Seven months of NASCAR Cup Series action have led to this: the Cook Out Southern 500. The second event at Darlington Raceway of the year marks the regular season finale. Sunday is the final opportunity to solidify the standings ahead of the 10-race Cup Series playoffs.

Darlington’s unique, egg-like oval shape makes it one of the more challenging tracks on the calendar. It doesn’t boast the high speeds of Daytona like last weekend but tests drivers with some of the highest tire wear on the calendar.

Will a new winner emerge Sunday night to punch their ticket to the playoffs? Here’s what you need to know ahead of the Cook Out Southern 500:

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Darlington start?

The Cook Out Southern 500 starts at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Darlington on?

USA Network is broadcasting the Cook Out Southern 500 with a pre-race show starting at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Darlington?

The Cook Out Southern 500 can be live streamed on the NBCSports website and the NBC Sports app. The race is also available to stream on Fubo.

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Darlington?

The Cook Out Southern 500 is 367 laps around the 1.366-mile track for a total of 501.322 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) – Stage 1: 115 laps; Stage 2: 115 laps; Stage 3: 137 laps.

Who won the most recent NASCAR Cup races at Darlington?

Last year, the Cook Out Southern 500 marked the opening round of the Cup Series playoffs. Kyle Larson led the final 55 laps to take the win over Reddick and Buescher.

Which drivers have already clinched berths in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs?

Drivers can clinch a playoff spot with a regular season victory. Thirteen drivers have done so through last week in Daytona:

William Byron (Daytona 500, EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, Cook Out 400)
Daniel Suárez (Ambetter Health 400)
Kyle Larson (Pennzoil 400, AdventHealth 400, Toyota/Save Mart 350, Brickyard 400)
Christopher Bell (Shriners Children’s 500, Coca-Cola 600, USA Today 301)
Denny Hamlin (Food City 500, Toyota Owners 400, Würth 400)
Chase Elliott (Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400)
Tyler Reddick (GEICO 500, FireKeepers Casino 400)
Brad Keselowski (Goodyear 400)
Austin Cindric (Enjoy Illinois 300)
Ryan Blaney (Iowa Corn 350, Great American Getaway 400)
Joey Logano (Ally 400)
Alex Bowman (Grant Park 165)
Harrison Burton (Coke Zero Sugar 400)

NOTE: Austin Dillon won the Aug. 11 race at Richmond Raceway but NASCAR stripped him of an automatic playoff berth after reviewing the final lap of the race, and communication from the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 team. Dillon wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap before taking the checkered flag. An appeals panel upheld the penalty.

What is the lineup for the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington?

1. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, Toyota
2. Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
3. Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
4. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
5. Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
6. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, Toyota
7. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Ford
8. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
9. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
10. Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, Ford
11. Austin Cindric, Team Penske, Ford
12. Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, Ford
13. Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
14. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
15. Josh Berry, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
16. Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
17. Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
18. John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy Motor Club, Toyota
19. Corey Lajoie, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
20. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
21. Justin Haley, Rick Ware Racing, Chevrolet
22. Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet
23. Joey Logano, Team Penske, Ford
24. Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford
25. Daniel Hemric, Kaulig Racing, Chevrolet
26. Zane Smith, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
27. Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
28. Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club, Toyota
29. Noah Gragson, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
30. Ryan Preece, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
31. Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
32. Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet
33. Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
34. Shane van Gisbergen, Kaulig Racing, Chevrolet
35. Kaz Grala, Rick Ware Racing, Chevrolet
36. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet
37. Timmy Hill, Power Source, Ford

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NEW YORK – For the next week, a more appropriate name for the U.S. Open would be the US Opportunity.

With the stunning early exits by No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz and No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic on back-to-back days, the men’s draw has been turned upside down.

If you’ve been paying close attention, it’s probably not a huge surprise. After winning the French Open, Wimbledon and then getting to the finals of the Olympics, Alcaraz was predictably out of gas. After targeting an Olympic gold medal to complete his career trophy case and then pulling it off in improbable fashion, the 37-year-old Djokovic didn’t figure to be sharp in New York. And he wasn’t, losing in the third round to Alexei Popyrin.

It leaves a final 16 with only one former U.S. Open champion in No. 5 seed Daniil Medvedev and just one other Grand Slam champion in No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner. With those two on track to meet in the quarterfinals, there’s going to be a huge opportunity for the rest of the field to snag a major title.

