 |
| Erik Jones won the 2019 Southern 500 at Darlington. |
The NASCAR Cup Series 2020 Top 16 in the driver standings at Darlington Raceway
Rank
|
Driver
|
Races
|
Poles
|
Wins
|
Top Fives
|
Top 10s
|
DNFs
|
Average Finish
|
Driver Rating
| |
1
|
Kevin Harvick
|
23
|
2
|
1
|
8
|
12
|
1
|
14.3
|
100.7
| |
2
|
Joey Logano
|
11
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
5
|
1
|
16.5
|
89.3
| |
3
|
Chase Elliott
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
17.2
|
83.4
| |
4
|
Alex Bowman
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
23.5
|
58.9
| |
5
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
21
|
0
|
3
|
9
|
12
|
2
|
12.1
|
97.8
| |
6
|
Ryan Blaney
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
20.4
|
68.6
| |
7
|
Kyle Larson
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
5
|
0
|
6.7
|
111.3
| |
8
|
Aric Almirola
|
8
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
19.6
|
67.3
| |
9
|
Matt DiBenedetto
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
24.8
|
52.4
| |
10
|
Brad Keselowski
|
11
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
6
|
0
|
10.7
|
99.5
| |
11
|
Denny Hamlin
|
14
|
1
|
2
|
7
|
11
|
0
|
7.8
|
106.3
| |
12
|
Kyle Busch
|
15
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
10
|
0
|
11.1
|
105.9
| |
13
|
Clint Bowyer
|
14
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
4
|
21.6
|
73.4
| |
14
|
Chris Buescher
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
14.8
|
73.0
| |
15
|
Martin Truex Jr
|
14
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
6
|
0
|
11.6
|
99.2
| |
16
|
Kurt Busch
|
23
|
2
|
0
|
3
|
9
|
2
|
16.5
|
88.6
|
* – Based on last 15 races at Darlington Raceway (2005 – 2019).
The NASCAR Cup Series Top Five Loop Data Leaders:
Darlington Raceway (Loop Data Era: 2005-Present)
Driver Rating
|
Average Running Position
|
Fastest Laps Run
| |||
Drivers
|
Driver Rating
|
Drivers
|
Avg. Running Pos.
|
Drivers
|
Fastest Laps
|
Erik Jones
|
110.8
|
Erik Jones
|
7.550
|
Kyle Busch
|
311 (5.6%)
|
Denny Hamlin
|
106.3
|
Denny Hamlin
|
8.219
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
292 (5.3%)
|
Kyle Busch
|
105.9
|
Kyle Busch
|
8.530
|
Kevin Harvick
|
284 (5.1%)
|
Kevin Harvick
|
100.7
|
Brad Keselowski
|
11.111
|
Denny Hamlin
|
282 (5.5%)
|
Brad Keselowski
|
99.5
|
Martin Truex Jr
|
11.255
|
Martin Truex Jr
|
261 (5.1%)
|
Laps Led
|
Quality Passes
|
Laps In The Top 15
| |||
Drivers
|
Laps Led
|
Drivers
|
Quality Passes
|
Drivers
|
Laps in Top 15
|
Kyle Busch
|
716
|
Kyle Busch
|
561
|
Kyle Busch
|
4,862 (88.1%)
|
Kevin Harvick
|
567
|
Kurt Busch
|
517
|
Denny Hamlin
|
4,567 (88.7%)
|
Denny Hamlin
|
562
|
Denny Hamlin
|
487
|
Kevin Harvick
|
4,334 (78.5%)
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
327
|
Kevin Harvick
|
477
|
Kurt Busch
|
4,083 (74.0%)
|
Brad Keselowski
|
293
|
Martin Truex Jr
|
447
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
3.776 (68.4%)
|
At Darlington Raceway:
History
· Darlington Raceway was built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-1950.
· Darlington Raceway hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on Sept. 4, 1950 – 75 cars competed in the event - Curtis Turner won the pole at 82.034 mph, and the race was won by Johnny Mantz (Plymouth, 75.250 mph, 6:38:40).
· The track was re-measured to 1.375 miles in 1953.
· The track was re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race in 1970.
· The track was repaved in 1995.
· The 2005 race was the first Saturday night race at Darlington.
· The track was repaved again prior to the 2008 season.
· There have been 116 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Darlington Raceway.
