Darlington Raceway is known as the track “Too Tough to Tame” – and perhaps too that end, its long and distinguished list of winners includes a noticeable group of veterans. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers with four victories, another four runner-up finishes and also bests the grid in top-fives (13), top-10s (18) and overall average finish (8.2).
NASCAR Hall of Famers such as Jimmie Johnson (three wins), Bill Elliott (five wins) Jeff Gordon (seven wins) and the late Dale Earnhardt (nine wins) were all so good at the 1.366-mile oblong oval.
“This sport is so week-to-week it’s hard to say [the track favors veterans] but you can’t argue with results,’’ said Hamlin, who has led laps in the last 10 consecutive Darlington races – and has led more than 100 laps five different times in his career.
“It lends itself to the best drivers and the best teams. I think it’s a great combination of, you’ve got to have everything. … the driver has to just be really good at his craft and know when to push and when not to.
“It’s going to be mentally taxing knowing you’ve got to hit your marks just perfectly,’’ he continued. “And just the mental side of it, with 35 other guys that aren’t there to let you win. It’s really hard to navigate that. .. it just takes its toll, it has for me on my body and mind every time I race here. As far as the veteran side of it, I think certainly it seems that those that have lots of experience on this track and more than likely the guys have been successful because they know that feel they need to be fast here and continue to replicate it.”
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