NASCAR Darlington Sunday, August 30, 2020
NASCAR CUP SERIES DARLINGTON STATS HIGHLIGHTS
2020 Playoffs:
Chip Ganassi Racing (1): Kurt Busch
Hendrick Motorsports (3): Alex Bowman, William Byron & Chase Elliott
Joe Gibbs Racing (3): Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin & Martin Truex Jr.
Richard Childress Racing (1): Austin Dillon
Stewart-Haas Racing (4): Aric Almirola, Cole Custer, Clint Bowyer & Kevin Harvick
Team Penske (3): Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski & Joey Logano
Wood Brothers Racing (1): Matt DiBenedetto
Darlington Active Leaders:
Wins: 3 Denny Hamlin & Jimmie Johnson
Top 5 finishes: 10 Kevin Harvick
Top 10 finishes: 14 Kevin Harvick
Laps led: 750 Kevin Harvick
Average finish: 5.4 Erik Jones
Lead lap finishes: 19 Kevin Harvick
2 Finished top 5 each Darlington May race – Denny Hamlin (5th & 1st) & Kevin Harvick (1st & 3rd)
4 Finished top 10 each Darlington May race –
Denny Hamlin (5th & 1st), Kevin Harvick (1st & 3rd), Erik Jones (8th & 5th) & Martin Truex Jr. (6th & 10th)
Top 5 Stage 1 & 2 Darlington 5/20/20: Clint Bowyer (1st & 1st), Martin Truex Jr. (2nd & 3rd)
Top 5 Stage 1 & 2 Darlington 5/17/20: Kevin Harvick (4th & 4th), Alex Bowman (3rd & 2nd), Brad Keselowski (5th & 1st)
William Byron: 2019 Darlington pole winner – Youngest ever (21-Years-old)
Erik Jones: 2019 Darlington winner – 2nd youngest ever (23-Years-old)
Three 23-year-olds won Darlington: Kyle Busch 23-0-8 (2008), Erik Jones 23-3-2 (2019) & Terry Labonte 23-9-16 (1980)
1-Kurt Busch: Best Darlington finish: 2nd (3/03) – Lost to Ricky Craven by two-thousandths of a second
1-Kurt Busch: 2004 Champion – Winless in 25 Darlington races
1-Kurt Busch: Finished 7th or better 4 of last 5 Darlington races – Finished 15th May 20
2-Brad Keselowski: 2018 Darlington winner – First win of season & first of 3 straight wins (Darlington, Indianapolis & Las Vegas)
2-Brad Keselowski: First Darlington NCS race: 2009 – #25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (Started 31st & Finished 7th)
2-Brad Keselowski: 8 Straight Darlington races led – 380 Laps led
2-Brad Keselowski: 11 Lead lap finishes in 13 Darlington races – Running at finish all 13 Darlington races
4-Kevin Harvick: Darlington 5/17/20 winner – 50th career win
4-Kevin Harvick: 9 Straight Darlington top 10 finishes – Longest current streak
4-Kevin Harvick 4th-place at 2019 Darlington started streak of 6 straight races finishing 7th or better last season
4-Kevin Harvick finished 9th or better last 9 Darlington races – 8 Top 5 finishes
4-Kevin Harvick: 169 Total laps led at Darlington May (159 & 10) – 82 More than 2nd-most Brad Keselowski
8-Tyler Reddick best Darlington NXS finish: 2nd (2019) – 70 laps led (Most)
9-Chase Elliott: Finished 4th at Darlington 5/17/20 after pit road speeding penalty
9-Chase Elliott: 3 Lead lap finishes in 7 Darlington races – 2 Darlington races led (37 Laps led)
10-Aric Almirola:
Finished 17th at 2019 Darlington – Final practice crash, qualified 30th, started rear of field, finished outside top 15 in Stage 1 & 2
11-Denny Hamlin: Led only final 12 laps winning Darlington 5/20/20
11-Denny Hamlin: 3 Wins last 12 Darlington races – 6 Top 3 finishes last 12 Darlington races
