NASCAR
Will a Past Winner of the Southern 500 Find Victory Again in Darlington?
One of the most prestigious and historic crown jewel races of the NASCAR season is upon us this weekend. The list of potential winners for the Southern 500 is wide open. But Darlington Raceway is also a venue that gives veterans an advantage. With this in mind, can a previous Southern 500 winner repeat their Darlington success? There are 6 past Darlington winners entered in this weekend’s race. Let’s take a look at each of their chances for a win on Sunday.
Jimmie Johnson
One of only two active multi-time Southern 500 winners, Jimmie Johnson has not had the best results recently at Darlington. In the past 4 years, Johnson has a best Darlington finish of 12th, coming in 2017. Johnson has 3 wins at Darlington, earning the season sweep in 2004 as well as the 2012 Southern 500. Although Johnson is the winningest active driver at Darlington, he is far from a favorite for this weekend.
Johnson enters Darlington below the Playoff cut line at 18th in the standings. The 48 must points race this weekend and capitalize in both Stages. Johnson must race conservatively to attempt at erasing his 26-point deficit to the postseason cut line. The 7-time champion has never been in this situation before, as he has made the Playoffs in each season since 2004. If the 48 team can close their points gap at Darlington, they can keep their postseason hopes alive heading into the regular season finale.
Denny Hamlin
The hottest man in NASCAR happens to be one of the best at Darlington. In 13 career Darlington starts, Hamlin has 2 wins, 7 top 5s, 11 top 10s, and 562 laps led. His average finish of 6.2 leads all active drivers, making Darlington one of Hamlin’s statistically-best tracks. With Southern 500 wins in 2010 and 2017, Hamlin has to be considered a strong favorite for 2019.
Hamlin is in the midst of one of his strongest streaks ever, with 6-straight top 5s, including 2 wins. Hamlin will also be competing in the Xfinity Series race on Saturday. As a result, he will have plenty of on-track time throughout the weekend. With his experience level, his confidence at Darlington, and the Xfinity race, Hamlin may be near-unbeatable this weekend. Tune in on both Saturday and Sunday to see if Hamlin can pull off a Darlington weekend sweep again.
Kyle Busch
Although Kyle Busch is a Southern 500 winner, that lone win came all the way back in 2008. With no wins in over a decade, Busch has a lengthy Darlington dry spell. In 14 Darlington races, Busch has the 1 win, 3 top 5s, 9 top 10s, 598 laps led, and an average finish of 11.6. Busch has not finished worse than 11th at Darlington since 2010, his consistency here is no joke. The 18 has to be thought of as a heavy contender for this weekend, expect to see the Snickers throwback car up near the front all night long.
Kevin Harvick
Tied with Kurt Busch for the most active Darlington starts at 22, Kevin Harvick has also been incredibly consistent of late in the Southern 500. Including his 2014 victory, Harvick has 6-consecutive top 10s in the Labor Day classic. This streak also includes 3 poles and 518 laps led. Harvick has had race-winning capability in each of these races dating back to 2013, as Darlington has clicked for him. With the Stewart-Haas Racing 4 team’s recent stretch of stability and execution, Harvick could be pretty happy when the checkers fall in Darlington.
Martin Truex, Jr.
The 2016 Southern 500 winner is yet another with a run of strong results at The Track Too Tough to Tame. Martin Truex, Jr. has not ended Darlington worse than 11th in 4 years, leading laps in the last 3 events. While its been 3 years since Truex tamed Darlington, his team at Joe Gibbs Racing has won 3 of the last 6 Darlington races. Along with 12 wins in 24 races for 2019, the JGR quartet of drivers may be unstoppable from another Darlington win.
Brad Keselowski
The defending Southern 500 champion, Brad Keselowski utilized a quick pit stop to his advantage 1 year ago. Under a late yellow the 2 barely beat Kyle Larson out of the pits. Keselowski then hung on to win the 69th running of the Southern 500. This marked Team Penske’s first Darlington triumph, and set off a streak of 3-straight wins for the 2. Can Keselowski repeat his 2018 fortunes in 2019? The 2 team has lacked some speed in recent weeks, but a late caution could result in Darlington being decided on pit road once again. The ever-gambling team led by Paul Wolfe could have a chance at stealing another Southern 500 win if Keselowski stays near the front.
With Darlington being a bucket list win for any driver, experience and track knowledge are also key for the Southern 500. The 6 past winners entered in Sunday’s race will all be hard to beat at The Track Too Tough to Tame. Be sure to tune into NBCSN at 6 PM EST on Sunday to see if one of these veteran drivers score another Southern 500 win.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo credit to NASCARMedia
