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| Erik Jones won at Darlington last season. |
NASCAR is back!
After a two-month stoppage in action due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NASCAR Cup Series is back and ready to take on Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in The Real Heroes 400.
During the season’s down time, many Cup drivers and honorary invitees took part in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. The series was put together in order to give drivers and fans a sense of normalcy and to keep racing competition in the front of their minds.
From various winners to exciting entry lists, the debut of a new virtual but historic real track and broadcasts from the FOX Sports group, the Pro Invitational Series took the racing world by storm.
Denny Hamlin took home the victory in the opening event at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway and ended up winning the final race of the series last weekend at virtual North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Underdog Cup Series driver Timmy Hill won the race at virtual Texas Motor Speedway and iRacing veteran William Byron dominated the series with wins at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, virtual Richmond Raceway and virtual Dover International Speedway. Alex Bowman took home the victory at virtual Talladega Superspeedway.
In the midst of a global crisis, NASCAR and its teams came together to provide something fun to the industry and its fans.
But, now it’s time to go back to real-time racing and the drivers are more than ready and excited to be back.
“I think the mindset for Turn 1 at the start of Darlington, and really all the races where we haven’t been on track yet, would be to take it easy. It’s a 400-mile race on Sunday and there will be plenty of time. Plus, my understanding is there will be a caution early for everyone to look over their tires and their car. We’ll certainly take it easy until then because that will give us time to feel out how the car is handling and more confidence in how to drive again and get the right feel back under you again. It won’t take too long to get acclimated again,” said Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Competition updates for NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR officials released new procedures for the starting lineups and pit selections as well as a modified competition caution process to allow for more adjustments during the upcoming races without practice or qualifying.
For this weekend’s event on May 17 at Darlington Raceway, the lineup was determined by a random draw:
· Positions 1-12 will be determined by a random draw from charter teams in those positions in team owner points
· Positions 13-24: Random draw among charter teams in those positions in owner points
· Positions 25-36: Random draw among charter teams in those positions in owner points
· Positions 37-40 will be filled out by open, non-chartered teams in order of owner points
The starting lineup for the following event on May 20 at Darlington will use the finishing order from the May 17 race:
· Starting positions 1-20: The top 20 finishers from the May 17 event will be inverted for the start of the May 20 race
· Starting positions 21-40: The bottom 20 finishers from the May 17 event will be inverted for the start of the May 20 race; any new entries will be placed at the tail of the field
Pit-stall selection order for the May 17 event was based on charter team owner points followed by open team owner points. Pit selection for the May 20 event will be determined by the May 17 event finishing order.
Harvick leads the way
No one’s been more consistent than Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick this season. His series-best four top-10 finishes in four races backs that up. And thanks to a season-best runner-up finish at Phoenix Raceway, the last race before the pause in live sports due to the COVID-10 pandemic, Harvick has earned the NASCAR Cup Series points lead – by a single point over two-race winner Joey Logano heading into this weekend’s race at Darlington.
But as great as the perch atop the standings may be, the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford would like to firmly secure that championship opportunity with a victory. And soon.
Harvick is pretty strong at Darlington Raceway with one win coming in 2014 after starting from the pole. He has also finished inside the top-10 in eight of the last 10 races at the track.
In 23 career starts at the egg-shaped track, Harvick has also accumulated eight top fives, 12 top 10s and has an average start of 14.4 and an average finish of 14.3. He’s also completed 96.1 percent of laps attempted and led 581 laps.
He has a driver rating of 100.7, the fourth-best and has run 4,334 laps in the top 15, which is the third-most.
The numbers would say that his chances are good at Darlington to keep the streak going.
At Darlington Raceway, Harvick is in the top-five Loop Data leaders for driver rating, fastest laps run, laps led, quality passes and laps in the top 15. And, last season, Harvick finished fourth.
Rocket Man is back in the No. 6
This weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway not only marks the beginning of racing again, but it also marks the first time Ryan Newman, driver of the No.6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, will be back behind the wheel after being sidelined due to a last-lap crash in the season-opening Daytona 500.
Newman announced during the COVID-19 pandemic break that he has been cleared again to race.
This Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race will be the first time he has competed since Daytona. But you can expect Newman to get right back up to speed. The veteran has made 21 series starts at Darlington Raceway posting seven top fives and 12 top 10s. His average finish at the famed track is 12.6.