11-Denny Hamlin: 3 Darlington wins with 3 different crew chiefs – Mike Ford (2010), Michael Wheeler (2017) & Chris Gabehart (5/20/20)
11-Denny Hamlin: 3 Darlington wins – Finished 2nd three times (7 Top 3 finishes in 16 Darlington races)
11-Denny Hamlin only repeat winner last 7 Darlington races (2 Wins) – 5 Others 1 win each
11-Denny Hamlin finished 29th at 2019 Darlington – finished top 5 previous 6 races last season
11-Denny Hamlin:
Finished 11 laps down at 2019 Darlington – Finished on lead lap previous 13 Darlington races (4782 Laps)
Running at finish all 15 Darlington races
12-Ryan Blaney: No top 10 finishes in 7 Darlington races
14-Clint Bowyer: No top 5 finishes in 16 Darlington races
14-Clint Bowyer: 1 Top 10 finish last 14 Darlington races – Finished 6th last year
14-Clint Bowyer: 88 Darlington laps led – 71 Laps led May 20
14-Clint Bowyer: Led most laps at Darlington 5/20/20 (71 Laps) – Finished 22nd
18-Kyle Busch:
Finished 3rd at 2019 Darlington –
Qualified 33rd, started rear of field (engine), 4th in Stage 1 & Stage 2 winner, 118 laps led (most) – all consecutive (160-277)
18-Kyle Busch finished 7th or better 4 of last 5 Darlington races – 3 Top 3 finishes
18-Kyle Busch: Led most laps last Southern 500 (118) – Finished 3rd
18-Kyle Busch: 118 Laps led 2019 Darlington – 10 Laps led previous 5 Darlington races
18-Kyle Busch defending NASCAR Cup Series champion – last defending champion to win Darlington: Jeff Gordon 9/02
18-Kyle Busch: 13 Lead lap finishes in 17 Darlington races – Running at finish all 17 Darlington races
19-Martin Truex Jr.: 2016 Darlington winner – Only 28 laps led (First took lead on lap 339 of 367)
19-Martin Truex Jr.: 13 Lead lap finishes in 16 Darlington races – Running at finish all 16 Darlington races
20-Erik Jones: Finished 5th at Darlington 5/20/20 after starting rear of field
20-Erik Jones: 2019 Darlington winner – Followed with 4 straight finishes of 36th or worse last season
20-Erik Jones: 2019 Darlington winner – Ended 42-race winless streak
20-Erik Jones: 2019 Darlington winner – First lead on lap 283 of 367, led 79 of final 85 laps, 14th in points +57 into Darlington
20-Erik Jones only under-25 driver to win in last 13 Darlington races (23-Years-old)
20-Erik Jones finished 8th or better all 5 Darlington races – 2019 Winner
20-Erik Jones: 172 Laps led last season – 79 Laps led at Darlington (Most laps led in a race last season)
20-Erik Jones won Darlington in his 3rd try (2019)
21-Matt DiBenedetto: 2 Top 10 finishes last 3 Darlington races – Finished 25th or worse previous 4 Darlington races
8 Wood Brothers wins at Darlington – David Pearson 6, Neil Bonnett 1 & Cale Yarborough 1
David Pearson (Spartanburg, SC): 6 Darlington wins in #21 Wood Brothers Mercury
22-Joey Logano: 2018 Champion – Winless in 13 Darlington races
24-William Byron: 2019 Darlington pole winner – Youngest ever (21-Years-old)
41-Cole Custer:
2019 Darlington NXS winner – Took checkered 2nd, declared winner after Denny Hamlin disqualification (No laps led)
42-Matt Kenseth: 2013 Darlington winner – Led only 17 laps including final 13 & won with interim crew chief Wally Brown
48-Jimmie Johnson: Best Hendrick Motorsports finisher at Darlington 5/20/20 – Finished 8th
48-Jimmie Johnson: 2012 Darlington winner – 200th Hendrick Motorsports win
