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Monday, August 31, 2015

2015 Darlington Entry List

Bogangles's Southern 500


By Richard Tix

*Entry list is from Jayski.com




2015 Darlington Paint Scheme's Power Rankings



By Richard Tix

This weekend NASCAR heads to Darlington Raceway for the Southern 500 (Bojangles' Southern 500). Finally, NASCAR is back at Darlington for Labor Day weekend. NASCAR brought back the Labor Day tradition and teams are bring back some retro looks to there cars.

So, why not create another Power Rankings (or list), because everyone loves lists! Disclaimer, this is all based on opinion (like many lists are). So, lets dig into my top 10 paint schemes for this weekend (Make note: I still have not seen the #22 fully reviled and this was released 8/31/15. More scheme's might be coming).



1) Brad Keselowski- Miller High Life










Every since BK, Penske, and Miller released this paint scheme (and "Midnight") to start the season in Vegas I was in love. It's true, I am a #2 fan so some may find bias, but this 1980's scheme that was used by Bobby Allison is simple and clean.


2) Dale Earnhardt Jr- Valvoline 



Jr and HMS didn't release there throwback scheme as early as many teams but it was worth the wait. Jr and Valvoline brought back the classic look that Valvoline and Neil Bonnett used. Again, simple, clean, and great colors.


3) Ricky Stenhouse Jr- Cargill










Stenhouse Jr's Darlington car will be the best thing to happen to the #17 all year. On a serious note, that last statement was serious. The David Pearson look is a fantastic throwback with great 70's colors. You will find a theme here, simple, clean, great colors, and the numbers look fantastic.


4) Clint Bowyer- Peak









Buddy Baker Clint Bowyers look for Darlington is a nod to the late Buddy Baker. It not only finds itself high on the list because of who it was for, but also because this simple design was hand painted, yes hand painted.


5) Kyle Larson- Mellow Yello













Hopefully Larson doesn't hit everything but the pace car at Darlington. The old Mello Yello look just make you long for the days of cars actually being made in underfunded shops like some of Cole Trickles in Days of Thunder. This is almost a throwback of a throwback (Cole Trickle in Days of Thunder and then Kyle Petty). The colors still pop and bring you right back to racing in the 80's and early 90's.


6) Aric Almirola- STP









As a Richard "King" Petty fan, its hard for me to think I just put a retro King car out of the top 5, but that is how many great scheme's there are. RPM has done a classic look at Martinsville, but they always seem to be the late 80's STP look and not back to Petty's hay day. This one goes back to 1972 and the first time STP was dawned on the #43 and paired with Petty Blue.


7) Trevor Bayne- Advocare










This one was popular while I was in my early stages of NASCAR. Born in 1987, the 90's are where I fell in love with the sport and this 1998 Mark Martin throwback sticks out. This is one of the first on the list that isn't based on clean lines and classic old school colors, but it all works because the colors pop and Martin made it a classic in the late 90's.


8) Kevin Harvick- Budweiser



All of the above were derived from an old classic NASCAR scheme, Harvicks is the first on the list that just has the retro look. This one is based on an old Budweiser can, logo, and colors. The old script and eagle logo are what does it for me, add in the gold color and it is top of the line when it comes to "new," old school looks.


9) Chase Elliott- Napa











The colors and sponsor are different, but Chase Elliott gets the "Awesome" honor in running one of his fathers classic schemes. Bill Elliot ran the Coors Scheme to win the 1985 "Winston Million" at Darlington. That alone gets him on the top 10 then add to it that it is clean, simple, and his dad drove it? No brainer.


10) Greg Biffle- Ortho



Add the Biff as the second car on this list not actually done directly after and older scheme. Biffle, RFR, and Ortho bring the old school feel with a simple old logo (Ortho), some classic colors, and a cool number script. I think this original retro look isn't getting enough love as people tend to look at the throwbacks first.


11) Landon Cassill- Snap Fitness









I want to start by saying I love the Snap Fitness red, white, and blue look they currently have, it is awesome. But, most American themed schemes can't live up to the glory that this one has. In 2001 Sterling Marlin ran this 9/11 inspired theme at Kansas just a few weeks after 9/11. This one is for the USA and is still a classic look pulled off by this team.


12) Jimmie Johnson- Lowes



Rounding out the list in the #12 spot is JJ and his retro Lowes look. Again, this one gets some points on originality as it isn't based on an old scheme. The old colors, logo, and company slogan really round it out nicely.



2015 Darlington Schedule

Bojangles' Southern 500


By Richard Tix

**All Times are Eastern**


Friday September 4, 2015
  • 11 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice- NBCSN
  • 1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice- NBCSN
  • 3-4:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- NBCSN
  • 4:30-6:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice- NBCSN
Saturday September 5, 2015
  • 11:45 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN
  • 1:45 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN
  • 3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 (147 laps)- NBC
Sunday September 6, 2015
  • 7 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles' Southern 500 (367 laps)- NBC


Thursday, August 27, 2015

2015 Chase Power Rankings: Second Addition



By Richard Tix

Unlike NASCAR Behind the Wall's Pit Road Power Rankings, this years 2015 Chase Power Rankings will include ONLY drivers with a win. These rankings will not only take into account how they have done so far, but what NBTW things there Power Ranking is for winning the 2015 Sprint Cup Championship.

