Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Darlington Raceway

  • Trevor Bayne – Making the Most of Every Opportunity

    Trevor Bayne – Making the Most of Every Opportunity

    Trevor Bayne’s career has been a roller coaster ride of highs and lows but throughout it all he has remained constant in his belief that God has a plan for him. His faith gives him a unique perspective that allows him to accept both triumph and adversity with a maturity and grace that belies his young age.

    We sat down together at Darlington Raceway after the first day of practice and spoke about the challenges of racing at the legendary track.  Bayne recounted his previous two efforts in 2010 and 2013.

    “In 2010,” he said, “We had a little incident with Matt Kenseth and last year I crashed with a lapped car in turn one.” This year, the goal is to “finish the race.”

    He explained the strategy for the upcoming race, saying, “You just have to be patient here. It’s so narrow that it’s easy to get frustrated. You have to keep your head on straight and hit your line perfect every single lap. You’ve got to hit your marks and be consistent.”

    Bayne qualified 10th at Darlington, finished in ninth place and currently is ranked fifth in the point standings. In seven starts this season, he has one top-five and six top-10 finishes. But what will it take to propel this top-ten team to victory lane? The simple answer is speed.

    “Overall our Roush Fenway Mustangs as a group are not very fast at the beginning of a new car run,” he told me. “Late in the run we can catch guys and pass them but the leaders just get so far gone on new tires that we never have a chance. We’re working on some things to get our cars better; it’s just a speed thing.”

    “I think Chad (Crew Chief Chad Norris) and I have done a good job with the balance,” he continued. “We’ve been really patient this year and not made many mistakes other than blowing the right rear last weekend which really isn’t in our hands. We just need raw speed on new tires.”

    We also spoke about Bayne’s recent multiple sclerosis diagnosis and the impact it has had on his life.

    “If I put my value in who I am in Christ, it doesn’t change much through the ups and downs,” he said. “Christ got me through that knowing that this is temporary and his kingdom is eternal and that’s where my perspective comes from.”

    Bayne acknowledged that, “when you go through something tough like that, especially something health threatening, it makes you think. It makes you appreciate the good days even more and want to make the most out of every opportunity.”

    After the Easter break this weekend, NASCAR Nationwide Series racing resumes at Richmond International Raceway on April 25th as Bayne and his team look for their first win of the season.

  • Jeremy Clements – Achieving More with Less In NASCAR

    Jeremy Clements – Achieving More with Less In NASCAR

    Jeremy Clement’s recipe for success is a combination of talent, tenacity and mathematical wizardry. Throw some sponsorship dollars and a little luck into the mix and it would not be surprising to see him standing in victory lane.

    He drives the No. 51 Chevy in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for family owned team, Jeremy Clements Racing and seven races into the season is ranked 18th in the point standings. Driving for a small, underfunded team often requires juggling expectations with financial limitations. But drivers race with one goal, winning races. After an 18th place finish at Texas, I asked Clements if he would repeat that finish at Darlington Raceway.

    “Heck no, we always want better. A top 20 is good for our team but we always want better,” he said.

    Clements went on to talk about the issues he would face at this unique track, saying, “The biggest challenge is probably just trying to stay off the wall and conserve tires. The other problem is we don’t have sticker tires for tonight. You need four sets for the race, plus the one you start with.  It’s just about tire management. We still need two more sets. One set we have has four laps on them but that’s an every week thing, honestly. Four laps doesn’t sound like a lot. It’s not but it is, especially here. You don’t have the grip. You take off and they’ll just leave you.”

    Clements qualified 21st at Darlington and had a competitive car. But a faulty power steering hose caused him to go 10 laps down during repairs and they had to settle for a disappointing 31st place finish.

    Photo Credit: David Yeazell
    Photo Credit: David Yeazell

    Each race has its own set of problems but the one constant for Jeremy Clements Racing and other small teams is the lack of sponsorship dollars. They don’t have the newest engines or best equipment and sometimes can’t afford many of the items that better funded teams take for granted. Most race off the purse, using winnings from the previous race to finance the next one. If they’re lucky enough to have a sponsor for a race, they have to decide where to spend that money because it’s never enough.

    Clements used the following example to explain the dilemma.

    “We have two sets of four lap tires that we could buy for $100 each or spend four grand on two sets of stickers and we’d still need more. So what do you do? How much money do you have for this race? You want to run good of course, that’s the whole reason we’re here but you can’t break the bank. It’s frustrating. You want to run good every week but you know you’re kind of handicapped somewhat.”

