NASCAR Darlington Sunday, May 1, 2022
DARLINGTON RACEWAY NASCAR CUP SERIES STATS HIGHLIGHTS
122nd NASCAR Cup Series Darlington Raceway race – First race: 1950 (Johnny Mantz winner)
12th of 36 races this season – 15 Races before Playoffs – 25 Races remaining this season
Season one-third complete after Darlington
Darlington wins:
Denny Hamlin 4
Kevin Harvick 3
Martin Truex Jr. 2
Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski 1
Champions winless at Darlington:
Kurt Busch: 28 Races – Best finish: 2nd (3/03)
Chase Elliott: 10 Races – Best finish: 4th (5/17/20)
Kyle Larson: 8 Races – Best finish: 2nd (3 Times)
Joey Logano: 16 Races – Best finish: 2nd (2018)
Finished top 5 both Darlington races last season: Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson & Martin Truex Jr.
Finished top 10 both Darlington races last season:
Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson & Martin Truex Jr.
Denny Hamlin finished top 5 in Stage 1 & 2 last 3 Darlington races
Kyle Larson finished top 5 in Stage 1 & 2 both Darlington races last season
4-Kevin Harvick
3 Wins last 11 Darlington races – 5 Top 3 finishes last 11 Darlington races
12 Straight Darlington top 10 finishes – Ties longest streak all-time (Bill Elliott 1985-’90)
5-Kyle Larson
Winless at Darlington – 5 Top 3 finishes, 3 Straight 2nd-place finishes & 656 laps led (Most laps led at a track without a win)
4 Straight Darlington top 3 finishes – 3 Straight 2nd-place finishes
Darlington 5/21 first of 6 straight top 2 finishes last season
6-Brad Keselowski
2018 Darlington winner – First win of season & first of 3 straight wins (Darlington, Indianapolis & Las Vegas)
First Darlington NCS race: 2009 – #25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (Started 31st & Finished 7th)
10-Aric Almirola
Darlington will be 400th career NASCAR Cup Series race
11-Denny Hamlin
4 Wins last 15 Darlington races – 7 Top 3 finishes last 15 Darlington races (47%)
18-Kyle Busch
2008 Darlington winner (7th career win) – 53 Wins since only Darlington win (Winless last 16 Darlington races)
19-Martin Truex Jr.
Darlington 5/21 winner – 3rd win in first 12 races last season
2 Wins last 9 Darlington races – 7 Top 10 finishes last 10 Darlington races
22-Joey Logano
4 Top 5 finishes last 10 Darlington races (Winless) – Only top 5 finishes in 16 Darlington races
45-Kurt Busch
Best Darlington finish: 2nd (3/03) – Lost to Ricky Craven by two-thousandths of a second
Hendrick Motorsports: 14 Darlington wins (Most all-time) – 6 Drivers
Joey Gibbs Racing: 10 Darlington wins – 7 Drivers
Richard Childress Racing: 8 Darlington wins
Roush: 5 Darlington wins
Stewart-Haas Racing: 3 Darlington wins
Team Penske: 3 Darlington wins – 4/13/75 & 9/1/75 Bobby Allison in Matador and 2018 Brad Keselowski in Ford
Wood Brothers Racing: 8 Darlington wins
Martin Truex Jr.
Darlington 5/21 winner – Started 4th, Stage 1 & 2 winner, 7 times led for 248 laps including final 105
Winner pit stops: Martin Truex Jr. (8 Stops) – Lap 25, 61 (Green), 93, 111, 145 (Green), 188, 226 (Green), 257 (Green)
Longest green flag run: 100 Laps (194-293)
Top 5 Stage 1 & 2: Martin Truex Jr. (1st & 1st), Kyle Larson (4th & 5th), Denny Hamlin (2nd & 4th)
Speeding: Kyle Larson 2nd, Joey Logano 13th, Christopher Bell 14th, Anthony Alfredo 28th
Rear of field: Chase Elliott 7th, Aric Almirola 37th
Best Hendrick: Kyle Larson 2nd
Best Gibbs: Martin Truex Jr. 1st
Best Stewart-Haas: Kevin Harvick 6th
Best Team Penske: Ryan Blaney 8th
Denny Hamlin
Darlington 9/21 winner – Started 2nd, Stage 1 winner & finished 4th in Stage 2, 146 laps led (2nd most)
Winner pit stops: Denny Hamlin (10 Stops) 27, 49, 81 (G), 118, 158 (G), 165, 196 (G), 233, 279 (G), 320
Longest green flag run: 82 Laps (238-319)
Top 5 Stage 1 & 2: Denny Hamlin (1st & 4th), Kyle Larson (2nd & 1st), Kevin Harvick (5th & 5th)
Speeding: Martin Truex Jr. (4th)
Rear of field: Austin Dillon (10th)
Best Hendrick: Kyle Larson (2nd)
Best Gibbs: Denny Hamlin (1st)
Best Stewart-Haas: Kevin Harvick (5th)
Best Penske: Brad Keselowski (7th)
Longest race last season: 4:08:01 – Darlington Sept.
