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Tag: Darlington Raceway

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. William Byron: Byron finished fourth in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington.

    “‘Liberty University’ branding is back on my No. 24 Chevrolet,” Byron said. “And if you don’t think I’m good enough to be the Cup champion, do like Jerry Falwell, Jr. and ‘just watch.’”

    2. Kyle Larson: Larson took advantage of Denny Hamlin’s loose wheel misfortune and powered late to win at Darlington and lock in his advance to the next playoff round.

    “The race was red flagged on Lap 189 to repair the lighting in Turns 3 and 4,” Larson said. “That was unprecedented. Why? Show me another NASCAR night race where everything and everyone there weren’t ‘well lit.’”

    3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won Stages 1 and 2 at Darlington, but a loose wheel late in the final stage cost him any chance of the victory.

    “Sure I’m disappointed,” Hamlin said. “But I received a pep talk from my 23XI Racing partner Michael Jordan. He said it’s up to me to decide if I’m going to be the Michael Jordan of the Playoffs or the Karl Malone of the Playoffs. Wait a minute. I think I already am the Karl Malone of the Playoffs.”

    4. Chris Buescher: Buescher finished a strong third at Darlington, getting his Playoffs off to a great start.

    “My car featured the ‘BuildSubmarines.com’ paint scheme,” Buescher said. “Ironically, a third place will keep my championship hopes above water. And, if you were betting on how many laps I’d lead at Darlington, you should have taken the ‘under.’”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano and Bubba Wallace made contact in Stage 1, sending Wallace spinning and leaving Logano’s No. 22 Penske Ford with a bent toe link. Logano still managed to limp home to a solid 12th-place finish.

    “Anytime the car sponsored by McDonald’s is responsible for knocking me down in the standings,” Logano said, “there’s only one way to feel about that: ‘I’m not loving it.’”

    6. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex’s hopes at Darlington were derailed by a loose wheel in Stage 2 that cost the No. 19 severely. Truex salvaged an 18th-place finish

    “Darlington is already a grueling race,” Truex said. “Add to that temperatures near 100 degrees and high humidity, and you literally find yourself having to drive like ‘hell’ just to survive.’”

    7. Ross Chastain: Chastain finished a solid fifth at Darlington.

    “I’ve been in somewhat of a slump lately,” Chastain said. “I only have one top-10 finish in the last nine races before Darlington. If I’m going to make some noise in the Playoffs, I need to ride a wave of momentum like I rode the outside wall at Martinsville last year.”

    8. Ryan Blaney: Blaney posted a solid start to his Playoffs with a ninth at Darlington.

    “That crash I had at Daytona was really violent,” Blaney said. “That being said, I really hope I can make an impact in the Playoffs, and hope my championship hopes don’t hit a wall.”

    9. Christopher Bell: Bell started on the pole at Darlington but was hindered by several mistakes, including a jack problem during an early pit stop, and later clash with the wall on his way to a 23rd-place finish in the Cook Out Southern 500.

    “That just ruined the handling on my No. 20 Toyota,” Bell said. “And I’m not happy where we finished. But I’m not worried. I know I have the desire. I’m young and I’m hungry. And that calls for a shout-out to the guy that once drove the No. 20 car, Tony Stewart, because he’s old and hungry.”

    10. Kevin Harvick: Harvick was headed to the pits on lap 310 when a caution just before he entered, meaning a closed pit road, resulting in a penalty that cost Harvick a likely top 5 finish. He finished 19th and is two points below the 12-driver cutoff for round 2 of the Playoffs.

    “This is all Tyler Reddick’s fault,” Harvick said. “He braked suddenly when I pitted in an effort to duplicate what I was doing. That caused Ryan Newman to spin trying to avoid him. I shouldn’t have to say this to Tyler, but come on, man. This is the Playoffs, which is no time to take your foot off the gas.”

  • Kyle Larson wins Southern 500 Playoff race at Darlington and advances to next round

    Kyle Larson wins Southern 500 Playoff race at Darlington and advances to next round

    Kyle Larson held off a hard-charging Tyler Reddick in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway to claim the checkered flag at the historic track and advance to the Round of 12 in the Playoffs.