“Alcaraz is out, I’m out, some big upsets, the draw is opening up,” Djokovic said. “Obviously Sinner is the main favorite but … you have great guys playing well. Anybody can take it. It’s going to be interesting to see.”

Indeed, Sinner looks like a strong favorite to win his first U.S. Open and sweep the two hard-court Grand Slams this year. After dropping the first set of the tournament against Mackenzie McDonald, the 23-year-old Italian has been pretty much untouchable.

But if not Sinner, then who? Here’s our ranking of the other 15 remaining men based on their likelihood of winning the tournament.

1. Alexander Zverev

The 27-year-old German is arguably the best player in the history of men’s tennis not to win a major. But he’s certainly had his chances: In the 2020 U.S. Open final, he won the first two sets against Dominic Thiem before collapsing, and at the 2024 French Open, he was one set away against Alcaraz before losing in five.

Zverev’s nerve management at the end of a Grand Slam will be a question mark until he finally wins one. But he’s the best player on the bottom half of the draw, and maybe this is his time.

2. Daniil Medvedev

Despite a series of substandard results since Wimbledon, Medvedev loves it here. He has made three of the last five US Open finals and played dominant tennis when he rolled to the title in 2021. Medvedev has a truly favorable draw to get to yet another final – but only if he can beat Sinner, which has been a huge challenge for him over the last year.

After winning their first six meetings, Medvedev lost the next five – including this year’s Australian Open final. But Medvedev managed to turn the tables in the Wimbledon quarters, playing a tremendous match to win in five.

3. Taylor Fritz

The American has been all business through the first three rounds, including a highly impressive 6-3, 7-6, 6-1 victory over former top-10 Matteo Berrettini, who was unseeded after an injury-plagued year but had been in good form coming into New York.

Fritz is serving really well and has reached the quarterfinals in three of the last four majors. The next step is to break through to a semifinal, and if he can get that done – potentially against Zverev in the quarters – it might unlock a new level to his confidence.

4. Frances Tiafoe

Nobody on the men’s side gets more crowd support here than Frances Tiafoe. After spending much of the last year in a strange mental funk, Big Foe started to turn things around this summer and has looked like his old self on the hard courts. Though Tiafoe only has three ATP titles on his resume, all at the 250 level, he seems to play at least a few notches above that in New York and came very close to winning this title in 2022 when he took Alcaraz to five sets in the semifinals.

Tiafoe will face Popyrin on Sunday night with another huge crowd behind him in Arthur Ashe Stadium. How will he react now that the draw has opened up a little bit and he’s suddenly one of the favorites?

5. Casper Ruud

The 2022 US Open finalist hasn’t been very good or healthy in this portion of the year, but he seems to be playing his way back into shape. His matchup against Fritz on Sunday afternoon should be one of the best of the tournament. Ruud is 2-0 against Fritz, but they’ve never played on an outdoor hard court, a surface that should slightly favor the American.

6. Tommy Paul

Paul’s chances would rate considerably higher if not for having arguably the toughest path left to the title. He’s got to get through Sinner in the round of 16, then likely Medvedev, to reach his second Grand Slam semifinal. But at age 27, Paul has become consistent enough that winning a major no longer seems out of his reach. It might take a perfect set of circumstances, but he’s got the all-court game and the athleticism to do it.  

7. Andrey Rublev

The emotionally volatile Russian has made 10 Grand Slam quarterfinals but zero semifinals. If not now, when? Rublev is 4-1 on outdoor hard courts against his good buddy Grigor Dimitrov, whom he’ll face on Sunday. And if he can get by that one, he should be favored on paper against either Tiafoe or Popyrin. Having said that, Rublev’s game is just straight-ahead power off the ground and his lack of variety – plus a questionable second serve – typically puts a ceiling on him in the latter stages of the majors.

8. Jack Draper

It’s nice to see the 22-year-old Brit with a big game start to put it together after a slow start to his Grand Slam career. Having said that, Draper’s draw has been pretty soft thus far, including an easy third-round win against Botic van de Zandschulp when he was slated to play Alcaraz. Draper gets another great matchup in the round of 16 against No. 39 Tomas Machac and could also be favored in the quarterfinals. It just feels like winning the title is one step further than he’s ready for right now.

