NASCAR Darlington Tuesday, May 5, 2020
NASCAR CUP SERIES DARLINGTON STATS HIGHLIGHTS
70 Days since last race (Phoenix) – 3/8/20-5/17/20
Darlington Active Leaders:
Wins: 3 Jimmie Johnson
Top 5 finishes: 9 Jimmie Johnson
Top 10 finishes: 13 Ryan Newman
Laps led: 716 Kyle Busch
Average finish: 4.7 Erik Jones
Lead lap finishes: 17 Kevin Harvick
Ricky Craven
Winner of closest Darlington race in March 2003 leading only final lap &
Finishing two-thousandths of a second ahead of Kurt Busch
Jeff Gordon
7 Darlington wins including 4 straight Southern 500 victories from 1995-‘98
Bobby Labonte
Won Southern 500 in championship season in 2000
Jamie McMurray
Finished 2nd in 2010 Southern 500 – Same season as Daytona 500 & Indianapolis wins
Regan Smith
First career victory in 2011 Southern 500 leading only final 11 laps & winning in overtime
Michael Waltrip
Led remarkable 208 laps finishing 3rd at Darlington in the spring of 1991
Larry McReynolds
Crew chief for 2nd-place finish by Davey Allison at Darlington in spring of 1991
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)
4 Finished top 5 in 2019 Darlington Stage 1 & 2 – Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin & Kyle Larson
1-Kurt Busch: Best Darlington finish: 2nd (3/03) – Lost to Ricky Craven by two-thousandths of a second
1-Kurt Busch: 2019 Darlington Stage 1 winner – Finished 7th
1-Kurt Busch: 2004 Champion – Winless in 23 Darlington races
1-Kurt Busch finished 7th or better last 3 Darlington races – average finish: 5.3
1-Kurt Busch: 94 Darlington laps led last year (Most laps led in a Darlington race) – 93 Laps led previous 15 Darlington races
1-Kurt Busch: 94 Darlington laps led last year (Season-high) – 94 Laps led previous 24 races last season
2-Brad Keselowski:
Finished 5th at 2019 Darlington – Started 2nd, finished top 10 in Stage 1 & 2, led first 19 laps, only Team Penske top 10 finisher
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: 6 Straight Darlington races led – 293 Laps led
2-Brad Keselowski: 9 Lead lap finishes in 11 Darlington races – Running at finish all 11 Darlington races
4-Kevin Harvick: 2014 Darlington winner – Went on to win championship
4-Kevin Harvick: 7 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 7 Darlington races – 6 Top 5 finishes
4-Kevin Harvick started first in 3 of last 6 Darlington races
6-Ryan Newman: 13 Darlington top 10 finishes – Leads active drivers
8-Tyler Reddick best Darlington NXS finish: 2nd (2019) – 70 laps led (Most)
9-Chase Elliott: 2 Lead lap finishes in 5 Darlington races – 1 Darlington race led (9 Laps led last year)
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: 2 Darlington wins (2010 & ’17) – Finished 2nd three times (6 Top 3 finishes in 14 Darlington races)
11-Denny Hamlin only repeat winner last 14 Darlington races (2 Wins) – 12 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 14 Darlington races
12-Ryan Blaney: No top 10 finishes in 5 Darlington races
14-Clint Bowyer: No top 5 finishes in 14 Darlington races – Only track without a top 5 finish
14-Clint Bowyer: 1 Top 10 finish last 12 Darlington races – Finished 6th last year
14-Clint Bowyer: 17 Darlington laps led – 1 Lap led last 12 Darlington races (2019)
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 last 3 Darlington races – 2 Top 3 finishes
18-Kyle Busch finished 11th or better last 10 Darlington races – 8 Top 10 finishes
18-Kyle Busch: 118 Laps led last Darlington race – 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: 12 Lead lap finishes in 15 Darlington races – Running at finish all 15 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.: 11 Lead lap finishes in 14 Darlington races – Running at finish all 14 Darlington races
20-Erik Jones: 2019 Darlington winner – Followed with 4 straight finishes of 36th or worse last season
20-Erik Jones: 2019 Darlington winner – Last to win back-to-back Darlington races: Greg Biffle 2005 & ‘06
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 11 Darlington races (23-Years-old)
20-Erik Jones finished 8th or better all 3 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: Finished 8th last Darlington race – 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 11 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: 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 20 finish in 4 Darlington races – Finished 18th last year
95-Christopher Bell best Darlington NXS finish: 4th (2019)
51 Different winners in 116 NASCAR Cup Series Darlington races
Jeff Gordon leads all with 6 Southern 500 wins
9 Different winners last 9 NASCAR Cup Series Darlington races
First win of season for last 2 Darlington winners – Brad Keselowski (2018) & Erik Jones (2019)
First Darlington victory for 6 of last 7 Darlington winners – Kenseth, Harvick, Edwards, Truex Jr., Keselowski & Jones
No pit road speeding penalties 2019 Southern 500
No Stage 1 or Stage 2 winner went on to win Darlington race
22 of the 33 NASCAR Cup Series champions won at Darlington (73 Total wins)
11 Champions winless at Darlington
