NASCAR Weekend Preview: Darlington
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[September 04, 2020]
After 26 weeks establishing the
ultimate competitive groove and seeing the sport's best raise their
game, the NASCAR Cup Series begins its 10-week Playoff run Sunday
night in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (6
p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
It's hard to imagine a way to top last week's regular-season finale
on the Daytona high banks ,with 22-year-old William Byron scoring
his first career win and ensuring his Playoff position in a
dramatic, high-action, high-stakes 400-mile run.
But fans can expect that same intensity as teams start a
championship push this weekend on one of the series' most venerable
and similarly unpredictable venues, the 1.366-mile Darlington oval.
The Playoff standings have been re-set and the drivers have been
re-seeded based on Playoff points earned to date. Regular season
champion Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
Ford, takes a slim 10-point advantage over Denny Hamlin, driver of
the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, into the opening event of the
first three-race elimination Playoff format.
Eleven drivers start the Playoffs having earned a victory:
seven-race winner Harvick, six-race winner Hamlin, three-race winner
Brad Keselowski, two-race winners Joey Logano and Chase Elliott and
one-race winners Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Byron,
Austin Dillon and rookie Cole Custer.
The remainder of the 16-driver Playoff field was based on points
gained and includes Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Kurt
Busch and Matt DiBenedetto.
There are six former NASCAR Cup Series champions in the group --
Harvick, Keselowski, Logano, Truex, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch, the
2019 champion and only two-time champ (also 2015) in the field.
Among the 16 drivers, only five have ever won a Cup race at
Darlington previously. Hamlin (three) and Harvick (two) are the only
multi-time winners. Keselowski, Truex and Kyle Busch also have past
victories. Hamlin and Harvick both won races there this Spring as
the sport returned to competition after time off during the COVID-19
pandemic.
Counting Xfinity Series wins at the track, too, Hamlin has an
impressive five more trophies. Kyle Busch has two and Keselowski and
Elliott have each won one Xfinity Series race there as well.
This week the full Playoff field conducted national media interviews
offering their predictions going forward -- about the races
themselves and the drivers to beat. There was a general agreement on
both Harvick and Hamlin's amazing pace on the season and that they
were absolutely the teams to beat. The pair have won half of the 26
races -- Harvick seven and Hamlin six -- and this weekend, return to
a venue where they have both already won this season. The big
question may be which two drivers join them to settle the title Nov.
8 at Phoenix.
The three-race first round of the Playoff takes place on an
assortment of NASCAR's most challenging facilities -- from a
Darlington track nicknamed "Too Tough To Tame" to the unpredictable
three-quarter-mile Richmond (Va.) Raceway, to the famously wide-open
Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway half-miler. The four drivers with the
lowest point total after the Sept. 19 Bristol race will be
eliminated from the title run.
Among the Playoff drivers, Harvick, Hamlin and Kyle Busch are the
only drivers with previous wins at all three of the opening-round
tracks. Hamlin's three at Darlington are most there among the
Playoff contingent. Kyle Busch leads the drivers in wins at Richmond
(six) and Bristol (eight).
"What a terrific Playoff schedule, much better than any format I
think we've seen to date with respect to the schedule, so I'm really
pleased to see our sport make those kind of adjustments," said
Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.
"Looking at the first round, the first round is your tried and true
NASCAR tracks. Darlington, South Carolina, tough track, 500 miles,
one of your most historical events in all sports. And then you throw
in there, Richmond, which is again back to one of the more
traditional short tracks, beating and banging NASCAR races. And then
Bristol.
"That first round is a power round with tracks that I think should
have been in the Playoffs since Day One and I'm glad they are in
there now."
Always a big topic, but never more so than this year, is the group
of drivers that is likely to be eliminated after the opening round.
This is the lowest Kyle Busch has been ranked entering the Playoffs
in this format. He's had a well-documented frustrating year, going
winless. His 13 top-10 finishes are notable considering he had 27
last year and 28 in 2018.
In fact, his championship-winning victory in the 2019 season finale
at Homestead, Fla., is his only win in the last 47 races. He has won
at least one race by the 26th week of the season every other year of
his 16-year fulltime career.
And despite the frustration he's faced in 2020, Busch remains very
much a contender, if you ask his competition.
"Maybe you'd consider the 18 (a dark horse)," Blaney said Wednesday,
noting that he's certainly not counting Busch out. "Those guys on
that team, the Gibbs organization has been really strong.
"I'm gonna be selfish and say I think our group has been check-boxed
as a dark-horse team by a lot of people. Anybody can do it. The 11
(Hamlin) and 4 (Harvick) have been good all year, but there are a
bunch of other teams that can step up and have really good rounds.
... I think anybody can," said Blaney.
XFINITY KICKS OFF THE WEEKEND
With four races remaining to set the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series
Playoff field, this Saturday's Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at
Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (12:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM
NASCAR Radio) may be one of the most pivotal afternoons of the late
season.
Darlington, with all its nuances and unpredictability, is typically
considered a season wildcard event. And the final points position in
the 12-driver Playoff field is as close-quartered competitively as
the cars will be on the 1.366-mile historic track this weekend.