48-Jimmie Johnson: Darlington 3/04 winner – 100th Darlington NCS race
48-Jimmie Johnson:
3-Time Darlington winner & 7-Time champion – Never won Darlington & championship in same year
88-Alex Bowman: 1 Top 15 finish in 6 Darlington races – Finished 2nd May 17
95-Christopher Bell best Darlington NXS finish: 4th (2019)
4 Won first Playoff race & championship in same season
New Hampshire first Playoff race 2004-’10 (7 Years)
Chicagoland first Playoff race 2011-’17 (7 Years)
Las Vegas first Playoff race 2018-‘19 (2 Years)
Darlington first Playoff race 2020
51 Different winners in 118 NASCAR Cup Series Darlington races
41 Different winners in 70 Southern 500s
Jeff Gordon leads all with 6 Southern 500 wins
No pit road speeding penalties 2019 Darlington
Kyle Busch crashed Chase Elliott out of Darlington 5/20/20 on lap 201
2 Rookies finished top 10 at Darlington 5/17/20 – Tyler Reddick (7th) & John Hunter Nemechek (9th)
3 Won Darlington in first try – Johnny Mantz, Dick Rathmann & Herb Thomas
Ricky Rudd won Darlington for first time in 29th try – Most of all drivers
No Rookie of the Year contender won Darlington
Three 23-year-olds won Darlington: Kyle Busch 23-0-8 (2008), Erik Jones 23-3-2 (2019) & Terry Labonte 23-9-16 (1980)
1 of last 32 Darlington races won by driver starting first – Last winner from pole: Kevin Harvick 2014
Worst starting position of Darlington winner: 43rd – Johnny Mantz 1950
Only 6 Darlington races won from outside top 20 starting position
Last to win back-to-back Darlington races: Greg Biffle 2005 & ‘06 (Denny Hamlin won last race)
15 Darlington win streaks (Back-to-back wins)
Southern 500 won back-to-back 7 times – Erik Jones won last Southern 500
Most consecutive Southern 500 wins: 4 – Jeff Gordon 1995-’98 (Jeff Burton won in 1999)
Last back-to-back Southern 500 winner: Greg Biffle 2005 & ’06 – Erik Jones won last Southern 500
Youngest Darlington winners: Kyle Busch, Erik Jones & Terry Labonte – 23
Oldest Darlington winners: Harry Gant – 51 & Mark Martin – 50
Mark Martin: 8 Career 2nd-place finishes to Dale Earnhardt – 4 at Darlington
Only 1 won Southern 500 & championship in same season last 19 years – Kevin Harvick 2014
Last defending NASCAR Cup Series champion to win Darlington race – Jeff Gordon 2001 champ & 9/02 winner
Most laps led by Darlington winner: 351 – Johnny Mantz (1950)
Most laps led by Darlington non-winner: 284 – Kyle Larson (2018)
8 Darlington winners led 10 or fewer laps
Fewest laps led by Darlington winner: 1 (Ricky Craven 3/03) & 2 (Terry Labonte 9/80 & Harry Gant 4/83)
Most Darlington laps led to finish: 351 – Johnny Mantz (1950)
Final lead change with 10 or fewer laps to go in 25 Darlington races
4 Darlington Overtime finishes – Leader at scheduled distance won 2
Teammates finished 1-2 six times at Darlington – Joe Gibbs Racing finished 1-2 three times (2013, ’17 & 5/20/20)
Drivers won first race of season 37 times at Darlington
5 Darlington races settled by last lap pass
Closest Darlington finish: .002 seconds – 3/03 Ricky Craven over Kurt Busch
6 Won first career NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington
Southern 500 winners went on to win championship 13 times – Last: Kevin Harvick 2014
Chevrolet leads all with 27 Southern 500 wins – Winless last 5 Southern 500s