Hendrick Motorsports off to a strong start
Chase Elliott’s early season success is just one of the bright spots for the Hendrick Motorsports organization in 2020. Three of its drivers are ranked among the top 10 in the standings – Elliott is third, 20 points behind leader Kevin Harvick. Alex Bowman – the Auto Club Speedway winner – is fourth, 26 points out. Jimmie Johnson is fifth, 33 points back and after a hard-knocks start to the season William Byron has broken into the top-20 and is part of a two-way tie with Bubba Wallace at 18th in the standings
It’s the first time the team has had three drivers ranked in the top 10 after four races since 2015 (Kasey Kahne, fourth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., sixth and Johnson, seventh).
Bowman has the early season victory and the one top five in four races. Elliott and Johnson each have a pair of top 10s and one top five. And Elliott leads the whole series in stage wins (three) and laps led (186). Bowman also has topped the 100-lap mark in laps led with 113.
And the best news for the organization is the success has been spread out. Elliott’s 17th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500 was the best for the team. Johnson’s fifth place at Las Vegas was tops. Bowman won at California. And Elliott (seventh) and Byron (10th) both had top-10 runs at Phoenix - the first top-10 finish of the year for Byron.
Heading to Darlington Raceway, the Hendrick Motorsports drivers are all looking to keep the 2020 momentum going this weekend. Byron was the 2019 Darlington pole winner and leads all active drivers in average starting position. Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in wins (three) and top fives (nine) at the South Carolina track. And Chase Elliott has posted one top five and two top 10s in five Cup Series starts at Darlington. Plus, he has a victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the track.
Joe Gibbs Racing looking for strong restart to the season
After a historic 19-win NASCAR Cup Series season in 2019 – including Kyle Busch’s second series championship – the Joe Gibbs Racing organization is still largely fine-tuning its winning form this year.
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, won his second consecutive Daytona 500 to open the season in the same triumphant way JGR closed out the 2019 season. But since that race, JGR has found itself in a bit of catch-up mode – not always of its own doing.
Three JGR drivers – Busch, Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. – qualified for the Championship 4 season finale last year. But after four races this season, not a single JGR driver is ranked among the top 10 in the NASCAR Cup Series standings.
Hamlin is 11th, 53 points off the leader Kevin Harvick, who was the fourth member of the Championship 4 last year. Reigning series champ Busch is ranked 12th, also 53 points back. Truex is ranked 15th, 68 points off Harvick and Jones is 21st, 87 points off the title pace.
Only Hamlin has won a stage this year (one). His 79 laps out front – all in his Daytona win – are the most for any Gibbs driver. Truex has led only 15 laps, Busch has led only 14 laps and Jones has not been out front yet.
This is his first season for Truex without longtime crew chief Cole Pearn, so there is a natural learning curve for the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He has yet to earn a top 10 and has two DNFs in four races.
But, the good news is that JGR is very strong at Darlington Raceway. Jones has the highest driver rating at Darlington (110.8) and the best average running position at 7.550. Busch leads the fastest laps run category with 311, laps led with 716, quality passes with 561 and laps in the top 15 at 4,862, which is 88.1 percent.
Truex has one win, two top fives and six top 10s at Darlington with an average finish of 11.6, the sixth-best. He also has the sixth-best driver rating at the track at 99.3.
Hamlin is very good at Darlington as well with two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s and one pole. He has an average finish of 7.8, the second-best and a driver rating of 106.3, also the second-best.
A hot streak for the four JGR guys could be on its way.
Taking a glance at the Sunoco Rookies
The NASCAR Cup Series most recent race at Phoenix Raceway was a significant outing for several members of the NASCAR Cup Series’ talented Sunoco Rookie class.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer earned his first NASCAR Cup Series top 10 with a ninth-place finish on Sunday. The effort moved him to 22nd in the standings – best among rookies.
Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick earned points in the first two stages and ran among the top five for a portion of the race before a late accident cost him a fitting finish. The two-time and defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion was ultimately 33rd in the finishing order and dropped him to 25th in the standings heading into this weekend at Darlington.
Christopher Bell had his best outing of the four-race season, finishing 24th in the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota, one position ahead of Front Row Motorsports’ driver John Hunter Nemechek.
Custer is tops among the rookies in the standings, followed by Reddick and Nemechek, who sit in 25th and 26th position, respectively.
Bell is currently 32nd in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. Bell has two starts at Darlington in the Xfinity Series posting one top five. He started on the front row (second) in both of those starts.
