Regan Smith Shocks the NASCAR World, Holds on to Win at Darlington

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Regan Smith gets first career win; pays off 500/1 in Vegas

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Nearly three years after a NASCAR ruling denied him his first Sprint Cup victory, Regan Smith finally got the elusive win.

After staying out on old tires, Smith held off Carl Edwards to win Saturday night's Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in a dramatic green-white-checkered-flag finish.

Get your Winner's gear!

Smith crossed the finish line .196 seconds ahead of runner-up Edwards.

"This is the Southern 500 -- we're not supposed to win this thing," an incredulous Smith radioed to his crew after the race.

Brad Keselowski, also on old tires, finished third, with pole-sitter Kasey Kahne running fourth and Ryan Newman fifth.

The victory was redemption for Smith, who was deprived of an apparent victory at Talladega in 2008 when he was penalized for passing Tony Stewart below the yellow out-of-bounds line that separates the racing surface from the apron.

After a final round of green-flag pit stops, Edwards, the Cup points leader, passed Kahne for the lead as the cars sped into Turn 1. Edwards was comfortably in front when Jeff Burton's engine blew and oiled the track with 10 laps left, causing the 10th caution of the night.

After Smith, Keselowski and Stewart stayed out, taking the top three spots under caution, Edwards climbed to second after a restart on Lap 363 of the scheduled 367-lap race. The previous caution, however, was only a prelude to a wild three-wide wreck involving Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch later that same lap. That set up the two-lap sprint as the race went to overtime, with Edwards and Smith taking the green flag side-by-side.

Kahne, Edwards and Harvick took turns out front during the second half of the race after Busch made an unscheduled pit stop.

Busch had led 78 laps when a vibration forced him to the pits on Lap 205. A caution for Jimmie Johnson's spin on the frontstretch trapped Busch a lap down. The driver of the No. 18 didn't get the lap back until he received a free pass as the highest scored lapped car for a restart on Lap 244.

Busch had worked his way up to 12th before NASCAR called the ninth caution of the race on Lap 280 for debris on the backstretch.


Darlington Results



Harvick vs Busch

This is what Harvick did to Busch last year at Homestead

Sure, Kyle Busch intentionally spun out Kevin Harvick, but was this not expected at some point? Busch has been pretty quiet about the matter, but he still owes Harvick for parking him in the season finale at Homestead last year. That may not have been the reason Busch did it, but for Harvick to act all shocked after giving Busch some taps just prior to their incident is kind of ridiculous on his behalf. As if Harvick's the only driver who can enforce? Harvick's been doing it for years, but it's a problem when someone punts him?

What's hard to understand is how their relationship eroded so quickly. They used to hang out together, wives and all, with the Harvick's getting Kyle Busch and his soon to be wife Samantha involved in Twitter. They used to tweet nice photos of each other having dinner. It was NASCAR's two bad boys teaming together, or so it seemed until Homestead.

I'm just wondering what happened between the two that caused Harvick to be so harsh on and off the track at Homestead. We should have expected that these two drivers personalities could not co-exist as friends on and off the track. Lucky for us, we get to watch this all unfold, all season long.

When the race ended and they played cat and mouse, I thought we we're going to see a good one, especially when Harvick jumped out of his car. I just wish that Kyle would have got out of his car and seen a scrap happen, but Harvick brought his gas man along, a huge hulking kind of guy, where Busch didn't have anyone from his own team there. Why would he get out, so the two bully's in the school yard could have one hold him and the other gut punch him repeatedly? That's not cowardly, that's smart.

Plus, really, who's the coward here, the guy strapped to his seat and getting punches thrown his way or the guy throwing the punches with his helmet on? Doesn't really matter, it was all cool!

Busch ramming Harvick's driver-less car on pit road into the wall, just as Harvick was trying to take a swing inside Busch's window was a classic scene.

NASCAR likely will fine Busch for that pit road incident, and they'd be justified in doing so. That could have been a dangerous situation if someone was walking by not paying attention, but who could not pay attention to what was going on with them. Even while Regan Smith was making his victory lap, all eyes were focused on pit road.

NASCAR executives are probably high-fivin' each other with no cameras around because this is what they want, two of their biggest stars feuding. The internet has blown up across the country with NASCAR being the trending topic and NASCAR will be in the news all week, not for Regan Smith winning his first race, but two stars going at it.

I feel bad for Smith that his moment was kind of upstaged, but not bad enough to wish the ordeal didn't happen.

A few lucky bettors in Las Vegas could care less about what happened with the Harvick & Busch show as Regan Smith closed on the Las Vegas Hilton's board at 500-to-1. No comment as of yet on how many bettors actually laid cash down on Smith, but there were bound to be a few for small amounts.

Just like all the other sports, people like to bet a little to win a lot. In all my years behind the counter I've seen bettors take their $5 and bet the biggest long shots in car races saying, "You never know, anything's possible," and usually I'd reply to myself, "Yes, I do know, you have no shot". Well on this day, it was that bettors day to know, congrats.

So far we've had a 100-to-1 shot with Trevor Bayne winning at Daytona and now this. What's next? If a single car team with a limited bduget can win at the toughest track on the circuit, than anything is possible like the man said.

 

Links to More Kyle and Harvick Stuff

Busch and Harvick Clash After The Showtime Southern 500 - SBNation.com 

Harvick Punches Busch at Darlington - Yahoo.com

Newman vs Montoya? OMG! That's So Yesterday - Charlotte Observer 

Harvick & Busch May Note Be Docked For Points - Virginia Pilot 
   

Driver Quotes Following Darlington's Lone Practice Session

Kurt Busch has had a rough last few weeks; using back-up car Saturday.

KURT BUSCH ON HIS EVENTFUL PRACTICE TODAY? “We ended up blowing a right-front tire that sent us straight into the fence on the last lap of practice. It’s funny how things work out sometimes with the way that this week has gone. It’s been a productive week. There’s been a lot of movement behind the scenes with re-structuring, moving some things around and getting a general idea what some of the actual issues are instead of just talking about them; we’re acting to it. Just a tough day. We had a great plan in place to go out there early in practice and post a lap that put us third overall. If qualifying got rained out we’d be third on the grid. With a back-up car, we have to go to the back and dig our way out of that hole from there. No holes were (not) use to getting out of and digging.”

KURT BUSCH RESPONDING TO THE QUESTION REGARDING HIS RADIO OUTBURST LAST WEEK AT RICHMOND: DID IT TAKE SATURDAY NIGHT FOR PEOPLE AT PENSKE TO FINALLY LISTEN? WOULD IT BE INACCURATE TO SAY THAT YOU’VE BEEN CARRYING THE CAR THIS SEASON? “There’s times when things are absorbed and times when I think that things are just bounced off the wall and I have to continue to shovel it back in there. We know we can be a better team. Communication is what does that. That’s what I preach when I get a chance to go talk to different college teams or high school events to pump people up. It’s all about communication. To say that I’ve been carrying the car, I’m doing the best that I possibly can. I want to win. I don’t want to finish 15th or 22nd like I did last week and say that we did our best. No, we didn’t because we would have got a top-five or had a chance at winning. For me, Brad (Keselowski) hasn’t beaten me all that much at Penske. I didn’t get beat all that much by (David) Stremme. I didn’t get beat much by Sam (Hornish Jr.). The last time that I felt equivalent was when (Ryan) Newman was there and that was in 2007.”