Starts
· A total of 733 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway; 451 drivers have competed in more than one race at Darlington.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Darlington with 65.
· Matt Kenseth leads the all active drivers in starts at Darlington with 25; followed by Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch with 23 each.
· A total of 124 different drivers have made their NASCAR Cup Series career debut at Darlington Raceway; the most recent was T.J. Bell (May 7, 2011).
· Fred Lorenzen (16 starts) leads the series in average starting position at Darlington with a 3.688.
· William Byron leads all active drivers in the series in average starting position at Darlington with a 5.5.
Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Darlington Raceway (All-Time and Active)
Rank
|
All-Time Drivers
|
Average Start
|
Starts
|
Rank
|
Active Drivers
|
Average Start
|
Starts
|
1
|
Fred Lorenzen
|
3.688
|
16
|
1
|
William Byron
|
5.500
|
2
|
2
|
William Byron
|
5.500
|
2
|
2
|
Denny Hamlin
|
8.786
|
14
|
3
|
David Pearson
|
6.277
|
47
|
3
|
Ryan Newman
|
10.619
|
21
|
4
|
Frank Mundy
|
6.667
|
3
|
4
|
Erik Jones
|
10.667
|
3
|
5
|
Fonty Flock
|
7.000
|
8
|
5
|
Kurt Busch
|
10.870
|
23
|
6
|
Jeff Gordon
|
7.000
|
36
|
6
|
Brad Keselowski
|
10.909
|
11
|
7
|
Scott Pruett
|
7.000
|
2
|
7
|
Joey Logano
|
10.909
|
11
|
8
|
Dick Hutcherson
|
7.200
|
5
|
8
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
13.095
|
21
|
9
|
Fireball Roberts
|
7.200
|
20
|
9
|
Daniel Suarez
|
13.333
|
3
|
10
|
Bob Burdick
|
7.500
|
2
|
10
|
Kevin Harvick
|
14.391
|
23
|
Poles
NASCAR Cup Series
| ||
Active Pole Winners at Darlington
| ||
Rank
|
Active Pole Winners
|
Poles
|
1
|
Kevin Harvick
|
2
|
2
|
Kurt Busch
|
2
|
3
|
Brad Keselowski
|
1
|
4
|
Clint Bowyer
|
1
|
5
|
Denny Hamlin
|
1
|
6
|
Ryan Newman
|
1
|
7
|
William Byron
|
1
|
8
|
Matt Kenseth
|
1
|
· A total of 51 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at least one Busch Pole Award at Darlington Raceway; seven are active this weekend.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the series in Busch poles at Darlington with 12 - (1967, ’70, ’72, ’73 sweep, ’75 sweep, ’76 sweep, ’77, ’78 and ’82)
· Pearson’s 12 Darlington poles are tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough (12 poles at Daytona) for the second-most poles all-time at a single track in the NASCAR Cup Series. Pearson also holds the series record with 14 poles at Charlotte.
· Kurt Busch (2001, 2013) and Kevin Harvick (2014, 2017) lead all active drivers in Busch poles at Darlington with two each.
· Curtis Turner won the inaugural Busch Pole Award at Darlington Raceway in 1950 in an Oldsmobile with a speed of 82.034 mph.
· Nine drivers have won consecutive Busch poles at Darlington, but none are active this weekend.
· David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Darlington with five (1975 - 1977).
· Eight drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Darlington Raceway.
NASCAR Cup Series
| ||
First-Time Pole Winners At Darlington
| ||
First-Time Pole Winners
|
Season
|
Driver's Age
|
Clint Bowyer
|
2007
|
27
|
Elliott Sadler
|
2003
|
27
|
Kurt Busch
|
2001
|
23
|
John Andretti
|
1995
|
32
|
Ken Schrader
|
1987
|
31
|
Bill Elliott
|
1981
|
25
|
Fred Lorenzen
|
1961
|
26
|
Cotton Owens
|
1957
|
33
|
· Youngest Darlington pole winner: William Byron (09/01/2019 – 21 years, 9 months, 3 days).
· Oldest Darlington pole winner: David Pearson (09/06/1982 – 47 years, 8 months, 15 days).
· A total of 12 different manufacturers have won at least one Busch pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway.