9. Alexei Popyrin

Conquering Djokovic was a big moment in his career, but not necessarily bigger than winning the Canadian Masters earlier this month. Popyrin has big weapons, but this is the first time he’s ever been past the third round of a Grand Slam.

10. Alex de Minaur

The issue for de Minaur, ranked No. 10, is the hip injury he suffered at Wimbledon that forced him to withdraw from the quarterfinals. Though he’s managed to get through three rounds of the Open, he is not 100% and has talked about having to play a little differently to protect the hip. At some point, that’s probably going to catch up to him. But if healthy, the ultra-consistent de Minaur would be an intriguing long shot to win his first major here.

11. Grigor Dimitrov

Dimitrov winning the US Open at age 33, many years after he was anointed a future Grand Slam champion, would be a sweet story. It’s just not a likely one, despite the fact Dimitrov has played some of his best tennis over the last year or so. Maintaining his mental focus for seven rounds in the majors has always been a challenge.

12. Brandon Nakashima

He’s had an amazing tournament so far, including a third-round upset over Lorenzo Musetti. But that’s where it probably ends for the 23-year-old American, who has to play Zverev next.

13. Jordan Thompson

The veteran Aussie is having his best year on tour, reaching a career-high ranking of No. 30 earlier this month. He’s pretty dangerous on a fast hard court, but this is just the second time he’s been to the fourth round in 37 career Slams.

14. Tomas Machac

Notched a very impressive straight-sets win over No. 16 seed Sebastian Korda in the second round to open up his path to the second week of the tournament. It wouldn’t be a shock at this point if he made the semifinals in the most wide-open part of the draw, but that’s as far as it will go.

15. Nuno Borges

After pulling out a tough five-setter against Czech teenage phenom Jakub Mensik, Borges remarkably now finds himself in a second Grand Slam round of 16 this year. Given that the 27-year-old Borges started the year No. 66 in the world, it’s a huge accomplishment that he’ll leave New York with a new career-high ranking of around No. 30. Regardless of what else happens, that’s a great result.

The WNBA season is coming down the homestretch, and seven teams are fighting for the remaining three postseason spots, including the Indiana Fever (16-16), who will hit the road to take on the Dallas Wings (9-22) on Sunday.

Both teams have won three games in a row coming into Sunday’s matchup, and the Fever is currently in the sixth spot in the standings with eight games left in the regular season.

The last time the teams played in the final game before the Olympic break on July 17, the Wings came away with a 101-93 win. Odyssey Sims and Arike Ogunbowale each scored 24 points for Dallas, and Indiana rookie guard Caitlin Clark also had 24 points and 19 assists, setting a new single-game WNBA record.

Here’s everything you need to know about Clark and the Fever playing the Wings:

When is Indiana Fever vs. Dallas Wings?

Date: Sunday, Sept. 1
Start time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: College Park Center, Arlington, Texas

How to watch Caitlin Clark and Fever vs. Wings

Television: NBA TV (national); Bally Sports Southwest Extra, Bally Sports Indiana (local)
Live stream: WNBA League Pass, Fubo (free trial)

Upon its conclusion, the contest will also be available on WNBA League Pass, which fans can get by downloading the WNBA app.

Caitlin Clark stats last game

Clark solidified her Rookie of the Year frontrunner status with a career-high 31 points and 12 assists in a 100-81 rout over the Chicago Sky on Friday. She has three games in 2024 with at least 25 points and 10 assists, the most in a season in WNBA history.

Clark is averaging 18.4 points, a league-leading 8.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 32 games this season.

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The score gave Texas a 45-0 lead with 2:23 left in the third quarter. Earlier on the same the drive, Manning hit receiver Johntay Cook II for a 40-yard gain.

On his next drive, Manning added a 1-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 52-0.

The redshirt freshman appeared in just two games last season, making his debut in the regular-season finale against Texas Tech. Manning is part of the famous football Manning clan, as the eldest son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of Hall of Famer Archie Manning, and the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning.

Ewers was 20-of-27 passing for 260 yards with three touchdowns and an interception before exiting.

NEW YORK – The U.S. Open is often a tournament where the grind of a long tennis season shows up and some of the top players struggle to get to the second week.

But this year, the women’s draw has had a pretty consistent theme: The best players for most of this year have been the best players in New York.

