NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Can Tame Darlington Raceway’s Goodyear 400?
Sunday marks one of the most anticipated and eagerly awaited races of 2023. Darlington Raceway will play host to the Goodyear 400, also celebrating NASCAR’s annual Throwback Weekend. The sport’s recently-named 75 Greatest Drivers will be honored in a special prerace ceremony as well. Who are some drivers to watch out for in Sunday’s 400-mile slugfest? Here are some potential winners for the Goodyear 400.
Kevin Harvick
The past two weeks have seen a new winner on the 2023 season. Kevin Harvick hopes to continue this trend at one of his strongest tracks. Until a DNF from fire last fall, Harvick had not been worse than ninth at Darlington in almost a decade. Three wins also came in this span, most recently twice in 2020. The Goodyear 400 provides a prime opportunity for Kevin Harvick to return to winning form in his final season.
“I know the characteristics of the racetrack, as far as having to respect it and racing the track,” Harvick said. “I know what that means, and I’ve definitely been in the wrong position and got carried away and had it bite me before. But it’s a place that I look forward to going to. It’s a place where I enjoy racing and love the challenges that go with it. I think over the last several years we’ve been fortunate to have some success there, and the expectation is to go there and have a chance to race up front and put yourself in contention. So, that’ll be the expectation as we go back this time and, hopefully, we can do that and have some fun.”
“Darlington favors the guy who can be very disciplined and is able to push the car right to 99.9 percent of where that tire run is, and be able to put the car up against the wall and not overstep those boundaries. You have to be very disciplined there to get everything out of the car and keep up with the tire fall-off and not tear anything up – on your own, let alone being around everybody else.”
Harvick will be throwing back to a 2001 scheme never used for his planned Cup debut. The SunnyD colors could see great success in the Goodyear 400. Team 4 is on the short list of veteran groups anticipating a turn to dance with The Lady in Black.
Denny Hamlin
A week after his Kansas win, Denny Hamlin eyes back-to-back victories at his favorite track. Four Darlington wins for Hamlin is the most of any active driver. Driver 11’s Darlington average finish of 7.5 is also the best in NASCAR history. To say Hamlin is excited for the challenge ahead at Darlington would be an understatement. Standing on the doorstep of the 50-win threshold, Hamlin anticipates another strong weekend ahead.
“It’s a tough track mentally and physically,” Hamlin said. “It’s a driver’s track because the driver can make a difference at Darlington. You can manipulate the way your car is handling based on the line you choose to run. There’s something about it that has always matched my style of driving no matter what type of car we’re racing. I anticipate we’ll have a really good shot at contending this weekend.”
Just 12 months ago in the Goodyear 400, Hamlin was diligently working his way forward. This drive by the 11 was cut short by a wreck, relegating Hamlin to finishing 21st. Four months later in the Southern 500, the 11 was a close runner-up to Erik Jones. Hamlin’s been saying for weeks that the 11 team will heat up. The 49-time winner will chase another checkered flag at Darlington.
Kyle Larson
One of the Goodyear 400 co-favorites, Kyle Larson is shockingly still 0-10 at Darlington. Despite no victory here, driver 5 does have seven top-10s, including three runner-ups. Larson’s 9.2 average finish also narrowly trails Denny Hamlin. After a close loss to Hamlin in Kansas, Larson aims for Darlington redemption.
“I always look forward to going to Darlington,” Larson said. “I want to win everywhere, but especially at tracks I haven’t won at yet. Darlington would definitely be one of the top on my list of tracks I hope to win at. I’ve been really fast there before and I’m excited to race at ‘The Lady in Black’ again.”
“I feel like Darlington is one of my best tracks, have a lot of second-place finishes there, but not a win. There’s not anything that’s really kept me from winning there. I feel like I’ve overachieved sometimes and finished second. One year Keselowski beat us off pit road by like a foot for a short run at the end, after we dominated the whole race. That’s one I really remember that got away from us. Other times, I feel like I overachieved to finish second.”
