Micah Roberts' Top-10 Finish Prediction: 2023 Southern 500 at Darlington

Read my full write-up on Sportsline.com

1 #1 Ross Chastain (10/1) - He was 29th in the spring Darlington race but before getting involved in an accident, he was fast, real fast. Fast enough to win the race winning Stage 2 and leading four times for 93 laps. He’s led laps in his last five there with a best of third-place in 2021. My reason for liking him this week is believing his car will come off the hauler fast as he did on the 1.333-mile layout at Nashville where he led the most laps (five times for 91 laps) on his way to his only win of the season. Darlington is a 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval with 25 degrees of banking with each end being different from each other. He’s going to be fast again this week and be sure to find a better price elsewhere.

2 #19 Martin Truex Jr. (5/1) - When looking at his last three Darlington finishes, you might think he doesn’t like the new car very much. He was 24th last spring, 31st in the fall, and 31st in the spring race this season. But he led 221 laps between the three races. He was in an accident in two of them and had a water pump failure in the other. He’s led laps in his last seven starts there and he has two wins overall and leads active drivers with 914 laps led over 22 starts. He’ll lead laps again on Sunday and fight for the win.

3 #11 Denny Hamlin (15/2) - This is the Lady in Black’s chosen one as he has a best average finish of 7.7 in 22 Cup starts. His four wins are the most among active drivers. He has 12 top-fives, 20 Top-10s, and led 801 laps. He’s pulled all the right moves to win the Lady over and he knows how to build a relationship with her. His race management of tires is the key to all his success. His tires never seem to wear because he’s not all over the place. He keeps his car steady early in runs and by the time all others are slowing down with tire wear his tires are preserved and it’s an edge he’s been successful with at Darlington forever. Too Tough to Tame? He laughs at the notion with a 7.7 average finish.

4 #2 Brad Keselowski (16/1) - It’s got to be tough being part-owner of RFK Racing with no wins the last two seasons watching his teammate Buescher win three of the last five races using a car similar and equal to Keselowski’s own. This sounds like the spot where he could win his first for RFK. He’s third among active drivers with an 11.7 average finish with a 2018 win and he was seventh last fall and fourth in the spring.

5 #22 Joey Logano (18/1) - He’s been good at Darlington at all stages of his Cup career but finally got his first win there last spring. He sat on the pole in both races last season and led 171 laps between the two races. This season in May, he finished 18th. He has a 13.3 average finish between 19 starts.

6 #20 Christopher Bell (12/1) - His only win this season came in the Bristol Dirt Race and he closed out the regular season with no umph or pizazz. No one is talking about him. But he can prove himself to everyone this week when the playoffs begin. And the good news about him is that he’s been very good in his last three races at Darlington with a sixth, fifth, and 14th in May. All three of those were using the NextGen car.

7 #24 William Byron (15/2) - He’s led laps in his last three Darlington starts – all in the new car – and his least amount led happened in his first win there in May. He led just seven laps but was second in Stage 1 and fourth in Stage 2. It’s a good track for him and he’s in the good graces of the Lady.

8 #8 Kyle Busch (10/1) - His only Cup win at Darlington came in his fourth start there in 2008, but he’s led a bunch of laps over the years – 899 laps led. The reason you might play him this week is because he finished seventh in the spring race and his car finished second and third last season with Reddick driving it.

9 #5 Kyle Larson (6/1) - In the old car, he was always on the brink of winning at Darlington with five top-fives in eight starts. He was runner-up three races in a row, but the new car changed his groove. He was no longer able to tempt the Lady with charm and skills. His edge was gone. His best in his last three with the NextGen car was 12th sandwiched by a 20th in May and 36th in May of 2022, his only DNF there. He's led 715 laps with no wins. But he did win an Xfinity Series race there in the spring.

10 #17 Chris Buescher (18/1) - He’s had three top-10s in his last five starts at Darlington, including 10th in the May race. He’s had three Cup wins in the last five races and the two he didn’t win were on road courses which used to be his specialty. RFK Racing is bringing the speed weekly and found something recently to make them super-fast. He’s a good driver to drop $10 on just because he’s winning everything lately.