    Although he admits that the financial struggles can sometimes be slightly overwhelming, he is also quick to point out that he’s not complaining. He is, after all, living his dream and when all is said and done, it comes down to this; Jeremy Clements is a racer. It is not a job description; but rather, defines who he is.

  • MEMORIES OF A SENIOR NASCAR FAN: MY FIRST SOUTHERN 500

    MEMORIES OF A SENIOR NASCAR FAN: MY FIRST SOUTHERN 500

    Like many of you, I spent a Friday and Saturday evening in front of a television set watching NASCAR Live on Fox from Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. After all, any race track with the names “the track too tough to tame” and “the lady in black” was bound to turn up some excitement.

    It was apparent that the racing gremlins that sent a lot of bad luck in the direction of Kevin Harvick in recent weeks didn’t get the memo that he was racing at Darlington. Harvick led 238 laps of the Bojangles’ Southern 500 to win a race that for decades has been known as “the grand daddy of them all.” He had to tolerate two green-white-checker attempts to get to victory lane, but Harvick endured and won his second race of the season which, pretty much, locks him into the 2014 Chase line up.

    Equally impressive was the performance of young Chase Elliott who passed veteran Elliott Sadler on the final lap to win his second, consecutive, NASCAR Nationwide Series race. It was just one more reason why literally everyone is saying that this young, 18 year old, driver has an incredibly bright future in NASCAR racing.

    An interesting side bar story regarding Elliott: it seems he missed his high school prom because he had a date with the lady in black at Darlington. Clearly he made the right choice.

    With all extreme respects to both Harvick and Elliott for their very fine performances, it was pretty much the last thing on my mind. While watching the NASCAR action from Darlington, I found myself experiencing several motorsports flashbacks, from the early years of this track’s history, that sent me on a very long trip down memory lane.

    Please allow me to explain that memory lane episode. I was born and raised in South Carolina. Dad was a 26 year veteran of the United States Air Force, Mom was an old school southern Christian lady and we had a seemingly endless supply of relatives who resided in both of the Carolinas. Each and every one of us made quick work of becoming NASCAR racing fans back in the 1950’s.

    After retiring from the military, Dad moved his family to Darlington and became a member of the Darlington Rescue Squad. That meant spending race weekends in the famed Darlington infield while camping out in military style Red Cross tents. This was often a very busy operation that required dispensing a lot of bandages the night before the race and aspirin on race day morning. It didn’t take me long to notice that a weekend camp out in the Darlington infield was almost as treacherous as running the 500 mile race.  However, that Darlington Rescue Squad tent also meant that I had direct access to the pit gate where meeting drivers and collecting autographs were ripe for the asking.

    If you would be so kind as to indulge my memory lane excursion just a little bit longer, I would like to share a memory of my first trip to Darlington Raceway. It was a major part of my adolescence as well as a time when father and son became racing buddies.

    THE 1959 SOUTHERN 500.

    At the age of seven, Dad decided it was time for his young son to experience major league NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) racing. As I proudly took my seat on the front stretch, I was informed that I was one of 78,000 plus in the grandstands to watch this race. I can’t even begin to describe the rush I felt while watching a 50 car field take the initial green flag while racing for the winner’s share of a combined purse of $51,990. That number may pale in comparison to modern day race purses, but, back in those days, $51,000 was big money.

    On this Labor Day 1959, Jim Reed, driving a self owned and built 1957 Chevrolet was the class of the field. Reed had a whopping margin of victory of two laps plus over runner up Bob Burdick. He led 152 of the 364 scheduled laps including the final 101 circuits of the race and collected $17,250, again big money for that time, for the win.

    However, during the course of the post race victory lane interview, the track announcer casually mentioned that Jim Reed was a native of Peekskill, New York. That’s right: a genuine New York Yankee journeyed to South Carolina and then took the Southern 500 trophy to his northern home.

    That’s when a grandstand loaded with genuine sons of the south, most of whom were genuinely beer soaked by this point, erupted with a chorus of boos and one line sentences my editor wouldn’t publish on his website. It was almost like they regarded the presence of this Yankee driver as an act of blasphemy. To quote the “Bible”: “Yea verily there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

    This is not to necessarily imply that these southern born and bred race fans were at the point of inciting a riot in the grandstand. However, based on appearances alone, one had to consider the possibility. That’s when Dad decided that it was time to remove his young son from this somewhat hostile environment.

    By the way, and to the best of my recollection, this grandstand protest marked the first time I ever heard a certain four letter word that, in these modern times, is now often referred to as the “F Bomb.”