    It was the third win of the season for the Hendrick Motorsports driver and 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the 22nd of his career. The victory was not without its struggles, however, including a brush with the wall and a transmission that was temporarily stuck in neutral.

    “This has been one of my favorite tracks my whole career, and I’ve been really, really fast here my whole career. I just usually get in the wall,” Larson said. “And finally we have the Next Gen car that’s tough enough to allow me to hit the wall. So I was able to make some mistakes and get a win. Adding this trophy to the collection is gonna be amazing.

    “I messed up once and it (the transmission) got hung in neutral, and I slid and hit the wall, and I think bent the toe link a little bit, so it was kind of a struggle from there. Definitely had to fight it more than I was earlier, but we kept our heads in the game. That was really important. This race is all about keeping your head in it.”

    Reddick, after leading 90 laps in his 23XI Racing Toyota, had to settle for second place.
    “Kyle and I were pretty close the majority of the day, honestly, and he just got ahead of us there on pit road,” Reddick said, “but all in all, this is the day that we needed to have.

    “Really just thankful for the hard work from my pit crew, from the team, everyone at the shop,” he continued. “Days like this, with a car like this, we haven’t been able to get a second-place finish out of it, so really glad we were able to do that, and it was a really good points day on top of that, as well.”

    It was a good day for half of the Playoff drivers as eight of them finished in the top 10 with Chris Buescher in third, followed by William Byron (fourth), Ross Chastain (fifth), Brad Keselowski (sixth), Bubba Wallace (seventh) and Ryan Blaney (ninth). Non-Playoff drivers, Chase Elliott and Erik Jones finished eighth and 10th, respectively.

    But several of the playoff drivers had disappointing finishes.

    Denny Hamlin was dominant early, leading 177 laps and sweeping Stages 1 and 2 but made a green flag pit stop on Lap 274, thinking he had a loose wheel. This caused him to lose a lap, and then, on Lap 331, he was collected in a five-car crash that also included Michael McDowell and Christopher Bell, and Hamlin finished the race one lap down.

    Kevin Harvick was another victim of circumstance. While heading to pit road a caution was brought out by Newman after he spun in Turn 4 just as Harvick was attempting to pit. But the red light came on, closing pit road and Harvick was assessed with a penalty and was sent to the back of the field for the restart, relegating him to a 19th-place finish.

    Martin Truex Jr. lost four spots after contact with the wall in Stage 1 and in Stage 2 his day went from bad to worse as he had to make an unscheduled pit stop due to a loose wheel, losing two laps.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was caught speeding on pit road and had to serve a pass-through penalty on his first green-flag pit stop.

    The remaining Playoff drivers finished as follows:

    Kyle Busch-11
    Joey Logano -12
    Stenhouse -16
    Truex-18
    Harvick-19
    Bell-23
    Hamlin – 25
    McDowell-32

    William Byron currently leads the point standings by 1 point over Kyle Larson.

    The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continue next week on Sunday, Sept. 10 at Kansas Speedway on USA with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • Denny Hamlin scores sixth career Xfinity win at Darlington

    Denny Hamlin scores sixth career Xfinity win at Darlington

    Denny Hamlin continued his Xfinity Series dominance at Darlington Raceway Saturday afternoon, claiming his sixth series victory at the track. The winning move came after a restart on Lap 147 of the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW forced the race into overtime, opening the door for Hamlin to overtake Austin Hill for the lead.  

    “I really needed some long runs,” said Hamlin, “but I didn’t really want to show everything that we had ’til the very end of the race there. We really did a good job of maintaining everything that we had.”

    Hill, frustrated after the race, said, “I just need to go back to the drawing board and figure out what I’m doing wrong on the restarts there, because that was really frustrating all day today. It didn’t matter where I was restarting, I would buzz the tires really bad and just lose track position every time I’d do it.