Harvick Opens Playoffs with Southern 500 Win at Darlington

Busch Beer Throwback Ford Mustang Driver Advances to Round of 12

Date: Sept. 6, 2020 Event: Cook Out Southern 500 (Round 27 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.366-mile oval) Format: 367 laps, broken into three stages (115 laps/115 laps/137 laps) Start/Finish: 8th/1st (Running, completed 367 of 367 laps) Point Standing: (1st with 2,106 points, advances to Round of 12 by virtue of win) Race Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford) Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 2 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-115): ● Harvick started eighth and finished 10th and earned one bonus point.  ● Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Throwback Ford Mustang, said his car was loose and pitted on lap 27 for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Was in sixth-place and exited pit lane in fifth. ● On lap 73, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to tighten the car up as it was very loose. ● Harvick pitted on lap 84 for four tires, fuel and a chassis and tire pressure adjustment. Said car was still too loose. Stage 2 Recap (Laps 116-230): ● Harvick started eighth and finished third and earned eight bonus points.    ● Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Throwback Ford Mustang pitted on lap 118 for four tires, fuel and a major chassis adjustment. Said car was still too loose. ● On lap 157, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. The crew made an adjustment to the left front as Harvick said the car was still too loose. Was in ninth-place. ● Harvick pitted on lap 183 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. He was leading, but said the car was better, but still too loose. Final Stage Recap (Laps 231-367): ● Harvick started third and finished first. ● On lap 232, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. The handling was improving. ● Harvick pitted on lap 247 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Said cars handling was improving even more. ● On lap 287, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a tire and chassis adjustment. He was fourth and said the car was still a tick loose. ● Harvick was in second place when he pitted on lap 232 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. Came in second and left in second. ● He was in third place with 15 laps to go when Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr., were battling for the lead and both cars got into the outside SAFER Barrier in turn one. Both cars were damaged and Harvick was able to pass each driver and win his second Southern 500. Notes: ●  Harvick’s margin of victory over second-place Austin Dillon was .343 of a second. ●  There were seven caution periods for a total of 34 laps. ●  Twenty of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap. ●  Harvick earned his series-leading eighth victory of the season and his third victory in 26 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington. ●  Harvick’s eight wins ties his own mark for the most victories in a single season. He won eight races in 2018. ●  This was Harvick’s third straight top-three at Darlington. He has not finished outside the top-10 at Darlington since a 16th-place drive in May 2012. ●  Harvick has nine top-fives in the last 10 races at Darlington. ●  Since joining SHR in 2014, Harvick has only one finish outside the top-five at Darlington – ninth in the 2017 Southern 500. ●  Harvick’s 11 top-fives and 15 top-10s at Darlington are the most among active drivers. ●  Harvick led three times for 32 laps to increase his laps-led total at Darlington to 782, the most among active drivers. ●  Harvick has now led 10,757 laps since joining SHR in 2014. He has led 15,183 laps in his entire NASCAR Cup Series career. ●  Harvick has led 1,149 laps in the 27 races held this season. He is the only driver to hit the 1,000 laps led mark this year. Next best is Denny Hamlin with 790 laps led. ●  Harvick’s victory in the Cook Out Southern 500 marked the 86th overall win for SHR. It was the organization’s 64th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series victory, its ninth of the season and its third