Toyota won 5 of last 7 Southern 500s
Ford won only 1 of last 13 Southern 500s – 2018 Brad Keselowski
5 Won Daytona 500 & Southern 500 in same year – Last: Jeff Gordon 1997
3 Drivers won Southern 500 in first try – Last: Nelson Stacy 1961
No Stage 1 or Stage 2 winner went on to win Darlington race
22 of the 33 NASCAR Cup Series champions won at Darlington (74 Total wins)
11 Champions winless at Darlington
9/6/65: Ned Jarrett won Southern 500 by 14 laps over 2nd-place Buck Baker
5/13/67: At Darlington, Richard Petty passed Lee Petty for all-time wins with 55th career victory
9/6/71: Bobby Allison started streak of 39 straight races led winning Southern 500
4/13/75 & 9/1/75: Team Penske’s first Darlington wins – Bobby Allison driving Matador
9/6/76: David Pearson won final race in triple-crown – 1976 Daytona 500, 1976 World 600 & 1976 Southern 500
9/2/84: Southern 500 run on Sunday instead of Labor Day
9/1/91: Harry Gant’s Darlington win was first of 4 straight victories for Mr. September
9/6/92: Darlington was 84th and final career win for Darrell Waltrip
9/5/93: Mark Martin won 4 straight races in 1993 with the final win of streak coming in Southern 500
9/5/99: Jeff Burton won 50th Southern 500 with brother Ward Burton finishing 2nd
3/16/03: Ricky Craven edged Kurt Busch by .002 seconds winning Darlington
3/21/04: 100th Darlington race – Jimmie Johnson winner
5/12/12: Jimmie Johnson’s Darlington win was 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports
FASTEST DARLINGTON POLE SPEEDS
| YEAR | POLE SPEED (MPH) | DRIVER | CAR NO. | CAR |
| 1950 | 82.034 (54.855) | CURTIS TURNER | 41 | OLDSMOBILE |
| 1960 | 127.750 | FIREBALL ROBERTS | 22 | PONTIAC |
| 1970 | 153.822 | CHARLIE GLOTZBACH | 99 | DODGE |
| 1980 | 155.866 | BENNY PARSONS | 27 | CHEVROLET |
| 1990 | 162.996 | GEOFF BODINE | 11 | FORD |
| 2000 | 172.662 | JEFF GORDON | 24 | CHEVROLET |
| 2010 | 180.370 | JAMIE MCMURRAY | 1 | CHEVROLET |
| 2014 | 183.479 (26.802) | KEVIN HARVICK | 4 | CHEVROLET |
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES DARLINGTON STATS HIGHLIGHTS
32 Different winners in 60 Darlington Xfinity Series races
3 Scored first career win at Darlington – Last: Ron Bouchard 4/84 (Both career wins came at Darlington)
4 Won Darlington & championship in same season – Last: Chase Elliott 2014
Denny Hamlin flagged winner 2019 Darlington – Failed heights post-race (Cole Custer awarded win)
Joe Gibbs Racing #20 won 6 of last 15 Darlington races
Joe Gibbs Racing won 9 of last 15 Darlington races
First Joe Gibbs Racing NXS win: Darlington 3/98 (Bobby Labonte)
Driver starting first won 7 of last 15 Darlington races – Denny Hamlin 5 & Kyle Busch 2
2 Darlington races settled by last lap pass: 2014 – Chase Elliott passed Elliott Sadler & 5/20 – Chase Briscoe passed Kyle Busch
Fastest Darlington race: 141.355 mph (9/15) – Only 2 cautions (1:25:14)
3 Won Darlington in first try: Geoffrey Bodine, Neil Bonnett & Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott only Rookie to win Darlington (2014)
Todd Bodine won Darlington in 19th try – Most of all drivers
No Stage 1 or Stage 2 winner went on to win Darlington race
Ford won last 3 Darlington races – Ford won 7 straight Darlington races from 9/99-8/02