Tag: Darlington

Larson outmuscles Nemechek for Darlington Xfinity win

In a fitting end to a true Darlington slugfest, Kyle Larson won Saturday’s Shriners Children’s 200 after bouncing off the wall at the Turn 4 exit and knocking John Hunter Nemechek into the inside SAFER barrier 100 yards short of the finish line. …

In a fitting end to a true Darlington slugfest, Kyle Larson won Saturday’s Shriners Children’s 200 after bouncing off the wall at the Turn 4 exit and knocking John Hunter Nemechek into the inside SAFER barrier 100 yards short of the finish line.

With the help of two opportune cautions, Larson recovered from a speeding penalty that sent him to the rear of the field for the start of the final stage.

Restarting behind race winner Nemechek for the final green-flag run with seven laps left, Larson stalked the No. 20 Toyota and charged into the lead on the final lap, as the top two cars made side-to-side contact on at least three occasions during the run to the checkers.

“We had a really, really good car the whole race, and I made a mistake on pit road,” said Larson, who was driving the No. 10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing. “I knew we were going to have time to get to the front if we had a caution.

“We were picking off cars really fast and had some lane selections work out for me… We were just bouncing off each other a little bit. I don’t know what happened in (Turn) 3. It seemed like he (Nemechek) tried to get behind me to shove me into the corner.

“It kind of hooked me right, and I hit the wall, and I was trying to stay away from him and get off of (Turn) 4. What an exciting race there.”

The victory was Larson’s first of the season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and his first at Darlington in any of NASCAR’s top three divisions. It was Larson’s 14th career Xfinity win in his only start so far this year.

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Nemechek, who beat Larson in a photo finish to win Stage 2, had to settle for fifth after the last-lap crash. Justin Allgaier claimed the runner-up spot, followed by Cole Custer, who pitted for fresh tires on lap 137 and charged forward from 16th after the final restart on lap 141. Austin Hill was fourth in a damaged car.

“Had a really fast race car and battling with one of the best in the sport in my opinion, Kyle Larson,” said Nemechek, who led 57 laps to Larson’s 46. “It was a really great day…

“Just disappointed a little bit from the standpoint of how that ended up there. Overall, we gave it a shot and still had a shot to win off of Turn 4. Fast car, top-five to show for it, when it probably should have been Victory Lane or second.”

Larson paced the field when Sheldon Creed washed up the track and pinched Nemechek’s Toyota against the wall on lap 67. Trying to avoid the wreck, Sam Mayer steered his Chevrolet down the track into the Camaro of Hill, who slid sideways into the path of Brandon Jones. The driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet couldn’t avoid terminal damage.

Behind Jones and Hill, the cars of Ryan Truex and Chandler Smith spun in tandem, with the crush panels cascading out of the driver’s side of Smith’s No. 16 Chevrolet.

All told, 11 cars sustained damage in the wreck, and four others merely spun and continued. Jones, Chandler Smith and Truex fell out of the race.

Unlike Friday night’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race, which ran without cautions for racing incidents during the first two stages, action in the Xfinity Series event started early and ultimately resulted in 10 cautions for 51 laps.

On lap four, Sammy Smith spun in Turn 2 while running beneath the No. 98 Ford of Riley Herbst, causing the first caution. After the subsequent restart on lap eight, Smith slipped sideways, making slight contact with Justin Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet.

And on lap 12, Herbst pancaked the right side of his Mustang against the outside wall and came to pit road for an unscheduled stop, losing two laps in the process.

Nineteen laps later, Herbst slammed the wall between Turns 1 and 2 and exited the race in last place with irreparable damage.

Jeb Burton spun on lap 39 to cause the second caution. After pit stops, Larson won the first stage six laps later, beating pole winner Nemechek to the green/checkered flag.

The second stage contained its own share of action. Parker Retzlaff spun off Turn 4 across traffic to cause the fourth caution. Lap 60 brought two separate incidents that saw the front right quarter panels ripped off the cars of Sage Karam and Anthony Alfredo.

Seven laps later came the Talladega-sized “Big One” that destroyed the winning chances of more than a handful of contending cars.

