Hamlin and Gordon Look Too Tough to Tame at Darlington
NASCAR’s most historic and unique track gets a visit this week as the 11th stop on the Sprint Cup series tour. Darlington Raceway, a track that has been running Cup races since 1950 on its odd egg-shaped 1.366-mile track, is the site for Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500. It’s been called the track that is “too tough to tame” and the “Lady in Black” over the years because it’s just about anything and everything you can imagine that those names might entail.
Friday’s practice sessions were supposed to be a simple, final tune-up for qualifying and Saturday’s race, but several cars had a rough time as they gained the first Darlington stripes of the weekend, forcing some, like Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr, into backup cars. The Darlington stripe refers to the streak that appears on the right side of a drivers car after getting too close to the wall. Because each turn is vastly different in size, drivers sometimes can’t catch up with the direction the "Lady in Black” takes the car in and then the “Lady“ slaps a stripe on it.
The driver that stood out the most during Friday’s combined practice sessions at Darlington was Denny Hamlin. In the first and more important session of the two, Hamlin had the fifth-fastest times. During the final session, which was used primarily by most to get their qualifying setup straight, Hamlin was second fastest and was fastest among all drivers using race trim. Hamlin has never won at Darlington in his four starts, but his consistency over that span indicates that it won’t be long before he cashes in. He has the third-best average finish of 8.0 on the track among all active drivers with a career best of second-place coming in 2007.
His overall tenacity and aggressive nature — mixed in with his great practice — make him one of the favorites to beat Saturday night. There was no better example of just how tenacious Hamlin is than when he stole the Martinsville race in late March in the final four laps, passing eight cars in front of him.
On that particular Martinsville day, Hamlin did have the best car and dominated until giving the lead away with 10 laps to go, a four-tire choice that had everyone scratching their heads at the time. The car Hamlin brought this week to Darlington is the same one he had at Martinsville.
Jeff Gordon is a seven-time winner at Darlington and at one stretch had won the prestigious Southern 500 four straight years, something no one had ever done before or since. He’s on a current stretch at Darlington that has seen him finish six straight races in the top five, which includes a win in 2007.
Gordon’s been on a great run this season, having competitive cars in just about every race. He could have possibly had five wins already but still doesn’t own any, and hasn’t won since last April in Texas. That could all change this week as he has brought one of his better cars. The chassis he’s using had three runner-up finishes last season. The combination of a good car and great history make Gordon a strong candidate to win, and if being overdue counts for anything, he is way past due.
Kyle Busch won at Richmond last week and now finds himself third in the standings. After a sluggish start, it looks like Busch and his crew are finally dialed in and prepared for the stretch run. Busch had a good practice Friday finishing sixth in the first session and hopes that will be enough to carry him to his fifth straight top-10 finish on the season. Darlington has been tough on Kyle, though. He won the first race on the newly resurfaced smooth pavement in 2008, but it remains his only top-five finish there. His average finish position is 20.4, which include two finishes of 34th or worse.
Kurt Busch has the distinction of being the slimmest loser in NASCAR history. His second-place finish to Ricky Craven at Darlington in 2003 was by only .002 seconds. The two drivers battled back and forth — scratching and clawing — at each end of the track, making it one of the greatest finishes ever regardless of the margin or victory. That 2003 race was also Busch’s last top-five at Darlington, but that may change this week because of how sharp the “Blue Deuce” looked in practice in both race and qualifying trim. In the first session, Busch had the seventh-fastest lap and was third in the final session. He looks to have one his better chances to win this week, at least since 2003.
Jimmie Johnson swept the 2004 Darlington season in the last year the track had two Cup race dates. His Southern 500 win that season was also the last time Darlington raced on Labor Day weekend, a tradition that began in 1950. Johnson brought a new chassis this week, and by the looks of it in practice, he doesn’t look to be one of the contenders. However, his history at the track may suggest otherwise. In 11 career starts, Johnson has nine top-10 finishes that include finishing in the top five in three of his last four starts. He is Darlington's active leader in average finish position at 6.9.
Mark Martin won this race last season, the second of his career at Darlington. In 43 career starts at the track, Martin has 26 top-10 finishes. Like Johnson, Martin too will be debuting a new chassis for Hendrick Motorsports. During Friday’s practice, Martin was very average, but he laid down the fifth-fastest lap in qualifying and will start in the third row.