    Here’s one more significant point from the 1959 Southern 500: a very young, second generation, driver named Richard Petty led his first ever NASCAR career laps during this race. The future King of stock car racing led a total of seven laps and finished a very credible fourth.

    While NASCAR at Darlington, version 2014, continued to play out, I continued to ride that long road down memory lane while thinking about literally decades of attending races at this track.

    Most of all I thought about my Dad and the quality time we spent together going to race tracks all over the southeast. I also fondly recalled all of those Sunday afternoons we spent listening to NASCAR racing on Motor Racing Network Radio. For years now I’ve been saying that it was NASCAR racing that got us through the so called generation gap because it was something that we could share and frequently talk about.

    The memory land trip ended around the time Kevin Harvick made it to victory lane and began spraying his pit crew with a large can of Budweiser. That’s when I told myself: “man, you’re getting old.”

  • Jeffrey Earnhardt Continues the Family Tradition

    Jeffrey Earnhardt Continues the Family Tradition

    Jeffrey Earnhardt may have a famous last name but he’s determined to make his mark in NASCAR on his own terms. His determination is unmistakable and his desire undeniable as he talks racing.

    This season he has a full-time ride in the Nationwide Series with a new team, JD Motorsports. Jeffrey is committed to the team for believing in him and giving him the opportunity to drive even when he hasn’t had sponsorship.

    “Being out there every week has been huge for me,” he said. “It’s definitely helping me learn to be a better driver. I’m fortunate to have an awesome group of guys that I get to work with every weekend.”

    However, many of his fans continue to ask about the possibility that Jeffrey will partner with his uncle, Dale Earnhardt Jr. at JR Motorsports.  Dale Jr. spoke to the media about his nephew at Darlington Raceway this past weekend.

    “I watch him every week during the Nationwide races, he stated. “I think he’s done a couple of good things with that team, had a great qualifying effort at Bristol and got spun out the first lap of the race. He has had some other good situations that I’ve seen where he’s had some speed in practice or in qualifying and in particularly in the race he has done well on a few occasions. We keep an eye on him. Him and I are close; he lives real close to me. He’s supposed to come over to the house Sunday to hang out a little bit. I mean we stay pretty tight.”

    While it’s conceivable that Dale Jr. and Jeffrey will team up at some point in his career, Jeffrey is especially pleased that they are forming a closer personal bond and spending time together away from the track.

    “I’m not looking for him to hand me a full ride. It would have to be the right scenario,” he explained. “The fact that he’s reaching out to try and create a better relationship, because we didn’t used to have one, he was always busy and I was off doing my own thing, it’s pretty cool.

    Photo Credit: David Yeazell
    Photo Credit: David Yeazell

    Jeffrey was competing at Darlington for only the second time in his career. His first experience at the track was in 2011 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Before the race we talked about his goals and the challenges he would face during the race.

    “Darlington is a unique track,” he continued. “It’s really hard to learn and get used to. The biggest thing that everyone has always told me about this track is to race the track and not to race other cars.”

    Jeffrey qualified in 26th and brought home a 20th place finish. It is his second top-20 of the season and he is currently ranked 17th in the point standings.

    “I feel like this team is very capable,” he told me. “It’s my first year with them and we’re still learning but I think we’re capable of a top-15 every weekend. We want to get better each weekend and get everything we can out of these cars.”

    NASCAR will take a week off for Easter break but you can catch up with Jeffrey when the action resumes at Richmond International Raceway on April 25th.

     

  • The Final Word – The Southern 500 featured SHR’s good, their bad, their ugly…and their boss

    The Final Word – The Southern 500 featured SHR’s good, their bad, their ugly…and their boss

    There is a reason we read the entire book, rather than rely totally on the CliffsNotes version. For example, the shortened description of Saturday night’s Southern 500 action at Darlington would read that Kevin Harvick dominated and went on to win his second of the season. That would be correct, yet it misses the fact Jeff Gordon had a shot, then Dale Earnhardt Jr had an opportunity, before Harvick charged ahead on fresh tires in the green-white-checker to run away with it in the end.

    It has been feast or famine for Harvick in the opening eight. He won at Phoenix and Darlington, was 13th at Daytona and 7th at Martinsville. Then there are the four races where he wound up beyond 35th. At least in a season where Stewart-Haas drivers have had their share of adversity on-track, he has given some hope, even if it proceeded a feeling of hopelessness. He has been damned good in all, a force to be reckoned with in each, but too often some part fails and the day goes for naught.  Saturday was not one of those days.