RESULTS

Sneak peak: Fox – NASCAR’s greatest Darlington finish

Do you remember what happened at Darlington Raceway a little over 20 years ago? Hint: Ricky Craven vs. Kurt Busch. Still need more? It was a photo finish between the two in the spring race at one of NASCAR’s toughest and most respected racetracks. …

Do you remember what happened at Darlington Raceway a little over 20 years ago?

Hint: Ricky Craven vs. Kurt Busch.

Still need more? It was a photo finish between the two in the spring race at one of NASCAR’s toughest and most respected racetracks.

Fox Sports will air a short feature on the duel between Craven and Busch before Sunday’s Goodyear 400. With this season being the 75th anniversary of NASCAR, there is no better time to celebrate some of the sport’s great moments, and Fox Sports has been airing features and re-enactments throughout.

Craven and Busch became an instant classic on March 16, 2003 — one that has withstood the test of time when it comes to NASCAR highlights and the conversation around classic races and great finishes.

Both drivers sat for the feature, which Fox Sports shared with RACER early. Both explained the frantic finish as the race played out on screen in front of them.

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The view switches back and forth between Craven and Busch.

“(Turns) 1 and 2, I’m fine,” recalls Busch of the final lap.

“I came off the accelerator here because it’s not going to happen,” says Craven as the race footage rolls. “But (Turns) 3 and 4 is where the magic was.”

“This is where I froze,” says Busch.

The two made contact coming off the final corner, their cars seemingly locked together coming to the finish line. The margin of victory with Craven nipping ahead of Busch was 0.002s — the closest in NASCAR history. Just once has that margin been matched: Talladega Superspeedway in April 2011 during the tandem draft era.

Others included in the feature: Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds, two of the broadcasters from that day. The excitement from the two in the booth made the call unforgettable.

Busch gets emotional at one point in the feature as he talks about coming up short in the battle against Craven. Of the triumphs that Busch had in his Cup Series career, winning at Darlington Raceway never happened for him.

Darlington was the second and final win of Craven’s Cup Series career, and, “It was the only time my children were in victory lane with me,” he explained.

The full feature will air during NASCAR RaceDay at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday.

Newman returns to Cup Series, but will only stay if it’s ‘fun’

Ryan Newman enjoyed his welcome back to the NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday at Darlington Raceway in the first of what’s expected to be a handful of races for Rick Ware Racing. The former Daytona 500 winner hasn’t run a race since the finale in 2021 …

Ryan Newman enjoyed his welcome back to the NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday at Darlington Raceway in the first of what’s expected to be a handful of races for Rick Ware Racing.

The former Daytona 500 winner hasn’t run a race since the finale in 2021 but fell right back into a rhythm, qualifying 26th in the No. 51 Ford. He found the adjustment to driving the Next Gen car easier than expected.

“It’s fun to be back and at my favorite racetrack,” Newman said. “I will say that the practice and qualifying session was less dynamic than I thought it was going to be. The changes from the old car, the shifting, and all that stuff — I felt like I adapted to all that stuff rather quickly.

“But the track is still my favorite, so that made it a lot easier. It’s easier to dance with a girl that knows how to dance.”

It was perfect timing for Newman to make his return as far as balancing time with his daughters and there being an open seat. He’s never stopped wanting to be a Cup Series driver, but it was about finding the right opportunity.

“I literally started this conversation prior to Martinsville and it was by accident when I texted Tommy Baldwin asking him about an opportunity to race a modified,” said Newman. “He asked me if I wanted to go to Martinsville, and I said, ‘In a modified?’ And he goes, ‘No, in a Cup car.’

“It all worked out for us to put all this together and do this, so thanks to Jacob Companies and Biohaven and Rick Ware Racing to give us the opportunity to…I say play, but ultimately I feel like we’ve got a pretty competitive car that we just have to execute and see if we can move up from where we start.”

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Another variable that plays into it being the right opportunity is the race car. Newman knows he’s not driving a winning car with Rick Ware, but Next Gen has equalized the competition, and he believes he can be competitive.