Stewart likes his car this week

TONY STEWART TALKING ABOUT HIS CAR IN PRACTICE: “Well, we only ran 15 laps, but I think we’re all right. We didn’t get out right away. We didn’t really run more than about four or five laps at a time so I’m not sure we really know 100 percent yet; but at least it looks decent on the sheet right now. So far I’m pretty happy with it. It seems pretty balanced. We’re just trying to figure out a couple of little things to try to anticipate what we think it’s going to do on the long runs. We didn’t really get a chance to do a long run so far today. But I think we’re okay.”

TONY STEWART TALKING ABOUT MOTHERS DAY: “I feel like I have the sweetest Mom in the world to be honest. A lot of people look at me and say what happened because they know it wasn’t her. She has been very supportive of everything that we’ve done with the racing and she has worked for us at our office. She runs our foundation. I feel pretty lucky that I get to keep her close that way.”

KYLE BUSCH ON HOW HE LIKES HIS CAR FOLLOWING PRACTICE: “Car is not bad. The Doublemint Camry seems to be pretty good thus far. We just brushed the wall a little bit there behind somebody in traffic kind of and didn’t hurt it too bad. So, they’ll fix it up and get it ready to go. A lot of tire wear and a lot of rubber being put down. Kind of good, but it will be interesting for Saturday night.”

KYLE BUSCH WITH A MOTHERS DAY STORY: “I won here a couple years ago on Mother’s Day weekend with the 18 car, which was really good and it was cool to give her a win on Mother’s Day weekend. I’ve also won — I think it was Mother’s Day weekend at Kentucky when I ran Kentucky ARCA back in 2003 when I was just coming up. There has been a few good weekends that I’ve had on Mother’s Day — those are the most memorable ones. When I was a kid I just remember going with my Dad and picking out some cheesy gifts and stuff like that and giving her stuff like that, which was pretty much useless. She still said she liked it.”

Edwards became a Father this week

CARL EDWARDS ON HOW ITS GOING AFTER BECOMING A FATHER: “It’s going great. It was amazing. Kate is an amazing woman. We had a healthy young boy. His name is Michael Edwards and he’s doing great, so it’s just a great week. It was unreal. We had a lot of fun. Annie is really excited about her little brother. I don’t think she quite understands what is going on, but we’re all doing really well, so it’s good.”

CARL EDWARDS ON THE GRIP POSSIBLY GOING AWAY ON THE NEW SURFACE OF DARLINGTON: “I was pretty excited and anxious to see what it looked like. I was telling the guys that rode with me down to the race that this track was so different before they paved it, and I’m hoping it gets back to that. It seems like it has aged quite well, I think, over the last year. It took a lot of rubber about three-quarters of the way through the Nationwide practice and that changed the grip level a little bit. It seems like the tires are falling off a little bit, so I think it’s good. I think the track is going really well, and I think that’s good for the racing.”

CARL EDWARDS ON HOW BIG AN ISSUE IT WAS WITH RAIN WASHING OUT MOST OF PRACTICE: “We’re gonna look good or not here based on whether or not it stops raining because Bob and the guys forecasted right when it was gonna rain. We got some race trim in, we got qualifying practice in, and if it continues to rain, then we might have messed up because we should have spent more time in race trim, but if we do get qualifying in, then I think we did the right thing. It’s really difficult to decide what to do because it’s not just about whether it rains, it’s how quick does it dry off, are we gonna get more race practice. It’s a tough call. I’m hoping that we get qualifying in, just so we can make use of all that practice we had.”

KEVIN HARVICK'S FAVORITE MOTHERS DAY STORY: “Well I think my mom has a lot of responsibility about me just being here to be honest with you because I was kind of at a cross roads in my racing career and in my life, whether I should go and try to finish college or take a chance on my racing career and she was the one who said you need to go take your chance on your racing career and see how it works out because if it doesn’t school will still be here when you get back. I guess it all worked out okay.”

Final Darlington Driver Ratings Following Practice & Qualifying

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
Showtime Southern 500
Darlington Raceway
Saturday, May 7, 2011 - 4:46 pm (PDT)

Rating   Driver  Odds           Practice 1  Qualified   Bristol*   Texas*

1. Denny Hamlin 7/1             4th            3rd         33rd       15th
2010 winner, track best 6.6 average finish; momentum from runner-up finish last week.
2. Kyle Busch 6/1               17th           14th          1st        16th
2008 winner with 18.2 average finish in six starts; using winning chassis from Bristol.
3. Carl Edwards 8/1            2nd             4th          2nd        3rd
Runner-up in 2008 with 15.6 average finish in seven starts; using winning Las Vegas car.
4. Jeff Gordon 8/1              12th             5th         14th       23rd
Seven-time winner, the last in 2007; current streak of seven straight top-five finishes.
5. Matt Kenseth 20/1           7th            20th         4th        1st
Only one top-five finish, third in 2006, in 17 starts; using fourth-place Fontana chassis.
6. Jimmie Johnson 6/1        22nd           19th         3rd        8th
Two-time winner, swept 2004 season, average finish of 9.3; Using brand new car.
7. Greg Biffle 20/1              23rd           22nd         8th        4th
2005-06 winner with 14.8 average finish; using Vegas car that led 11 laps in February.
8. Kasey Kahne 30/1           5th             1st           9th        21st
Five straight finishes of 20th or worse; best 10 consecutive lap average times in limited practice.
9. Mark Martin 25/1         27th            28th         12th       36th
Two-time winner, the last in 2009 with 12.1 average finish; debuts new car this week.
10. Ryan Newman 30/1       1st            2nd          10th       14th
Six top-five finishes with 12.2 average finish in 12 starts; using 2010 ninth-place Darlington car.

Note: Rain washed away Friday’s final practice and most of the first session. Most of the top times in the lone practice session run were from drivers trying to get a good lap or two in qualifying trim before the rain came. The best 10 consecutive lap averages were from Kahne, Hamlin, Paul Menard and Martin. However, they also were the only four drivers who mattered that got that many laps around the track in a row before rain came.

* Results from the March 20, 2011 race at Bristol and April 9, 2011 race at Texas, two tracks that aren’t similar to Darlington but have shown correlations with set-ups and results in recent years.

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. For more Roberts insights and post-practice analysis on the race, go to VegasInsider.com.

Newman Fastest in Rain Shortened Darlington Practice, the Only Session For the Day

Friday's first practice: Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, cut short by rain. Final practice was also washed out. The top five, slowest and any notes:
#39-Newman 176.816
#99-Edwards 176.296
#22-Busch 175.654
#11-Hamlin 175.516
#4-Kahne 175.509
slowest: #92-Keselowski 167.779 & #71-Lally 166.919. No speed: #7-Gordon
incident: #18-Busch got the first Darlington stripe of the session early. Just a little sheetmetal damage that the team will repair. #50-TJ Bell also scraped the wall and will have to have the car repaired. #22-Busch cut down a tire going into turn 1 and hit the wall. He will have to go to a backup car.
See speeds, laps run, average speed, best ave 10 laps on the Darlington Practice Speeds Page. (Jayski.com)

Driver Chassis Selections for Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington

Note: Not all teams post their chassis selections in their PR releases

Does Edwards winning Vegas car make him a contender?

1. Carl Edwards: 13.5 average finish, including two top fives, in the four races with the COT; Four top-10s and an average finish of 15.6 in seven overall starts; Led 33 laps in 2007; Finished 32nd and 15th in last two starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 732) that he won with at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.