Custer has three starts at the track in the Xfinity Series and won in his most recent start in 2019 from the third position. In 2018, he finished runner-up and in his debut in 2017 he finished ninth. He never started outside of the top six in all three starts.
Reddick also has three starts in the Xfinity Series at Darlington and finished runner-up in 2019 and third in 2018.
Nemechek will head to Darlington for only the second-time of his career. His first start was last season in the Xfinity Series, and he finished 21st.
Competition Highlights
Only four races into the 2020 season and three NASCAR Cup Series teams have celebrated pole positions – JTG Daugherty in Daytona (driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.), Stewart-Haas Racing in Fontana (Clint Bowyer) and Hendrick Motorsports in Phoenix (Chase Elliott).
Three drivers from three teams have hoisted trophies in the opening four races. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin won the season-opening Daytona 500, becoming only the third driver in history to earn back-to-back titles in the legendary race. Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman earned his second career win at California’s Auto Club Speedway and Team Penske’s Joey Logano was the year’s first multi-time winner – taking the trophy at both Las Vegas and Phoenix.
The average Margin of Victory through the first four races is 4.590-seconds (twice the race has ended under caution). The average number of leaders per race is 8.75 – up from 8.25 in 2019. The average number of lead changes per race is 21.25 – the most since 2014 (24.25).
The season’s 148 Green Flag Passes for the Lead are the fifth most in the last 10 seasons. The highest total in the last decade after four races is 255 – a mark set in 2014. The total number of Green Flag Passes (2,241) at Phoenix was the highest total in the last decade and up 66 percent from a year ago.
The Phoenix race had 19 Green Flag Passes for the Lead – an increase of 46 percent from last year’s Spring race (13 Green Flag Passes for the Lead) and an increase of 90 percent from the 2019 Playoff race (10 Green Flag Passes for the Lead).
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Back to racing at Darlington Raceway!
NASCAR is back and so that means that the NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action with a 200-mile race at the historic Darlington Raceway on Tuesday, May 19 (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Darlington Raceway is one of the most admired tracks by competitors in NASCAR history; largely due to its unique 1.366-mile egg-shaped layout. The famed facility is located in Darlington, South Carolina, and with 25 degrees of banking in Turns 1-2 and 23 degrees of banking in Turns 3-4, the distinctive track offers a one-of-a-kind challenge to the competitors.
Darlington Raceway has hosted 59 NASCAR Xfinity Series races dating back to the inaugural event in 1982 (won by Geoff Bodine). The 59 races have produced 31 different race winners and 29 different pole winners. Mark Martin leads the Xfinity Series in poles (8) and wins (8) at Darlington Raceway. He also leads the series in top fives (14) and top 10s (18). Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney won the pole for the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer won the race.
Denny Hamlin owns the Xfinity Series Darlington race record at 141.355 mph on September 5, 2015 and Carl Edwards holds the series qualifying track record at 176.994 mph on May 9, 2008.
Competition update for Xfinity Series
NASCAR officials announced that the field size for the Xfinity Series will be temporarily expanded to a maximum of 40 vehicles. This change is in effect for events scheduled without qualifying.
As far as the points structure, the change will not alter the standings much at all. In the Xfinity Series, officials will continue to award a baseline of 40 championship points for first place and one point for 36th (which was formerly the last place) place. As a result, teams finishing 37th through 40th will also receive one point.
Standings leader Harrison Burton strives to hold record rookie streak
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Harrison Burton continued to make history during the last on-track event at Phoenix Raceway, notching his fourth consecutive top-five finish to start the season in as many races.
This is the seventh time in series history a driver has started the season with four top fives and Burton is the first and only rookie in the NASCAR Xfinity Series to accomplish the feat, and the sixth driver all-time; joining Sam Ard (1984), Kevin Harvick (2005), Carl Edwards (2009, 2010), Elliott Sadler (2012) and Kyle Busch (2014). The series record for the most consecutive top-five finishes to start a season is eight, by Kyle Busch in 2014. In fact, Busch is the only driver to make it to five straight top fives to start a season.
With a win (California) and four top fives to start 2020, Burton has a grasp on the series standings lead by three points over second-place Chase Briscoe.
When the Xfinity Series hits the track on Tuesday, May 19 (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the series’ first race back since the COVID-19 pandemic, Burton will be making his track debut. He will also have to do it without any practice or qualifying, making for a very exciting show.
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