Jeff Burton has always been a steady contender at Darlington. He swept the season in 1999 while with Roush Racing and has found himself competitive in every race since. Burton will be using a new chassis this week.
Ryan Newman is someone to take a good look at this week just because of his track history. He’s finished no worse than sixth in four of his last five Darlington starts and has six top-five finishes in 11 career starts. He’s using his Pocono chassis from last season that finished fifth and practiced well with it Friday. If you're looking for a possible upset, Newman’s a great look.
Another long shot who practiced well Friday was Jamie McMurray. Following the fastest time in the final session, McMurray took the pole. It’s the first time in his career that he has won the pole twice in a season. We’ve seen McMurray look good in practice a few times this season but not pan out on race day, at least in non-restrictor plate races, but his career supports that he may be worth a shot this week. He has an average finish of 16.4 in his nine career starts at Darlington and has finished fourth on two occasions.
Brad Keselowski doesn’t have a lot of experience at Darlington, but he does have that same type of tenacity and lack of fear like Hamlin does that could fare well. In his Cup track debut last season, Keselowski finished a very respectable seventh. During Friday’s practice, he was getting around the track pretty good while in both race and qualifying set-ups. He’s using a new chassis this week, one the team described as being the lightest Penske Racing has ever made for stock cars.
Southern 500 on Mother’s Day Too Tough to Take
The year 2004 was the last time that Darlington’s Southern 500 raced on Labor Day weekend, a tradition that had been in place since 1950. After stripping the most unique track on tour from one of their two dates, NASCAR moved Darlington’s only date to Mother’s Day weekend, which also destroyed another tradition.
Two family traditions had been intact for most of NASCAR’s history; no racing on Easter or Mother’s day. Part of the reason was because it was thought families would opt to be with family for the day and the race track would be empty. The other reason for no racing on Mother’s day was that Big Bill France’s wife had told him that she didn’t want to see any mother have to watch their son be injured on their special day.
The two changes prior to the 2005 season were one of the first of many signs given by NASCAR to the traditionalists that they had lost touch with their core fan base. The Labor Day race went to California, which turned out to be a disaster, and the date was eventually traded with Atlanta prior to the start of this season. NASCAR has admitted its faults without saying a word and simply looking at all the changes they’ve made within the last year that are geared towards the fans. If there was one request that many could add on to the list that includes double-file restarts, three attempts at green-white-checker finishes, and allowing drivers to show more personality with no repercussions, it would be to move the Southern 500 back to Labor Day weekend.
If anything, fans should be lucky that NASCAR didn’t wipe Darlington out altogether while they were in their corporate mode, as was the fate for Rockingham, another track that produced great racing.
Darlington Surface Went From Sandpaper to Silk
Darlington’s old surface took just as much consideration in set-up preparation as any part of the car and most of those decisions by the driver were made as the race wore on. Prior to the 2008 season, the track's surface was absolutely brutal on tires. A normal fuel run is about 55 laps, but after about 25 laps, cars were slipping and sliding everywhere because the abrasive nature of the track ate up so much of the rubber.
The drivers that were always successful played the cool calculated game of letting the upstarts pass them, and then in about 15 laps they were doing the passing because they had saved their tires. Ward Burton was one of the best at maximizing his tires for green-flag runs and won two of his five career races at Darlington.
After the 2008 resurfacing, the track's smooth surface looked and ran similar to Richmond’s with lots of grip, but some say within four or five years the abrasive sandy soil in the area will wind-sweep Darlington back into shape like it used to be.
Roberts Weekly Driver Ratings
Each week I will provide an analysis of my top rated drivers on how well they will do in the race based on the following criteria:
• Practice sessions leading up to the weekend’s Sprint Cup race
• Chassis information on what was brought to each track by each team, good or bad
• Driver tendencies at certain tracks
• Recent and overall histories for each driver at each track
• Decipher poor past results with what really happened, good car — or bad luck?
These final ratings should help assist in final betting strategies with the Las Vegas books or match-up and prop plays, as well as help in NASCAR fantasy leagues.
Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
Showtime Southern 500
Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
Saturday, May 8, 2010 — Coverage begins at 4 p.m. PDT on Fox (5); race starts at 4:46 p.m.
Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Practice 2 Qualifying '09 Darlington Finish
1. Denny Hamlin 8/1 5th 2nd 8th 13th
Using winning Martinsville chassis; has an average finish of 8.0 in four Darlington starts.
2. Jeff Gordon 6/1 15th 8th 2nd 5th
Seven-time Darlington winner; last time in '07. Chassis using was runner-up three times in ’09.
3. Kyle Busch 6/1 6th 15th 39th 34th
Only one top-five finish on track in five starts, a 2008 win. Using Phoenix chassis from last fall.
4. Jimmie Johnson 6/1 17th 9th 22nd 2nd
Swept 2004 season for only two wins. Track best average finish of 6.9; using new car this week.
5. Mark Martin 12/1 16th 17th 5th 1st
Two-time Darlington winner, including last year; 17 top-fives in 43 starts. New chassis this week.
6. Jeff Burton 12/1 8th 10th 11th 12th
Swept '99 season for only two wins. Last top five came in 2000 while with Roush; using new chassis.
7. Kurt Busch 15/1 7th 3rd 14th 16th
Lost by .003 second in closest NASCAR race ever at Darlington in 2003, his only top-5 finish.
8. Ryan Newman 40/1 22nd 4th 6th 4th
Five top-five finishes, with average finish of 12.5 in 11 starts. Using fifth-place ’09 Pocono chassis.
9. Brad Keselowski 50/1 19th 19th 9th 7th
Started 31st and finished seventh in only Darlington race; using new Penske chassis this week.
10. Tony Stewart 15/1 31st 35th 24th 3rd
One of only three tracks he’s yet to win on. Using winning chassis from '09 All-Star race.
Only two scheduled Richmond practice sessions followed by qualifying on Friday.
Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.
Micah Roberts, a former race and sports director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. He writes for multiple publications covering all sports. He can be reached at MM.Roberts7@Gmail.com. He’ll be guest-hosting Sports Book radio on ESPN 1100 this week from 2-3 pm.
Driver Quotes
Danny Hamlin on having his mother with him this weekend and how special she is to him:
"She never misses this race. It’s important to her to be here because it’s Mother’s Day weekend and Darlington always does a nice job of honoring all of the moms before the race. I know it means a lot to them and it’s important to all of us to show our thanks as well. Hopefully we can celebrate a good race together, but I also know we’ll be having a Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday morning and that’s just as important.
"She was the one that pushed me and gave me confidence to keep going. She always had a faith that I could succeed and was willing to help me however she could. I really can’t thank her enough. Now that I am in the Cup series and doing what I always hoped I could, she’s been really active in this racing community, too. You can find her out at the merchandise trailer or working with the fan club. She's been great with the fans and their reaction to her is awesome. I can’t tell you how many times I am asked to sign something and I see my mom’s signature right there already.
Kurt Busch on losing one of NASCAR's all-time greatest finishes at Darlington in 2003 to Ricky Craven:
"It seems to actually sting more over the years," Busch said with a grin. "It didn’t really sting that bad when it happened. I thought then that it was so close, but I still had so many opportunities to win at Darlington coming up. I haven’t even been anywhere near winning like that since then.
"The more I tell the story the more I feel that I can chop down that two-thousandths of a second and maybe finally wind up winning the thing," Busch chuckled. "It was one of the most dramatic finishes ever in NASCAR and it will always be a part of history. I was proud to be part of it there that day."
Kyle Busch on the challenges he faces at Darlington:
“The toughest thing, now, it’s so hard to pass there. It’s really a one-lane racetrack. The lane that everyone runs in is the fastest lane. It’s hard to get the air on your nose in order to make your car turn without being too loose or setting your car up too loose and slapping the wall there. Once you get out there in a run, you pretty much start running around in traffic and you’re almost stuck.”
Jeff Gordon on what it takes to be successful at Darlington:
"Track position is extremely important. You have to compromise as a driver, as a team with the setup because both ends of the racetrack are totally different so you're never going to have a perfect car or perfect setup. As a driver you have to work around that and try to find the fastest way. You have to have a car that's maneuverable in traffic, which is tough. That place is fast now, and it's hard to pass. That's why I say that the track position has become very important."
Darlington Odds and Ends
NASCAR Media Services
History
· Built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-50, Darlington Raceway hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on Sept. 4, 1950.
· The track was remeasured to 1.375 miles in 1953.
· The track was reconfigured to 1.366 miles following the spring race in 1970.