    If not for Harvick, we would be telling tales of woe regarding his team mate Kurt Busch. He did have one of those days on Saturday night, when he crashed out in 31st, a week after crashing out in 35th in Texas. A bad engine left him 39th at Phoenix, and when he clipped his brother at Bristol, once again 35th was his fate. Still, he has that win and that is going to mean a lot over the next few months.

    The CliffsNotes might have missed that little factoid, along with just how ornery that Lady in Black proved to be, especially to the rookie class. Both stand-out rookies Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon clobbered the fence coming off turn two, yet did finish 8th and 11th respectively…and respectfully.  

    When measuring the Danica Line, 25th or better usually finds one sitting ahead of her on the track. Not so on Saturday, when the third member of SHR finished 22nd. Of the other newcomers at Darlington, only the 23rd place of Justin Allgaier came close. Still, you have to show some respect to the other boys and their teams who are out there to race, to learn, to grow, to compete, and not just there to start and park and collect some undeserved cash.  Of the 43 who ran, maybe one might have exited early due to having a bad hair day.

    As for the driver in the owner’s seat, just where did Tony Stewart come from last weekend? Most of the night, he was trailing Danica, for goodness sake, but at the line Stewart recorded a Top Ten. How in blazes did that happen?  Fortuitous and smart pit strategy brought him back from the dead.

    Among those who do not get to hang with Gene Haas, Earnhardt and Gordon finished 2nd and 3rd, while Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Jimmie Johnson all had Top Ten days to remain high on the charts. Carl Edwards is still the best among single race winners, and he came home 13th.

    It burns me that the Nationwide series is still a showcase for five or six Cup guys, but I am pleased to see they are now joined by Chase Elliott. Bill’s boy won his second straight when the series regular won at Darlington to lead the over-all standings. Elliott Sadler (2nd), Regan Smith (8th), Trevor Bayne (9th), and Ty Dillon (10th) also finished strong among the relevant performers.

    If wins are the thing, then Harvick takes over the top spot in the Cup standings, while Gordon and Kenseth remain the best among those who have yet to shake up the bubbly post-race as we take the week off for Easter. A fellow might even have time to read a full sized book this weekend. Any suggestions?

     

    Driver

    Races

    Wins

    Points

    1

      Kevin Harvick

    8

    2

    186

    2

      Carl Edwards

    8

    1

    278

    3

      Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

    8

    1

    271

    4

      Kyle Busch

    8

    1

    269

    5

      Brad Keselowski

    8

    1

    246

    6

      Joey Logano

    8

    1

    245

    7

      Kurt Busch

    8

    1

    164

    8

      Jeff Gordon

    8

    0

    297

    9

      Matt Kenseth

    8

    0

    296

    10

      Jimmie Johnson

    8

    0

    270

    11

      Ryan Newman

    8

    0

    236

    12

      Austin Dillon

    8

    0

    235

    13

      Greg Biffle

    8

    0

    227

    14

      Brian Vickers

    8

    0

    224

    15

      Tony Stewart

    8

    0

    224

    16

      Denny Hamlin

    7

    0

    223

    17

      Kyle Larson

    8

    0

    223

    31

      Reed Sorenson

    8

    0

    118
  • Darlington Raceway Rewind

    Darlington Raceway Rewind

    There’s nothing like a weekend at Darlington Raceway to remind you why you love racing. The excitement begins to build as you drive through the tunnel. As you step out of your car and gaze out at the grandstands, your mind begins to fill with the memories of all that has gone before and the anticipation of things to come.

    Will a first time winner be crowned? Will records be broken? Whose dreams will come true and whose hopes will be crushed?

    A look back at some of the highlights from another historic racing weekend at Darlington:

    Nationwide Series:

    Kyle Busch scored his 37th career Nationwide Series pole and with 65 wins in the series was a serious contender for the win in the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 race. But the “Lady in Black had other plans and he had to settle for a fourth place finish.”

    Chase Elliott made it look easy Friday night winning in his first start at Darlington. He also etched his name in the record books becoming:

    • The youngest driver to win two NASCAR Nationwide Series races at 18 years, 4 months and 14 days.
    • The youngest driver to win a Nationwide Series race at Darlington
    • The youngest driver to lead the series point standings.
    • The fourth driver to win in his first start at Darlington. Johnny Mantz did so in 1950, Herb Thomas in 1951 and Dick Rathmann in 1952.

    He now has two wins in only seven starts in the series but if you listen to team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. the best is yet to come.