at Darlington. ●  SHR scored both of its previous Darlington wins with Harvick. He won the 2014 Southern 500 in his first season with SHR and earned a second win at the “Track Too Tough To Tame” on May 17 when NASCAR returned to racing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. ●  This was SHR’s 28th NASCAR Cup Series victory with Ford. The team won its first race with Ford when former driver Kurt Busch captured the 2017 Daytona 500. ●  Harvick has now won 22 NASCAR Cup Series races with Ford, which makes him one of only 13 drivers to win 20 or more races with the manufacturer. He is just one win away from tying Rusty Wallace, Carl Edwards and Joey Logano for 10th all time. ●  This was Ford’s series-leading 15th NASCAR Cup Series win of the season and its 701st all-time Cup Series victory. ●  This was Harvick’s 57th career NASCAR Cup Series win. He is now ninth on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series win list after passing Kyle Busch, who has 56 wins. Next on the all-time win list is NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt with 76 victories. ●  This was Harvick’s 34th NASCAR Cup Series victory since joining SHR in 2014. Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer Throwback Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: Was this one of those nights you didn’t have the best car and showed what this team is made of? “First thing I want to say is welcome back, fans. This interview is a hell of a lot more fun with you guys up there. I just want to say thank you to everybody from NASCAR, all of you fans here in South Carolina. I’ve got to thank Busch Beer, Mobil 1, Hunt Brothers Pizza, Jimmy John’s, Ford Mustang, everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing. We just wound up fighting all night long. This Busch Beer Ford Mustang wasn’t where we wanted it to be, but the leaders got tangled up there and the next thing you know we were racing for the win.” How big is this win for the 4 team? “Anytime you can win the Southern 500 is a good day. This is one of the most prestigious races in our sport and this is one the most prestigious racetracks in our sport, so anytime you can win at Darlington it’s a big deal, but, man, Southern 500!” What did you see with Truex and Elliott? “Obviously, those guys had trouble. I didn’t see what happened. I just heard my spotter tell me that something had happened. I’ve just got to thank everybody on our Busch Beer Ford Mustang. They did a heck of a job tonight just keeping us in the game. Our car wasn’t very good, but we just kept fighting and kept ourselves up in the front with some great pit strategy and were able to stay up there and fight and wound up in the right spot.” You short pitted several times. Was that what you had to do? “We kept having a lot of trouble with the right-rear tire cording.  The car was really loose all night long for whatever reason and would cord the right-rear tire, so I think that was probably about as far as they felt like we were comfortable of going and wound up being the right strategy in the end.” Playoff Standings: 1.      Kevin Harvick (2,106 points) 1 win 2.      Denny Hamlin (2,087 points) +54 points 3.      Joey Logano (2,060 points) +27 points 4.      Brad Keselowski (2,055 points) +22 points 5.      Alex Bowman (2,052 points) +19 points 6.      Martin Truex Jr. (2,049 points) +16 points 7.      Chase Elliott (2,045 points) +12 points 8.      Austin Dillon (2,043 points) +10 points 9.      William Byron (2,042 points) +9 points 10.    Kyle Busch (2,040 points) +7 points 11.    Kurt Busch (2,037 points) +4 points 12.    Aric Almirola (2,033 points) +0 points 13.    Clint Bowyer (2,033 points) -0 points 14.    Cole Custer (2,030 points) -3 points 15.    Matt DiBenedetto (2,016 points) -17 points 16.    Ryan Blaney (2,016 points) -17 points Next Up: The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Federated Auto Parts 400 on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. It is the second race in the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs starts and it starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Circa Sports odds to win 2020 Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington

NASCAR Video: Micah Roberts Discusses Betting Odds for 2020 Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington

William Byron is 30/1 to win 2020 Southern 500 at Darlington

William Byron was 12th in his last Darlington race.

Driver William Byron winning the final race before the playoffs:
"Fortunately, we have pretty long weeks now with no practice or qualifying. We get two extra days, essentially. So we have had a couple days to take everything in and enjoy the win before turning on to Darlington. Darlington is a track that we’ve traditionally run well at and had a decent car in the spring this year. We’ll make some changes off of our previous setup and I think we’ll be in a good place.”

Byron on his feelings of getting his first Cup win:
“It was honestly just a big relief. I’ve been driving the No. 24 car for the last couple years and it was a relief to win that race in that car. There’s a lot of pressure that comes with that and the legacy of the car. These last couple years I’ve been really trying to work on being comfortable in the car and make it my own. I don’t remember much from crossing the finish line, but watching it back it just makes me smile. I’m still on Cloud 9. It’s been pretty special.”

Byron on racing at Darlington:
“Hopefully, we can have a good race and execute really well. Darlington is a really tough racetrack but luckily we’ve been there twice already this year. I have a pretty good idea of what the track is going to feel like and how it’s going to drive and handle. It definitely is a very temperature-sensitive track and it’s going to be warmer than when we were there in May. It rubbers up a lot, especially up by the wall. You have to move your line around and try to avoid the rubber at times until it covers the full track. Once it does, you can run wherever your car handles the best. It’s a balancing act of trying to chase clean track and trying to find good racetrack to run on.”

Crew chief Chad Knaus on the pressure of winning and the playoffs:
“The intensity was way higher and the pressure we felt was high, really high in Daytona. Quite honestly, I love it. That’s why we do what we do. That’s why we compete. If it was easy no one would want to do it. It felt really good after the race to get that checkered flag. Going into the playoffs now, it’s all in the details and we have to make sure that we execute properly. Going to Darlington now, it’s a great racetrack for us. We’ve ran well there. We sat on the pole last year, we ran up front in the first spring race until we had a loose wheel, and we were decent in the second May race. If we look at the details this week, I think we have an opportunity to be really competitive this weekend and run up towards the front.”


HERE TO STAY: Coming off his first NASCAR Cup win and heading into his second series playoff appearance, William Byron confirmed Tuesday that he will continue to bring home the hardware behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. While his contract extension was signed in early August prior to Saturday’s win, Byron’s success in the national ranks of NASCAR speaks for itself. Signing with Hendrick Motorsports in August 2016, he climbed the ladder to the Xfinity Series in 2017, winning the circuit championship before making his way to the Cup level in 2018. With a combined 12 NASCAR national series race wins, Byron is the fifth-youngest driver to score a victory in all three major touring levels and is one of only two drivers to be crowned rookie of the year in three consecutive seasons.
WINNER WINNER: With Saturday night’s event at Daytona International Speedway signaling the final race of the 2020 regular season, Byron rolled off from the sixth position in the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE but quickly took the lead early on. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native continued to show speed throughout the night and narrowly avoided multiple incidents to position himself on the front row for the final restart heading into overtime. Jumping out to the lead just before taking the white flag, Byron got help from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott, who gave him the push he needed to maintain the lead and capture the checkered flag for his first career Cup Series win.

THE NUMBER IS 24: The “24” car number, made famous by four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, has an extensive history in NASCAR. Byron can now add his name to the legacy. En route to his Daytona win, Byron led 24 laps, including the final two in overtime, before capturing the checkered flag – the first time the No. 24 has been to victory lane with someone other than Gordon behind the wheel. Gordon’s first Cup Series win came at the age of 22 years, 9 months and 25 days, while Byron’s first victory came at 22 years, 9 months and 1 day – a difference of exactly 24 days. In fact, Saturday marked the first summer Cup race at Daytona not held on the Fourth of July weekend since 1998 when the event was held in October. The winner was Gordon in the No. 24.

LOCKED IT UP: Not only did his Daytona win signal the first of his Cup career but it also solidified Byron’s position in the 2020 NASCAR playoffs. Making his second appearance during his three-year Cup Series career, Byron is now seeded ninth, three points above the cutline heading into the first of three races in the Round of 16.

NIGHT VISION: While racing under the lights seems to bring a different level of intensity, it also brings success for Byron. In the last four races run at night, including Saturday’s Daytona win, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has finished in the top 10 – a streak he plans to continue Sunday at Darlington.

DARLINGTON DEETS: With four previous Cup Series starts at Darlington, Byron is looking to capitalize on his strong showings at the track this Sunday and is hoping to find a little luck along the way. Despite running well early in races, Byron only has a track-best finish of 12th, which came earlier this year in the second race of the Darlington doubleheader. Last year in a “Days of Thunder” throwback paint scheme, Byron channeled his inner Cole Trickle and captured the pole for the prestigious Southern 500, becoming the youngest-ever pole sitter at Darlington Raceway at 21 years, 9 months and 2 days.