“When you tell the guys that they have to put this nut, this washer, this bolt, this whatever, and have all these tolerances, then you’re taking a lot of the team characterization out of performance,” Newman said. “When I left, Gibbs was stout. Hendrick was stout. And there were obvious advantages per chassis that grandfathered in, who had the best nose and things like that. So, I think it’s a good opportunity for me to sample where the series is right now.”

Newman hasn’t been out of the loop while away, staying tuned into what’s been going on, especially the development of the new car. Next Gen is in its second year of action, and for a while Newman was hesitant about where things stood with safety. He felt proven right with the injuries seen last season, but said he’s racing at Darlington because he feels comfortable.

“It’s fun to be back, and it’s fun to have the opportunity,” he said. “I look forward to tomorrow.”

Rick Ware Racing announced Newman for select races this season, but it’s unclear where he’s going to appear after Darlington. Newman was also tightlipped about what was next.

“I told them, ‘The only way I’m going to do this and continue to do this is if it’s fun,’” he said. “Today was fun, so we’ll see.”

NASCAR drivers torn on ground rules for fighting

Noah Gragson might have proven a point in not being afraid to confront Ross Chastain last weekend in Kansas, and had it not been for NASCAR security, may have accomplished more. The rookie was heated from feeling he had been run into the outside …

Noah Gragson might have proven a point in not being afraid to confront Ross Chastain last weekend in Kansas, and had it not been for NASCAR security, may have accomplished more.

The rookie was heated from feeling he had been run into the outside wall by Chastain during the race and confronted him on pit road afterward. Gragson was only able to grab Chastain’s firesuit before the Trackhouse Racing driver threw a punch and NASCAR security stepped in, leaving him no chance to even the score.

“I feel like security stepped in about 10 seconds too quick,” Kyle Busch said Saturday at Darlington Raceway. “You let one guy get a (heck) of a hit, and then you block the other guy from getting a hit back. You’ve got to at least let the guy try and then maybe get in.

“I would seriously urge NASCAR to go with some hockey rules. Once you get to the ground, we’re going to break it up. Or when one of you guys looks gassed, we’re going to break it up. Let them get a good 30 seconds. It’s going to be way better for TV and ratings are going to go off the charts.”

Busch did joke that perhaps Gragson wasn’t the right guy to confront Chastain but appreciated that he showed his frustration. As Gragson mentioned — others are frustrated with Chastain, too, but don’t do anything about it but talk into a microphone.

With the altercation still a hot topic, the idea of hockey rules in NASCAR was brought up to numerous Cup Series drivers Saturday, as well as the role of NASCAR security.

“I don’t have an answer for you on that,” Joey Logano said when asked if NASCAR security should get involved. “I’m not a huge fan of tearing up race cars because that’s dangerous, but it’s also probably not safe to have fights on pit road either if they’re not equally matched. A big guy versus a little guy, you might want to go run into a wall. I don’t know. I don’t have the answer.

“You look at the NHL and sometimes they let them fight and sometimes they don’t. I don’t know. Usually, it never escalates into too much. Typically, it’s just a shoving match or people yelling at each other, but I don’t know. I don’t have an answer.”

No crew members from Trackhouse or Legacy Motor Club were involved in the Kansas incident, but two NASCAR security members were already near Chastain’s car when Gragson came over.

NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier this week that officials understand the emotion of the sport. They would have preferred things not to escalate to the level they did, though.

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“We tell our officials – these are the people that are officiating the race – to not get involved in that,” Sawyer said of NASCAR protocol. “I think if you look at that particular situation, the officials, the other crew members — both from the No. 42 and the No. 1 — I thought they handled it extremely well. They didn’t get involved, they allowed the drivers to show their displeasure, which is what we would prefer to see.

“Our security people did get involved, and they will get involved. They’ll let them have their space to be able to talk, but once it rises to a level like it did on Sunday, they’re going to get involved and break it up. They all handled it really well.”

Brad Keselowski deferred to whatever NASCAR officials want to when it comes to confrontation. The former Cup Series champion said it’s whatever NASCAR feels is right.

