This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the oldest superspeedway on the schedule, Darlington Raceway, for their second
visit of the year to start the playoffs. Coverage of the 76th Annual Cook Out Southern 500 can be seen on USA Network starting with Countdown to Green at 5:30 p.m.
ET Sunday. The green flag is scheduled to drop around 6:11 p.m. ET. The race can also be heard on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
Records and facts
Last year's Cook Out Southern 500 was the
final race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season. The race was dominated by Kyle Larson, who led 263 of 367 laps, but fell back after trouble on pit road late.
Ross Chastain won the race off pit road, but had to contend with Chase Briscoe on the restart. Briscoe was able to charge past Chastain to take the lead, then held on through a late restart to to take the victory and lock himself and Stewart-Haas Racing into the playoffs.
Briscoe won by .361 seconds over Kyle Busch. Christopher Bell was third, then Larson and Chastain.
All-time, David Pearson has the most wins at the "Track Too Tough to Tame" with 10, the most recent of the
wins coming in the CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 in 1980. Dale Earnhardt has nine wins, including season sweeps in 1987 and 1990. Jeff Gordon is third with seven career wins, while five different drivers (Bobby Allison, Bill Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Darrell Walrip and Cale Yarborough) have five each.
Among active drivers, Hamlin is the winningest driver with his five victories. Jimmie Johnson (not entered) has three victories, while Erik Jones and Brad Keselowski have two wins. Five more drivers have a win each.
Track Facts
Track / Race
Length: 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, 367 laps (501.322 miles)
Banking: 25 degrees in Turns 1-2, 23 degrees in Turns 3-4
Frontstretch: 1,229 ft., banked 3 degrees
Backstretch: 1,229 ft., banked 3 degrees
Grandstand Seating: 47,000
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 50 mph
Opened: 1950
Website: http://www.darlingtonraceway.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarlingtonRaceway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TooToughToTame
Pre-Race Schedule:
Practice:
Saturday, Aug. 31, 12:30 - 1:20 p.m. ET on USA Network
Qualifying: Saturday, Aug. 31, 1:30 p.m. ET on USA Network
"I’ve always been comfortable at Darlington. It’s a place where
I’ve done well and had a lot of speed. It reminds me of a lot of the tracks I grew up racing on. I’ve been lucky to be able to not only win two Southern 500s, but also just have really strong runs at this track. There are some places that you just get that feeling and Darlington is one of them for me. I know the No. 43 team will bring me a strong car, and I’m excited to get to Darlington and see what we can do." - Erik Jones
"The biggest hurdle is the changing track conditions throughout the night. You transition from the daytime to night and have to stay up on adjustments. Everyone wants to win the Southern 500. A win at Darlington and add yourself to the list of winners is really special.
We’ve improved a lot as a team since May. I’ve qualified well in all three Cup starts at Darlington, and I think we have a good chance to show speed in practice, qualify decent and have a good night." - Carson Hocevar
"Darlington is such a fun but challenging racetrack, and with the Southern 500 it’s always a true test. It’s a long race that wears you out mentally and
emotionally, and you’ve got to stay locked in for 500 miles. I enjoy it a ton because I feel like I know every bump and crack around that place. If the car’s handling one way, I can adjust my line and really help the balance. I just have a good feel for what the track gives me and how to make the most of it. We had a top 20 there in the spring, and I’m excited to go back and build on that." - Noah Gragson
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is
courtesy of Nigel Kinrade
Photography.
