In a race where several drivers will take their final shot at making the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Bubba Wallace and Carson Hocevar -- both nearly in must-win situations -- are the class of the field in qualifying.
Wallace, driving the No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing, won the pole on Saturday, his third in the NASCAR Cup Series. The Mobile, Alabama-native enters Sunday's event 21 points below the cutline.
Starting alongside him will be rookie driver Carson Hocevar, who earned his best-ever start and the best-ever start for Spire Motorsports in second place. Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson, and Martin Truex, Jr. completed the top-five.
Cook Out Southern 500 Starting Lineup:
| Row | Pos | No. | Driver | Group | Time | Speed |
| ROW 1 | 1 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | A | 29.421 | 167.146 |
| ROW 1 | 2 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | B | 29.445 | 167.010 |
| ROW 2 | 3 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | B | 29.576 | 166.270 |
| ROW 2 | 4 | 5 | Kyle Larson | A | 29.444 | 167.015 |
| ROW 3 | 5 | 19 | Martin Truex, Jr. | B | 29.582 | 166.236 |
| ROW 3 | 6 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | A | 29.446 | 167.004 |
| ROW 4 | 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | B | 29.617 | 166.04 |
| ROW 4 | 8 | 24 | William Byron | A | 29.528 | 166.540 |
| ROW 5 | 9 | 20 | Christopher Bell | B | 29.670 | 165.743 |
| ROW 5 | 10 | 17 | Chris Buescher | A | 29.650 | 165.855 |
| ROW 6 | 11 | 2 | Austin Cindric | B | 29.444 | 167.015 |
| ROW 6 | 12 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | A | 29.624 | 166.001 |
| ROW 7 | 13 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | B | 29.472 | 166.857 |
| ROW 7 | 14 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | A | 29.649 | 165.861 |
| ROW 8 | 15 | 4 | Josh Berry | B | 29.509 | 166.647 |
| ROW 8 | 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | A | 29.670 | 165.743 |
| ROW 9 | 17 | 8 | Kyle Busch | B | 29.531 | 166.523 |
| ROW 9 | 18 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | A | 29.696 | 165.598 |
| ROW 10 | 19 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | B | 29.534 | 166.506 |
| ROW 10 | 20 | 9 | Chase Elliott | A | 29.791 | 165.070 |
| ROW 11 | 21 | 51 | Justin Haley | B | 29.538 | 166.484 |
| ROW 11 | 22 | 1 | Ross Chastain | A | 29.806 | 164.987 |
| ROW 12 | 23 | 22 | Joey Logano | B | 29.563 | 166.343 |
| ROW 12 | 24 | 21 | Harrison Burton | A | 29.849 | 164.749 |
| ROW 13 | 25 | 31 | Daniel Hemric | B | 29.571 | 166.298 |
| ROW 13 | 26 | 71 | Zane Smith | A | 29.852 | 164.733 |
| ROW 14 | 27 | 48 | Alex Bowman | B | 29.601 | 166.13 |
| ROW 14 | 28 | 43 | Erik Jones | A | 29.925 | 164.331 |
| ROW 15 | 29 | 10 | Noah Gragson | B | 29.632 | 165.956 |
| ROW 15 | 30 | 41 | Ryan Preece | A | 29.981 | 164.024 |
| ROW 16 | 31 | 34 | Michael McDowell | B | 29.653 | 165.838 |
| ROW 16 | 32 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | A | 30.015 | 163.838 |
| ROW 17 | 33 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | B | 29.853 | 164.727 |
| ROW 17 | 34 | 16 | Shane Van Gisbergen | A | 30.267 | 162.474 |
| ROW 18 | 35 | 15 | Kaz Grala | B | 30.142 | 163.148 |
| ROW 18 | 36 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | A | -- | -- |
| ROW 19 | 37 | 66 | Timmy Hill | B | 31.296 | 157.132 |