2. Jimmie Johnson: Second among all drivers in average finish at 9.3; Coming off worst finish, in 36th, after a crash took him out contention; Finish was second outside the top 15 in 12 starts; 13.5 average finish in the four races with the COT; Won both races in 2004; Fourth-best driver rating in the past six races; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 659) in the Showtime Southern 500.

3. Kyle Busch: Won the 2008 race after leading 169 laps; 19.8 average finish in the four races with the COT; Finished seventh last season for third top 10 in six starts; Sixth-best driver rating in the past six races; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 277) that he led 153 laps with en route to the win at Bristol Motor Speedway in March.

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr: 16.3 average finish in three starts with Hendrick Motorsports; 14.2 average finish in the four races with the COT; Best finish in 16 starts is a pair of fourth-place finishes with the last coming in 2008; Eighth-best driver rating in the past six races; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 657) in the Showtime Southern 500.

5. Kevin Harvick: Coming off best finish, and first top 10, in four starts with the COT in sixth; 19.1 average finish and 16 laps led in 14 starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 304) that he finished sixth with at Bristol Motor Speedway in March.

6. Kurt Busch: 12.4 average finish in five starts with Penske Racing; Coming off best finish, and first top 10, with the team in third; Scored four top-10s in previous nine starts with Roush Racing; One lap led in the four races with the COT.

7. Clint Bowyer: 23.2 average finish in five starts; Best finish, and only top 10, came in the 2007 race from the pole in ninth; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 315) in the Showtime Southern 500.

8. Ryan Newman: 6.5 average finish in two starts with Stewart-Haas Racing; 12.2 average finish in 12 overall starts; Ninth-place finish last year was fifth top 10 in the last six races; 297 laps led; Fifth-best driver rating in the past six races; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 506) that he last finishes eighth with at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2010.

9. Matt Kenseth: Third-best average finish (9.0) in the four races with the COT; has finished 13th or better in the past five races; Won the pole and finished 10th in 2009; 17.7 average finish, seven top-10s and 154 laps in 17 starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 707) that he finished fourth with at Auto Club Speedway.

10. Tony Stewart: 13.0 average finish in two starts with Stewart-Haas Racing; Best finish came in 2008 in third; Posted eight top-10s in previous 16 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; 13.2 average finish in the four races with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 640) in the Showtime Southern 500.

11. AJ Allmendinger: 29.2 average finish in four starts; Best finish came in 2009 in 17th; Has yet to lead a lap; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 729) that he last finished 14th with at Martinsville Speedway.

12. Juan Pablo Montoya: Coming off first top 10 in four starts in fifth; Finish lowered his average finish to 17.8; Has yet to lead a lap; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1105) that he last finished 13th with at Texas Motor Speedway.

13. Mark Martin: Won the 2009 event in first track start with Hendrick Motorsports; Finished 16th in 2010; Seventh-best average finish (11.8) in the four races with the COT; 10th-best driver rating in the past six races; 26 top-10s in 44 starts; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 656) in the Showtime Southern 500.

14. Greg Biffle: Winner of this event in 2005 and 2006; Eighth-place finish in 2009 was fourth top 10 in 10 starts; Second in laps led in the four races with the COT with 212; Second-best driver rating in the past six races; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 706) that he led 11 laps and finished 28th with at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

15. Paul Menard: 28.0 average finish in four starts; Best finish came in 2009 in 15th; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 328) that he finished 12th with at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

16. Jeff Gordon: Leads all drivers in wins (7) and laps led (1,720); Leads all drivers with a 3.2 average finish in the four races with the COT; Last win came in 2007; Best driver rating in the past six races.

Hamlin won at Darlington last season

17. Denny Hamlin: Led 104 laps en route to the win last season; Second-best average finish (5.8) in the four races with the COT; First in laps led (298) with the COT; 6.6 average finish leads all drivers; Third-best driver rating in the past six races.

18. Kasey Kahne: Three-time pole winner; Has finished 20th or worse in his last five starts; Two top-five finishes in eight starts; Ninth-best driver rating in the past six races; Will make first track start with Team Red Bull.

19. David Ragan: 21.0 average finish in four starts; Best finish, and only top 10, came in 2008 in fifth; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 711) that he last finished 16th with at Bristol Motor Speedway.

20. Jeff Burton: 11.9 average finish in seven starts with Richard Childress Racing; Scored 16th top 10 in 28 overall starts last year in eighth; Fifth-best average finish (10.0) in the four races with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 355) in the Showtime Southern 500.

- compiled by Jeff Wackerlin, MotorRacingNetwork.com

Darlington Preview: Every Betting Strategy Should Start With Jeff Gordon

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

The 'Lady in Black' can be a pretty mean spirited, nasty lady to drivers. 

Last week we saw drivers bumping and banging, taking their anger out on each other. This week at Darlington, we’ll see a little bit of the same at higher speeds, except many will be just plain upset with themselves. At Darlington Raceway, another element is added to the race where they're not only battling other drivers, but battling the track like no other on the circuit.

The 1.366 mile track egg shaped oval has been getting the best of NASCAR drivers since 1950. It’s a high banked track with each of the four turns being vastly different which has caused many drivers to earn their Darlington stripes over the years, a term used when drivers slam into the wall scraping up the right side of their car because of miscalculating the difficult turns.

“The Lady in Black” is an equal opportunity enforcer and even the most experienced of drivers are not immune to her wrath.

Over the years, only small group can say they have mastered the nuances of the track. Jeff Gordon is a seven-time winner on the track while it remains one of two tracks on the tour that Tony Stewart has never won on.

David Pearson is part of the history that sets it apart

As tough as the track that's too tough to tame is, it still remains as one of the drivers favorite tracks. Most drivers cite the history as being one of the reasons, but all agree that they love the challenge more than anything. Nothing against Las Vegas, Charlotte, Kansas or Michigan, but the level of difficulty and uniqueness of Darlington stands out among all NASCAR tracks. 2004 was the last season in which Darlington had two races a year which makes the one race a year even more special on a schedule littered with similar layouts.

Passing is a difficult chore for these drivers because of how narrow it is making all the other elements, such as pit stops, more important than ever to gain position. Even though the 43 cars on the track are technically racing each other, most will say that they're racing the track itself. Saving tires during a run isn't at the premium as it used to be before the repaving, but it's still an important factor to be quicker on the longer runs.

What tire compund will be used at Darlington?

Another element the drivers have to worry regarding the tires is only being able to have four sets of tires during Friday's two practice sessions. A few of the teams did a Goodyear test at Darlington in March, but as of now, the tire compound isn't known making it more difficult than ever for the teams to be fully prepared. Between having a tire limit and less time to prepare, it also makes it tougher to handicap like we do for most races based on practices.

Last week was a complete mess at Richmond just trying to keep up to date on what teams were doing -- running race or qualfying trim -- during the two practice sessions. On a normal race weekend, we would get to see the first practice with mostly qualifying trim and then there would be qualifying. Then we would get to see the final practices a day later and strategies for race day the teams were working on.

Friday's sessions this week will likely be similar to what we saw at Richmond which puts more emphasis on past history and chasis information as the top source to refer to when making betting decisions. I found last week that my best source of post-practice information was going by the top times of drivers running 10 consecutive laps rather than the overall practice times themselves.

Can we use what happened at Texas to help handicap?