“Bad things can happen in those scenarios,” Keselowski said. “Good things can happen, I guess, sometimes. The sport is always the winner; the individuals are always the losers, so fights are great when they’re not you.”

Kyle Larson acknowledged NASCAR security is there to defuse the situation but probably didn’t know Chastain was going to throw a punch. It was hard for the Hendrick driver to offer much because he doesn’t see any scenario where he’s going to be in that situation. Larson didn’t engage with an angry Bubba Wallace after Wallace took him out late last season in Las Vegas and then confronted him on the frontstretch.

Wallace, on the other hand, said drivers should be able to show their displeasure. He didn’t feel Gragson got to do that and subsequently lost the fight.

“Treat it like hockey, I guess,” said Wallace. “Let them go until they fall.”

NASCAR did not fine or penalize either driver after Kansas.

“I’ve been on both sides of this and probably done it right or wrong,” Kevin Harvick said. “It’s hard to know what is right. It’s like when we had the Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace incident – that’s not really a fair fight. Or you don’t know if Kyle is hurt in that particular incident with all the concussions and things that are happening. So, as I get older, I think they need to not let it happen. If they want to fight, they can go fight somewhere else.

“I find myself torn on it. I think in today’s day and age, it almost seems a little cheap.”

Someone who doesn’t want to see drivers be left to settle things like hockey players is Chastain.

“I don’t have any preconceived ideas of what that would be,” he said on where the line is to start fighting. “It’s more just in the moment, living and reacting, but knowing this is big-time auto racing…not hockey. I stand by last week (and) what happened. I’m not saying that every time, in a little bit different situation, I’m going to react like that. I want to talk to guys and have conversations, but last week was too far.”

‘I’m comfortable making these guys uncomfortable’ – Chastain

Ross Chastain has worked long and hard to be a successful race car driver. Now, at the top of his game with Trackhouse Racing, he’s leading the NASCAR Cup Series points going into Darlington Raceway (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FS1). With success – be it …

Ross Chastain has worked long and hard to be a successful race car driver. Now, at the top of his game with Trackhouse Racing, he’s leading the NASCAR Cup Series points going into Darlington Raceway (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FS1).

With success — be it winning races or leading in points  — comes more attention both on and off the racetrack. Sometimes that attention isn’t the good kind…

“On the track, I’m comfortable making these guys uncomfortable, and that’s not always going to come across well, but I’m OK,” Chastain said Saturday. “Get out of the car, and I’m learning to become comfortable in this role. I’m not the guy that grew up wanting to be on camera. I wanted to be like my dad – I wanted to farm watermelons, I wanted to be like all the other guys in our town that we knew that I grew up around.

“I wanted to drive my three-quarter-ton diesel truck to the farm and work and grow a crop and go home. Out there in the field, you can go all day and never see anybody if you want to. Everybody thinks about Florida and the beaches, but you come inland where we’re at, and there’s nobody out there. It’s something I’m growing into off the track. Sometimes I’ll get on camera — and I see it when I watch it back – I’ll kind of bring my jaw in and protect, in my mind.”

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Chastain protected himself last week at Kansas Speedway by getting in the first – and only – punch on Noah Gragson on pit road after the race. Confronted by an upset Gragson, who grabbed his fire suit, the Trackhouse driver told Gragson to stop and then threw the punch. NASCAR security quickly intervened.

Gragson is just one of a handful of drivers who have been vocal about the way Chastain races over the last year. There were multiple run-ins with Denny Hamlin last season as well as the Busch Light Clash earlier this year, plus an incident at Phoenix Raceway. The latter led to Hamlin being penalized since he initiated the contact and admitted it afterward on his podcast.

Kyle Busch has said Chastain hasn’t learned from any of the issues. Martin Truex Jr. and Austin Dillon are two others who took issue with Chastain last season.

“Just being myself is the best thing I can do, and if people like it, they do,” Chastain continued. “I’d say (Friday) night at the Truck (Series) race, it was maybe 70/30 cheers to boos. I’m interested to see what Sunday is. But no matter what, I’m proud to be moving the needle.