    “So I got to do a better job of that if I’m going to win a championship. All in all, solid for us. That’s kind of something that we’ve been preaching the last six races that if you can’t be first, be second. If you can’t be second, be third. We were second today, but it still stings a little bit when you want to win.”

    John Hunter Nemechek had to settle for third after sweeping the first two stages and leading a race-high 99 laps as Cole Custer and Josh Berry rounded out the top five. Riley Herbst, Justin Allgaier, Sheldon Creed, Kyle Busch and Daniel Hemric completed the top-10 finishers.

    Riley Herbst currently has a one-point lead over Parker Kligerman for the final playoff spot with only one race to go in the regular season. Unfortunately for Kligerman, contact with Sam Mayer during the race cost him multiple spots resulting in a disappointing 24th place finish.

    The Xfinity Series regular-season finale is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 9 at Kansas Speedway at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Complete Results:

  • Christopher Bell claims Darlington Cup Series pole as Playoffs commence

    Christopher Bell claims Darlington Cup Series pole as Playoffs commence

    Christopher Bell captured the pole position for the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Darlington Raceway with a 169.193 mph qualifying lap Saturday afternoon. It’s his third pole of the season and his seventh career pole in the series.

    Bell was happy with the speed of his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota but also acknowledged the difficulty of keeping his car up front throughout the race.

    “It definitely feels good. Darlington is a place that’s notoriously hard to pass, so starting up front is a really big deal,” he said. “But, with that being said, it’s an extremely long race. The Southern 500 is, in my opinion, probably harder than the Coca-Cola 600 just because of the race track that we’re at. Very long time tomorrow so starting position has no indication of where we’re going to finish, but we certainly have the speed to compete and hopefully we can keep it up front all day.”

    Bell’s teammate, Denny Hamlin, will join him on the front row after posting a 169.042 mph lap. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick was third fastest, placing three Toyotas at the top of the field. Ford drivers scored the following seven spots with Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski rounding out the top five followed by Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Chris Buescher, Michael McDowell and Aric Almirola to complete the top 10.

    Blaney, starting fourth, emphasized the importance of staying focused.

    “That’s not a bad starting spot,” he said. “It’s nice to start in the top five and starting fourth. That’s really good. I’m proud of the effort today and now it’s just a matter of staying in it. Five hundred miles is a long race. It’s a super long race and you can make mistakes real easy, so it’s just a matter of focusing in on tomorrow. It was a good effort today we just have to keep improving.”

    Playoff contender and Regular Season Champion, Martin Truex Jr., will start toward the back of the field in 31st after his car got loose during qualifying.

    The Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on USA with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Playoff Drivers Starting Positions for The Cook Out Southern 500:
    Christopher Bell – 1st
    Denny Hamlin – 2nd
    Tyler Reddick – 3rd
    Ryan Blaney – 4th
    Brad Keselowski – 5th
    Joey Logano – 6th
    Kevin Harvick – 7th
    Chris Buescher – 8th
    Michael McDowell – 9th
    Kyle Busch – 11th
    Kyle Larson – 18th
    Bubba Wallace – 19th
    William Byron – 23rd
    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 25th
    Ross Chastain – 27th
    Martin Truex Jr. – 31st

  • William Bryon Tames Darlington, wins third race of the season

    William Bryon Tames Darlington, wins third race of the season

    William Byron was in the right place at the right time at Darlington Raceway and took advantage of the opportunity to score his third NASCAR Cup Series win of the season in overtime at the track “Too Tough to Tame.”

    As the final laps wound down, Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson wrecked each other while racing for the win, bringing out the final caution flag and setting up an overtime finish in the Goodyear 400.  

    “Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels, was furious and expressed his anger on the team radio.

    How does that make any sense, running us into the fence? That’s three races he’s taken us out of—the 1 car—three races he’s taken us out of.”

    Chastain, who finished 29th, took the blame for the incident but indicated it was not intentional.

    “Full commit into Turn 1,” he said. “I got really tight and drove up and turned myself. I wanted to squeeze him. I wanted to push him up. We’d been racing back and forth all day. But I definitely didn’t want to turn myself.”