PLAYOFF MASTER: When the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team solidified its spot in the battle for the championship Saturday night, veteran crew chief Chad Knaus made history of his own. This year’s post-season berth continued his streak of 17 consecutive playoff appearances. Not only does that stat rank first among all crew chiefs – with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alan Gustafson second with 13 appearances – but Knaus has yet to miss the playoffs since the format’s inception in 2004. Through his 17 trips, Knaus has gone on to win an incredible 29 races and seven championships, which are both records in the playoff format.

KNAUS DIGS DARLINGTON: Making his 25th start at Darlington Raceway atop the pit box, Knaus is optimistic that his previous success at the 1.366-mile oval will continue Sunday. With three crown jewel wins at “The Lady in Black,” all with Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team, Knaus also has one pole award at Darlington, which came last year with Byron and the No. 24 team for the Southern 500.

LIBERTY HONORS JOHNSON: On board for his win at Daytona, Liberty University will remain on Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Sunday’s race at Darlington – but with a different look. Embodying this year’s theme of “past champions” for the Southern 500, Liberty University is honoring seven-time champion Johnson by running his 2013 NASCAR All-Star Race paint scheme. Featuring a red, white and blue design with stars and stripes, the throwback scheme represents Johnson’s fourth and final All-Star Race win – the most of any driver – at Byron’s hometown track of Charlotte Motor Speedway. To see Byron’s No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Sunday’s race, click here.

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE OF MIND: While the fueler on the No. 24 team hails from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Landon Walker has significant ties to the southernmost Carolina state. The former college football player earned a scholarship to Clemson University in 2007 after being named an All-American offensive lineman in his hometown at East Wilkes High School. While playing at Clemson, Walker recorded 3,131 snaps with 49 starts at tackle through four seasons. In 2011, he was named team captain, the same year Clemson went on to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The college football standout was then recruited by Hendrick Motorsports in 2012 and earned a position as a starting fueler for crew chief Gustafson in 2015.

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2020 Season 9th in standings 26 starts 1 win 0 pole positions 2 top-five finishes 9 top-10 finishes 97 laps led      Career 98 starts 1 win 5 pole positions 7 top-five finishes 26 top-10 finishes 391 laps led     Track Career  4 starts 0 wins 1 pole position 0 top-five finishes 0 top-10 finishes 3 laps led

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Aric Almirola is 28/1 to win 2020 Southern 500 at Darlington

