 |
| Matt Kenseth is 8/1 to win Sunday night at Darlington. |
Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway
No. 20 Dollar General Toyota News and Notes:
KENSETH BY THE NUMBERS AT DARLINGTON: In 22 Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington, Kenseth has completed 7,357 of 7,582 laps (97.0 percent) and has led for a total of 183 laps. Kenseth has earned one win, three top-five finishes, 10 top-ten finishes and one pole award at the South Carolina historic track. Kenseth earned his first victory at Darlington in the Sprint Cup Series in 2013.
JOE GIBBS RACING AT DARLINGTON: Joe Gibbs Racing has 72 Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway and has earned five wins, 19 top-five, and 42 top-ten finishes. The organization also has led for a total of 1,233 laps, has an average start of 15.2 and an average finish of 11.7 at the 1.37-mile historic track.
THE RETURN OF AN ICON: An entire generation of NASCAR fans fell in love with the iconic orange and yellow “Tide Ride,” and became lifelong fans of its legendary drivers during Tide’s storied history in the sport. This weekend fans will be able to relive those memories as the new Tide PODS car will hit the track, signaling the return of one of NASCAR’s most recognizable partners. When Matt Kenseth takes the wheel of the new, more powerful Tide PODS Camry, he’ll reignite a legacy 4that’s spanned three decades, paying homage to the rich history of Tide while exemplifying the strength and evolution of the brand.
RACE INFO: The Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (1.37-mile) begins at 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 4th. The race will be broadcast live on NBC, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.
From the Cockpit:
Matt Kenseth: “Darlington is so unique mainly because of its shape, but as well as the groove that you need to run. Turns 1 and 2 are very long, and it’s almost like a few separate corners because you get through Turn 1 and then slow up before you get into Turn 2. Turns 3 and 4 at Darlington are a little more of what typical corners would be like, so there’s just a big difference between those two ends of the track. We only go to Darlington once a year, and with where the track is located, the track changes a lot in one year’s time. When we get there for race weekend, you want to get out there and get up to speed to see what has changed. Racing at night there really also changes the track a lot, so you just need to be as prepared as you can be with those daytime practices, but also try to make the best guess that you can for a race set-up. I think that the throwback weekend has been a big success and I’m thrilled to be a part of it with our Tide PODS Camry. Tide is such an iconic brand and it’s neat to be able to bring them back into the sport again this weekend, and we certainly want to get a good finish for them.”
From the Pit Box:
Jason Ratcliff: “One good thing about Darlington is that it typically doesn’t let you down as far as what you can expect. It’s kind of like Charlotte where you practice in the day time but then need to really anticipate what it’s going to be like at night. We get a pretty good idea of how things are going to be within the first 50 laps of the race, but then the sun goes down and the track cools off when you need to be good at the end of the race, and we all seem to be searching for what will make our car the strongest at the end. There’s a lot of guesswork from practice up until race time, but that’s what makes Darlington unique. It’s just a tough race track where you need to beat the competition, but you have to respect that track because it can jump up and get you. Going to Darlington with Tide on board our No. 20 is really neat. Looking back at the history of the Tide car in this sport, and to have a win like it did there with Ricky Craven, it just is cool to be bringing it back this weekend. There will be a lot of eyes on our Tide PODS Camry and there would be nothing better than to go there and win a race with that paint scheme.”
- Joe Gibbs Racing
No comments:
Post a Comment