If looking for similar tracks to help handicap the race, good luck. Just by looking at what cars teams have brought, and the other races those same cars have run on over the years, it looks like new Bristol is the closest in most crew chiefs estimation in regards to set-up. The length and banking of the track may suggest that we look at a few places like Las Vegas, Atlanta and Texas, but I haven't been completely sold on that theory like many do, but maybe I should jump into it a little more.

Las Vegas Hilton Super Book manager Ed Salmons, who sets their weekly auto racing odds, thinks there may be more relation to the 1.5-mile tracks now because of the repaving and higher speeds. And he made a great case. Salmons idenitified last seasons Texas spring race and Darlington with Denny Hamlin winning both as examples. In both of those races, the Busch brothers and Kevin Harvick also ran equally well.

If we take it step further and go back to Darlington 2009 where Mark Martin won, we see that he won at Phoenix, finished sixth at Texas and then later won at Michigan, Chicago and Loudon. It's hard to ignore the correlation that also saw Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart all finish in the top-five of both Texas and Darlington races.

While I initially scoffed somewhat at the notion of rating the Roush drivers too high, Salmons firmly believes that the Roush drivers will all do well this week because of Texas despite only Greg Biffle really having a good past performance at Darlington. When looking at Texas results, the top six is littered with each Roush driver, including Matt Kenseth winning.

I think I have been convinced somewhat by all this and will have to reconsider all of Salmons valid points in my betting equations for the week.

To recap, here's the formula for the week:
Past Track History + Chassis Selection + 10 Lap Average Practice Speeds + Texas 2011 Results + Sprinkling of Bristol, Las Vegas & Atlanta 2011 results/Current State of Team

Every driver should listen when Gordon talks Darlington.

Because this track is so tough on everyone, there aren't many drivers that we can say, "He's the one" like we can at other tracks. Jeff Gordon may be the exception.

Gordon has seemed to avoid the wrath of the Lady and it's become one of his most consistent tracks dating back to his glory years. We’ve seen Gordon go through different spurts at tracks in the post-Ray Evernham era with no real consistency except for Martinsville and Darlington. He’s currently on a streak of seven straight years finishing inside the top-five at Darlington that includes a win in 2007. No driver even comes close to that type of excellence.

Denny Hamlin won last year and it looks like his runner-up finish last week at Richmond may have been his team's wake up call for 2011. Hamlin is one of the few drivers who has never experienced a poor finish at Darlington. In five starts, his worst finish was 13th in 2009.

Kyle Busch looks like a new driver this season. Perhaps the combination of getting married and being older has made him mature to where he’s at now which is third in the standings, 30 points behind Carl Edwards. Busch is the perfect example of a good driver having high and lows when battling the Lady in Black. He won the 2008 race, but also finished 37th in 2007 and 34th in 2009 to mushroom his average finish to 18.2 in six career starts. With the way he’s running right now, and if the Lady shows a little mercy, he could be in store for another win. Busch also has the benefit of bringing a winning car this week, the one used at Bristol earlier this season.

Jimmie Johnson has proven that he can drive on any kind of track and showed it early on by sweeping the season there in 2004, the last year Darlington had two races a season. Since then he’s had three top-five finishes, but finished 36th last season. Johnson will be using a brand new chassis this week.

Two drivers who stood out the last two seasons were Penske Dodge teammates Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch. Busch finished third last year, but may best be remembered for his runner-up finish in 2003. The last 10 lap battle between he and eventual winner Ricky Craven has been called the greatest finish ever seen at Darlington in it’s 61 years of NASCAR racing as they bumped, banged and passed each other back and forth all the way to the finish line. Busch is currently in a battle with his team over not getting enough horsepower and let the entire NASCAR world hear his thoughts on radio during the Richmond race. Not sure that will inspire the team, but at least they know how he feels about the cars he's been getting.

Current RCR drivers have a tough time at Darlington

For some odd reason, this track hasn’t been very kind to the Childress group of drivers. Richard Childress has eight wins as an owner at Darlington which ties him for third most all-time, but they all came from Dale Earnhardt. The current crop hasn't come close to matching what they have done on all other tracks. It's almost like they're getting worse as the RCR team has improved everywhere else.

Jeff Burton won twice while driving for Jack Roush, but hasn’t had a top-five finish there since 2000. He is the most consistent of the group in recent history with several finishes in the eighth to 11th-place range.

Kevin Harvick had a couple top-three finishes early in his career, but has been victimized by the track more than most. In 14 career starts, Harvick has five finishes of 32nd or worse, but is bringing his sixth-place Bristol chassis with hopes of changing his luck there. Clint Bowyer has followed Harvick's trend in each of his last two starts there with poor finishes.

Greg Biffle leads the Roush charge with two Darlington wins with his best most recent performance coming in 2009 when he finished eighth. Carl Edwards has two top-five finishes, including runner-up in his magical 2008 season, a year where he swept Texas along with almost every other track like it. Edwards will be using his winning Las Vegas chassis this week giving more steam into Salmons theory.

Matt Kenseth has only one top-five finish at Darlington, but comes in with that Texas win. He'll be using his fourth-place Fontana car this week. David Ragan finished sixth at Texas and finished fifth at Darlington back in 2008. Ragan will be piloting his 16th-place car from Bristol.

Top-5 Finish prediction:
1) #24 Jeff Gordon (8/1)
2) #18 Kyle Busch (6/1)
3) #17 Matt Kenseth (20/1)
4) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
5) #99 Carl Edwards (8/1)

Driver Notes & Quotes for the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington

Earnhardt Jr has three top-5 finishes in 16 starts; 15.3 average finish

DALE EARNHARDT ON RACING AT DARLINGTON: “Darlington is a slick track. It is a difficult track to drive around. It is real smooth, and you have to find that edge. There is a lot of load change like driving into Turn 1 and then the load comes out of the car through the center and then the load increases on the exit of Turn 2. The car just really changes a lot as you are going around the corner, and it can just snap on you.”

A.J. ALLMENDINGER ON DARLINGTON AFTER THE REPAVE: “I really liked it when it was not paved and you were sliding around. That was a lot of fun to me. I am better at race tracks that get slicker and you slide around a little bit more. I enjoy that a little more. Since it has been repaved it is just so fast it is unbelievable. One and two are just insane how quick it feels, especially in a qualifying run. It is crazy fast for how narrow the track is. The whole race track is fast. Honestly over the last couple of years it hasn’t lost a ton of grip. It lost a little from the first time they repaved it but I felt like it would get a lot slicker than it has gotten so there is still a ton of grip there.”

ALLMENDINGER ON BIN LADEN BEING TAKEN OUT: “I think I was actually lying in bed and all of a sudden it popped up on TV and you get people texting you that he is dead. It is a big deal for the country and obviously a lot of his actions that he had done hurt our country, whether it is economy or heartache or just stuff we have had to go through as a country. It is really because of him, honestly. It is a big deal and hopefully that is the first step of getting things back on track to where it used to be. I remember when it all happened I was testing a go kart in Sacramento, California. It was like you hear about it and don’t really understand how big a deal it was until the next couple of days and you realize that it was a big deal and there was a lot of damage to our country. It is a good step in the right direction hopefully.”

Newman's chassis tested tires at Darlington in March

RYAN NEWMAN ON DARLINGTON “I look forward to Darlington. It’s one of my favorite race tracks. The tire test was a good tire test. Just for us, when we went down there, was to validate what they had and make sure because of the situation with the asphalt that the track hasn’t changed that necessitated a tire change and it didn’t. So it was an opportunity to do down there and validate things for Goodyear and work on our race car at the same time.”

