Championship contenders face setbacks at the Southern 500 in Darlington

The Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway marked the opening race of the postseason on Sunday night. Ryan Blaney described the event as scrappy, noting the difficult nature of the track often referred to as Too Tough to Tame. Several championship contenders encountered technical or competitive trouble throughout the race. The event serves as the first entry point into the playoff schedule. Teams now look ahead to subsequent rounds of the postseason following the challenges faced at the Darlington venue.

• 3:34 PMRacer — Darlington puts Chase contenders to the test from the outset