51 Different winners in 121 NASCAR Cup Series Darlington races
22 of the 35 NASCAR Cup Series champions won at Darlington (76 Total wins)
13 Champions winless at Darlington including Kurt Busch, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson & Joey Logano
Kevin Harvick: 2 Wins last 5 Darlington races – 12 Straight Darlington top 10 finishes
Denny Hamlin: 2 Wins last 4 Darlington races
Denny Hamlin: 4 Darlington wins with 3 different crew chiefs –
Mike Ford (2010), Michael Wheeler (2017) & Chris Gabehart (5/20/20 & 9/21)
Erik Jones only under-25 driver to win in last 16 Darlington races (23-Years-old)
Martin Truex Jr. won Darlington Stage 1, 2 & race 5/21
Pit Road Speeding Penalties: 2017: 0 / 2018: 3 / 2019: 0 / 5/17/20: 4 / 5/20/20: 3 / 9/6/20: 4 / 5/9/21: 5 / 9/5/21: 1
Commitment Line Violations: 2017: 3 / 2018: 3 / 2019: 0 / 5/17/20: 0 / 5/20/20: 0 / 9/6/20: 0 / 5/9/21: 0 / 9/5/21: 0
3 Won Darlington in first try – Johnny Mantz, Dick Rathmann & Herb Thomas
No Rookie of the Year contender won Darlington
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 of last 35 Darlington races won by driver starting first – Last winner from pole: Kevin Harvick 2014
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 Darlington race)
15 Darlington win streaks (Back-to-back wins)
Youngest Darlington winners: Kyle Busch, Erik Jones & Terry Labonte – 23
Oldest Darlington winners: Harry Gant – 51 & Mark Martin – 50
Last defending NASCAR Cup Series champion to win Darlington race – Jeff Gordon 2001 champ & 9/02 winner
Martin Truex Jr. led most laps 2 of last 3 Darlington races – Finished 22nd (9/20) & Winner (5/21)
Most laps led by Darlington winner: 351 – Johnny Mantz (1950)
Most Darlington laps led to finish: 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)
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 38 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
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
4/16/72: David Pearson won in first race with Wood Brothers
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
4/8/79: Darrell Waltrip & Richard Petty each swapped lead final 4 laps
4/13/80: David Pearson won in first race with Hoss Ellington
9/6/82: 10th straight Buick win in 1982 – Cale Yarborough Southern 500
9/2/84: Southern 500 run on Sunday instead of Labor Day
9/1/85: Bill Elliott wins million-dollar bonus
3/29/87: First of 4 straight wins for Dale Earnhardt (Darlington, North Wilkesboro, Bristol & Martinsville)
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
8/31/97: Dale Earnhardt blacked out twice during 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 leading only final lap
3/21/04: 100th Darlington race – Jimmie Johnson winner
5/12/12: Jimmie Johnson’s Darlington win was 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports
5/17/20 & 5/20/20: Darlington race added to schedule & run without fans due to COVID-19
5/17/20: Kevin Harvick 50th career win
| Kyle Larson Darlington NASCAR National Touring Series | ||||
| Start | Finish | Laps Led | ||
| 2013 | NXS | 7th | 6th | 0 |
| 2014 | NXS | 12th | 6th | 2 |
| 2014 | NCS | 17th | 8th | 0 |
| 2015 | NXS | 3rd | 7th | 0 |
| 2015 | NCS | 16th | 10th | 3 |
| 2016 | NXS | 13th | 4th | 12 |
| 2016 | NCS | 16th | 3rd | 45 |
| 2017 | NCS | 4th | 14th | 124 |
| 2018 | NCS | 2nd | 3rd | 284 |
| 2019 | NCS | 3rd | 2nd | 44 |
| 5/21 | NCS | 14th | 2nd | 0 |
| 9/21 | NCS | 6th | 2nd | 156 |
| Kyle Larson Darlington NASCAR National Touring Series | |
| Races | 12 |
| Wins | 0 |
| 2nd-Place | 3 |
| Top 5 | 6 |
| Top 10 | 1 |
| Avg. Finish | 5.6 |
| Races Led | 8 |
| Laps Led | 670 |
| Lead Lap Finishes | 11 |
| Denny Hamlin Darlington | |||