Not only have six of the top seven seeds reached the round of 16 – the exception being No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina, who withdrew from the second round due to injury – but also other in-form players like former No. 2 Paula Badosa, rising star Diana Shnaider and recent Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic have all advanced.

It sets up an enticing second week, where as many as 10 players have a realistic chance to take home the trophy.

Here are the five must-watch matches of the fourth round on Sunday and Monday.

Coco Gauff vs. Emma Navarro

Even though Navarro is three years older, she feels like the newcomer in the latter stages of Grand Slams. Just three years removed from winning the NCAA singles championship at Virginia, Navarro has quickly made her way to No. 12 in the world with a 48-19 record this year. And she got her most important win thus far at Gauff’s expense in the Wimbledon round of 16, outplaying her by a wide margin in a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Gauff struggled to maintain her patience and composure that day, but the U.S. Open should be a more favorable environment for her. She’s the defending champion, after all, and competes extremely hard in Arthur Ashe Stadium regardless of how she’s playing. The question is Gauff’s current level. Even in her 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Elina Svitolina on Friday, there were stretches of questionable play. She’s going to have to be a lot cleaner to beat Navarro, who is exceptionally fit and just doesn’t miss a lot of balls.

Zheng Qinwen vs. Donna Vekic

These two played just a few weeks ago for the gold medal in Paris, with Zheng prevailing 6-2, 6-3. Life has been a whirlwind for Zheng since then, including a big trip back to China before heading to North America. In some ways, it’s surprising she had enough in the tank just to reach the second week here. But after needing three sets to get through two of those matches, how much further can she push it?

This looks like a really good spot for Vekic to turn the tables, as she’s rolled through the first three rounds without dropping a set. Vekic has had a pretty spectacular summer, reaching the Wimbledon semifinals before the Olympics.

Jessica Pegula vs. Diana Shnaider

Pegula’s 0-6 record in Grand Slam quarterfinals is the only sore spot in a career that has wildly exceeded expectations. Though she’d love to end that narrative in the U.S. Open, Pegula is going to face a huge test on Monday against Shnaider, who has already won three WTA titles this year at age 20.

Shnaider, a Russian whose trademark is covering her hair with a bandanna on the court, first landed on the radar after winning a round in the 2023 Australian Open but deciding to attend NC State for one semester rather than immediately turning pro.

Since joining the tour full time, Shnaider has been sensational, winning titles this year on hard court, grass and clay. This is her first real run in a Grand Slam, but there are certainly going to be many more. Shnaider has a big game, but how will it hold up under pressure against an experienced player like Pegula who is good at absorbing pace in baseline rallies?

Karolina Muchova vs. Jasmine Paolini

This one is for the hardcore tennis fans. Muchova has had a star-crossed career, with injuries derailing her seemingly every time she’s about to ascend to the top of the sport. Paolini, after several years where she just wasn’t really a factor at all in big tournaments, is suddenly in the mix everywhere and made back-to-back finals this summer at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Whereas Paolini is an effervescent ball of energy on the court, Muchova is a smooth operator who probably possesses more shot variety than any player in women’s tennis. It says a lot about Muchova’s talent that after missing more than nine months due to wrist surgery, she’s contending in just her sixth tournament back. Muchova lost to Gauff in last year’s semifinals.

Iga Swiatek vs. Liudmila Samsonova

The two matches they played in 2023 weren’t competitive, with Swiatek winning both easily. But Samsonova is, at least in theory, the type of player who gives her problems: A big hitter who can make Swiatek uncomfortable by taking away her time to set up on the baseline. On the other hand, Samsonova is pretty streaky so it’s hard to know whether you’re getting the good version or the wildly inaccurate version on any given day.

Despite being No. 1 by a considerable margin, Swiatek has had a rough year in the Grand Slams outside of Roland Garros, which she won for a fourth time. After third-round exits in Australia and at Wimbledon, there’s some pressure on Swiatek to post another deep run before the year ends.

The University of Miami’s opening touchdown Saturday was nearly a decade in the making. 

Cam McCormick’s ninth season of college football got off to a fairytale start after the tight end scored the Hurricanes’ first touchdown of the 2024 season during Miami’s season opener against Florida.