Only one fulltime Xfinity Series driver, Stewart-Haas Racing's Chase
Briscoe, has won previously at Darlington. Briscoe scored the
victory this May in a race that wasn't originally on the schedule
for Darlington, but was added as NASCAR carefully reopened its
season in South Carolina during the COVID-19 situation.
The race featured a very competitive battle among Briscoe, who led
45 laps, Kyle Busch, who led 45 laps and Briscoe's fellow Xfinity
fulltime driver Noah Gragson, who led a race high 46 laps and won
Stage 1.
Interestingly, half the current Playoff-eligible field earned their
best Darlington finishes this Spring, from current points leader
Austin Cindric (fourth in May) to Gragson (fifth), to veteran Justin
Allgaier (third) to Ross Chastain (eighth).
The uptick in finish is perhaps a very encouraging sign for
Chastain, who is ranked third in points earned, but eighth in the
Playoff adjustment -- best among drivers still looking for their
first win of 2020. Not only did Chastain earn his best Darlington
finish this May, the track was the site of a superb showing in 2018
-- even if the 25th-place finish didn't properly reflect the effort.
In September 2018 while driving a short schedule of races for Chip
Ganassi, Chastain won the pole position and led a dominant 90 of the
opening 112 laps of the 147-lap Darlington race -- winning both the
opening two stages. But while racing veteran Kevin Harvick for the
lead on lap 111, the two collided, ending Harvick's day and
derailing any hope of Chastain earning his first career Xfinity
Series win. That would come two weeks later, however, driving
Ganassi's car to a victory in Las Vegas.
With the near-miss in 2018 and a career-best finish this Spring,
Chastain -- who now drives the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, is
undoubtedly eager to see if Darlington can be his first victory
venue of the 2020 season.
Certainly a victory this week would boost the Playoff hopes for
Brandon Brown and Jeremy Clements, too, who are separated by only 32
points contesting that final 12th-place points position. Brown, the
driver of the No. 68 family-owned Chevrolet, scored his best finish
(13th) in four Darlington starts this May. That was one position
behind Clements in his family-owned No. 51 Chevrolet.
Clements has 10 starts at the track, earning his only top 10 (eighth
place) in 2016. Brown is still looking for his first top 10.
Justin Haley will be starting from pole position alongside Briscoe.
Championship leader Cindric will start fourth. Clements will start
13th and Brown will start 17th.
THE GANDER TRUCKS RETURN
The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series will hold its first
race at the historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in nearly a decade
with Sunday afternoon's South Carolina Education Lottery 200 (2 p.m.
ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Not only will drivers be tasked with figuring out the notorious
Darlington oval without any practice, they will be doing so with
Playoff implications on the line. Only two races remain to set the
10-driver championship-eligible field for the 2020 Playoff run.
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There are no former winners in the field. The last to drive a truck
to Darlington's Victory Lane was Kasey Kahne in 2011. In six Gander
RV & Outdoors Truck Series races at Darlington (from 2005-11), four
were won by Dodge and two by Toyota.
In 2011 -- the last truck race at Darlington -- the average age of
nine of the top-10 drivers currently in the championship standings
was 13.9 years old. Sheldon Creed, for example, who has a
series-best three wins, was only 14 in 2011. Tyler Ankrum, who is
ranked ninth in the standings, was only 10 when Kahne was
celebrating his run at Darlington.
Of the current top-10 in the standings, only reigning champion Matt
Crafton has raced a truck at Darlington previously. He has four
top-10 finishes in six starts with a career best of fourth place in
2011. Another veteran, Johnny Sauter, who is also still hoping to
race into Playoff contention, has two previous Darlington starts
with a best of fourth place in 2010.
It all creates a distinctive feel of intrigue and intensity -- a new
venue at a must-win time for so many of the competitors with only
two races remaining in the regular season.
Creed's victory at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway last
week certainly had big Playoff implications. It was his third win of
the season (and his career), the most among the full-timers to date,
placing him as the current top-seeded driver. His good day, however,
was Todd Gilliland's bad day and the two were intertwined.
Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford, led a
race-high 75 laps and scored key points winning both Stage 1 and
Stage 2. But he was wiped out of contention by Creed as the two
contended for the lead early in the third stage. Gilliland was able
to continue racing, but finished 24th and now sits on the Playoff
bubble, only 13 points to the Playoff-eligible good over 11th place
Derek Kraus.
It puts a lot of pressure on the Darlington outcome for both.
For the last eight races, Gilliland, 20, has alternated between a
top-10 finish and a result of 20th or worse. In the last four races,
for example, Gilliland was fifth at Michigan and then 33rd the next
race at the Daytona Road Course. He was fourth at Dover, Del., and
then 24th last week at Gateway. It has all resulted in a perilous
points position with just that 13-point cushion on Kraus with
Darlington and then the Richmond (Va.) Raceway short track to decide
which 10 drivers qualify for the Playoffs.