    “He has amazing car control. We saw that on several occasions out there tonight.” Earnhardt continued saying, “He’s got a great level head, good character and nothing really rattles him. So when it came down to the end there and it was time to really get after it, he kept his composure and did what he needed to do to make it work. That’s going to be tough to contend with for many years. I’d like to think that we’re going to hang on to him for a little bit and try to get him ready for the next level but he’s ahead of schedule.”

    Sprint Cup:

    Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson gave the crowd an electrifying finish at the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Saturday night as Harvick grabbed his second victory of the season in a green-white-checkered finish. He became the first driver to capture two wins this season which virtually assures him a place in the Sprint Cup Chase.

    Harvick waxed poetic as he talked about the allure of Darlington.

    “You’ve got to love it, gray racetracks”, he said. “You can almost see the sparkle of the rocks coming out in the asphalt. That’s so exciting. Maybe we need to spread the South Carolina sand on Kansas and Charlotte and all these other racetracks that haven’t aged as fast as this one. When you start to see that gray and you start to see the seams and you can see the sparkle of the small rocks in the asphalt, it just makes it fun. Darlington is what it was supposed to be tonight, the cars slipping and sliding and bouncing off the walls and hard to drive something, I don’t know.”

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second for the third time this season and Jimmie Johnson saw another race win slip away.

    Earnhardt was clearly disappointed that he came up short but proud of the effort.

    “It’s a little disappointing,” he admitted, “to come that close because I know I don’t really run that well here and the opportunities to win are going to be very few compared to other tracks. It hurts a little bit to come that close because we worked so hard to try to win races. Running second is great but nobody is going to really remember that. But we’re proud of it. ”

    Johnson said that moving forward, their efforts would be focused on “unloading closer.” He explained, “We seem to find a way come race time to get a good finish and honestly have a shot to win some races. But showing up at the track a little bit closer is key for us. We’re really just trying to get a grasp on these rules, and we go home with what we’ve learned from a previous race, bring a new mousetrap, and unfortunately we’ve had to continue to work on it each week. That’s really our goal is to show up closer.”

    2015 and Beyond:

    Darlington Raceway continues to cement its place in NASCAR history and promises to deliver more with plans to “honor the track’s history and shape its future.”

    As part of the celebration, Bill and Chase Elliott were introduced Saturday as the “face” of the program. Track president Chip Wile, along with Bill and Chase, talked about future plans which will include a retro ticket design for the 2015 Bojangles’ Southern 500 and a Classic merchandise product line that will focus on previous decades and will be available for purchase.

    Wile encouraged fans to share their stories saying “We have the most passionate, loyal fans in all of motorsports and we look forward to the role they will play as we celebrate our past, present and future.”

    If you have a story to share or an idea on how to celebrate the history of Darlington and NASCAR, you can send an Email to mailto:darlington1950@darlingtonraceway.com.

    As I left the track and made my way home, my only regret was that it would be another year before I could reunite with old friends and make new memories together at “The Track Too Tough To Tame.”

  • Todd Gilliland Scores Pair of Late Model Runner Up Finishes at Ace Speedway

    Todd Gilliland Scores Pair of Late Model Runner Up Finishes at Ace Speedway

    Third generation racer Todd Gilliland, son of David Gilliland and grandson of Butch Gilliland, got back to racing for the season at Ace Speedway, where he finished second in his late-model stock car (LMSC) debut and also in the 40-lap Limited Late Model race later that same evening.

    “I raced in two classes, Late Model and Limited Late Model, and finished second in both,” the thirteen year old said. “I was happy, especially for my first race of the season.”

    “Of course I wanted to win though,” the driver of the No. 98 Ford said, just a bit dejectedly.

    The youngster had to battle mightily for his second place finish in the 75-lap LMSC race on the 4/10 mile track, starting in the eighth spot but dropping back to the 14th position early in the race.  Once he got his bearings, however, be began his march up to the front and by halfway through the race, he returned to the top-10.

    He then went on to run his second race and in that 40-lapper, again scored a second place, runner up finish.

    “I’m really happy with how I did,” Gilliland said. “In the first race, I was mad that I fell back so far, but my car was really fast so I was able to get back up to the front pretty good.”

    “I’m just really thankful for all the help my mom and dad and Chris (Chris Lawson, crew chief) have given me.”

    “This is what I really want to do and it’s been awesome.”

    Todd Gilliland does indeed look to his family for his racing support, particularly when it comes to working on his car.  The eighth grader spends every minute possible working in the shop, which is located right at their home in North Carolina.

    “I try to do as much work on the car as I can,” Gilliland said. “I’m still learning about all that stuff.”