· Ford leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Darlington Raceway with 43 poles; followed by Chevrolet (22), Mercury (13), Pontiac (10), Dodge (8), Buick (3), Oldsmobile (3), Plymouth (3), Toyota (2), Chrysler (1), Hudson (1) and Studebaker (1).
Wins
NASCAR Cup Series
| ||
Active Darlington Race Winners
| ||
Rank
|
Active Race Winners
|
Wins
|
1
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
3
|
2
|
Denny Hamlin
|
2
|
3
|
Brad Keselowski
|
1
|
4
|
Erik Jones
|
1
|
5
|
Kevin Harvick
|
1
|
6
|
Kyle Busch
|
1
|
7
|
Martin Truex Jr
|
1
|
8
|
Matt Kenseth
|
1
|
· A total of 51 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Darlington Raceway, eight are active this weekend.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the series in victories at Darlington with 10 wins (1968, ’70, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’76 sweep, ’77, ’79, 80); followed by Dale Earnhardt with nine and Jeff Gordon with seven.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with three wins (2004 sweep, 2012).
· 13 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Darlington; Dale Earnhardt (1989-1990) and Jeff Gordon (1995-1996) are tied for the series-most consecutive wins at Darlington with three each.
· Jimmie Johnson (three) and Denny Hamlin (two) are the only active multiple race winners at Darlington.
· A total of 11 different drivers have won from the pole at Darlington; led by NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson with four wins (1971, 1972, 1976 sweep). Kevin Harvick is the only active driver to win from the pole (2014) at Darlington.
· 20 of the 116 (17.2%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway have been won from the Busch pole; the most recent was Kevin Harvick in 2014.
· The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Darlington. The outside front row (second-place) has produced the second-most wins (17).
NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Darlington Raceway
Starting Position
|
Wins
|
Winning %
|
Starting Position
|
Wins
|
Winning %
|
1
|
20
|
17.24%
|
11
|
3
|
2.59%
|
2
|
17
|
14.66%
|
12
|
1
|
0.86%
|
3
|
13
|
11.21%
|
13
|
3
|
2.59%
|
4
|
8
|
6.90%
|
14
|
2
|
1.72%
|
5
|
12
|
10.34%
|
15
|
3
|
2.59%
|
6
|
4
|
3.45%
|
23
|
2
|
1.72%
|
7
|
4
|
3.45%
|
31
|
1
|
0.86%
|
8
|
6
|
5.17%
|
37
|
2
|
1.72%
|
9
|
8
|
6.90%
|
43
|
1
|
0.86%
|
10
|
6
|
5.17%
| |||
Additional Statistics
|
Winning %
|
Wins
| |||
Winning from the first Starting Position:
|
17.24%
|
20
| |||
Winning from the Front Row:
|
31.90%
|
37
| |||
Winning from a top-five Starting Position:
|
60.34%
|
70
| |||
Winning from a top-10 Starting Position:
|
84.48%
|
98
| |||
Winning after Starting Outside the top 20:
|
5.17%
|
6
| |||
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Darlington is 43rd by Johnny Mantz in 1950 – the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series event held at the historic raceway.
· Six drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Darlington Raceway: Johnny Mantz (1950), Nelson Stacy (1961), Larry Frank (1962), Terry Labonte (1980), Lake Speed (1988) and Regan Smith (2011).
· Youngest series Darlington winner: Erik Jones (9/1/2019 – 22 years, 11 months, 2 days).
· Oldest series Darlington winner: Harry Gant (09/01/1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 22 days).
· Kurt Busch leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington without visiting Victory Lane at 23; followed by Ryan Newman with 21.
· Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins by an organization at Darlington in the NASCAR Cup Series with 14 victories – Tim Richmond (1986), Ricky Rudd (1991), Jeff Gordon (1995, ’96 sweep, ’97, ’98, ’02, ’07), Terry Labonte (2003), Jimmie Johnson (2004 sweep and 2012) and Mark Martin (2009).
· A total of 11 different manufacturers have won in the series at Darlington; led by Chevrolet with 41 victories; followed by Ford (29), Mercury (10), Oldsmobile (six), Toyota (seven), Dodge (five), Pontiac (five), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Hudson (three) and American Motor Company (two).
Additional Finishing Position Stats
Runner-Up Finishes:
· A total of 60 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished runner-up at Darlington Raceway, led by NASCAR Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty with eight second-place finishes each.
· Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in second-place finishes at Darlington with three; followed by Kevin Harvick with two.
Top Five In Runner-Up Finishes at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
|
All-Time Drivers
|
Runner-Ups
|
Rank
|
Active Drivers
|
Runner-Ups
|
1
|
Darrell Waltrip
|
8
|
1
|
Denny Hamlin
|
3
|
Richard Petty
|
8
|
2
|
Kevin Harvick
|
2
| |
3
|
David Pearson
|
7
|
3
|
Brad Keselowski
|
1
|
4
|
Mark Martin
|
6
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
1
| |
5
|
Fireball Roberts
|
4
|
Joey Logano
|
1
| |
Jeff Gordon
|
4
|
Kurt Busch
|
1
| ||
Kyle Busch
|
1
| ||||
Ryan Newman
|
1
|
Top-Five Finishes:
· A total of 139 different drivers have finished in the top-five at Darlington Raceway, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty with 25 top-five finishes.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in top fives with nine; followed by Kevin Harvick with eight.
Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
|
All-Time Drivers
|
Top Fives
|
Rank
|
Active Drivers
|
Top Fives
|
1
|
Richard Petty
|
25
|
1
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
9
|
2
|
David Pearson
|
24
|
2
|
Kevin Harvick
|
8
|
3
|
Bill Elliott
|
22
|
3
|
Denny Hamlin
|
7
|
4
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
19
|
Ryan Newman
|
7
| |
5
|
Jeff Gordon
|
19
|
5
|
Brad Keselowski
|
4
|
Kyle Busch
|
4
|
Top-10 Finishes:
· A total of 226 different series drivers have posted top-10 finishes at Darlington Raceway, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott with 35.
· Ryan Newman leads all active series drivers with 13 top 10s; followed by Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson with 12 each.
Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
|
All-Time Drivers
|
Top 10s
|
Rank
|
Active Drivers
|
Top 10s
|
1
|
Bill Elliott
|
35
|
1
|
Ryan Newman
|
13
|
2
|
Richard Petty
|
34
|
2
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
12
|
3
|
David Pearson
|
30
|
Kevin Harvick
|
12
| |
4
|
Bobby Allison
|
26
|
Matt Kenseth
|
12
| |
5
|
Mark Martin
|
26
|
5
|
Denny Hamlin
|
11
|
Average Finishing Position:
· Bob Burdick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Darlington Raceway with a 3.0 in two starts.
· Erik Jones leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Darlington with a 4.667 in three starts.
Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
|
All-Time Drivers
|
Avg. Finish
|
Starts
|
Rank
|
Active Drivers
|
Avg. Finish
|
Starts
|
1
|
Bob Burdick
|
3.000
|
2
|
1
|
Erik Jones
|
4.667
|
3
|
2
|
Erik Jones
|
4.667
|
3
|
2
|
Denny Hamlin
|
7.786
|
14
|
3
|
Kyle Larson
|
6.667
|
6
|
3
|
Brad Keselowski
|
10.727
|
11
|
4
|
Denny Hamlin
|
7.786
|
14
|
4
|
Kyle Busch
|
11.067
|
15
|
5
|
Marty Robbins
|
8.000
|
2
|
5
|
Martin Truex Jr
|
11.571
|
14
|
6
|
Shorty Rollins
|
9.000
|
2
|
6
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
12.095
|
21
|
7
|
Bill Elliott
|
9.365
|
52
|
7
|
Austin Dillon
|
12.500
|
6
|
8
|
Herb Thomas
|
10.429
|
7
|
8
|
Ryan Newman
|
12.571
|
21
|
9
|
Nelson Stacy
|
10.500
|
6
|
9
|
Kevin Harvick
|
14.348
|
23
|
10
|
Brad Keselowski
|
10.727
|
11
|
10
|
Chris Buescher
|
14.750
|
4
|
Track/Event Specific Stats
· Since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway is the March 16, 2003 race won by Ricky Craven with a margin of victory of 0.002 second over Kurt Busch.
· Darlington’s 0.002 sec. margin of victory is tied with the 2011 Spring Talladega race as the closest finishes in the series using electronic scoring.