Moffitt and Creed will start Sunday's race from the front row,
followed by Hill and Smith in row 2.
NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Cook Out Southern 500
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Sunday, September 6
The Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN, 5:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 501.3 miles (367 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 115),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 230), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 367)
What To Watch For: Darlington Raceway is the fourth different track
to host the first race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs; joining
New Hampshire (2004-2010), Chicagoland (2011-2017) and Las Vegas
(2018-2019). ... Prior to the 2020 season, Darlington Raceway had
hosted just one other Playoff race, the penultimate event in the
inaugural Playoffs in 2004. The race was won by seven-time series
champion and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson. ... Joe
Gibbs Racing's Martin Truex Jr. (2016, 2017, 2019) and Team Penske's
Brad Keselowski (2012, 2014, 2018) lead the series in Playoff opener
wins with three each. ... No non-Playoff driver has ever won the
opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. ... This weekend,
Darlington Raceway will become just the second track in the NASCAR
Cup Series Modern Era (1972-Present) to have the series compete in
points-paying races more than twice in a single season; joining
Riverside International Raceway in 1981 (three races). Darlington
hosted its first two events of 2020 on May 17 (won by Kevin Harvick)
and May 20 (won by Denny Hamlin). ... Darlington Raceway has hosted
a total of 118 NASCAR Cup Series races producing 51 different pole
winners and 51 different race winners. ... The first NASCAR Cup
Series race held in the state of South Carolina was at Darlington
Raceway on Sept. 4, 1950 -- the event was won by Johnny Mantz in a
Plymouth. ... NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the series in
victories at Darlington with 10 wins (1968, '70, '72, '73, '74, '76
sweep, '77, '79, 80); followed by Dale Earnhardt with nine and Jeff
Gordon with seven. ... Jimmie Johnson (2004 sweep, 2012) and Denny
Hamlin (2010, 2017, 2020) lead all active drivers in victories at
Darlington with three wins each. ... Eight former Darlington Cup
winners are entered this weekend -- Johnson (three), Hamlin (three),
Kevin Harvick (two), Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, Kyle
Busch and Martin Truex Jr. (each have one). ... The youngest series
Darlington winner is Erik Jones (9/1/2019) at the age of 22 years,
11 months, 2 days and the oldest series Darlington winner is Harry
Gant (09/01/1991) at the age of 51 years, 7 months, 22 days.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Saturday, September 5
The Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC, 12 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200.1 miles (147 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 147)
What To Watch For: Darlington Raceway has hosted 60 NASCAR Xfinity
Series races, producing 29 different poles winners and 32 different
race winners. ... The first NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington
was held on April 3, 1982 and the event was won by Geoff Bodine
driving a Pontiac for car owner Frank Plessinger. ... NASCAR Hall of
Famer Mark Martin leads the Xfinity Series in poles (eight) and wins
(eight: 1993, 1994 sweep, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000 sweep) at
Darlington Raceway. Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers with five
wins (2006, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2017). ... The youngest Xfinity
Darlington winner is Chase Elliott (04/11/2014) at the age of 18
years, 4 months, 14 days and the oldest is Dick Trickle (09/05/1998)
at the age of 56 years, 10 months, 9 days. ... 15 of the 60 NASCAR
Xfinity Series races (25%) at Darlington have been won from the pole
or first starting position; the most recent was Denny Hamlin's win
in 2017. ... The deepest in the field a series race winner has
started at Darlington is 36th by Larry Pearson (Chevrolet) in 1995.
... Just two former winners are entered this weekend: Denny Hamlin
(five wins) and Chase Briscoe (one win).
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
Next Race: South Carolina Education Lottery 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Sunday, September 6
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200.1 miles (147 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 147)
What To Watch For: Darlington Raceway has hosted six NASCAR Gander
RV & Outdoors Truck Series races producing five different pole
winners (Jack Sprague in 2001, Jason Leffler in 2002, Carl Edwards
in 2004, Timothy Peters in 2010 and Cole Whitt in 2011) and four
different race winners (Bobby Hamilton in 2001 and 2003, Ted
Musgrave in 2002, Kasey Kahne in 2004 and 2011, Todd Bodine in
2010). ... The first Gander Trucks race at Darlington Raceway was
held on May 12, 2001 and won by Bobby Hamilton (Dodge). ... Bobby
Hamilton and Kasey Kahne lead the series in wins at Darlington with
two each. ... the youngest series race winner at Darlington is Kasey
Kahne (11/13/2004) at the age of 24 years, 7 months, 3 days and the
oldest is Todd Bodine (08/14/2010) at the age of 46 years, 5 months,
18 days. ... None of the six Gander Truck races at Darlington have
been from the pole or first starting position, but two have been won
from the outside front row (second starting position). ... The
deepest in the field a race winner has started a Gander Trucks race
and won at Darlington is 14th by Bobby Hamilton in 2003. Only two
manufacturers have won at Darlington in the Gander Trucks -- Dodge
(four wins) and Toyota (two wins).
--By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service, special to Field Level Media
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