NEWMAN CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend, the No. 39 team will use chassis 39-506 for the first time this season. The No. 39 chassis has been a solid performer for Newman & Company as it has earned three top-10 finishes in just four starts since the team joined forces in 2009. The No. 39 team ran this chassis at both races at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in 2009, scoring two top-15 finishes. In the June race, Newman started fifth and finished fifth. Newman started seventh and finished 14th in the car at Pocono in August.

During the 2010 season, the car saw action at both Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. In its first outing at Darlington, Newman started sixth and finished ninth. Newman followed that up with another top-10 finish in chassis 39-506 at Atlanta. Newman started on the outside pole and led nine laps en route to an eighth-place finish. During the off-season, the chassis was updated for the 2011 season. While the car hasn’t seen race action yet, Newman and the No. 39 team tested the car at Darlington as part of a Goodyear tire test in March.

TONY STEWART ON DARLINGTON: “[The prestige of getting a win at Darlington] “A lot of it has to do with the history of the track. If you can say you won a race at Darlington – that’s a feather in your cap. That’s something to be proud of, knowing that you’re in a group of drivers with names like Pearson and Petty – the pioneers of our sport who you hear stories about the races they ran there and the races they won there.

“Darlington is such a tough track to get a handle on and to be good at all day. You don’t see a lot of guys who have a lot of success there. You see only a handful of guys who religiously run well there. That just shows you how difficult Darlington is to get a handle on. If you can have a good day and win there, it’s a track that’s like winning at Bristol. It’s the same type of feeling – knowing that you conquered something that’s very hard to obtain.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI ON DARLINGTON: “Darlington is one of my favorite tracks. I wish we had more like it on the schedule. It’s just a tough, old racetrack that is nothing like anywhere else we go. I never had the opportunity to race there when the asphalt was worn out and I would have loved that. Hopefully I’ll have a long career and I’ll be able to see it get back to that ‘slipping and sliding’ racing that used to be so cool to watch on TV. Back in the day, the Southern 500 was one of our biggest races. It would mean a lot to me to have that trophy.”

KESELOWSKI CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-751 during Saturday’s Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. This is a brand-new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.

Montoya finished 5th in 2010; using 3rd-place Vegas car

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA ON DARLINGTON: “I think Darlington’s a cool place. It’s always very tricky, but it’s fun. I think it is the hardest race track to get onto the pit lane. Leaving is not so bad, but I think it’s the hardest place to get into the pit lane. Darlington is a track where people learn to give and take because if you try to go side-by-side into turn one then the guy on the outside is usually going to hit the fence. We’re looking for a clean race and a good finish for the Target team going into this weekend.”

MONTOYA CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis #1105 - Brian Pattie will bring chassis #1105 to Darlington this weekend. It was previously raced at Texas this year where it started 14th and finished 13th. This chassis was also raced at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March of this year where it started 23rd and finished 3rd

MARK MARTIN ON DARLINGTON: “Darlington is known as one of the tougher tracks on the circuit. All the drivers like it because it’s a track that really puts the race into the driver’s hands. It’s intense for sure. I’m a driver that likes to slide my car all around the race track, but that’s impossible at Darlington. If you slide at all, you’re going to end up in the wall for sure. I really have to work on my driving style for this race and Lance (McGrew, crew chief) and the guys will really have to work on a setup that gives me the best of both worlds. It’s tough. It’s only a two-day weekend but it’s a grueling one. It’s the kind of challenge that I look forward to.”

Gordon congratulates Martin after 2009 Darlington win

JEFF GORDON ON RACING AT DARLINGTON: “That track can just reach out and bite you so easy and you have to race the track. It’s a one-groove race track typically so it’s not one of those tracks — it’s just one of those tracks where you can be riding around by yourself and just make the slightest little bobble and you’re in the wall. We’ve seen it just eat up race cars and competitors over the years.

"It’s just one of those tracks that you have to stay on your toes at all times because it can be a very tough track. It’s not as tough these days as it used to be when the pavement was extremely worn out. You were really on the edge. As the pavement wears each and every year, it starts to get back more and more to the too tough to tame. It’s definitely one of those tracks that challenges your nerves. You have to be really committed. It’s a fast race track, but you have to be really committed to the line that it takes to go fast around there, which is right up next to the wall. You have to be committed to the gas, especially qualifying. To me, you just have to be able to go for it there and then just to get the balance right you have to keep that car on the edge through the corners and then compromise because one and two is totally different than three and four for what it takes to get the car through the corners.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY ON DARLINGTON: “Darlington has been a good track for me, and a place that I really like to race. We won the pole there last year, ran up front all night and led a lot of laps. I hope that we can back up that effort and improve one spot from our second-place finish in this event last year. Darlington is unlike many of the other tracks that we will race all year. We run so close to the wall there in the corners to carry speed, you just try not to hit too hard when you get that “Darlington Stripe”, that seems to be inevitable.

McMURRAY CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis #1016 - Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion has elected to bring chassis #1016 to Darlington this weekend. This chassis was previously raced this year at Fontana where McMurray started 12th and finished 23rd. This chassis was also raced in last year’s Texas fall race (started 25th, finished 16th), the 2010 fall race at Fontana (started first, finished 17th), and the 2010 fall race at Atlanta (started 12th, finished 15th).

REGAN SMITH ON DARLINGTON: “It might be one of the toughest tracks, but Darlington is one of my favorites, dating back to when I raced in the former Busch Series. The past two races have been somewhat encouraging for us with 15th and 17th-place finishes in Talladega and Richmond. It’s not where we want to be, but considering what we endured the previous six races our Furniture Row Chevrolet is heading in the right direction. We need to stay patient and get as many points as possible. We have a lot of ground to make up, but I am confident that we’ll get it done.”

Logano finished ninth as a Darlington rookie in 2009

JOEY LOGANO ON DARLINGTON: “Darlington is a really hard race track, and probably the most unique track we go to. I don’t think there’s a driver out there that hasn’t hit the wall there before and I don’t think you ever actually tame it. There’s just races that are better than others – that’s what it comes down to. The first time I raced there I led laps and had a really fast car. We ran up front most of the day and finished in the top 10. Last year we really struggled, so I don’t know what to really think about this track. I do know if you are a little off on balance and set up, it feels like you are way off. There’s not much room for error. It’s also one of those tracks I don’t have as many laps around because we only have one race a year and I haven’t run all the Nationwide races there. Hopefully the third time will be a charm.”

LOGANO CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 20 Home Depot Team is taking chassis #284 to Darlington Raceway this weekend. Logano drove this chassis last year at Auto Club Speedway to an 11th-place finish and at Phoenix International Raceway in November to third. The back-up chassis is #275 that Logano most recently drove in the Martinsville race following a practice crash that damaged his primary car. He went on to finish the race in the 13th position.

DAVE BLANEY ON RACING AT DARLINGTON: “I’m excited to go to Darlington. Our team has a lot of momentum right now, and Darlington has always been one of my favorite tracks because of its history and uniqueness. Everybody has to change driving style to be successful there. You race to not make mistakes on the racetrack instead of racing other people. There will be guys hitting the wall all weekend. You just have to take care of your car all weekend and not get excited to early.”