ARIC ALMIROLA Playoff Bound, Throwback Style  KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Sept. 2, 2020) – Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Go Bowling Throwback Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in the NASCAR Cup Series, will sport a special paint scheme this weekend honoring Glenn “Fireball” Roberts’ 1957 season, during which he won eight races. It’s a fitting paint scheme as Almirola begins his 2020 Cup Series playoff journey starting with Sunday night’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.  Roberts’ eight victories in 1957 was a career high for a single season. Roberts was from Central Florida and attended college at the University of Florida before fully pursing his career in auto racing. In addition, Roberts was a pitcher for an American Legion baseball team, which is how he received his nickname – because of his fastball. Sadly, Roberts died from injuries sustained in an accident at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in 1964. He was named as one of NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers” in 1998 and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2014.  Almirola and Roberts have a lot in common off the track.  “I went to college at the University of Central Florida to become an engineer and pursued racing while I was in school,” Almirola said. “I always say, if I didn’t go into racing I would have wanted to take the baseball route. I loved baseball growing up and I was pretty good at it. We have a lot in common. That 1957 season was solid for him, so we’re hoping to channel some of that energy into our playoff run and have a lot more in common on the track.”  This marks the third year in a row since joining SHR that Almirola has made the NASCAR playoffs. It will be his fourth playoff appearance in his nine-year full-time career. His best playoff run was in 2018, when he finished fifth in the season standings.  “We accomplished our goal of making the playoffs and clinching early so we didn’t have to worry about racing for a spot at Daytona,” Almirola said. “We wish we could have had a ‘W’ along the way, but we’re still enjoying the most consistency we’ve ever had.” He’ll join his three SHR teammates in the playoffs. SHR is the only organization to place four cars in the playoffs. Last year, then-SHR driver Daniel Suarez fell just four points shy of earning a playoff berth, otherwise this would have been the third consecutive year SHR placed all four of its drivers in the playoffs.  Almirola enjoyed a career-best regular season with five top-five finishes, 14 top-10s and 286 laps led. In his last 15 races, he has 11 top-10s and five top-fives. He begins the playoffs 12th in the reset driver standings with 2,005 points. Almirola needs to remain in the top-12 in points to advance to Round 2 of the playoffs. That makes running well Sunday night at Darlington, Sept. 12 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, and Sept. 19 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway that much more important.  “On paper, the first round looks great for the No. 10 team,” Almirola said. “These are all tracks that I feel confident at and enjoy racing at. I couldn’t say that before this year because Darlington was always such a tough track for me.” Go Bowling will adorn the No. 10 Ford this weekend at Darlington for the second time this year.  The Go Bowling America league program focuses on bringing families, young adults and kids back to the lanes in a healthy and safe fashion, as centers around the country have implemented strict measures to ensure the wellness of its employees and customers who come to bowl. Go Bowling, in conjunction with its industry partners, has introduced detailed safety protocols to the thousands of U.S. bowling centers that include social distancing recommendations, use of personal protective equipment where required, and guidelines for sanitizing balls and shoes, as well as other equipment in the facility. Additionally, the Go Bowling America league program provides every bowler who joins at a participating bowling center with his or her own, brand-new bowling ball to minimize shared contact. With two of Roberts’ 33 wins coming at Darlington, and Almirola and the No. 10 team earning their best Darlington finish in their last visit there in May, they are holding their heads high heading to the Round of 16 of the playoffs.

Aric Almirola: Driver of the No. 10 Go Bowling Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You ran well the last time you went to Darlington. Why was that?  “I thought we had a really good car that day. We ran up in the top-five quite a bit and had a really fast car on the long runs. Everyone else’s car would slow down a lot and my car wouldn’t slow down nearly as much on the long run. We would start beating all the leaders really good on the long run. If we could have had that race go green to the end, I think it would have been interesting because we were beating the leaders pretty bad. We came back with some setup changes from what we ran the race before and I felt like we made some real improvements to the car and were very competitive.” What would it mean to win at Darlington? “It is such a physically demanding track, it’s such a demanding track on the car, on the crew, on everybody. When you win at Darlington, you’ve done something. Darlington is just a really tough racetrack. It’s called ‘Too Tough to Tame’ and the ‘Lady in Black’ for a reason. It such a challenging place. To go there and have success, to walk away with a trophy, is a bucket list kind of race that you want to win and it would give us the peace of mind to earn as many playoff points as possible at Richmond and Bristol for the Round of 12.”   What has led to such a great season for you so far?  “A great team and organization. I feel like as a racecar driver I keep getting better. Every time this team has a weak point we address it and often times fix it. It's racing, so things happen. We just stay so motivated as a team. Buga is a great leader and motivator to this No. 10 Ford team. We mesh well together and now it's time to see how we handle the playoff pressure. I feel good about it."

Green Flag Drops on NASCAR's Playoffs Sunday at Darlington

Denny Hamlin won at Darlington in May.

It’s NASCAR Playoff time, and it’s right on schedule to begin at Darlington Raceway with no changes to dates or locations from the original schedule as we’ve seen with a makeshift schedule during the regular season due to the pandemic.

For the next 10 weeks, the 16 drivers eligible to compete for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Championship will be chopped slowly with four drivers being eliminated every three weeks until all we have left is four drivers, or the Championship 4, racing at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 8. The best finish among those final four drivers wins the championship.

After tinkering with the setup over the years, NASCAR has a nice and easy-to-understand format where those who were great in the regular season are rewarded properly in the postseason with a head start.

