Bojangles' Southern 500
Darlington Raceway
By Richard Tix
This season NASCAR heads to "the Lady in Black" for it's second to last regular season race (Richmond being the last). Last year Darlington was at the front end of the schedule (race 8) and was a night dominated by Kevin Harvick.
Harvick used the 1.3 mile track to become the first multi time winner of 2014 which lead to his Chase birth and ultimately a Sprint Cup Championship. Now that the track known as "Too Tough to Tame" is back towards the end of the season it will mean a whole lot more to the victor.
This year a winner could use the Darlington win to get into the Chase or to gain momentum, either way it seems like the prestige of winning here is back on the rise (if it ever even fell off). Darlington will be Labor Day weekend again for the first time in awhile, but it will feel like we never left. That's because loads of drivers and teams will be bringing some retro paint schemes back to the track. Lets move on to the rest of the Darlington Preview.
The Good
- Denny Hamlin- Hamlin now has 9 Darlington starts under his belt and he still holds a 6.9 average finish. Not bad right? Seven of those races he has finished in the top 10, Before last year's 19th place finish, his worst finish was 13th in 2009. Oh, and he also has a win from 2010.
- Jeff Gordon- Most of Gordon's damage was done from 1995-1999 here (5 of his 7 wins and an average finish of 1.625), but that doesn't mean he still doesn't know how to get it done. His last two finishes have both been top 10's and he has 9 top 10's in his last 11 races.
- Jimmie Johnson- 3 wins, 9 top 5's, and 12 top 10's in 16 career starts at Darlington for JJ. He has three straight top 5's including his most recent win in 2012.
The Middle
- Brad Keselowski- You want a guy about mid pack, then BK has been your man at Darlington in his career so far. Until last year, he had never had an average running position better than 14th (7th last year). He has two top 10's, four top 15's, and five top 20's in six career races.
The Bad
- Paul Menard- 8 attempts and zero top 10 finishes for Paul Menard. Last year he wrecked, but even before that he has only two top 15's in those 8 races.
- Sam Hornish Jr- Only three Darlington starts (2008-2010), but he only had one top 30 (30th in 2009) in those races. He has yet to finish on the lead lap and I wouldn't expect much different this weekend.
- Kurt Busch- Kurt has been in four different rides in the last four Darlington races, but non of them went well. His best finish in those four was in the #78 when he took the pole and finished 14th (2013). Overall in 18 starts he only has five top 10's and two top 5's.
About the Track: Darlington Raceway
Track Stats
- Before last season when Kevin Harvick won from the pole a race hadn't been won from the Pole since 1997, Dale Jarrett. That was 24 straight races.
- Ward Burton won after starting from the 37th spot. Johnny Mantz won after starting from the 43rd spot in the first ever race.
- Chevy or Toyota have won the past 8 races here. 5 Chevy and 3 Toyota.
- David Pearson has the most career Darlington wins (10 in 47 races).
- Jeff Gordon has the most career wins of active drivers (7 in 34 races).
- Richard Petty has the most career top 5's at Darlington (25 in 65 races)
- Bill Elliot has the most career top 10's at Darlington (35 in 52 races)
Track Info
- Surface: Asphalt
- Length: 1.366 miles
- Banking
- Turns 1 and 2: 25 degrees
- Turns 3 and 4: 23 degrees
- Front Stretch: 3 degrees