Top Five Closest Margins of Victory at Darlington Raceway
Margin Of Victory
|
Date
|
Race Winner
|
Runner-Up
|
0.002
|
3/16/2003
|
Ricky Craven
|
Kurt Busch
|
0.132
|
3/21/2004
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
Bobby Labonte
|
0.144
|
8/31/1997
|
Jeff Gordon
|
Jeff Burton
|
0.169
|
3/23/1997
|
Dale Jarrett
|
Ted Musgrave
|
Track/Event Specific Stats
· Four NASCAR Cup Series races have resulted in a NASCAR Overtime finish at Darlington Raceway:
Race Winner
|
Date
|
Scheduled No. Of Laps
|
Actual No. Of Laps
|
NASCAR Overtime Laps
|
Kevin Harvick
|
4/12/2014
|
367
|
374
|
7
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
5/12/2012
|
367
|
368
|
1
|
Regan Smith
|
5/7/2011
|
367
|
370
|
3
|
Greg Biffle
|
5/7/2005
|
367
|
370
|
3
|
· Eight of the 116 races at Darlington Raceway have been shortened from their scheduled number of laps; the most recent was the fall race of 2000.
Date
|
Scheduled No. Of Laps
|
Actual No. Of Laps
|
Number Of Fewer Laps
|
Race Winner
|
9/3/2000
|
367
|
328
|
39
|
Bobby Labonte
|
9/5/1999
|
367
|
270
|
97
|
Jeff Burton
|
3/21/1999
|
293
|
164
|
129
|
Jeff Burton
|
9/5/1993
|
367
|
351
|
16
|
Mark Martin
|
9/6/1992
|
367
|
298
|
69
|
Darrell Waltrip
|
9/6/1987
|
367
|
202
|
165
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
4/13/1980
|
367
|
189
|
178
|
David Pearson
|
9/1/1969
|
367
|
230
|
137
|
LeeRoy Yarbrough
|
9/1/1958
|
367
|
364
|
3
|
Fireball Roberts
|
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway six times: 1952, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2016.
Lap Leader Stats
· In total 163 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have led at least one lap at Darlington Raceway.
· Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Darlington Raceway with 2,648 laps led in 44 series starts.
· Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with 716 laps led in 15 starts.
· The most laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway by the race winner was 351 laps of the scheduled 400 laps (87%) by Johnny Mantz on September 4, 1950. He started the race from the 43rd position.
· The most laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway by a driver that did not win the race was 284 laps of the scheduled 367 laps (77%) by Kyle Larson on September 2, 2018. He started the race from the second position.
· The fewest laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway by the race winner was just the final lap by Ricky Craven on March 16, 2013. He started the race from the 31st position.
Top 10 Lap Leaders at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)
Rank
|
All-Time Drivers
|
Led
|
Completed
|
% Led
|
Rank
|
Active Drivers
|
Led
|
Completed
|
% Led
|
1
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
2,648
|
14,011
|
18.9%
|
1
|
Kyle Busch
|
716
|
5,425
|
13.2%
|
2
|
Richard Petty
|
2,391
|
17,120
|
14.0%
|
2
|
Kevin Harvick
|
581
|
7,842
|
7.4%
|
3
|
David Pearson
|
2,116
|
12,536
|
16.9%
|
3
|
Denny Hamlin
|
562
|
5,138
|
10.9%
|
4
|
Jeff Gordon
|
1,744
|
11,458
|
15.2%
|
4
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
554
|
7,128
|
7.8%
|
5
|
Darrell Waltrip
|
1,723
|
16,395
|
10.5%
|
5
|
Kurt Busch
|
360
|
7,970
|
4.5%
|
6
|
Cale Yarborough
|
1,647
|
12,959
|
12.7%
|
6
|
Kasey Kahne
|
353
|
5,751
|
6.1%
|
7
|
Bobby Allison
|
1,601
|
12,630
|
12.7%
|
7
|
Ryan Newman
|
334
|
7,377
|
4.5%
|
8
|
Harry Gant
|
1,088
|
9,144
|
11.9%
|
8
|
Brad Keselowski
|
293
|
4,038
|
7.3%
|
9
|
Bill Elliott
|
980
|
17,477
|
5.6%
|
9
|
Martin Truex Jr
|
232
|
5,144
|
4.5%
|
10
|
Fireball Roberts
|
916
|
4,572
|
20.0%
|
10
|
Matt Kenseth
|
193
|
8,455
|
2.3%
|
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