    Bryon, now in the lead, led the field back to green and held off Kevin Harvick to capture his seventh career Cup Series victory and the 100th NASCAR win for the No. 24 car.

    But it was also a bittersweet moment for Byron.

    “Yeah, it’s pretty amazing,” he said. “My granddad passed away on Thursday, and just, man, I wish my family could be here. Just things have a way of working out, honestly. It just worked out that way today. We didn’t have the best third stage. We just kept battling, and things just kind of come back around. Definitely didn’t expect this.”

    Kevin Harvick finished second followed by Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, and Bubba Wallace, rounding out the top five.

    “We had a good car all day,” Harvick said. “We just never could get up towards the front in our Sunny Delight Ford Mustang. Struggled in traffic today, but we were really good at the second half of the run and just struggled at the beginning of the run.

    “But we had good track position, then had a bad pit stop under green, and then wound up having everything work out there at the end, didn’t have anything for William. The front is torn up pretty good. But they did a great job and just kind of kept ourselves in the game, and you never know what’s going to happen.”

    Martin Truex Jr. was dominant for much of the race, winning Stage 1 and leading 145 laps, but developed handling issues after contact with Chastain and finished in 31st.

    “When we got into Chastain there at the end of the second stage going for the win in that, it knocked the toe out, so we were tight from there on out,” Truex said. “Just an unfortunate deal. There was plenty of room there, but he just came off the wall and hit me.

    “Like I said, knocked the toe out in the right front. Pretty crappy from there, and then on that restart (Lap 281), I guess I just got real tight, and I don’t even know who I squeezed into the wall, but I apologize to them. Probably my fault, just got real tight and couldn’t stay down the track.”

    Ross Chastain currently leads the Cup Series points standings. Christopher Bell is second (– 27), Harvick is third (– 29), Denny Hamlin is fourth (– 36) and William Bryon is fifth – 42.

  • Kyle Larson wins NASCAR Xfinity Series Darlington Duel

    Kyle Larson wins NASCAR Xfinity Series Darlington Duel

    Darlington Raceway lived up to its Too Tough to Tame moniker as Kyle Larson battled John Hunter Nemechek for the win in the Xfinity Series Shriners Children’s 200 Saturday afternoon.

    It all came down to the end of the race with Nemechek in the lead as a relentless Larson finally overtook him on the final lap to win in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.

    Larson’s victory was hard fought after a penalty for speeding on pit road relegated him to the back of the field for the final stage of the race.

    I knew we were going to have time to get to the front if we had a caution,” Larson said. “We were picking off cars really fast and had some lane selections work out for me. We were just bouncing off each other a little bit. I don’t know what happened in (Turn) 3. It seemed like he (Nemechek) tried to get behind me to shove me into the corner. It kind of hooked me right, and I hit the wall, and I was trying to stay away from him and get off of (Turn) 4.” 

    Nemechek, who lead a race-high 57 laps, was understandably disappointed after his contact with Larson resulted in a fifth-place finish, but indicated that he will use it as motivation moving forward and learn from his mistakes.

    “I feel like we both had dominant race cars at times,” Nemechek said. “I feel like him and I were definitely the class in the field as the day went on, and I don’t know if he wouldn’t have got a speeding penalty how we would’ve ended up but I felt like we were really good for portions of the run, and he was really good other portions of the run.

    “So ultimately, he probably should’ve won the race. He shouldn’t have been that close to me, come the white-flag lap, but he was fast, and he’s one of the best in the sport. There’s a reason that he’s a NASCAR Cup Series champion and wins a lot. So we’ll take it and move on with it. I learned a lot today for when we come back here in the fall and just got to be a little bit smarter about it.”

    Justin Allgaier finished second followed by Cole Custer in third and Austin Hill in fourth, with Nemechek rounding out the top five.  

    Nemechek currently leads the Xfinity Series driver standings with 424 points, followed by Austin Hill (-1), Allgaier (-53), Josh Berry (-57) and Cole Custer (-9).

