Darlington is no easy track in the best of times. And nothing at the track is tougher than Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
It’s a gritty reminder of NASCAR’s past, a race tradition that lasts back to 1950 that challenges the sport’s best at perhaps its most frustrating track.
As Austin Dillon put it, “it’s a driver’s track.”
“Darlington is one of the more challenging tracks we go to in just how hard it is to maintain and maneuver each corner perfectly for a lot of laps,” added Brad Keselowski, a former winner at the track. “It’s a long race, and having the right handling and perfect entry and exit means everything.”
Kevin Harvick has managed to find victory lane three times in his career at the track, and said the key is giving the track the respect it deserves. “I know what that means,” he explained, “and I’ve definitely been in the wrong position and got carried away and had it bite me before. But it’s a place that I look forward to going to. It’s a place where I enjoy racing and love the challenges that go with it.”
And this is no ordinary Darlington race. It’s the Playoff opener, in a year when it’s truly impossible to predict favorites for the championship finale at Phoenix. From fifth to sixteenth place in the standings is just 9 points, and second-place Joey Logano is just 20 points ahead of sixteenth-place Austin Dillon.
Only Chase Elliott has a clear lead, with fifteen extra points on Logano.
“We’ve never been in that position before,” said Elliott. “This is a good thing. I’d love us to put ourselves in that position more often year after year.”
Still, Kyle Busch thinks that the Playoffs are anyone’s game. “Points are really tight, he said. “There’s no real clear runaway, Chase has got a bit of a lead, but the rest of us are all pretty close, especially fourth on back. I would like to think this year is going to be different for a lot of reasons. I think the car is obviously a huge piece of that with the parity.”
The big risk, especially for drivers making their Playoff debut, is facing the pressure. Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe, Daniel Suarez and rookie Austin Cindric will be making their Playoff debut this year.
However, Ross Chastain isn’t one to get caught up in Playoff pressure. Third in the standings, he said: “I feel like I’ve had a normal week so far and I’m staying in my routine. My routine is what has gotten me to this point, and I am looking forward to continuing that.”
Xfinity Series down to the wire for regular season championship
Saturday’s Sports Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at the Lady in Black (3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) marks the third-to-last race in the Xfinity Series regular season, and there’s still a battle for that trophy – and the points that come with it.
Ty Gibbs has been a familiar sight in victory lane this season, scoring a career best five victories. But he still trails points-leader AJ Allmendinger by 58 points, and Allmendinger has held the lead for the last seventeen races. If Gibbs wants to change that, he might need to pull another win out of the bag.
It’s not one of Allmendinger’s best tracks, though. He is still confident in his Kaulig Racing team despite only scoring one top ten in his three series starts at the track.
Darlington is such a tough race track to master,” said Allmendinger. “The last time we raced there in the spring, we didn’t quite have the grip and speed we needed, but still came away with a top-10 finish. I think we were able to learn a lot from that, and hopefully that shows this weekend.”
Riley Herbst has found more success at the track. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver, celebrating his 100th career Xfinity Series start on Saturday, finished third the last time the series visited the track, although he’s still looking for his first career win.
“That third-place finish was the start to some great finishes throughout the summer,” he said. “I’ve been going to the simulator, working with the team, and just rewatching old footage to try and learn how to tackle this racetrack. Hopefully, all the hard work will pay off on Saturday.”
Joining the Xfinity Series field will be three Cup regulars: Kyle Larson; Christopher Bell, subbing for Denny Hamlin, still sore from an incident last Sunday at Daytona; and Ross Chastain. Ty Gibbs will continue to sub for Kurt Busch in the Cup Series, though driving the 23 car.
NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Cook Out Southern 500
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Sunday, September 4
The Time: 6 p.m. ET
The Purse: $7,823,733
TV: USA, 5 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 501.3 miles (367 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 115),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 230), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 367)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Saturday, September 3
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,208,129
TV: USA, 2:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 200.8 miles (147 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 147)
- Sam Mayer scores Xfinity win by an inch in photo finish at Texas - April 13, 2024
- NASCAR adds Stories to its app for social-style highlights - April 10, 2024
- Hendrick Motorsports paints victory lane ruby red at Martinsville - April 7, 2024