With all of the discussion, from advocates and dissenters alike, surrounding the NASCAR Cup Series' postseason format, what better venue to make everyone happy than by starting the Round of 16 on one of the few legendary tracks in the final 10 races?

That would be demanding Darlington Raceway's 1.366-mile egg-shaped track, the sport's oldest superspeedway, where Sunday night's Cook Out Southern 500 in Darlington, S.C., will go down.

Denny Hamlin kicked off the playoffs Saturday morning by grabbing the Busch Light Pole by beating out teammate Chase Briscoe in qualifying.

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota racer toured the track at 171.381 mph for his second career Darlington pole after capturing his first in 2018. Briscoe's No. 19 turned a lap of 171.255 at the tough superspeedway.

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