    Next up for the Xfinity Series is the Alsco Uniforms 300 on Saturday, May 27 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It will be televised on FS1 with radio coverage provided by PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Results:

  • Christian Eckes wins Darlington Truck Series race in dramatic double-overtime finish

    Christian Eckes wins Darlington Truck Series race in dramatic double-overtime finish

    Christian Eckes led the most laps, 82 of 158, and held on through two overtimes Friday night to claim victory in the Buckle Up South Carolina 200 at Darlington Raceway. The win was even more rewarding after lackluster finishes in the previous five races this season of three 30th place and two 15th place results.

    “I don’t really feel that excited, because the truck was so good it drove itself,” Eckes said, adding, “It’s been a really, really rough couple of weeks.”

    “To come back and win shows the resilience of this team, and how we had to win it just shows the fight in this team. I was really determined. It’s really, really fun to be here, man, and when you have a truck like this, you’ve just got to finish it out.”

    “We needed a little bit longer runs, I think,” he said. “Our truck was strong on longer runs – we just had too many medium to short runs, and it was hard to get track position there to advance forward.

    Stewart Friesen finished second posting this third top-10 result of 2023. Tanner Gray, William Byron, and Carson Hocevar completed the top five at Darlington. Rajah Caruth finished sixth and was the highest-finishing rookie.

    Full-time Cup Series driver Bryon, was piloting the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports entry, and won Stage 2, but had to settle for a fourth-place finish.

    “Hopefully, we learned some stuff for the Cup race. We usually run really good here, so it’s just a matter of trying to put it all together and learn some nuances with the race track, so hopefully we did that.”

    Zane Smith currently leads the driver standings with 338 points, followed by Ty Majeski (-9), Corey Heim (-15), Ben Rhodes (-37) Christian Eckes (-39), Grant Enfinger (-39), Matt Crafton (-78), Tanner Gray (-84), Nick Sanchez (-105) and Stewart Friesen (-111).

    The first two stages of the race were caution-free, excluding state breaks, but the final stage had six cautions with two overtime attempts to finish under green flag conditions.

    Next weekend the Truck Series travels to North Wilkesboro Speedway. Television coverage will be provided by FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Results:

  • Chris Gabehart to call 150th Cup event as crew chief at Darlington

    Chris Gabehart to call 150th Cup event as crew chief at Darlington

    A significant milestone start is in the making for Chris Gabehart, crew chief for Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota TRD Camry team in the NASCAR Cup Series. By participating in this weekend’s Cup throwback event at Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400, Gabehart will call his 150th event as crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.

    A native of Lafayette, Indiana, and a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in mechanical engineering, Gabehart’s career path to NASCAR began when he competed in go-karts at age 10 in the World Karting Association. He eventually moved up to late models and the ARCA Series before retiring in 2007 due to sponsorship and financial issues. Not long after, he became an engineer for Kyle Busch Motorsports’ late model and Truck Series program before teaming up with Joe Gibbs Racing as an engineer in both the Xfinity and Cup circuits. From 2016 to 2018, Gabehart became a crew chief for JGR in the Xfinity circuit, where he accumulated a total of nine victories with names that included Erik Jones, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Preece.

    In 2017, Gabehart made his inaugural presence as a Cup Series crew chief for Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 JGR Toyota Camry team at Richmond Raceway in September. Gabehart’s role as a crew chief was an interim role for a one-race basis after Mike Wheeler, Hamlin’s full-time crew chief, was serving a two-race suspension due to illegal suspensions that were found on Hamlin’s race-winning car during the previous weekend at Darlington Raceway. With Gabehart atop the pit box of the No. 11 team at Richmond, Hamlin ended up in fifth place despite being involved in a last lap incident involving Martin Truex Jr.