    “We got a new crew chief Chris Lawson and a bunch of guys helping on the car like my dad.”

    “I’m learning how to do everything just like my dad does,” Gilliland continued. “I get under there and help and learn how to do it.”

    “My favorite part is body stuff,” Gilliland said. “You always want to try to make it look nice. It’s fun to work with the metal.”

    “You can pick all the colors,” Gilliland continued. “Our car is black because, I don’t know, I like black. Some people like the bright colors but not me.”

    The youngest Gilliland celebrated his two runner up finishes with a relaxing weekend, watching his dad battle the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame’ at Darlington. His next race is in two weeks where he will return to Ace Speedway to yet again race those late models.

    Until then, Gilliland is looking forward to spring break from school as he and his family have special plans.

    “Spring break is in two weeks,” Gilliland said. “We’re going to Turks and Kakos. We’ve been there three or four times.”

    “We stay at Beaches and go surfing, snorkeling and sometimes we just relax by the pool,” Gilliland continued. “I’m looking forward to that for sure.”

    While Gilliland has no fear whatsoever at the track, he is just slightly worried about one event that is coming up in his young life.

    “School gets out like June 10th or something and I will go to high school next year when I graduate from eighth grade,” Gilliland said. “I’m a little bit nervous about high school, but I was nervous about middle school too and I loved it.”

    In addition to school, Gilliland is also busy drumming up support for his race team. He is grateful to several local companies, including Norfleet Developments, Country Chevrolet, Eibach Springs, Performance Racing Warehouse and Gear Tech that help out but he, like every other racer, is in search of sponsors.

    “I’m out there looking,” Gilliland said. “I think they should come and work with me.”

    And without a doubt, Gilliland’s finishes, including three consecutive runner-up finishes in his stock car career and a second place finish in a Limited Late Model race at Myrtle Beach Speedway last November, should definitely be attractive to some interested sponsor looking to bring a young talent to light.

    But for now, the youngster is just looking ahead to Spring Break and finishing the school year as he continues to learn and grow as a racer, following in his family’s footsteps toward the checkered flag.

    For more information about this young up-and-coming racer, follow him on Twitter @ToddGilliland or visit his website at www.ToddGilliland.com.

     

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington

    As the blinding sun faded into darkness, drivers danced with the lady in black at one of the toughest tracks on the circuit. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 65th annual Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

    Surprising:  Perhaps it was the full moon or the sheer intensity of the competition, but there was a surprising amount of testiness, more so than at another of the other tracks to date, between drivers and even between drivers and crew chiefs.

    At one point, Aric Almirola and Danica Patrick were trading paint, as well as Austin Dillon and A.J. Allmendinger, the latter calling the young Dillon rookie a ‘punk’. There was also some testiness between the normally solid duo of six-time champ Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus during some of their radio chatter.

    Probably the biggest incident of the race occurred in the last few laps between Kurt Busch, who was running ninth in the first attempt at the green-white-checkered, and Clint Bowyer, who made contact with him when the green flag flew.

    The contact was so severe that Busch was unable to complete the race, finishing 31st in his No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet. Bowyer, on the other hand, finished 12th in his No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota.

    “That was a terrible way to end what could have been a decent night,” Busch said. “We struggled at times to get the balance of the Haas Automation Chevrolet right, but we kind of found our spot just past the halfway point and made slight adjustments the rest of the way.”

    “I tried to hold them off the best I could, but someone moved me out of their way and it ruined our night,” Busch said of the restart. “I hate it for the team, but we keep learning each week and we will get better.”

    Although Busch has a win, he lost one position in the point standings, falling to 26th, 164 points behind the leader. Bowyer, who is winless, climbed one spot up in the point standings to 16th, 78 points behind the leader.

    Not Surprising:  In spite of the challenges, several personal bests were achieved by race winner Kevin Harvick, who by far had the stoutest car, leading 239 laps of the 374 total. This was Harvick’s first ever Southern 500 win, adding to his other crown jewel race wins, from the Daytona 500 to the Coca Cola 600 and the Brickyard.

    This was Harvick’s 25th victory in the Sprint Cup Series and he also became the first two-time winner of the season, virtually guaranteeing him a spot in the Chase for the championship.

    The driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing also became the first driver to win from pole position since Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett did so in 1997.

    “This is one race I told Rodney (Childers, crew chief) that I wanted to win,” Harvick said. “We were able to put it all together, but this is the Southern 500, this is as big as it gets in NASCAR racing.”

    Surprising:  There were several surprising bounces that occurred at the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame.’ Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a surprising bounce back to score his career best, runner up finish at Darlington after finishing dead last at Texas last weekend with the mistake in the grass.

