source) - John Hunter Nemechek will be recognized as an honorary Sheriff’s Deputy for Darlington County. (single source) ## Timeline ### 2026-09-07: Christopher Bell wins Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway Christopher Bell won the NASCAR Southern 500 at Darlington, breaking a winless streak and moving into second in the Chase standings as the series heads to World Wide Technology Raceway. 9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/christopher-bell-wins-southern-500-ahead-of-nascar-race-at-gateway ### 2026-09-05: Christopher Bell wins Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway Christopher Bell won the NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, ending a 33-race drought and opening the 2026 Chase playoffs in second place in the standings. 33 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/darlington-raceway-hosts-nascar-oreilly-series-qualifying ### 2026-09-04: CARS Tour: Kaden Honeycutt wins at Florence; Carson Kvapil takes Darlington pole Kaden Honeycutt won the CARS Tour Pro Late Model race at Florence Motor Speedway, while Carson Kvapil secured his first career pole at Darlington Raceway for the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/cars-tour-kaden-honeycutt-wins-at-florence-carson-kvapil-takes-darlington-pole --- Cite as: US stock car racing competition. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/us-stock-car-racing-competition