Darlington Raceway Tag

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Many are considering 2016 a career-year for 36-year-old Martin Truex Jr., but I believe after an incredible victory in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Sunday, that he’s just getting started. Truex has been fast virtually everywhere he has unloaded in 2016, and with Sunday’s win at Darlington, he has now crossed two crown jewel events from his bucket list. He of course led 392 of the 400 laps in the Coca-Cola 600 earlier this year as well. Truex was also within about an inch ofRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Throughout the night in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington, Kevin Harvick and his No. 4 Chevrolet, sporting a Cale Yarborough throwback paint scheme, was a familiar sight at the front of the field, but a late race pit road miscue ended Harvick’s hopes for a second Darlington win. Starting on pole after qualifying was cancelled due to Tropical Storm Hermine, Harvick took off in the lead like a bullet from a gun when the green flag dropped and was untouchable for the first 93Read More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer Entering Sunday’s Bojangles Southern 500, Tony Stewart had yet to win at the historic Darlington Raceway. As part of the Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway, Tony Stewart and his Stewart-Haas Racing team unveiled a Bobby Allison-inspired Coca-Cola Chervolet SS paint scheme, which Stewart would run at Darlington. All track activity on Friday was cancelled due to severe weather. As a result, qualifying on Saturday was scrapped in favor of practice. With the starting grid set by points, Stewart lined up 17th on Sunday. Stewart wasRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DARLINGTON, S.C. – Martin Truex Jr.’s luck changed. Kevin Harvick’s didn’t. And that was the difference in Truex’s unexpected victory in Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Truex led 28 laps, all after passing Ryan Newman for the top spot on Lap 339 of 367. Harvick led a race-high 214 laps, bringing his career total to 10,068. But where Truex’s much-maligned pit crew performed its finest stop when it counted most—under caution on Lap 351—Harvick’s crew experienced the sorts of problems thatRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor I think it’s safe to say that Kyle Larson is primed for a great run in this year’s Chase. One week ago in Michigan, Larson captured his first-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in his 99th start. Fast forward to Labor Day weekend, Larson, who led 45 laps on the night, was in the thick of the hunt for the win again at Darlington Raceway in the prestigious Bojangle’s Southern 500. Larson rolled off the grid from the 16th-starting position, after the field was setRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor When it comes to Darlington, the treacherous track is tough for rookies and veterans alike, with one small miscue liable to end your chances for victory in a hurry. For the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookies, Darlington was a mixed bag, as just one of them was able to score a top-10 finish, while the others weren’t as fortunate. The best of the rookie class for the second week in a row was Chase Elliott, who started the night in 11th place, but workedRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DARLINGTON, S.C. – Two conclusions were inescapable after Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s news conference on Sunday at Darlington Raceway. First, the decision not to clear Earnhardt medically for the remainder of the 2016 season was both prudent and necessary; and second, Earnhardt is committed to racing again at NASCAR’s highest levels with the support of medical professionals who believe he will be able to do so. “I definitely don’t belong in a race car today by any stretch of the imagination,” Earnhardt said in theRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DARLINGTON, S.C. – Elliott Sadler had a passenger for Saturday’s VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway—in spirit at least. After a breathtaking battle against Denny Hamlin over the closing laps, Sadler crossed the finish-line .454 seconds ahead of Hamlin to win for the first time at the Lady in Black—and immediately dedicated the victory to JR Motorsports team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who announced on Friday he would sit out the remainder of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season becauseRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service The odds against Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 producing another first-time winner are relatively heavy. When all track activity was washed out on Friday, the starting field for the race was set according to owner points, and the top 10 starters in the field, from pole sitter Kevin Harvick through 10th-place Matt Kenseth, all have at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory this season. Why is that significant? Because in the last 14 races at Darlington, 10 of the winners have come from theRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer The last time the NASCAR Xfinity Series visited Darlington Raceway, Denny Hamlin took home the victory in beating Kyle Busch by over two seconds. The highest finishing NASCAR Xfinity Series regular was Daniel Suarez who finished third. The last time a NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship contender won at Darlington was Chase Elliott in 2014. The only past winner in the field is Denny Hamlin. Xfinity Series Chase 23 races into the 2016 Xfinity Series Season, there have been 14 different winners, and only three ofRead More