    “A great run, good job by my team,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet said. “This isn’t one of my best tracks so my team gave me a great car.”

    This was Junior’s ninth top-10 finish at Darlington and his fifth top-10 finish of the season.

    On the flip side, Paul Menard took a surprisingly hard bounce backwards, dropping eight positions in the points, from 10th to 18th, after finishing 41st in his No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet.

    “When the sun went down, I think it freed up,” Menard said after hitting the wall on Lap 201. “I hit the wall like ten laps before and I guess the right-front tire just went down.”

    “I guess I was in denial,” Menard continued. “There was a lot of damage.”

    Not Surprising:  Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Larson continued to impress with his eighth place finish in a backup car to become the highest finishing rookie of the race.

    “Yeah, just really proud of my Target Chip Ganassi team for how hard they had to work after I got into the wall and pulled the backup car out,” Larson said. “I started the race off so loose and just had to hang on for a couple runs and Shine got the car tightened up the car for me and we were able to run I thought top‑10 or ‑12 speeds.”

    “Finally got up there and then I got in the wall a couple times and had to pull the fenders back out and drive back up there,” Larson continued. “Still ended up 8th, but all in all it was a good Saturday for us.”

    Surprising: Six-time champion Jimmie Johnson surprisingly called on the old school racing gods to round out the podium finish for Team Chevy.

    “Yeah, just very happy to finish there in the top three,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Kobalt Tools Chevrolet said. “We struggled the first run or two of the race, but we got the car turning for me and came to life and really did it the old‑fashioned way and kind of drove up through the field before the last pit stop, so proud of the hard work.”

    Although he remains winless to date, this was Johnson’s fifth top 10 finish of the season and his 12th top-10 finish in 16 races at Darlington Raceway.

    Not Surprising:  Even champions make mistake as demonstrated by the difficulties in restarting by four-time champion Jeff Gordon pretty much throughout the race.

    “We had a really strong car and everything was going really well,” the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet said. “There towards the end, we just kind of started fading and got ate up on those restarts.”

    Gordon finished seventh and is still in the points lead, albeit by one point over Matt Kenseth.

    “I feel like it is a missed opportunity,” Gordon said. “But another great race car and I’m happy about that.”

    Surprising:  Team Penske had a surprisingly tough time under the watchful eye of the ‘Lady in Black’, with Keselowski finishing 17th and Logano finishing 35th.

    “It was a long night,” the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford said. “We didn’t get the finish we wanted, that is for sure.”

    “The track was slick so that is part of the unique challenge of Darlington that we all love.”

    While Keselowski admitted to getting pushed back by those struggling on restarts, teammate Logano instead had a mechanical failure with just ten laps to go.

    “We had an issue with the right front hub which broke,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford said. “It is unfortunate that the right front hub broke and then that messed with the rotor and into the caliper and everything got hot and broke after that.”

    “It sucks because you run the whole race and get nothing to show for it at the end.”

    Not Surprising:   With the third best driver rating of 107.5 coming into Darlington Raceway, it was not surprising the Greg Biffle, behind the wheel of the No. 16 3M/Red Cross Ford, was the highest finishing Ford when the checkered flag waved.

    “We worked really hard all night and probably didn’t have a fifth place car but we worked really hard on it and we had good pit stops and track position was everything tonight,” Biffle said. “Those last restarts we were on the outside, the inside and then the outside and we picked up one or two spots there at the end.”

    “Everybody worked hard and we will keep working on our car. We have to get better here but we will keep working at it.”

    Surprising:  NASCAR actually made a surprising move, granting an extra set of Goodyear tires for the Bojangles’ Southern 500. The sanctioning body apparently made that move after many teams voiced concerns about running out of tires, given the fall-off and wear.

    Not Surprising:  No doubt all of the Cup drivers are looking forward to an off-weekend of rest but Richard Petty Motorsports driver Marcos Ambrose summed it up best.

    “From the first lap, the track was as slick as anything,” the driver of the No. 9 DeWalt Ford said after finishing 14th. “This is the most worn out I have been in my NASCAR career.”

    After the Easter break, the NASCAR elite return to action in two weeks under the lights for some short-track racing at Richmond International Raceway.

  • RACEDAY: Kevin Harvick Feeling Jaunty; Pursuing Southern 500 Triumph

    RACEDAY: Kevin Harvick Feeling Jaunty; Pursuing Southern 500 Triumph

    Darlington Raceway’s moniker ‘Too Tough To Tame’ certainly is fitting for Kevin Harvick driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.