OTHER DRIVER NOTES & QUOTES:

JEFF GORDON - 7 WINS & 7 STRAIGHT TOP-5'S

JIMMIE JOHNSON - LOTS OF UNCERTAINTIES

KYLE BUSCH - USING WINNING BRISTOL CAR

RCR DRIVERS - NO WINS WITHOUT DALE EARNHARDT

ROUSH RACING - EDWARDS & KENSETH HAVE GREAT CARS

Kyle Busch Using Winning Bristol Chassis at Darlington This Week

Busch has had run-ins with the 'Lady in Black', but she let him win in '08

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 3, 2011) – If you ask Kyle Busch what he does for fun, the answer is simple – racing is his ultimate fun.

What could be more fun than racing for Busch? That would be winning, which doubles his fun. Busch, who turned 26 on Monday, is fresh off his latest win after scoring his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of the season last weekend at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

The driver of the No. 18 Doublemint® Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) will look to double his win total at historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, the next stop of the Sprint Cup tour during Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500.

The talented, newly turned 26-year-old conquered the “Track Too Tough to Tame” in May 2008, garnering his first victory at the 1.33-mile egg-shaped oval. And, as he hits town this weekend, Busch also brings with him the distinction of being the youngest Sprint Cup winner in the storied history of Darlington.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:
What makes Darlington a track that is too tough to tame? “It’s a very narrow and challenging racetrack, especially for the speeds that we carry around there, now. We’re looking forward to the challenge with our Doublemint Camry this weekend. You’ve really got to be able to get as close as you can to the wall in order to carry your momentum through the corners because you’ve got to make the straightaways as long as you can. The track is very narrow on entries and exits, so you’re always trying to round the place as much as you can. It’s very one-groovish. You can’t really run side-by-side there. Anytime you get alongside somebody, you basically have to let them go. It’s a very big give-and-take-type track. It’s a lot harder to pass, now, with the fresh asphalt than it used to be. It’s really aero-sensitive, now, to where it used to be more about mechanical grip and getting your car to handle well and handle over the bumps well and keep the tires on it. Now, you’re restricted off the car in front of you and are trying to find some air, basically.”

Is your team where you want it to be in order to be successful these next three months? “I’d have to say we’re close. There are definitely some areas for improvement, no doubt. The guys have done a really, really good job all year long up to this point. We’ve been able to have consistent racecars. Each and every week, we’ve been able to be good on the racetrack and have solid efforts. If it hasn’t been for an engine failure at Vegas or a wheel loose at Texas, or the wreck at Talladega, we could possibly have three more top-10s and maybe even some top-five finishes in there, too. At Texas, I think, we were a second-place car to Matt (Kenseth). At Vegas, we were a second-place car to Tony Stewart, even though Carl (Edwards) won. Maybe we could’ve snuck out with one there, or a third or something. Talladega is always a crapshoot anyway. It’s relative to where you are. We feel pretty good.”

Kyle Busch says pit stops are at premium at Darlington (Getty)

What do drivers mean when they say you have to “race the track” at Darlington? “You can’t really pass there. It’s so difficult. So, you run your laps until you get to a pit stop and try to get your guys to have a good stop for you so you can jump a couple of guys. Pit stops become really important there, and track position, and trying to stay up front.”

Being a former winner, what does it take to win at Darlington? “I won the first year there with the new car and it’s evolved a lot since then, and I think it was just because everyone was new to the car. In 2009, a lot of people got a lot smarter and, for us, we fell a little bit behind and, last year, we ran well and still kept the car off the wall and got a top-10 finish out of it. You just have to be patient. You just have to bide your time, and I wasn’t very good at that in 2009, but much better at it last year. You’ve got to make sure you keep working on your car.”

After Kevin Harvick won his second race at Martinsville, he thought that, with the new wild card system, two wins pretty much assures you of being in the Chase. Do you feel that way getting your second victory last weekend? Do you feel locked into a Chase position, right now? “Two wins is probably going to be borderline. I think if you get three, you can probably guarantee yourself a spot. If you get four, yeah, you locked yourself in. I feel like he’s probably pretty certain, there. I think two is kind of borderline. Right now, if Harvick and I fall out of the top-10, we’re going to use the two up. There are still a lot of races until the cutoff when we go back to Richmond in the fall, so there’s long way to go. There are plenty more wins out there for somebody to get.”

It seems, with this new format, that a driver who wins a lot of races can lock himself into the Chase. Do you feel that’s the case? “That’s true. No doubt about that. I guess that was kind of the point. In 2009, I think I had four wins and missed the Chase by only eight points. That would have locked us in this year. I think the same thing was true for (Jamie) McMurray last year. He had three or four wins but missed the Chase. He would have locked himself in, too. That’s kind of the idea behind the changes NASCAR made for this year.”

Busch Chassis Selection:
Chassis No. 277 - This chassis will make its fifth-ever start in Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. No. 277 made its debut at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in August 2010, where Busch started 21st and finished 23rd in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500.

Its next start came in the Air Guard 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in September 2010, when Busch qualified a distant 32nd but rallied to bring home a second-place finish behind teammate Denny Hamlin. In its next start, in the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway last October, Busch started 26th but brought home a solid fourth-place finish.

Most recently, Busch started 12th and scored his first win on the season in the Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in March.

- True Speed Communication for Joe Gibbs Racing, Press Release

Without Dale Earnhardt, RCR Drivers Have Become Also-Rans at Darlington

Dale Earnhardt had eight Darlington wins

Race: SHOWTIME Southern 500
May 7, 2011
Location: Darlington Raceway

Richard Childress Racing
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Notes:
RCR at Darlington … Richard Childress is tied for third all time with Holman-Moody and the Wood Brothers for car owner victories at Darlington with eight – all of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Additionally, in 99 collective starts, RCR boasts 21 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval with five different drivers including Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Robby Gordon.

The Collective RCR … Over the season’s first nine races, RCR’s four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entries have notched two wins, eight top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. The No. 31 team kicked off the 2011 season with a non-points win in the second Duel 150 qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway. The No. 29 team visited Victory Lane at Auto Club Speedway in March and backed that up with a win the following weekend at Martinsville Speedway. RCR-prepared Chevrolets have also completed 10,666 out of 11,636 total laps (91.7 percent) with drivers Bowyer, Burton, Harvick and Paul Menard, who have led a combined 359 laps. At least one RCR driver has led laps in each of the season’s first nine events.

Bowyer has experienced quite a few Darlington stripes over his career

Clint Bowyer
No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet
Race Notes and Quotes

This Week’s BB&T Chevrolet at Darlington Raceway … Clint Bowyer will pilot chassis No. 315 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a new Chevrolet Impala that will be put through its first competitive laps this weekend.

Career Darlington Stats …
* The SHOWTIME Southern 500 marks Bowyer’s 191st NSCS start.
* In five NSCS starts at Darlington, Bowyer owns one top-10 finish (ninth-May 2007).
* He has completed 90% of the laps (1,651 of 1,835) contested at Darlington during his career.
* The Emporia, Kan., native has led 16 laps at the 1.366-mile facility.
* Bowyer owns a 17.2 average starting position and an average finishing position of 23.2.

Former Pole Winner … Bowyer earned his first career NSCS pole at the track deemed “Too Tough to Tame” on May 13, 2007.

Last Time in Darlington … After starting 27th, Bowyer and the No. 33 team suffered a broken brake line during the race, forcing two green-flag pit stops, and limped home to a 32nd-place finish in last year’s SHOWTIME Southern 500.

