The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season concludes on Sunday with a crown jewel race, the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
A winding road through an eventful summer has landed on this scenario: five drivers are competing for a maximum of three playoff spots that could become two if someone outside of the top 18 in points wins on Sunday.
On the other end of the playoff picture, Tyler Reddick leads Kyle Larson by 17 points and Chase Elliott by 18 points for the regular-season points championship. The regular-season winner earns a valuable 15 playoff points.
Here are The Tennessean’s expert picks for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Darlington:
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Mike Organ’s pick: Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Logano won at Nashville so he’s already in the playoffs, but Logano needs some momentum heading into the postseason and a win Sunday night will provide that. Logano won the 2022 Goodyear 400 at Darlington.
Tom Kreager’s pick: Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
What a way to go into the NASCAR playoffs, with a win at Darlington. Logano can get his second points win of the season at a place he’s won at and has ran well in the past. He has two top-fives and three top-10s.
Nick Gray’s pick: Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Buescher should have multiple wins this season, including the spring race at Darlington. While 21 points is not the biggest cushion to have, it should give Buescher and the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford an opportunity to bank stage points then push to get a win at Darlington 12 months in the making.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Darlington predictions 2024: Expert picks for Cup Series race
