Denny Hamlin takes a beating and still leaves Darlington on top
Denny Hamlin got knocked into the wall, went a lap down and finished 18th at Darlington. Somehow, he still leaves as the Chase points leader.
Denny Hamlin got knocked into the wall, went a lap down and finished 18th at Darlington. Somehow, he still leaves as the Chase points leader.
William Byron had an eighth-place car at Darlington. Then it spun, smoked and died, sending the No. 24 from ninth to 37th and straight to the Chase cellar.
Darlington chewed up tires, rain interrupted the proceedings and Kyle Larson tried to steal it. None of it mattered. Christopher Bell finally got his win.
Sheldon Creed got the tires right, kept his No. 00 Chevrolet pointed in the right direction and opened the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase with a huge win at Darlington.
Tyler Reddick dominated the early season, endured a summer stumble and now gets a pole position to start the Chase at a track where he already knows how to win.
Chase Briscoe never considered Darlington one of his favorite tracks. Then he won two straight Southern 500s. Now he can make NASCAR history Sunday.
He was 17th in the standings. Then Ryan Preece won Daytona, stole the final Chase spot and discovered something every driver wants in September: momentum.
Hamlin enters NASCAR’s Chase as the top seed after a dominant title-race performance last year ended in one of racing’s cruelest twists.
Larson enters NASCAR’s Chase amid his longest drought in years, but history has taught the two-time champion that strange things can happen.
Blaney and Cindric accepted a late crew swap designed to give Penske its best chance to bring home the NASCAR Cup Series title.