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
Tim Richmond won for the first time in his last Darlington race
No Rookie of the Year contender won Darlington
1 of last 30 Darlington races won by driver starting first – Last winner from pole: Kevin Harvick 2014
Worst starting position of Darlington winner: 43rd – Johnny Mantz 1950
Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett & Erik Jones won Darlington from 15th starting position
Most consecutive Darlington wins: 3 – Dale Earnhardt (1989-’90) & Jeff Gordon (1995-’96)
15 Darlington win streaks (Back-to-back wins) – Erik Jones won last Darlington race
Mid-race leader failed to win last 14 Darlington races
4 Darlington Overtime finishes – Leader at scheduled distance won 2
Teammates finished 1-2 five times at Darlington including 2 of last 3 seasons – Gibbs (2017) & Penske (2018)
Team Penske: 3 Darlington wins – 4/13/75 & 9/1/75 Bobby Allison in Matador and 2018 Brad Keselowski in Ford
8 Darlington wins by Richard Childress Racing – All by Dale Earnhardt (1986-’94)
1 Darlington win by Stewart-Haas Racing – 2014 Kevin Harvick
Stewart-Haas Racing led only 1 lap at 2019 Darlington
Hendrick Motorsports drivers finished 16th or worse at 2019 Darlington
Drivers won first race of season 36 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
5 Won Daytona 500 & Southern 500 in same year – Last: Jeff Gordon 1997
9 Times driver won Coca-Cola 600 & Southern 500 in same year
Joe Gibbs Racing won 2019 Daytona 500 (Hamlin), 2019 Coca-Cola 600 (Truex Jr.) & 2019 Southern 500 (Jones)
Joe Gibbs Racing won 4 of last 7 Darlington races
Joe Gibbs Racing drivers led 197 of 367 Darlington laps last year (54%)
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 |
2020 WINNERS
| Win | Best Darlington Finish | |
| Joey Logano | Las Vegas & Phoenix | 2nd (2018) |
| Alex Bowman | Auto Club | 18th (2019) |
| Denny Hamlin | Daytona 500 | 2010 & ’17 Winner |
CHAMPIONS AT DARLINGTON
| Champion | Best Darlington Finish | |
| Kurt Busch | 2004 | 2nd (3/03) |
| Kyle Busch | 2015 & ‘19 | 2008 Winner |
| Kevin Harvick | 2014 | 2014 Winner |
| Jimmie Johnson | 2006,’07,’08,’09,’10,’13 & 16 | 3/04, 11/04 & 2012 Winner |
| Joey Logano | 2018 | 2nd (2018) |
| Matt Kenseth | 2003 | 2013 Winner |
| Brad Keselowski | 2012 | 2018 Winner |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 2017 | 2016 Winner |
2020 ROOKIES
| Best 2020 Finish | Darlington | |
| Cole Custer | 9th – Phoenix | 2019 Darlington Xfinity Series winner – Took checkered 2nd, declared winner after Denny Hamlin disqualification (No laps led) |
| Tyler Reddick | 11th – Auto Club | Best Darlington NXS finish: 2nd (2019) – 70 Laps led (Most) |
| John Hunter Nemechek | 11th – Daytona 500 | 1 Darlington NXS race (2019) – Started 16th & Finished 21st |
| Brennan Poole | 16th – Daytona 500 | 2 Darlington NXS races Finished top 10 each race |
| Christopher Bell | 21st – Daytona 500 | Best Darlington NXS finish: 4th (2019) |
| Quin Houff | 32nd – Las Vegas | No Darlington races |
NO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR CONTENDER WON DARLINGTON
DARLINGTON WINS
| HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS | 14 |
| RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING | 8 |
| WOOD BROTHERS RACING | 8 |
| JOE GIBBS RACING | 7 |
| ROUSH FENWAY RACING | 5 |
| TEAM PENSKE | 3 |
| STEWART-HAAS RACING | 1 |
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES DARLINGTON STATS HIGHLIGHTS
31 Different winners in 59 Darlington Xfinity Series races
7-Justin Allgaier: Finished on lead lap all 9 Darlington races – 1334 Laps complete
9-Noah Gragson: Finished 8th at 2019 Darlington – Lap 53 involved in crash
10-Ross Chastain:
Finished 25th at 2018 Darlington – Pole (1st career), Stage 1 & 2 winner (1st career), 90 laps led, lap 111 crash with Harvick
19-Brandon Jones: Finished on lead lap all 4 Darlington races (589 Laps) – No laps led in 4 Darlington races
Denny Hamlin flagged winner 2019 Darlington – Failed heights post-race
Denny Hamlin: 2019 Darlington – Crashed in practice, started rear of field in backup, led final 27 laps
Cole Custer crossed line 2nd at 2019 Darlington – Awarded win after Denny Hamlin disqualification
No Stage 1 or Stage 2 winner went on to win Darlington race
All 5 of Denny Hamlin’s Darlington wins came after starting on pole
Worst starting position of Darlington winner: 36th – Larry Pearson 3/95
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
Joe Gibbs Racing #20 won 6 of last 14 Darlington races
Joe Gibbs Racing won 9 of last 14 Darlington races
Driver starting first won 7 of last 14 Darlington races – Denny Hamlin 5 & Kyle Busch 2
1 Darlington race settled by last lap pass: 2014 – Chase Elliott passed Elliott Sadler
Fastest Darlington race: 141.355 mph (9/15) – Only 2 cautions (1:25:14)
3 Won Darlington in first try: Geoff 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 last 2 Darlington races – Ford won 7 straight Darlington races from 9/99-8/02
First Joe Gibbs Racing NXS win: Darlington 3/98 (Bobby Labonte)