Kevin Harvick led the regular season with seven wins and won a bunch of stages so he starts out off with a 57-point lead over the No. 16 seed Matt DiBenedetto when the drop the flag for the Cook Out Southern 500 in South Carolina. Denny Hamlin had the second-most wins with six and begins with a 47-point lead.

Just for perspective, William Byron gained 44 points for winning at Daytona Saturday. Those head start points will carry over into each of the next nine weeks, but the Championship 4 at Phoenix will be reset with all having equal points.

While accumulating the most points to advance is the goal, winning races is the name of the game. The eligible drivers who win races in each stage automatically qualify for the next round regardless of where they stand in points. Winning races is the best way to take care of business.

The added bonus of coolness this season is the final race being at the flat 1-mile layout at Phoenix after being at Homestead-Miami Speedway since the postseason began in 2004. Being successful at the 1.5-mile tracks became the main focus for teams because there were more races on them and those who did the best usually won the championship at Homestead.

READ MORE HERE....GAMING TODAY

Clint Bowyer is 50/1 to win 2020 Southern 500 at Darlington

CLINT BOWYER NASCAR Playoffs: The Pay Window is Open KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Sept. 1, 2020) – As Clint Bowyer is fond of saying, the pay window in the NASCAR Cup Series is now officially open with the start of its 10-race, 16-driver playoffs Sunday night at historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway during the 71st annual Southern 500. “Now is the time to make your money,” Bowyer said when asked about Darlington’s first-ever playoff race. “This is when it all starts in our sport. As a driver, no matter what’s happened up until now in 2020, and good lord there has been so much going on both on and off the track, the thing you are going to remember about this season, competition-wise, is what happens beginning Sunday and goes until we race in Phoenix in 10 weeks.” Bowyer arrives at Darlington carrying a special PEAK Antifreeze Throwback paint scheme on his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) Ford Mustang. Bowyer’s paint scheme will celebrate PEAK’s first NASCAR victory when Kyle Petty and crew chief Gary Nelson dominated the 1990 race at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway. Petty led 433 of 492 laps on his way to victory in one of the more memorable races in the sport’s history. “Ol’ Kyle had it going on that day,” Bowyer said with a laugh, adding that he joined Petty and Nelson earlier this summer to watch a replay of the race. “He put a whuppin’ on them. I’d love to do something like that in Darlington this weekend. I love watching those old races, and it was fun to hear Kyle and Gary talk about it. Kyle will be part of the NBC television coverage this weekend, so we want to make him proud.” Sunday night’s race will mark Bowyer’s fifth of six primary partner races planned for Old World Industries, the parent company of the PEAK Coolant & Antifreeze and BlueDEF® brands. The company’s legacy in motorsports spans 40 years and includes leading drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Michael Waltrip and Petty. Besides Bowyer’s No. 14 team, PEAK is a partner with the Haas F1 team with drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series and drag racing’s winningest driver John Force. This weekend’s scheme is in keeping with “The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR,” during which the industry honors the sport’s history. Nearly all the Cup Series teams will sport throwback paint schemes in the Southern 500. Last year, Bowyer’s Ford carried a nearly identical paint scheme to his car owner and 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Tony Stewart’s 2011 championship-winning car at SHR. Bowyer has also raced throwback paint schemes honoring Mark Martin and Ned Jarrett at Darlington during his SHR tenure. As part of the Darlington weekend, PEAK will donate up to $5,000 to Petty’s Victory Junction Camp that enriches the lives of children with serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences at no cost to children or their families. Beginning Tuesday, PEAK will donate $1 to the 84-acre Victory Junction camp in Randleman, North Carolina, for each of the first 5,000 new followers added to the PEAK Twitter page @PeakAuto.  “This is one of the best weekends of the year,” Bowyer said. “You get to see so much of this sport’s history come alive. You see the old paint scheme, the old style hats. The sponsors like PEAK really get into it and make it special. Now with this year being the first time the playoffs start in Darlington, it will be extra special.” Bowyer begins the playoffs 13th in the reset standings with 2,004 points thanks to a 19th-place finish last Saturday night at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Bowyer battled for the victory on the final lap before contact sent him into the wall, leaving him with a 19th-place finish. Despite the disappointing result at Daytona, the recent run of solid results continued for Bowyer, who has scored the sixth-most points of any driver in the last six races. Sunday marks Bowyer’s ninth career playoff appearance, as well as third consecutive appearance with SHR. To advance to Round 2 of the playoffs, Bowyer needs to remain in the top-12 in points through Round 1. That makes running well Sunday at Darlington, Sept. 12 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, and Sept. 19 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway imperative to a chance for the title. “I’ve always thought the first round is the toughest,” he said. “You have to be ready to go right out of the box. You can’t have any mistakes. You sure as heck can’t afford to get behind.” Bowyer might not have had the regular season he wanted in terms of victories, but it wasn’t a bad year. He earned two top-five finishes and seven top-10s in 26 regular-season races. He earned the 10th-most bonus points of any driver. But the regular season is over and he is ready for the playoffs.   He’ll join a four-Mustang contingent of SHR drivers in the playoffs as he joins teammates Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola and Cole Custer. SHR is the only organization to place four cars in the playoffs. Then-SHR driver Daniel Suarez fell just four points shy of earning a playoff berth in 2019. It would have marked the third consecutive year SHR placed all four of its drivers in the playoffs. Darlington hasn’t always been kind to Bowyer over the years, where he has two top-10 finishes and a pole in 16 starts. But, the 41 year-old Emporia, Kansas native flashed real speed in the two 400-mile Darlington races held in a three-day period earlier this year when NASCAR returned from a 10-week hiatus due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March. On Sunday May 17, Bowyer finished fifth in the second stage and appeared ready to battle for a top-five finish but a loose car dropped him back in the field, leaving him with a 17th-place finish. On Wednesday May 20, Bowyer won the first two stages and led 71 laps in a dominating first half of the night race. An untimely caution dropped him off the lead lap in the final stage and contact with the wall and a cut tire left him with a 22nd-place finish. Showing that speed again on Sunday should make Bowyer one of the favorites in a race that will be held in front of 8,000 to 10,000 fans in the 47,000-seat facility, nicknamed the “Track Too Tough To Tame,” received state approval earlier this month. All fans are required to wear face coverings or masks and temperature checks will be given while entering. Bowyer knows he has some big shoes to fill Sunday if his Mustang is to duplicate Petty’s PEAK performance 30 years ago at Rockingham, but he also knows the stakes have never been higher with Darlington as the playoff opener during one of the sport’s biggest weekends of the season