    In 2019, Gabehart was named a full-time crew chief for Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry team for the full Cup Series season. The new duo commenced the season on a high note by winning the 61st running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February. The victory, which was the second 500 win for Hamlin and snapped his 47-race winless drought, served as a memorable one for the driver, crew chief and the JGR organization with the team mourning the loss of the team’s president and son of owner Joe Gibbs, J.D. Gibbs. Six races later, Gabehart and Hamlin achieved their second victory of the season at Texas Motor Speedway in March. They went on to win at Pocono Raceway in July and Bristol Motor Speedway in August before the 2019 Cup Playoffs commenced. With victories at Kansas Speedway in October and Phoenix Raceway in November, Gabehart and Hamlin managed to transfer all the way from the Round of 16 to the Championship 4 round at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November and compete for the series title. During the finale, however, Hamlin made a late unscheduled pit stop to fix an overheating issue to his car and ended up in 10th place on the track and in fourth place in the final championship standings. Overall, Gabehart achieved six victories, three poles, a career-best 19 top-five results, 24 top-10 results, 922 laps led and an average-finishing result of 9.5 in his first full-time Cup season with Hamlin.

    Remaining as Hamlin’s crew chief for the 2020 Cup season, the duo commenced the season on a high note by winning the 62nd running of the Daytona 500, where Hamlin dodged a harrowing final lap wreck involving Ryan Newman to edge Ryan Blaney in a photo finish to repeat as a champion in the Great American Race. Their second victory of the season occurred five races later after Hamlin won a rain-shortened event at Darlington Raceway in May. Two races later at Charlotte Motor Speedway, however, Gabehart was suspended for the following four races due to ballast that fell out of Hamlin’s car prior to the start of the Coca-Cola 600. When Gabehart returned atop the pit box at Homestead in June, Hamlin ended up winning the event after leading a race-high 137 of 267 laps. The duo went on to win at Pocono in June, Kansas in July and Dover in August before making their second consecutive trip to the Playoffs. After finishing in the top 10 three times through nine Playoff events, including claiming a wild victory at Talladega Superspeedway in October, Gabehart and Hamlin managed to accumulate enough points and strong results to transfer all the way from the Round of 16 to the Championship 4 finale for a second consecutive time. During the finale, however, Hamlin ended up as the fourth highest-finishing competitor of the final four finalists both on the track and in the final standings for a second consecutive season. Despite being absent for four events, Gabehart managed to accumulate seven victories, 16 top-five results and 19 top-10 results with Hamlin and the No. 11 JGR team.

    At the start of the 2021 Cup season, Gabehart and Hamlin fell short in their bid to win a third consecutive Daytona 500 as Hamlin settled in fifth place in the final running order. Despite going winless in the regular-season stretch, the No. 11 team accumulated 13 top-five results and 17 top-10 results in 26 races, which were enough for them to make the 2021 Cup Playoffs. At the start of the Playoffs, they achieved their first elusive win of the season at Darlington Raceway in September and a one-way ticket from the Round of 16 to 12 after Hamlin fended off a last lap challenge from Kyle Larson. Three races later, Gabehart and Hamlin clinched a spot for the Round of 8 after winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September. Despite finishing no higher than fifth during the Round of 8, they transferred to the Championship 4 finale. Given a third consecutive opportunity to contend for the title, Gabehart and Hamlin fell short in their third bid after finishing in third place both during the finale at Phoenix and in the final standings. With two victories achieved throughout the 2021 Cup season, Gabehart accumulated a total of 19 top-five results, a career-high 25 top-10 results, a career-high 1,502 laps led and an average-finishing result of 8.4 in his third season as a Cup crew chief with Hamlin. By then, Gabehart surpassed 100 Cup events called as a crew chief.