Larson’s high-riding driving style and Darlington Raceway are a match made in Heaven. The 5 has an astounding 686 laps led at the South Carolina track. It’s becoming more and more evident that Larson will eventually be a Darlington victor. Larson will be going for his first Darlington win with a past Hendrick scheme that has found success. Much like a week ago, Sunday could come down to an intense 5 vs. 11 battle for the win.
Martin Truex Jr.
Another Toyota veteran with stout Darlington history, Martin Truex Jr. is going for a hat trick. Darlington in 2022 was a microcosm of MTJ’s horrid season. The 2016 Southern 500 and 2021 Goodyear 400 winner was caught up in an early crash last May. Truex would also lose a water pump while leading in September. Racing for his second win in three weeks, the 19 could put on a clinic Sunday.
“(Darlington) is quite the challenge, I love going there,” Truex said. “I’m still mad about the Southern 500 last year, leading late and having the engine issues, so a little bit of redemption, hopefully, this weekend. It’s been so good to us and we’ve only been able to win there twice. I feel like we should have won there seven or eight times over the years. You’ve got to race the racetrack, but somehow with these cars you’ve got to find a way to get track position, as well. It’s very difficult to do but I’m really looking forward to the challenge. I can’t thank our friends at Auto-Owners Insurance enough for being along with us this weekend and helping us sell diecasts of our paint scheme to benefit the MTJ Foundation. It’s going to be a fun weekend, for sure.”
The Goodyear 400 just two years ago was a classic Truex domination, with the 19 leading 248 of 293 laps. Should Truex survive until the closing laps, he may be in position to tame Darlington for a third time.
Kyle Busch
Above all Darlington Raceway favors veteran drivers that know when to push the issue and how to respect the track. Few drivers fit this description better than Kyle Busch. Only a one-time Darlington winner (2008), Busch is riding a long dry spell here.
Much like Truex, Busch blew a motor while leading last fall’s Southern 500. While Rowdy DNF’d both 2022 trips here, the 8 was second and third. RCR clearly has something figured out at Darlington, expect another banner day ahead for Busch.
“The biggest thing about Darlington is that it’s a very comprising racetrack,” Busch said. “Turns 1 and 2 are so different than Turns 3 and 4 so having a good compromise between the two ends of the racetrack really means a lot there to have a good day. You also have to search around and find different grooves throughout the race and what works for you and your car and also traffic. If you’ve got a guy in front of you that’s running your line, you’ve got to find another line that you can run just as well so you can get some clean air on your car in order to make a pass. With the fast speeds that you have at Darlington, even though it’s a tight mile-and-a third racetrack, aerodynamics is a huge factor. Getting clean air on your car, especially through the majority of the run, is important because now tire falloff is so big that you have to have that grip as much as you can have of it.”
The last three Darlington races have all ended early for Busch, with a trio of sub-30th place finishes. Busch broke a long losing drought with RCR three weeks ago at Talladega. Darlington is a chance for Busch to end an equally-long streak.
Joey Logano
Defending Goodyear 400 winner Joey Logano finally broke through for his first Darlington triumph 12 months ago. Starting from pole, the 22 paced the field for 107 laps, nudging William Byron out of the way late for the win. The 22 also won the pole in the Southern 500, finishing a respectable fourth. Paying homage to Team Penske’s first NASCAR win, Logano is gunning for back-to-back Goodyear 400 glory.
“(Darlington)’s one of the best races of the year,” Logano said. “It’s the environment of the throwback and all the cool cars that come out, which I think is fun for the fans and really competitors as well to see that. But the race itself, it’s just fun. You get a lot of tire wear, slipping and sliding hard, you’re up against the wall. It’s one of the best races we have all year.”
The 22 team is still trying to get their feet under them for 2023. Even with the Atlanta win, Logano is still a distant 11th in points with only six top-10s. Returning to the site of one of his most recent victories, Logano could put his Mustang back in Darlington’s winner’s circle.
The Goodyear 400 marks the halfway point in the regular season. Even though it’s only May, the race to the Playoffs has already begun heating up. The green flag will fly in South Carolina Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Darlington provides many drivers another chance at a championship-caliber performance or a rare upset win.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to James Gilbert/Getty Images for NASCAR
