Darlington Preview

Who will get a “Darlington stripe” this weekend?  [Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images]

By Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series takes to one of the oldest and perhaps the most challenging track on the circuit as the Darlington Raceway hosts the Bojangles Southern 500 under the lights on Saturday night.

Darlington’s unique “egg” shape came about when during construction, the speedway’s founders had to work around a nearby minnow pond and the result has been what has come to be known as “the track too tough to tame.”

Often times the fast way around Darlington is right near the wall and the constant scraping required to race strong leads to drivers acquiring a “Darlington Stripe” along the sides of the cars.

It takes tremendous skill and even more concentration to conquer “The Lady in Black” and these are some drivers to watch Saturday night…

 
Denny Hamlin

Dan Margetta:  Denny Hamlin has averaged just over a fifth place finish in each of his Darlington races and he’s a strong candidate to become the eighth different face in victory lane this year. Hamlin’s worse finish is 13^th and he owns a single Darlington victory to go along with three second place finishes. The #11 team has shown flashes of brilliance early on this season and Darlington could be the place for their breakthrough victory.

Jeff Gordon

John Wiedemann:  Look who is on top of the point standings, it’s Jeff Gordon for the first time since 2009.  Can Gordon become the eighth winner this season, I say yes.  Gordon has seven wins at Darlington and finished third in this race last season.  He is obviously one of the hottest drivers right now and even though he is leading the points, I believe he will need a win to get into the Chase.  Darlington is one of the best tracks for Gordon to pick up a victory and I would bet on him this weekend.

Kyle Busch

DM:  Kyle Busch remains the only driver in the modern era to slam dance with “The Lady in Black” and walk away with a victory as he literally rode the wall in winning here in 2008. Since that victory, he has scored top 11 finishes in four of his last five Darlington races and he possesses the driving ability to counteract whatever tough old Darlington throws at him. If he can keep the car together underneath him, Kyle Busch could be tough in the closing stages Saturday night.

Matt Kenseth

JW:  The defending Southern 500 champion is not having the season that most expected from Matt Kenseth.  Last weekend at Texas was supposed to be a track where Kenseth would contend if not dominate and the results didn’t match the expectations.  While Kenseth is currently in second place in the standings, few would have thought the seven time winner would be without a victory and have only one top five finish at this point in the season.  That being said, Kenseth’s worst finish is a thirteenth at Bristol and you would think that the #20 team is one break away from returning to victory lane.

Carl Edwards

DM:  While Carl Edwards has yet to score a victory at Darlington, he does own seven top 10 finishes with a best result of second place on two occasions. The #99 team is stronger than many people give them credit for and Edwards can get up on the wheel to tackle a tough circuit like Darlington. He’s also seasoned enough to respect Darlington’s legendary reputation and having veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig atop the pit box is an advantage this weekend. Edwards could be the one to break the winner streak this weekend at Darlington.

Jimmie Johnson

JW:  Jimmie Johnson has three Darlington Raceway victories and would love to add another win at the track this weekend.  An average finish of 8.8 at Darlington should mean that Johnson will be in the mix when the checkers fly Saturday night.  But, luck has not been on Johnson’s side this season so far and racing seems to be more of a challenge with the current rules package.  It has been the same story every week, either there is bad luck like the debris from his teammate at Texas or the car setup has just not been right.  With wins all important this season a Darlington victory would go a long way for Johnson and the #48 team.

Tony Stewart

DM:  Much like the Daytona 500 was Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s Achilles Heel for a long time, Darlington and the Southern 500 could be Tony Stewart’s “one that got away.” In 21 starts at Darlington, Stewart has yet to win and has a best finish of third. It’s the race he has yet to win which should provide extra incentive to go along with the continuation of his comeback from the serious leg injury. Stewart has run very strong in the last few weeks and the team cars have been fast all season long. Conquering Darlington would be the perfect way for Tony Stewart to show the NASCAR world he is back.

Kasey Kahne

JW:  Kasey Kahne needs something to wake up his team and get the season started.  With only two top ten finishes, and an eleventh place run last weekend, Kahne is having somewhat of a typical slow start to the season.  If he gets hot in late May like he has in the past, none of this early season will matter.  Now is about the time that Kahne starts to warm up and at Darlington he usually starts up front with four pole positions and starting outside of the top ten only twice in eleven races.  Kahne will be a driver to watch and see if his season starts this weekend.

Kyle Larson

DM:  I can’t wait to see how super rookie Kyle Larson adapts to Darlington. He has Kyle Busch like natural driving ability and car control skills and the weekend has the potential to be great while just as quickly it could turn disastrous. Larson is surely not afraid to rim ride, which could be the fast away to the front on Saturday night while at the same time an overly aggressive high line style could nearly get him thrown out of Darlington’s legendary walls. Until 1993, rookies weren’t even allowed to qualify until they passed a Rookie Test (even the great A.J. Foyt had to take the test in 1985), so a rookie actually winning at Darlington would be a remarkable upset…and very cool to see.

Martin Truex Jr.

JW:  Can Martin Truex Jr. relive the magic and return Furniture Row Racing to victory lane at Darlington Raceway?  Two years ago, Furniture Row scored it’s first NASCAR victory at Darlington with Regan Smith behind the wheel.  Now, Truex is in the driver’s seat and brings an impressive stat sheet to the team.  Truex has the third best average finish (11.4) of all the drivers competing this weekend.  The only drivers ahead of him are Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson, pretty good company to be in.  This season has been forgettable so far for the Furniture Row Racing team.  Truex could make Saturday night a race to remember.

Dan Margetta

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