    This past season, Gabehart and Hamlin rallied from finishing no higher than 13th during the first six scheduled events by achieving their first victory of the season at Richmond in April. Then in early May, Gabehart was issued a second four-race suspension from NASCAR for a loose wheel that came off of Hamlin’s car at Dover in late April. While JGR attempted to appeal the penalty, the penalty was denied by mid-May and Gabehart was suspended for four events that included the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May, the inaugural Cup event at World Wild Technology Raceway, Sonoma Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway in June. Amid Gabehart’s absence, Hamlin won the Coke 600 with engineer and interim crew chief Sam McAulay before finishing no higher than sixth during his following three starts. Upon returning at Road America in July, Gabehart and Hamlin finished in the top 10 three times during the final nine regular-season events on the schedule before the 2022 Cup Playoffs commenced. Despite finishing no lower than 13th throughout the Playoffs, the duo missed the cutline to the Championship 4 finale by a mere margin after Hamlin was overtaken by a bold move by title rival Ross Chastain on the final lap at Martinsville in November. With an eighth-place result in the finale, Gabehart and Hamlin concluded the season in fifth place in the final standings.

    Through 149 previous Cup events, Gabehart has achieved 17 victories, five poles, 67 top-five results, 88 top-10 results and 4,064 laps led, all while working with Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team. The duo is coming off their first victory of the season at Kansas Speedway. To go along with a pole, three top-five results and five top-10 results through the first 12-scheduled events, they are tied with teammate Truex and the No. 19 JGR team for third place in the driver’s standings.

    Gabehart is scheduled to call his 150th Cup Series event as a crew chief at Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 14. The event’s broadcast time is scheduled to commence at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Ryan Newman returns for select Cup starts with Rick Ware Racing

    Ryan Newman returns for select Cup starts with Rick Ware Racing

    The “Rocket Man” is back on the grid after it was announced that Ryan Newman will be joining Rick Ware Racing and make select starts throughout the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

    The 45-year-old Newman from South Bend, Indiana, is scheduled to make his first Cup start of the season next weekend at Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400 and as part of NASCAR’s Throwback Weekend. The news comes two weeks after Newman was added to NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers list.

    “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Rick Ware Racing and Ford,” Newman said. “I think this will be good for all of us with our combined experience and knowledge.”

    The Goodyear 400 at Darlington will mark Newman’s first start in NASCAR’s premier series since the 2021 season finale at Phoenix Raceway, which also marks his final full-time campaign in NASCAR to date. In 26 previous starts at Darlington, Newman has achieved seven top-five results and 14 top-10 results. His best result at the track is second, which occurred in September 2002.

    “Being part of the Throwback Weekend at one of my favorite tracks in Darlington is pretty special,” Newman added. “After recently being named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers, it carries even some significance.”

    Making his inaugural presence in the NASCAR Cup Series in November 2000 at Phoenix Raceway, Newman has embarked on an illustrious career in 20 full-time seasons and 725 career starts between Team Penske, Stewart-Haas Racing, Richard Childress Racing and most recently, Roush Fenway Racing. He won the 2002 All-Star Race as a rookie competitor before claiming his first Cup points-paying victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September 2002. After claiming the 2002 Rookie of the Year title, he notched a career-high eight victories and 11 poles throughout the 2003 season before finishing sixth in the final standings.

    Of his 18 Cup career victories to date, his biggest wins include winning the 50th annual Daytona 500 in 2008 with Team Penske and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July 2013 with Stewart-Haas Racing. His last Cup victory to date occurred at Phoenix in March 2017 with Richard Childress Racing. Dubbed the “Rocket Man” with 51 career poles, he has also recorded 117 top-five results, 268 top-10 results, 4,863 laps led, an average-finishing result of 16.5 and nine career Playoff appearances. His best result in the championship standings is second, which occurred during the 2014 season and during his first season with RCR.

    Since being left without a ride in NASCAR prior to 2022 and after three full-time seasons at Roush Fenway Racing (2019-21), Newman has competed in dirt racing. In addition to his Cup Series return, he is also set to compete in his second full-time season in the SRX Series after finishing second in the 2022 championship standings.

    “I remember watching ‘Thursday Night Thunder’ on ESPN and seeing Ryan compete against some stout competition in those days,” Rick Ware, team owner of Rick Ware Racing, said. “I became a fan then and when he first came to NASCAR, I knew he was going to be a great driver and win a lot of races.

    “He brings great depth and insight to RWR while we continue to grow our team,” Ware added. “Ryan’s been a great ambassador for our sport and Ford. We’re really looking forward to racing with him this season.”