- Back Stretch: 2 degrees
Darlington
Raceway
|
|||||
Race
|
Date
|
Cars
|
Winner(s)
|
St
|
Make / Model
|
1950-13
|
9/4/1950
|
75
|
Johnny Mantz
|
43
|
'50 Plymouth
|
1951-24
|
9/3/1951
|
82
|
Herb Thomas
|
2
|
'51 Hudson
|
1952-10
|
5/10/1952
|
24
|
Dick Rathman
|
4
|
'51 Hudson
|
1952-25
|
9/1/1952
|
66
|
Fonty Flock
|
1
|
'52 Oldsmobile
|
1953-30
|
9/7/1953
|
59
|
Buck Baker
|
7
|
'53 Oldsmobile
|
1954-31
|
9/6/1954
|
50
|
Herb Thomas
|
23
|
'54 Hudson
|
1955-35
|
9/5/1955
|
69
|
Herb Thomas
|
8
|
'55 Chevrolet
|
1956-44
|
9/3/1956
|
70
|
Curtis Turner
|
11
|
'56 Ford
|
1957-40
|
9/2/1957
|
50
|
Speedy Thompson
|
7
|
'57 Chevrolet
|
1958-41
|
9/1/1958
|
48
|
Fireball Roberts
|
2
|
'57 Chevrolet
|
1959-36
|
9/7/1959
|
50
|
Jim Reed
|
14
|
'57 Chevrolet
|
1960-16
|
5/14/1960
|
32
|
Joe Weatherly
|
2
|
'60 Ford
|
1960-35
|
9/5/1960
|
48
|
Buck Baker
|
2
|
'60 Pontiac
|
1961-19
|
5/6/1961
|
32
|
Fred Lorenzen
|
1
|
'61 Ford
|
1961-42
|
9/4/1961
|
43
|
Nelson Stacy
|
3
|
'61 Ford
|
1962-21
|
5/12/1962
|
32
|
Nelson Stacy
|
3
|
'62 Ford
|
1962-45
|
9/3/1962
|
44
|
Larry Frank
|
10
|
'62 Ford
|
1963-23
|
5/11/1963
|
31
|
Joe Weatherly
|
6
|
'63 Pontiac
|
1963-45
|
9/2/1963
|
41
|
Fireball Roberts
|
9
|
'63 Ford
|
1964-21
|
5/9/1964
|
32
|
Fred Lorenzen
|
1
|
'64 Ford
|
1964-51
|
9/7/1964
|
44
|
Buck Baker
|
6
|
'64 Dodge
|
1965-15
|
5/8/1965
|
31
|
Junior Johnson
|
3
|
'65 Ford
|
1965-45
|
9/6/1965
|
44
|
Ned Jarrett
|
10
|
'65 Ford
|
1966-15
|
4/30/1966
|
36
|
Richard Petty
|
1
|
'66 Plymouth
|
1966-42
|
9/5/1966
|
44
|
Darel Dieringer
|
3
|
'66 Mercury
|
1967-17
|
5/13/1967
|
36
|
Richard Petty
|
2
|
'67 Plymouth
|
1967-40
|
9/4/1967
|
44
|
Richard Petty
|
1
|
'67 Plymouth
|
1968-15
|
5/11/1968
|
34
|
David Pearson
|
2
|
'68 Ford
|
1968-39
|
9/2/1968
|
44
|
Cale Yarborough
|
2
|
'68 Mercury
|
1969-18
|
5/10/1969
|
36
|
LeeRoy Yarbrough
|
4
|
'69 Mercury
|
1969-41
|
9/1/1969
|
40
|
LeeRoy Yarbrough
|
4
|
'69 Ford
|
1970-13
|
5/9/1970
|
36
|
David Pearson
|
3
|
'69 Ford
|
1970-38
|
9/7/1970
|
40
|
Buddy Baker
|
2
|
'69 Dodge
|
1971-16
|
5/2/1971
|
36
|
Buddy Baker
|
5
|
'71 Dodge
|
1971-40
|
9/6/1971
|
40
|
Bobby Allison
|
1
|
'69 Mercury
|
1972-08
|
4/16/1972
|
36
|
David Pearson
|
1
|
'71 Mercury
|
1972-24
|
9/4/1972
|
40
|
Bobby Allison
|
1
|
'72 Chevrolet
|
1973-08
|
4/15/1973
|
40
|
David Pearson
|
1
|
'71 Mercury
|
1973-22
|
9/3/1973
|
40
|
Cale Yarborough
|
8
|
'73 Chevrolet
|
1974-07
|
4/7/1974
|
40
|
David Pearson
|
2
|
'73 Mercury
|
1974-23
|
9/2/1974
|
40
|
Cale Yarborough
|
4
|
'74 Chevrolet
|
1975-08
|
4/13/1975
|
36
|
Bobby Allison
|
5
|
'75 Matador
|
1975-21
|
9/1/1975
|
40
|
Bobby Allison
|
3
|
'75 Matador
|
1976-08
|
4/11/1976
|
36
|
David Pearson
|
1
|
Mercury
|
1976-22
|
9/6/1976
|
40
|
David Pearson
|
1
|
Mercury
|
1977-07
|
4/3/1977
|
36
|
Darrell Waltrip
|
4
|
Chevrolet
|
1977-22
|
9/5/1977
|
40
|
David Pearson
|
5
|
Mercury
|
1978-07
|
4/9/1978
|
36
|
Benny Parsons
|
8
|
Chevrolet
|
1978-22
|
9/4/1978
|
40
|
Cale Yarborough
|
6
|
Oldsmobile
|
1979-08
|
4/8/1979
|
36
|
Darrell Waltrip
|
2
|
Chevrolet
|
1979-23
|
9/3/1979
|
40
|
David Pearson
|
5
|
Chevrolet
|
1980-07
|
4/13/1980
|
36
|
David Pearson
|
2
|
Chevrolet
|
1980-23
|
9/1/1980
|
41
|
Terry Labonte
|
10
|
Chevrolet
|
1981-08
|
4/12/1981
|
36
|
Darrell Waltrip
|
3
|
Buick
|
1981-23
|
9/7/1981
|
40
|
Neil Bonnett
|
3
|
Ford
|
1982-06
|
4/4/1982
|
37
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
5
|
Ford
|
1982-22
|
9/6/1982
|
40
|
Cale Yarborough
|
9
|
Buick
|