· The track was repaved in 1995.
· The 2005 race was the first Saturday night race at Darlington.
· The track was repaved again prior to the 2008 season.
Notebook
· There have been 106 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Darlington Raceway since the track opened in 1950.
· There was one race per year in 1950, 1951, from 1953-1959, and again every year since 2005. Darlington held two races a season in all other years.
· Curtis Turner won the first pole, in 1950.
· Johnny Mantz won the first race, in 1950.
· Forty-six drivers have posted poles at Darlington.
· David Pearson leads all drivers with 12 poles at Darlington.
· Forty-three drivers have won races at Darlington; 25 drivers have won more than once there.
· David Pearson leads all drivers with 10 victories, followed by Dale Earnhardt with nine.
· Jeff Gordon is third overall and leads all active drivers with seven victories.
· Hendrick Motorsports has won 12 races at Darlington, more than any other organization. He broke a tie with Junior Johnsonwhen Jeff Gordon won there in 2007.
· Nineteen races at Darlington have been won from the pole, the most productive starting position.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 43rd, in the track’s inaugural race in 1950 by Johnny Mantz. That race had a 75-car field.
· Darlington is the site of one of the closest race finishes in NASCAR history. Ricky Craven edged Kurt Busch by 0.002 seconds on March 16, 2003 — the smallest margin of victory since NASCAR instituted electronic timing in 1993.
NASCAR in South Carolina
There have been 216 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in South Carolina.
133 NASCAR drivers (all-time) have their home state recorded as South Carolina
There have been 11 race winners from South Carolina in NASCAR’s three national series:
Driver NSCS NNS NCWTS
David Pearson 105 1 0
Cale Yarborough 83 0 0
Rex White 28 0 0
Cotton Owens 9 0 0
Tiny Lund 5 0 0
James Hylton 2 0 0
Johnny Allen 1 0 0
Joe Eubanks 1 0 0
Larry Pearson 0 15 0
Jason Keller 0 10 0
Butch Lindley 0 6 0
Darlington Raceway Data
Race #: 11 of 36 (5-8-10)
Track Size: 1.366 miles
· Banking/Corners: 23-25 degrees
· Banking/Frontstretch: 6 degrees
· Banking/Backstretch: 6 degrees
· Frontstretch: 1,229 feet
· Backstretch: 1,229 feet
Driver Rating at Darlington
Greg Biffle 123.1
Jeff Gordon 114.4
Jimmie Johnson 112.1
Denny Hamlin 102.7
Ryan Newman 100.7
Joey Logano 98.8
Martin Truex Jr. 96.8
Kyle Busch 96.2
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 95.1
Carl Edwards 91.9
Mark Martin 91.9
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2009 races (5 total) at Darlington.
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Matt Kenseth (179.514 mph, 27.394 seconds)
2009 race winner: Mark Martin (119.687 mph, 5-9-09)
Track qualifying record: Matt Kenseth (179.514 mph, 27.394 seconds, 5-9-09)
Track race record: Kyle Busch (140.350 mph, 5-10-08)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 50-55 laps, based on fuel mileage
NASCAR Odds
Odds to win from the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book
SHOWTIME Southern 500
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
SATURDAY, MAY 8, 2010
JIMMIE JOHNSON 6
MARK MARTIN 12
JEFF GORDON 6
KYLE BUSCH 6
DENNY HAMLIN 8
JUAN MONTOYA 25
TONY STEWART 15
CARL EDWARDS 20
GREG BIFFLE 20
KURT BUSCH 12
KASEY KAHNE 25
CLINT BOWYER 18
KEVIN HARVICK 12
JEFF BURTON 12
BRIAN VICKERS 30
MATT KENSETH 20
DALE EARNHARDT JR 25
JOEY LOGANO 25
RYAN NEWMAN 40
MARTIN TRUEX JR 40
DAVID REUTIMANN 40
JAMIE McMURRAY 50
DAVID RAGAN 100
BRAD KESELOWSKI 50
MARCOS AMBROSE 100
SAM HORNISH JR 300
AJ ALLMENDINGER 300
ELLIOTT SADLER 500
PAUL MENARD 300
BOBBY LABONTE 1000
REGAN SMITH 1000
SCOTT SPEED 500
TRAVIS KVAPIL 1000
FIELD 200
