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Rick Ware Racing: Justin Haley/Kaz Grala Darlington Advance

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 NC Fraternal Order of Police Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Rick Ware Racing (RWR), returns to Darlington (S.C.) Raceway looking to build on a solid performance in the May 12 Goodyear 400 at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval. His ninth-place finish was his first of two top-10s this season, his third top-10 at Darlington, and it marked RWR’s best finish at a non-superspeedway-type track.

Kaz Grala returns to the No. 15 Meat N’ Bone Ford Mustang Dark Horse for his second Cup Series start at Darlington after earning an 18th-place finish in his Darlington debut in May.

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HaasTooling.com Racing: Ryan Preece Darlington Advance

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

The Cook Out Southern 500 Sunday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway will mark Ryan Preece’s 10th career NASCAR Cup Series start at the 1.366-mile oval and his fifth in the Southern 500. The driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing has a best finish of 12th at Darlington, earned in the 2021 Southern 500. In his most recent Darlington start in May for the Goodyear 400, Preece finished 17th.

Preece has one Darlington start apiece in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In his September 2016 Xfinity Series start, he qualified 22nd and finished 10th in a JD Motorsports entry. His Truck Series appearance came in May 2017 when he started 13th and finished seventh for David Gilliland Racing. (more…)

Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Darlington

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

DARLINGS OF S.C. ONCE AGAIN: After going winless at Darlington Raceway in 14 straight events, Hendrick Motorsports swept both races in 2023 with William Byron winning in the spring and Kyle Larson claiming the Southern 500. That brought the organization’s win total at the “Lady in Black” up to 16 with 12 of those coming in the Southern 500. Both of those marks lead all Cup Series teams.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Six Hendrick Motorsports drivers have gone to victory lane in the Southern 500, tied for the most all time. Leading that charge is NASCAR Hall of Famer and current vice chairman Jeff Gordon with six victories. Jimmie Johnson claimed two wins in the event for Hendrick Motorsports with Larson, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte and Tim Richmond each winning once.
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Overstock.com Racing: Josh Berry Darlington Advance

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway marks the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale. It’s also the site of Josh Berry’s best finish this season, a third-place drive in the Goodyear 400 when the Cup Series first visited the quirky, 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval in May. Berry scored another third-place finish five races later in June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. Both were one spot shy of Berry’s career-best Cup Series finish of second, earned in only his sixth career start on April 2, 2023 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. (more…)

Stewart-Haas Racing: Darlington NXS Advance (Cole Custer | Riley Herbst)

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

Cole Custer and the No. 00 Haas Automation team are hoping to rebound after bad luck struck in last Friday’s race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. In the rearview mirror for Custer is a superspeedway where anything can happen as he looks to Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, a track he’s tamed in the past. Custer started 14th at Daytona after a qualifying session shortened by lightning. He ran in the top-10 in the first stage of the race before finishing it just outside the points-paying position. (more…)

RFK Advance | Darlington II

by MikeAugust 27, 2024

The 2024 regular season culminates this weekend with the running of the Southern 500. Chris Buescher sits on the cut line in the playoff picture, but 21 points to the good entering the weekend.

Brad Keselowski enters the weekend coming off his second win at the track this spring, where both RFK cars led significant laps.

In the last seven races at Darlington, Keselowski has the fourth-best average finish of any driver (11.9) with five top-10s in that stretch. Buescher also has four top-10s in that stretch, tied for second-most of any driver in the Cup Series. (more…)

Bass Pro Shops Racing: Martin Truex Jr. Southern 500 at Darlington Advance

by MikeAugust 27, 2024

Where We Stand: Martin Truex Jr. sits ninth in the driver standings with 695 points, 128 behind Tyler Reddick. All four Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) entries are currently inside the top-10 in the standings, with Christopher Bell sixth, Denny Hamlin eighth and Ty Gibbs 10th as the series heads to the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season this weekend at the track “Too Tough to Tame.” (more…)

Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Racing: Noah Gragson Darlington Advance

by MikeAugust 26, 2024

The Cook Out Southern 500 will mark Noah Gragson’s third career NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, but his first in the Southern 500. Both of Gragson’s previous Cup Series starts at the 1.366-mile oval have come in May during the Goodyear 400. Gragson finished 26th in last year’s Goodyear 400 and improved on that number this year when he finished 14th.

Gragson’s lack of NASCAR Cup Series experience at Darlington does not mean he’s lacking experience at the egg-shaped oval. In fact, Gragson has seven NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the “Track Too Tough To Tame,” and he seemed to tame Darlington by scoring an average finish of fourth. His worst finish was eighth, and in his last three Xfinity Series starts at Darlington, Gragson scored two wins and earned one second-place finish. The Las Vegas native has a 100 percent lap-completion rate at Darlington and he led a total of 253 laps, nearly 25 percent of the 1,035 laps available.

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HighPoint.com Racing: Chase Briscoe Darlington Advance

by MikeAugust 26, 2024

The Cook Out Southern 500 will mark Chase Briscoe’s eighth career NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. In his last visit to the 1.366-mile oval in May for the Goodyear 400, the Mitchell, Indiana, native scored his first top-10 at the track via a strong fifth-place finish. Briscoe had seemingly been building up to that result, with five top-20 finishes in his six prior Darlington starts to earn an average result of 18.2. His best Cup Series result at Darlington prior to this year was 11th, earned in the 2021 Goodyear 400. Briscoe finished 15th in last year’s Southern 500. (more…)

Mahindra Tractors Racing: Chase Briscoe Daytona Advance

by MikeAugust 22, 2024

While there is always a heightened level of anxiety when it comes to competing at superspeedways, Chase Briscoe brings a steady hand to Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, site of Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 NASCAR Cup Series race. In the season-opening Daytona 500 back on Feb. 19, Chase Briscoe finished a solid 10th, and in the second superspeedway race of the year on April 21 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Briscoe finished 12th. Living by the time-honored mantra that in order to finish first, first you must finish, Briscoe has set the table for another front-running drive at Daytona. (more…)