“I hear it. I see it. People come to me, either online or in person, and they’re telling me the good and the bad, and I kind of just walk away, and I’m like, ‘That’s pretty wild that they’re watching my racing, and they care that much.’ I’m learning to become comfortable in that role, too.”

There appears no lingering tension between Chastain and Gragson, who see each other throughout the week in their training program. The two spoke on the phone Monday after Kansas and they’re in a good place moving forward.

“We both went to Millbridge (Speedway) on Monday night with the Chevy program and ran micros, had a blast, and just bonded over fast little sprint cars,” Chastain said. “It was good, laughing and joking; been good with him all week.”

Truex takes Darlington Cup pole

Toyota drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace will start on the front row for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. Truex earned the pole with a lap of 169.409 mph. It is his first pole of the season, the 21st of his career, and …

Toyota drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace will start on the front row for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.

Truex earned the pole with a lap of 169.409 mph. It is his first pole of the season, the 21st of his career, and his first at Darlington. Truex is a two-time Darlington winner, most recently in the spring 2021 event.

“Honestly, the guys made a really good adjustment,” Truex said of his run. “I felt like we left a little on the table in round one, and they made the adjustment to help me off (Turn) 4, and it helped. I was not really sure what kind of lap time we were going to need to run or how the tires would affect it, but we just nailed the balance really good, so I was definitely happy with that.

“I’m proud of all the guys, they’ve been working hard. Qualifying has never been our greatest thing, especially with this car last year. We struggled a lot in qualifying and have been working hard on that, so proud of them for that. The Auto-Owners Camry is really fast, so we’ll look to have some fun tomorrow.”

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Wallace qualified second at 169.339 mph. The effort is Wallace’s best in 10 starts at Darlington.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. qualified third at 168.752 mph, William Byron was fourth at 168.342 mph, and Ross Chastain took fifth at 168.094 mph. Chastain’s teammate, Daniel Suarez, qualified sixth at 167.836 mph.

Kyle Larson qualified seventh at 167.562 mph, Denny Hamlin was eighth at 167.4465 mph, Tyler Reddick was ninth at 167.311 mph, and Brad Keselowski 10th at 166.292 mph. Keselowski was the only Ford in the final round of qualifying.

Defending race winner Joey Logano qualified 15th. Logano clocked in at 168.764 mph.

Kevin Harvick qualified 20th and Chase Elliott took 21st. Josh Berry was 23rd in the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

Ryan Newman qualified 26th for Rick Ware Racing in his return to NASCAR Cup Series competition. Sunday will be Newman’s first start since the 2021 season finale.

There are 36 drivers entered in the Goodyear 400.

RESULTS

Reddick crew chief ejected after Darlington inspection

Tyler Reddick will be without crew chief Billy Scott this weekend at Darlington Raceway after NASCAR ejected Scott following multiple inspection failures for Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota. Dave Rogers will fill in for Scott during Sunday afternoon’s race. …

Tyler Reddick will be without crew chief Billy Scott this weekend at Darlington Raceway after NASCAR ejected Scott following multiple inspection failures for Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota. Dave Rogers will fill in for Scott during Sunday afternoon’s race.

Reddick’s was one of two NASCAR Cup Series cars that failed pre-race inspection twice Friday. It is at NASCAR’s discretion which team member is ejected based on the infraction, and no details were given about the issue on Reddick’s car. Additional penalties could be announced next week.

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It is the second consecutive week that Reddick’s 23XI Racing car has failed pre-race inspection. Last weekend at Kansas Speedway, his car chief was ejected.

The No. 54 Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing rookie Ty Gibbs was the other car that failed twice. Gibbs will be without his car chief, Nate Bellows, this weekend for the Goodyear 400.

Both teams also lost pit stall selection. The cars passed inspection on the third time through.

Eckes runs to chaotic overtime Truck Series win at Darlington

After five weeks of frustration, Christian Eckes got the rebound he needed on Friday night at Darlington Raceway. Leading a race-high 82 of 158 laps, Eckes scored a convincing two-overtime victory in the Buckle Up South Carolina 200, the ninth event …

After five weeks of frustration, Christian Eckes got the rebound he needed on Friday night at Darlington Raceway.

