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Non-Chase Drivers Focus On Different Approach For Cook Out Southern 500

by racerx55 September 6, 2026 0 comments

By Matthew Thomerson/TheFourthTurn.com

DARLINGTON, SC – For the drivers who missed out on making the run for a championship, there’s a different mindset heading into the last 10 weeks, starting at Darlington Raceway.

Daytona was the last race before the reset, and after some theatrics, Ryan Preece defied the odds and won his way traditionally into a chance at a NASCAR Cup Series title. It wasn’t solely his win that left some heavy hitters out; a lot of big names didn’t make it, including some former champions and even race winners this season.

None more surprising or heartbreaking than Shane van Gisbergen, who was above the cutline for much of the season, including being up 31 points entering Daytona, only to fall out from Preece’s victory. For van Gisbergen, this was a bit of a smack to the face, so to speak, as the two-time winner this season definitely had real expectations that he too would be fighting for a title come Labor Day weekend.

“Congrats to the 60, but one night doesn’t sum up our year,” van Gisbergen said after Daytona. “I guess we haven’t been good enough. It’s been cool to be close. Yeah, shame we’re not in it. Bits of it were good, as a team obviously we struggled. I’m proud that I’ve been able to match my teammates on the ovals. I think I’ve stepped up this year. But yeah, obviously you want to be in that Chase. Didn’t make it.”  

So now he and the others will shift their outlook and try to do as much as they can to finish out the season, and maybe even disrupt the title contenders and some narratives as well. What could that look like for van Gisbergen now that he’s seen the reality after Daytona?

“I don’t know, I haven’t really thought like that,” van Gisbergen said. “I’ve been pissed off all week. Yeah, I guess we just got to make the most of it, just keep building, keep getting good results, and we have potential, yeah we just need to put things together and not do desperate things now even though we have nothing to lose, we still want to get good results and keep 17th in the points.” 

Another big name that missed the cut was 2012 Cup Champion Brad Keselowski, who was already well behind entering Daytona and then was mathematically eliminated shortly after the race began. As a team owner with two cars in the top-16, it could certainly be worse, but Keselowski is a veteran who expects championship-contending results. The driver of the No. 6 Ford for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing is more focused on the here and now at Darlington and trying to get a win.

“Well, I look at Darlington, I want to win it,” Keselowski said. “It’s the Southern 500, It’s a big race, it’s a crown jewel of our sport, I’m not just caught up in counting points along the way but I’m still competing and that’s one of the things that makes the NASCAR postseason format; chase format unique to other sports is that the other teams are still involved that aren’t necessarily competing for the championship but there’s still a lot to race for it pays a lot of money to win this race, really cool trophy, I’ve got my name on it once and like to have it on their twice.” 

One of the more intriguing stories from outside the cutline during the first 26 races was Erik Jones and Legacy Motor Club, who at one point saw themselves inside the top-16 with strong runs during the early summer stretch. Some bad races late in the going ultimately kept them out of it, but now the veteran driver is looking to focus forward entering Darlington. Jones doesn’t think much will change for his team outside of approaching stages a bit differently.

“I mean now the only thing that’s going to change maybe is there’s no point in us going for stage points we’re just gonna try to finish as good as we can every week so you know looking at the tracks ahead there’s not a ton of calls in there that will maybe lead us that way that’ll change our strategy but that’s going to be the only real change for us.” 

The Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will broadcast live on the USA Network at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Photo Credit: Hunter Thomas/TheFourthTurn.com