Last time around we looked at the rankings after 15 races. We now have finished 24 of 26 regular season races with only Darlington and Richmond left on the schedule. We had 10 winners after 15 races yet we have only added one winner in the last 9 races, Kyle Busch.


2015 Chase Power Rankings
LT=Last Time (Ranking during the last Chase Power Rankings)

  1. Kevin Harvick (LT-1)- Yes, Harvick is still the favorite. Keep in mind that last year he went into the Chase as an underdog because his team was having issues on pit road or bad luck week after week. This year he hasn't been notching the wins in the regular season (just like 2014), but is reeling off runner up spots. Those finishes will be enough to get him to Miami and could even see him winning back to back Championships.
  2. Joey Logano (LT-5)- Last time around JoLo was 5th on this list and had 11 top 10's in 15 races...That was probably good enough to be in the top 3 on these rankings. Yet, Penske seemed to be under the radar a bit. Since then JGR has made a huge pass by Penske and HMS, but Penske cars have been standing strong right next to them. Joey just finished up winning 2 of the last 3 races and looks like a true title contender.
  3. Kyle Busch (LT-NR)- The only new driver to this list, Kyle came back from his injury at Daytona on fire. He has 4 wins, 5 top 5's, 7 top 10's, all just in 13 races. Consistency in the Chase has always been his achilles heel, but last year he showed signs of reversing that. If it wasn't for bad luck at Talladega where he was slowing down for a caution and got hit from behind, he would have moved on.
  4. Jimmie Johnson (LT-2)- You can't count JJ out of any title hunt, but something has been a bit off at Hendrick Motor Sports. They have lost there edge as of late. Maybe it has more to do with JGR getting stronger and Penske staying with HMS, but they don't look bullet proof anymore. JJ is still tied for a Cup lead with 4 wins, and also has 16 top 10's in 24 races, so he knows how to get it done. 
  5. Brad Keselowski (LT-7)- BK is starting to show consistency that he lacked to start the year. Those kinds of finishes are going to come up big during the Chase. When you look at BK's wins and top 5's it looks a lot like his poor 2013 season, but then you notice his top 10's and average finish. His average finish of 11.8 is the closest it has been to his Championship year in 2012. Maybe the consistency will pay off?
  6. Matt Kenseth (LT-9)- Last time around Kenseth was an after thought in the Title talks. Man, what 9 races can change. He had some bad luck at Bristol (engine), but before that he has two wins, four top 5's, and 6 straight top 10's. Kenseth and JGR are on a roll at the right time and if they carry it into the Chase they will move up the favorites list. 
  7. Denny Hamlin (LT-8)- Through 15 races JGR made up the final three spots (8th, 9th, and 10th). This time around they added the fourth driver and all started to make a climb. Hamlin is a curious case to crack this year once again. He hasn't been dominate in almost any race for a long period of time, but has stuck around for some quality finishes. That is the making of a driver getting through rounds and into the Finale (like he did last year). Once at Miami, Hamlin has shown he is one of the best recently including a test practice this week. So, he is an underdog to watch.
  8. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LT-6)- Jr has been good in 2015, but it just seems like something is missing with HMS right now. The same can be said about many of Jr's finishes lately. The plus side is he has been pushing through and getting quality finishes despite HMS shortcomings, but at this moment it doesn't seem like enough to win a Championship.
  9. Carl Edwards (LT-10)- Carl rounds up all four JGR cars in the 2015 Chase Power Rankings. He also happens to be the lowest in the points standings, but that wont matter when the Chase rolls around. Right now he is showing hope as a title contender with six top 10's in his last seven races (the other was 13th at Indy). That kind of consistency could see him moving on for a ways in the Chase.
  10. Kurt Busch (LT-3)- No one fell or gained as much as Kurt Busch in these standings (side note: congratulations on the engagement!). Last time these rolled out he was on fire and had locked himself into the Chase with a win. In his last seven races he only has two finishes better than 10th. True, he still has four top 10's in that time, but he is no where near the front.
  11. Martin Truex Jr (LT-4)- Martin has actually lost just as much ground in the rankings as Kurt did. It seems like as soon as JGR came around and got better that the #78 team started to find some struggles. Lucky for this small team they have a win and are locked in (would have got in on points anyways), but they will need to find "it" again before the Chase to have a chance.


It is crazy how 9 races changes the look of the 2015 Sprint Cup Chase. Earlier this year it looked like Kurt Busch was almost on the same level as Harvick, and now its hard seeing him winning the title. Last year Harvick went into the Chase as an underdog and became a first time Cup Champion. So, these rankings are not set in stone and that is why you have to tune into the remaining races before the Chase!


Wednesday, August 26, 2015

2015 Week 25 Preview: Darlington

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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