    Newman’s first of select NASCAR Cup Series starts of the 2023 season is set to occur at Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400. The event is scheduled to occur on May 14 at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Chase Elliott: Elliott lost control with two laps to go in Stage 1, hitting the wall and bouncing into the path of Chase Briscoe. The damage was severe, and his team failed to repair it in the allotted 10 minutes, forcing Elliott’s retirement, in last place.

    “This is the last thing we needed to happen,” Elliott said. “You might as well call it the ‘Worst Chase Scenario.’ I hear down at the Dawsonville Pool Hall, they’re saying I put myself behind the 8-ball.’”

    2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started strong in the Playoffs, finishing second in the Cook Out Southern 500.

    “It’s important to get off to a good start,” Hamlin said. “You can’t win the championship in the first round of the Playoffs, but you sure can lose it. You can also lose the championship in the last round of the Playoffs.”

    3. Joey Logano: Logano started from the pole at Darlington and finished fourth.

    “I issued a warning before the race to William Byron,” Logano said. “I said, ‘You don’t want to mess with me’ in regards to our issue at the Darlington spring race. Don’t discount me, I can make a threat, even though I look like the least-threatening driver in all of motorsports.”

    4. Ryan Blaney: Blaney came home 13th at Darlington.

    “How about Erik Jones winning in the No. 43 car?” Blaney said. “That car number was made famous by the legendary Richard Petty. Petty is the ‘King,’ and he would like everyone to ‘ST(o)P‘ with the silly comparisons.”

    5. Christopher Bell: Bell finished fifth at Darlington.

    “Considering the attrition in the race,” Bell said, “I’m just glad I finished. A lot of other drivers, well, they’re just finished.”

    6. Kyle Larson: Larson suffered engine issues at Darlington and fell three laps down, but diligently worked his way back to the lead lap and finished a remarkable 12th.

    “I’m quite experienced at digging myself out of holes I created,” Larson said. “And that other time, I certainly didn’t get a ‘free pass.’

    “I was a little discouraged when I began to have trouble early in the race. But then I thought, ‘I’ve salvaged a career; it should be easy to salvage a day.”

    7. William Byron: Byron won Stage 1 at Darlington, but couldn’t capitalize the rest of the way and finished eighth.

    “The ‘Track Too Tough To Tame’ really lived up to its name,” Byron said. “And if you ask Kevin Harvick, he’ll tell you the Cook Out Southern 500 did as well, especially the ‘Cook Out’ part.”

    8. Kyle Busch: Busch won Stage 2 at Darlington, and was leading under caution when his engine blew with 23 laps remaining. “This racetrack really did a number on me and other playoff drivers,” Busch said. “And that number is the ‘No. 2.’

    “It would be amazing if I could win a championship before I sign a new contract. That would give my value a good chance to catch up to my ego.”

    9. Kevin Harvick: Harvick saw a solid effort at Darlington come to an end when his rocker panel ignited, causing a fiery end to his night on Lap 276.

    “Luckily,” Harvick said, “I was able to stop the car safely and get out, despite the cockpit being full of smoke. If that would have happened in Tyler Reddick’s 3CHI-sponsored car, then that’s the ultimate ‘hot box.’”

    10 (tie). Martin Truex Jr.: Truex was leading late at Darlington, but a dramatic engine failure ended his day on Lap 333.

    “Just because I’m ineligible to win the championship,” Truex said, “doesn’t mean I’m going to roll over to the drivers who are. I may be out of the Playoffs, but I’m not out of the way.”

    10 (tie). Ross Chastain: Chastain finished 20th at Darlington when a tire issue in Stage 2 set him back in the field.

    “Of course it’s not the start to the postseason I wanted,” Chastain said. “But I’m just happy to be in the Playoffs. At the beginning of the year, most people thought I couldn’t make the Playoffs. Well, guess what? I crashed the Playoffs, and with apologies to Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex, Jr., and others, it most likely won’t be the last thing I crash.”