McCormick, 26, caught a 9-yard pass from Cam Ward to give the Hurricanes an early first-quarter lead over the Gators. 

The touchdown is just the fifth of McCormick’s career since he first enrolled in college at Oregon in 2016. It is also McCormick’s first for Miami since he transferred from Oregon ahead of the 2023 season. 

The NCAA granted McCormick his ninth year of eligibility after he suffered season-ending ankle and Achilles injuries in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

No excusing Georgia football’s offseason arrests, but the culture of Kirby Smart’s program remains one of winning.
Georgia improved to 47-2 in its last 49 games after thumping Clemson. Yeah, culture is fine.
Trevor Etienne didn’t play for Georgia against Clemson after offseason driving arrest.

ATLANTA – Reports of Georgia’s supposed culture problem were greatly exaggerated or pure fiction. Nothing but hot air, all that huff and puff about Georgia’s string of offseason arrests pointing to a program in disarray.

How to sum up Georgia’s culture? In a word: Winning.

Same as it’s been.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart opts for a different word to describe the health of his program’s culture.

“Awesome,” Smart said of Georgia’s culture, after his No. 1-ranked Bulldogs wrecked No. 14 Clemson 34-3 on Saturday.

Awesome second-half performance, too, inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Speaking of fast cars, Georgia’s multi-year stretch of reckless and high-speed driving incidents are a serious matter. There’s nothing smart or safe about hopping behind the wheel of a road racer and driving like a fool.

But, what’s a Dodge Charger’s speedometer got to do with third-down execution?

I’ll sum it up like this: Arrests, bad. Georgia football, good. Very good.

The testosterone-fueled guy I’d want stopping an opponent in the red zone isn’t necessarily the same guy I’d desire behind the wheel of my postgame Uber.

The Bulldogs speed their way through the offseason, they navigate arrests, and then they perform as a united front and hammer opponents.

Georgia improved to 47-2 in its last 49 games.

Culture’s fine, folks.

Smart’s chief responsibility is winning, but he can succeed while disciplining stupidity. That’s the beauty of building a roster full of blue-chippers.

Georgia, this offseason, dismissed wide receiver Rara Thomas after police arrested Thomas on multiple counts of family battery and a felony count of child cruelty.

Running back Trevor Etienne didn’t play Saturday after his summer arrest on suspicion of driving intoxicated. That DUI charge got dismissed when Etienne pleaded no contest to reckless driving and underage possession of alcohol.

Georgia’s discipline of Thomas and Etienne needed to happen. Young adults must learn actions have consequences. The worst of all came in 2023, when Georgia player Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in a high-speed crash. LeCroy was driving intoxicated.

Several of Etienne’s teammates also were arrested for driving incidents this offseason. With Etienne reduced to spectator status, Georgia still outmanned Clemson at every position.

Georgia’s performance suggested a program in bloom, not a program in turmoil.

There are those who’d like to believe a fairytale that model citizens make the best players. Reality is more complex for a sport with rosters numbering more than 100 athletes. Some star players would be worthy nominees for a citizenship award. Others make dumb decisions off the field. And some players are great fellas but couldn’t stop a blitzing linebacker with a club.

Georgia recruits studs who relish winning and buy into their coach’s message. That never changed.

“I wish you could talk to our players,” Smart said. “I wish you could live in there and see all our guys day to day. … What you know on the inside is a lot more than what people can paint pictures to be outside.”

I did talk to Georgia’s players. Unsurprisingly, they took up for the program’s culture.

“Our culture is very based on brotherhood and connection. There’s a lot of that,” junior wide receiver Dillon Bell said. “I don’t know why people would question our culture. Our culture is really good. We’re all connected.”

The Bulldogs take their cues from Smart, a motivational maestro and a pied piper. Smart could persuade his disciples to believe water is not, in fact, wet.

These Bulldogs remain cohesive, and critical offseason headlines will fade into in-season back-claps for a program that wields frontrunner status.

“There’s going to be people who say stuff, this and that,” sophomore linebacker CJ Allen, “but that just brings us closer together.”

I wouldn’t want to share the road in Athens with Georgia athletes who throw caution into the wind.

I also wouldn’t want to be the opponent facing a loaded Georgia program armed with a winning culture that survives the turmoil.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

Subscribe to read all of his columns. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, and newsletter, SEC Unfiltered.