| NXS | NCS | Combined | |
| Races | 14 | 19 | 33 |
| Wins | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Top 5 | 10 | 11 | 21 |
| Top 10 | 12 | 15 | 27 |
| Avg. Finish | 6.1 | 7.1 | 6.6 |
| Races Led | 10 | 13 | 23 |
| Laps Led | 629 | 744 | 1373 |
| Lead Lap Finishes | 14 | 18 | 32 |
DARLINGTON RACEWAY NASCAR XFINITY SERIES STATS HIGHLIGHTS
2-Sheldon Creed
2 Darlington NASCAR Truck Series wins (5/21 & 9/21)
7-Justin Allgaier
9 Top 10 finishes in 13 Darlington races – 6 Top 10 finishes last 7 Darlington races
8-Josh Berry
Finished 2nd at Darlington 5/21 – Started 24th, finished 12th in Stage 1 & 4th in Stage 2, 8 laps led, passed for final lead change
9-Noah Gragson
Finished 8th or better all 5 Darlington races – 1 Win (9/21), 3 Top 5 finishes & 126 laps led
Finished 4th at Darlington 5/21 – Finished 2nd in Stage 1 & 2, 40 Laps led (most), disqualified post-race, penalty rescinded
11-Daniel Hemric
Finished 5th at Darlington 5/21 – Started 7th, finished 4th in Stage 1 & 30th in Stage 2, 38 laps led, flat tire while leading Stage 2
Finished 24th at Darlington 9/21 – Started 1st, Stage 1 winner & finished 5th in Stage 2, 18 laps led, lap 11 lost plug wire
16-AJ Allmendinger
Finished 13th at Darlington 5/21 – Started 1st, finished 6th in Stage 1 & 3rd in Stage 2, 6 laps led, best Kaulig Racing finisher
Finished 20th at Darlington 9/21 – Started 2nd, finished 3rd in Stage 1 & 6th in Stage 2, 24 laps led
19-Brandon Jones
Finished 3rd Darlington 5/21 – Started 22nd, Finished 11th in Stage 1 & 15th in Stage 2, running 6th with 6 to go
Finished 33rd at Darlington Sept. – Started 25th, finished 8th in Stage 1 & 36th in Stage 2, lap 59 involved in crash, lap 138 spin
39-Ryan Sieg
Finished 11th or better last 4 Darlington races – 3 Top 10 finishes last 4 Darlington races
51-Jeremy Clements
3 Darlington top 10 finishes – Finished top 10 both Darlington races last season
54-Ty Gibbs
Finished 18th at Darlington 5/21 – Started 29th, finished 9th in Stage 1 & 14th in Stage 2, Lap 47 & 127 pit road speeding penalties
88-Chase Elliott
2014 Darlington Xfinity Series winner – 2nd career win, 2nd straight win & won by last lap pass over Elliott Sadler
98-Riley Herbst
1 Top 15 finish in 4 Darlington races – Finished 4th (9/20)
64th NASCAR Xfinity Series Darlington Raceway race – First race: 1982 (Geoffrey Bodine winner)
11th of 33 races this season – 16 Races before Playoffs – 23 Races remaining this season
Season one-third complete after Darlington
Justin Allgaier
Darlington 5/21 winner – Started 16th, finished 8th in Stage 1 & 2, 10 Laps led
Noah Gragson
Darlington 9/21 winner – Started 8th, finished 2nd in Stage 1 & Stage 2 winner, 40 laps led (2nd most)
35 Different winners in 63 Darlington Xfinity Series races
8 Different winners last 8 Darlington races – Sadler, Hamlin, Keselowski, Custer, Briscoe, Jones, Allgaier & Gragson
Last 6 Darlington winners all first-time Darlington winners
First Joe Gibbs Racing NXS win: Darlington 3/98 (Bobby Labonte)
Joe Gibbs Racing won only 1 of last 6 Darlington races
Joe Gibbs Racing: 11 Darlington wins
JR Motorsports swept Darlington last year – Justin Allgaier (May) & Noah Gragson (Sept.)
JR Motorsports: 4 Darlington wins
Kaulig Racing winless at Darlington
Richard Childress Racing: Winless at Darlington
9 Cautions 5/21 – 7 Due to spins & crashes / 8 Cautions 9/21 – 5 Due to spins & crashes
5 Darlington Xfinity Series & Cup Series weekend sweeps
All 5 of Denny Hamlin’s Darlington wins came after starting on pole
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
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
Ford won 3 of last 6 Darlington races – Ford won 7 straight Darlington races from 9/99-8/02