In the Loop … Over the first nine points-paying races of the 2011 NSCS season, Bowyer has accumulated an impressive resume of loop data statistics. Heading into this weekend’s 500 miler, he is the series’ second-best Quality Passer with 873 passes while running in the top 15 under green-flag conditions – just 8 passes shy of leader Kurt Busch’s total. The four time Sprint Cup Series race winner also ranks second with an average running position of 11.45 and a Driver Rating of 98.5. Bowyer’s 65.9 percent of contested laps running in the top 15 (1,918 of 2,909) places him fifth, his 224 laps led ranks him fourth and his 309.45 miles led positions him third amongst his competitors. Other notable loop data stats include: second in Fastest Drivers Early in a Run, third in Green-Flag Speed, sixth in Fastest Drivers Late in a Run and ninth in Fastest Laps Run.

Points Racing … Since dropping to 24th after a 38th-place effort at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, the No. 33 team has improved 17 positions, to seventh, in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES:
Darlington is Mother’s Day weekend. How much does this weekend mean to you and your family? “This has always been a family sport. As far as I am concerned, I am going to keep it that way until I am done in this sport. I hope they’re around until I retire and my kids retire from this sport. Mom has always been a big part of that. I remember back in the day when she had three boys all racing motorcycles in the mud. There she was trying to wash clothes, keep us all in line and also take care of her family all at the same time. She was a big part of my success as anybody.”

Darlington Raceway: Love it or hate it? She hasn’t been your best friend. Is that just a simple matter of you figuring out a way to drive it differently? “It has definitely been kind of a love/hate relationship with her. We have run well there and have also struggled. We have had good cars, but just can’t get everything put together for a solid finish. Hopefully, we can capitalize on that this year. We really need a good run there. In the past, the month of May hasn’t been really good to this team and Darlington is a big part of that.”

Is there any specific reason for the struggles at Darlington?  “When I first came here, we didn’t always have the best package until last year. We were good off the trailer and I just flat out wrecked it in practice. Then, during the race, we suffered a brake problem. I think it was a brake line or something broke and we had to pit twice under green-flag conditions during the race. You know, it was just one of those bad races and a bad weekend overall. You can’t afford to have those anymore. It’s so important to be solid week-in and week-out. If we want to be a championship contender, which I think we are, you can’t have those 32nd-place finishes on your resume. You need consistency and wins."

Burton is the best of the RCR drivers with two wins and eight top-5's

Jeff Burton
No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala
Race Notes and Quotes


This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet at Darlington Raceway … Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 355 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a brand new Caterpillar Chevrolet that will be put through its first competitive paces this weekend.

The Darlington Report … In 28 Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, Burton has posted two wins, eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes, with only one DNF (did not finish) and three finishes outside the top 20. He holds a 20.9 starting average coupled with an impressive 11.4 finishing average and has led 817 laps of competition.

Rain Man – Back-to-Back winner … Burton won both races at Darlington Raceway in 1999, leading both events as rain began to fall which forced NASCAR to throw the checkered flag prior to completing the scheduled distance.

Loopy with the Lady … NASCAR’s loop data statistics proves why the track deemed Too Tough to Tame is one of Burton’s favorites. Over the last six races at the historic 1.366-mile oval, the veteran driver boasts an average running position of 13.2 and a Driver Rating of 89.8, which ranks him 11th amongst his competitors. He is the sport’s third-best Green-Flag Passer with 342 passes made under green-flag conditions and is positioned in eighth with 67.6 percent of laps running in the top 15 (1,491 of 2205).

Last Time Around … After taking the top spot with 27 laps to go and a caution flag being displayed one lap later, a late-race pit miscue placed the Cat Racing team at the rear of the field for the final 20 laps of the last season’s SHOWTIME Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. But, a hard-charging Burton flexed his muscle and picked off 10 positions to finish eighth when the checkered flag waved.

Making a Charge … After exiting the Daytona 500 early due to a rare expired engine and sitting 33rd in the point standings, Burton and the Todd Berrier-led Cat Racing team have advanced 13 positions, to 20th, heading into this weekend’s 500-mile contest. Although they are 61 markers in arrears to Tony Stewart’s 10th-place tally, they are only 35 points away from cracking the top 15.

A Streak Looking to End … Burton currently owns an 86-race winless streak that he hopes to break in this weekend’s visit with the Lady in Black. The Caterpillar driver’s last visit to Winner’s Circle was in October 2008 when he led the final 57 laps en route to his 21st Sprint Cup Series career win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
You have a lot of respect for Darlington. Why is that?  “With no disrespect to any other race track, Daytona is the centerpiece of our sport but, Darlington, to me, has the most historic meaning of anywhere we go. Darlington has changed. It is not the way it was 40 years ago, but, it is the way it was 30 years ago. It still has that character. There are no fluke winners at Darlington. It requires you as a driver to push hard, but penalizes you when you push too hard. You have to be precise. It is a track that people that like to drive race cars like to go to. Some of the race tracks we race on, you are a rider more than a driver. This is the type of place where you can make a difference in the car. When I go there, I look at it as a huge challenge because I know that if I operate at 100 percent of my capability and my car’s capability, we’ll get the best finish we can. If I am at 97 percent, then we’re not. That extra three percent at Darlington gets you something. It did for Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty and Bobby Allison. It is the same race track. I know the suites are cool, but, to me, going there is like stepping back in time and you don’t have all that there. It is just a race track that was built around a pond that is the same way it was then. I think that has some special meaning to it.”

You haven’t finished worse than 12th in the last five races at Darlington but how do you expect to improve on those finishes?  “Last year, the Caterpillar Chevrolet was fast and we put ourselves in position to win that race. We got a caution near the end of the race and when we pitted, I ran over the air hose which cost us. We had to start at the rear of the field but we ended up finishing eighth – that just shows you how fast we were. The year before, our car was completely different and we just didn’t have the handle on it. The track is a lot different since they paved it. Speeds don’t fall off so you’re running pretty fast around a track that’s not made to go that fast. So, its changed setup and driving style and I don’t think I adapted to it well as I needed to. I have a different game plan in mind for this weekend and we can be more successful.”

3 of Menard's 4 starts have been 30th or worse

Paul Menard
No. 27 Turtle Wax/Menards Chevrolet Impala
Race Notes and Quotes


This Week’s Turtle Wax/Menards Chevrolet at Darlington Raceway … Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 328 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet Impala was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and was last seen on track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where Menard brought home a 12th-place result after starting from the 18th position.

Ready to Tame the Lady in Black … In his four previous starts at Darlington, Menard has finished each of his contested races and completed 97 percent of his laps (1,424 of 1,468). He has a 31st-place average starting position and an average finishing position of 28th with his best finish of 15th coming in the May 2009 event.

Year in Review … Menard has recorded career-best performances at many of the race tracks that the NSCS has traveled to this season. Despite slipping to 15th in the driver championship point standings, Menard heads to Darlington a mere 13 points out of the coveted 12th-spot.

PAUL MENARD QUOTES:
Darlington is known as the track that is “Too Tough To Tame.” Why do you think is it so hard? "They will probably have to rename it now. Since it was repaved, it’s a totally different race track. The old surface had no grip at all; the tires would wear out in a couple laps and you would slide everywhere. Now, you run as fast as you do at the end of the run as you do at the beginning. You still have to run up by the fence which leads to right-side damage and the infamous ‘Darlington stripe.’ Driving a foot off the wall, things are still going to happen. It’s not as tough as it used to be, but it’s still pretty tough.”