    The 2007 Daytona 500 champion, Harvick, is still held winless in Darlington. He’s experienced 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at the challenging 1.366-mile speedway, but has only posted three top five and six top-10 finishes.

    However, remarkably, he’s only received one DNF (Did Not Finish) on his resume at Darlington, but still has yet to score the ultimate goal: winning.

    “This is one of those, I guess, what would refer to as a crown jewel race.” Harvick explained on Friday in the media center. “(This) is one that’s not sitting in our trophy case, not only that, but it’s just Darlington and this is what NASCAR racing is all about.”

    On Saturday at Darlington – during ‘Knockout Qualifying – Harvick saved his tires, as your not able to change tires during the session, and eventually qualified a 26.802 en route to his seventh career Sprint Cup Series pole.

    “It all worked out,” Harvick expressed following his pole-winning lap time. “Knockout qualifying paid off for us today. We were able to save the best for last.”

    Harvick, with the best starting position for Saturday’s race, is aiming for his first career triumph at Darlington, in his first-career start at the historic track with Stewart-Haas.

    “To win here would mean a lot,” Harvick furthered commented. “Hopefully we can keep it together for 500 miles, I believe we have a really fast car and (just) everything has gone well all weekend.”

    Harvick’s also already, almost, confirmed his placing in this season’s Chase, after winning at Phoenix International Speedway, giving him and crew chief Rodney Childers to gamble for victories.

    However, the past few weekends the team’s been restricted from visiting victory lane after having mechanical failures.

    “Since we’ve already won and obviously we feel like we have given away some wins with the failures, (we) just need to keep going about our business.” Harvick explained about the struggles this season, “I think (winning the pole) is good medicine for everybody and proof that everybody just works week to week on what they need to work on and last week is over.”

    The Bojangles Southern 500 pre-race show begins at 5:00 PM EST on FOX and Harvick will lead the field to the green flag at 6:45 PM EST – follow @MarshallGabell on Twitter for live updates of the action.

  • Kyle Busch wins the Nationwide Series Coors Light Pole Award at Darlington Raceway

    Kyle Busch wins the Nationwide Series Coors Light Pole Award at Darlington Raceway

    After posting fast speeds in all three rounds, Kyle Busch went to the top of the leaderboard in Round 3 of Knockout Qualifying to score his 37th pole in 277 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. He posted a lap speed of 173.681 mph. It is his third pole in ten races at Darlington Raceway.

    Chase Elliott will start on the outside pole position in his debut at “The Track Too Tough To Tame” and scores his fourth top-10 start this season. He also has the distinction of being the fastest qualifying rookie.

    Matt Kenseth will begin third, marking his seventh top-10 in seven races this season. Kevin Harvick will start fourth followed by Ty Dillon in fifth. Chris Buescher, Brian Scott, Regan Smith, Elliott Sadler and Trevor Bayne qualified in positions six through 10, respectively.

    Of special note, all three JR Motorsports cars qualified in the top-10. Kyle Larson spun out during qualifying, hitting the wall and will most likely have to go to a backup car for the race.

    Busch will lead the field to green in the 32nd annual VFW Sports Clips Help a Hero 200 Friday evening. The race coverage will be broadcast on ESPN2 beginning at 7:30 p.m.

    Complete NASCAR Nationwide Series Starting Lineup – Darlington Raceway

    1.  Kyle Busch

    2.  Chase Elliott

    3.  Matt Kenseth

    4.  Kevin Harvick

    5.  Ty Dillon

    6.  Chris Buescher

    7.  Brian Scott

    8.  Regan Smith

    9.  Elliott Sadler

    10. Trevor Bayne

    11. Cale Conley

    12. Kyle Larson

    13. Bendan Gaughan

    14. Ryan Sieg

    15. Joey Logano

    16. Landon Cassill

    17. Dylan Kwasniewski

    18. Ryan Reed

    19. Josh Wise

    20. Mike Bliss

    21. Jeremy Clements

    22. James Buescher

    23. JJ Yeley

    24. David Starr

    25. Dakoda Armstrong

    26. Jeffrey Earnhardt

    27. Mike Wallace

    28. Tanner Berryhill

    29. Todd Bodine

    30. Eric McClure

    31. Kevin LePage

    32. Joey Gase

    33. Matt Dibenedetto

    34. Tommy Joe Martins

    35. Derrike Cope

    36. Carlos Contreras

    37. Matt Carter

    38. Jeff Green

    39. Mike Harmon

    40. Blake Koch