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 PEAK Antifreeze Throwback Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What is your strategy Sunday? “That’s easy – our strategy is to win, simple as that. What a great time it would be for a win! We did that in 2010, won the first race in the playoffs. It’s a great way to set the tone for the whole playoff run. We ran really well the last time we were in Darlington, plus these first tracks coming up are in my wheelhouse. We feel very confident.” What are your thoughts on Darlington? “I like the uniqueness of the track. I’ve struggled to have good finishes there but we’ve always raced well. We just can’t seem to seal the deal at the end. Something always goes haywire in the end but, sooner or later, we are going to overcome that and have a good weekend. Doing that this weekend would be perfect.” What do you think of the older cars racing at Darlington? “I always thought it would be neat, if you could, to be able to put those cars back on the track and have us be able to race them – or even today’s technology, just make the rules mandate those old cars and see. The crazy thing is, you can’t unlearn the evolution of racing and everything that we’ve learned over the years. These engineers and guys, they could make those guys so much faster than they were back then, but it’s not fair. It’s not fair to the guys back then. They didn’t have the tools and simulation and all the things they have today, so I can tell you it’s because of those cars that racing is where it is. Those guys taught these kids and these guys who are building chassis and making these cars go fast today learned from those guys, and they learn pretty fast. But it would be cool to be able to go back and put those old jalopies back on the track and see what would happen.”