How much of a sense of history do you feel when you walk into Darlington? “Darlington is definitely a throwback race track. You drive into this little town and all you see is this huge race track. It definitely allows you to feel the roots of NASCAR.”

Compared to other big cities we go to like Las Vegas, it’s nice to go to a small place like Darlington. Which do you prefer?  “I enjoy all the places (race tracks) that we can drive to. It’s always a fun drive down to Darlington. Honestly, when I get to the track, I generally don’t leave again until after the race. We don’t get to go out and experience the night life of the cities and all that. We just see the inside of the race track. Darlington is a good one (infield) though, for camping. It’s pretty laid back.”

Harvick has a 19.1 average finish in 14 starts

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet Impala
Race Notes and Quotes


This Week’s Budweiser Chevrolet at Darlington Raceway…Kevin Harvick will race chassis No. 304 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. In March, Harvick raced his way to a sixth-place finish in this car at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway after getting spun out late in the race. Last season, the team raced this car four times, scoring three top-five finishes: third at Richmond (5/1), fifth at New Hampshire (6/27) and third at Richmond (9/11).

Last Time Around … A loose-handling No. 29 Chevrolet didn’t stop Harvick from advancing through the field after starting 35th in last season’s Southern 500. After cracking the top 10 prior to a late-race caution, a two-tire pit call by crew chief Gil Martin afforded the Bakersfield, Calif., native the sixth-place restart spot that was protected over the final 20-plus laps.

Darlington Notes … In 14 starts at Darlington Raceway, Harvick has earned two top-five and five top-10 finishes. He’s completed 93.5 percent (4,529 of 4,845) total laps and has led 16 laps at the 1.366-mile track. Harvick has an average starting position of 17.6 and an average finishing position of 19.1 at Darlington.

In the Loop … While Darlington hasn’t been one the tracks Harvick has excelled at in his Sprint Cup Series career, when it comes to loop data statistics, he lives up to his new nickname as “the closer.” Harvick is ranked as the No. 1 closer at Darlington, a statistic that indicates the positions improved in the last 10 percent of the laps in each race. He’s gained an average of 3.7 spots in the final 10 percent of the laps in the last six races at the track. He is also ranked 10th in green-flag passes (253).

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What makes racing at Darlington such a challenge for the drivers and teams? “The track was originally not designed for the cars to be running as fast as they are today. The track’s very narrow and you carry a lot of speed. From a driver’s standpoint, it’s very challenging just to keep the car off the wall, but it’s also a lot of fun to drive, too.”

Talk about driving a lap around Darlington: “Well, any lap around Darlington is a lap where you have to be paying attention to what’s going on because you can get yourself in trouble at any point on the race track. You carry a lot of speed into Turn 1 and you run right up the banking right up next to the wall and right back to the throttle. As you come back down the hill, you might have to breathe the throttle a little bit, but it’s a lot of fun coming out of Turn 2 because it shoots you down the backstretch. (Turns) 3 and 4 are probably the hardest because you carry so much speed off of (Turn) 2 into (Turn) 3 and the line kind of moves around a bit there. The easiest place to get in the wall, well it’s pretty easy to get in the wall anywhere, but definitely the easiest place to get into the wall is the middle of (Turns) 3 and 4.”

Do you remember getting your first Darlington stripe? “I don’t. I’ve had so many of them that they all kind of seem to run together now.”

What would it mean to add your name to the list of Darlington winners? “It’d be pretty awesome just for the fact that everyone knows the significance of the Southern 500 and to win at Darlington is something as a driver that you want to check off your list when you have the opportunity. We’ve been close at Darlington, but we’ve just got to put that check in the right box.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release

Lots of Uncertainties For Jimmie Johnson This Week at Darlington

Johnson finished 36th last year, but is two-time winner at Darlington

Celebrity Pro-Am at Quail Hollow Club
• Johnson will be paired with a PGA player in Wednesday’s celebrity pro-am prior to the weekend’s PGA event, The Wells Fargo Championship, at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.

RACE NOTES
Darlington Raceway
• Johnson has made 12 Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, where he has earned two wins, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes.
• Johnson has completed 95.5% (3995 of 4185) of competition laps at the 1.366-mile track and has led 409.
• He has an average start and finish of 12.8 and 9.3.

Chassis
• Johnson will pilot brand new chassis No. 659 in Saturday night’s race.
• Johnson finished 16th in backup chassis No. 623 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.

JOHNSON QUOTES
THOUGHTS ON MOTHER’S DAY: “This is obviously a very special Mother’s Day for my family with it being Chani’s first Mother’s Day. Obviously my mom has done so much for myself over the years and has really raised her boys right. It’s always good to do something nice for her and be able to celebrate that with her. It’s just going to be an awesome day.”

IF I COULD GET A FEW THOUGHTS ON DARLINGTON…APPROACHING 10 RACES IN, YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT TRACK THIS YEAR COMAPARED TO YOUR YEARS PREVIOUS?  “Yeah, with it being a one time race, it’s tough to know how to unload. I was just in some team meetings at Hendrick Motor Sports, and drivers, crew chiefs were all present, and we’re trying to figure out what we go back with. When we raced there last year, our cars were completely different; technology has changed so the setups are different. The tire that we’re running on is different. We don’t really know what to show up with, and with the practice sessions like they are now and the four sets of tires that we get, there’s not a clear strategy going into the weekend what to do.”

WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE, A SIXTH CHAMPIONSHIP OR THE PRO-AM?  “Sixth championship, for sure. I just hope to keep it between the galleries tomorrow and just keep it out there. It doesn’t have to be in the short stuff but just somewhere between would be nice.”

SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER NOTES
Career Wins
• Johnson has 54 wins in his Sprint Cup Series career, his most recent coming at Talladega Superspeedway on April 17, 2011.
• The El Cajon, Calif.-native is currently 10th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, one victory behind Lee Petty.
• He is second in total wins among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon (82).
• Johnson needed only 296 starts to hit the 50 mark. Only three drivers have reached 50 victories quicker – Gordon (232), Darrell Waltrip (278) and David Pearson (293).
• Johnson has won at least three Cup races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first eight full-time seasons.
• Johnson has won Sprint Cup Series races at all but four (Michigan, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Homestead) of the 22 tracks on which the series competes.
• Johnson’s 10 wins in 2007 was the highest number recorded in a single season since Jeff Gordon posted 13 victories in 1998.
• The four-consecutive wins scored by the No. 48 team in the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ties a modern-era NASCAR record.

Career Poles
• Johnson has collected 25 poles in his Sprint Cup career.
• The championship driver has earned at least one pole a year since his first full-time season in 2002.
• He had a career-high six poles in 2008.
• Johnson’s most recent pole position was at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 24, 2010.

Career Starts
• Johnson has finished in the top five in the Sprint Cup Series point standings each year since his first full season in 2002.
• Johnson is the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup every year since the format was adopted in 2004.
• In 336 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 138 top-five and 209 top-10 finishes.
• He has a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.
• Johnson has led a total of 11,261 laps (of 97,118) in his Sprint Cup career, covering over 129,672 miles.
• He has finished on the lead lap 261 times.

- GMR Live Marketing for Team Lowe’s Racing, Press Release