The Tide Ride, the Busch Beer vehicle and the bright red Coca-Cola machine. “It was worth having all that luck if that’s what it takes to get a Southern 500 trophy”.
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It was Truex’s second win of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, and the fourth of his Cup career. Bass Pro Shops, Furniture Row, Denver Mattress and everyone that’s made this possible. Matt Kenseth is the defending champion.
Kevin Harvick lost 18 spots on pit road Sunday during the Southern 500.
Given the importance of Sunday’s race, it should be no surprise that big names from big teams have enjoyed success at Darlington. The Southern 500 at Darlington Speedway, “The track too tough to tame” and “The Lady in Black”.
“It’s something everyone has wanted to do, ” said Tharp, named to his post in June. That included keeping Harvick at bay on a restart on Lap 355 and winning by several vehicle lengths.
But at Darlington Racing this weekend, Buescher didn’t have a chance to qualify, thanks to the storm that washed out all track activity on Friday. The garage at NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway is now named after Cale Yarborough.
Darlington tends to bring out the best in teams and drivers, who have to up their game to win here. “When you turn down the hill off of turn two, sensational-wise, it’s one of the fastest corners in our sport”.
“You’re not going to win races like that”.
“We never lost confidence, I don’t think”, said Truex.
The tradition returns to Darlington.
For more than a half-century, summer in the South closed with NASCAR’s run at Darlington.
Talk about some of the past at Darlington, which was the first superspeedway of the time, and why it is special to you personally.
“There’s a lot of history at this place and we’re honored to help NASCAR celebrate that, ” Tharp said.
Harvick, victor of the 2014 Darlington race and eventual victor of that season’s Sprint Cup points title, also made a change before that year’s Chase for the Championship by switching some pit-crew members with teammate/team co-owner Tony Stewart.
“Just can’t say enough about this team and Barney Visser (team owner), and everybody at Toyota and TRD – the engines have been unbelievable this year”.
Edwards believes it’s because NASCAR drivers and fans cherish the past, sometimes moreso than other sports. Pagenaud said afterward that Power, who missed the first race of the season because of concussion symptoms, was OK.
Following Sunday night’s Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Harvick’s crew chief, Rodney Childers, declined to comment on the team’s performance, which included an air gun miscue and a loss of 17 net spots on pit road.
Truex stamped himself as a contender to be reckoned with when the Sprint Cup playoffs start in two weeks. It was Johnson’s ninth finish outside the top 10 in his last 12 races, not the form his team hoped to have in chasing a seventh Sprint Cup title.
Heading into today’s Darlington race, the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings are now topped by Kevin Harvick, who leads second place driver Brad Keselowski by thirty-five points. I don’t expect him to challenge for the win, but I do expect Newman to extend his streak of top 15 finishes this weekend and provide a safe, solid finish.
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Hamlin ended second after leading 47 of 147 laps.