1983-05
|
4/10/1983
|
36
|
Harry Gant
|
5
|
Buick
|
1983-22
|
9/5/1983
|
41
|
Bobby Allison
|
14
|
Buick
|
1984-07
|
4/15/1984
|
38
|
Darrell Waltrip
|
9
|
Chevrolet
|
1984-22
|
9/2/1984
|
41
|
Harry Gant
|
1
|
Chevrolet
|
1985-06
|
4/14/1985
|
40
|
Bill Elliott
|
1
|
Ford
|
1985-20
|
9/1/1985
|
40
|
Bill Elliott
|
1
|
Ford
|
1986-06
|
4/13/1986
|
40
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
4
|
Chevrolet
|
1986-21
|
8/31/1986
|
40
|
Tim Richmond
|
1
|
Chevrolet
|
1987-05
|
3/29/1987
|
41
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
2
|
Chevrolet
|
1987-21
|
9/6/1987
|
40
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
5
|
Chevrolet
|
1988-05
|
3/27/1988
|
41
|
Lake Speed
|
8
|
Oldsmobile
|
1988-21
|
9/4/1988
|
40
|
Bill Elliott
|
1
|
Ford
|
1989-05
|
4/2/1989
|
41
|
Harry Gant
|
10
|
Oldsmobile
|
1989-21
|
9/3/1989
|
39
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
10
|
Chevrolet
|
1990-05
|
4/1/1990
|
40
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
15
|
Chevrolet
|
1990-21
|
9/2/1990
|
40
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
1
|
Chevrolet
|
1991-05
|
4/7/1991
|
40
|
Ricky Rudd
|
13
|
Chevrolet
|
1991-21
|
9/1/1991
|
38
|
Harry Gant
|
5
|
Oldsmobile
|
1992-05
|
3/29/1992
|
39
|
Bill Elliott
|
2
|
Ford
|
1992-21
|
9/6/1992
|
38
|
Darrell Waltrip
|
5
|
Chevrolet
|
1993-05
|
3/28/1993
|
39
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
1
|
Chevrolet
|
1993-22
|
9/5/1993
|
39
|
Mark Martin
|
4
|
Ford
|
1994-05
|
3/27/1994
|
41
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
9
|
Chevrolet
|
1994-23
|
9/4/1994
|
42
|
Bill Elliott
|
9
|
Ford
|
1995-05
|
3/26/1995
|
42
|
Sterling Marlin
|
5
|
Chevrolet
|
1995-23
|
9/3/1995
|
42
|
Jeff Gordon
|
5
|
Chevrolet
|
1996-05
|
3/24/1996
|
41
|
Jeff Gordon
|
2
|
Chevrolet
|
1996-23
|
9/1/1996
|
42
|
Jeff Gordon
|
2
|
Chevrolet
|
1997-05
|
3/23/1997
|
43
|
Dale Jarrett
|
1
|
Ford
|
1997-23
|
8/31/1997
|
43
|
Jeff Gordon
|
7
|
Chevrolet
|
1998-05
|
3/22/1998
|
43
|
Dale Jarrett
|
3
|
Ford
|
1998-24
|
9/6/1998
|
43
|
Jeff Gordon
|
5
|
Chevrolet
|
1999-05
|
3/21/1999
|
43
|
Jeff Burton
|
9
|
Ford
|
1999-24
|
9/5/1999
|
43
|
Jeff Burton
|
15
|
Ford
|
2000-05
|
3/19/2000
|
43
|
Ward Burton
|
3
|
Pontiac
|
2000-24
|
9/3/2000
|
43
|
Bobby Labonte
|
37
|
Pontiac
|
2001-05
|
3/18/2001
|
43
|
Dale Jarrett
|
2
|
Ford
|
2001-25
|
9/2/2001
|
43
|
Ward Burton
|
37
|
Dodge
|
2002-05
|
3/17/2002
|
43
|
Sterling Marlin
|
11
|
Dodge
|
2002-25
|
9/1/2002
|
43
|
Jeff Gordon
|
3
|
Chevrolet
|
2003-05
|
3/16/2003
|
43
|
Ricky Craven
|
31
|
Pontiac
|
2003-25
|
8/31/2003
|
43
|
Terry Labonte
|
3
|
Chevrolet
|
2004-05
|
3/21/2004
|
43
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
11
|
Chevrolet
|
2004-35
|
11/14/2004
|
43
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
4
|
Chevrolet
|
2005-10
|
5/7/2005
|
43
|
Greg Biffle
|
3
|
Ford
|
2006-11
|
5/13/2006
|
43
|
Greg Biffle
|
9
|
Ford
|
2007-11
|
5/13/2007
|
43
|
Jeff Gordon
|
10
|
Chevrolet
|
2008-11
|
5/10/2008
|
43
|
Kyle Busch
|
6
|
Toyota
|
2009-11
|
5/9/2009
|
43
|
Mark Martin
|
12
|
Chevrolet
|
2010-11
|
5/8/2010
|
43
|
Denny Hamlin
|
8
|
Toyota
|
2011-10
|
5/7/2011
|
43
|
Regan Smith
|
23
|
Chevrolet
|
2012-11
|
5/12/2012
|
43
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
2
|
Chevrolet
|
2013-11
|
5/11/2013
|
43
|
Matt Kenseth
|
7
|
Toyota
|
2014-08
|
4/12/2014
|
43
|
Kevin Harvick
|
1
|
Chevrolet
|
2014 Bojangles' Southern 500 Photo Review
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