Leading a race-high 82 of 158 laps, Eckes scored a convincing two-overtime victory in the Buckle Up South Carolina 200, the ninth event on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule.

The win was Eckes’ second of the season and third of his career. It followed a string of five races in which the driver of the No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet had finished 30th three times and 15th twice.

“I don’t really feel that excited, because the truck was so good it drove itself,” said Eckes, who won the race under caution after Grant Enfinger and Nick Sanchez tangled in the second overtime. “It’s been a really, really rough couple of weeks.

“To come back and win shows the resilience of this team, and how we had to win it just shows the fight in this team… I was really determined. It’s really, really fun to be here, man, and when you have a truck like this, you’ve just got to finish it out.”

A late charge and an excellent restart in the first overtime vaulted Stewart Friesen into second place at the finish. Tanner Gray ran third, followed by full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron and Carson Hocevar.

The early stages of the race rapidly evolved into a contest between Eckes, Byron and pole winner Corey Heim, who led the first 26 laps before Eckes passed him for the Stage 1 victory and led 35 laps in Stage 2 before Byron passed him for the win with three laps left in the stage.

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The first two stages ran caution-free to the breaks, but the complexion of the race changed markedly during the final stage and overtimes, which produced six cautions. Byron would have preferred longer green-flag runs.

“We needed a little bit longer runs, I think,” said Byron, who was driving the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports entry and seeking the 100th victory for that organization. “Our truck was strong on longer runs—we just had too many medium to short runs, and it was hard to get track position there to advance forward…

“Hopefully, we learned some stuff for the (Goodyear 400) Cup race (on Sunday). We usually run really good here, so it’s just a matter of trying to put it all together and learn some nuances with the race track, so hopefully we did that.”

Heim led four times for 66 laps but took himself out of contention by failing to pit with the rest of the lead cars on lap 116. He led the field to the restart on lap 119 of a scheduled 147 but quickly fell back through the field.

Heim, however, pitted for fresh tires before the first overtime and recovered to finish eighth on the new rubber.

Reigning series champion Zane Smith, who was part of a three-car accident on lap 101 and finished 22nd, retained the series lead by nine points over Ty Majeski, who came home 35 laps down in 31st after his crew changed the steering box in his ThorSport Racing Ford.

RESULTS

Racing on TV, May 11-14

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted. Thursday, May 11 NOLA 8:00-10:00pm (D) NOLA 10:00- 11:30pm (D) Friday, May 12 Indy GP practice 1 9:30-10:45am Indy GP practice 2 1:00-2:00pm Darlington qualifying 3:00-4:30pm Indy GP qualifying …

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted.

Thursday, May 11

NOLA 8:00-10:00pm
(D)

NOLA 10:00-
11:30pm (D)

Friday, May 12

Indy GP
practice 1		 9:30-10:45am

Indy GP
practice 2		 1:00-2:00pm

Darlington
qualifying		 3:00-4:30pm

Indy GP
qualifying		 4:00-5:15pm

Darlington
qualifying		 5:00-6:30pm

Darlington 6:30-7:30pm
pre-race
7:30-10:00pm
race

Saturday, May 13

Darlington
qualifying		 10:30am-
12:30pm

Indy GP
warmup		 11:15-11:45am

Darlington 1:00-1:30pm
pre-race
1:30-4:00pm
race

Indianapolis 1:00-2:15pm

Laguna Seca
Race 1		 2:45-3:35pm

Indy GP 3:30-5:30pm
race

Laguna Seca
qualifying		 3:50-5:05pm

NOLA 5:00-6:30pm
(D)

Laguna Seca
Race 1		 5:15-6:10pm

Indy GP 5:30-6:00pm
post-race

Laguna Seca 7:30-9:30pm

Salt Lake
City		 10:00pm-
1:00am

Sunday, May 14

Scotland 12:00-2:00am
(SDD)
Highlights air
9:00-9:30pm

Laguna Seca
Race 2		 11:30am-
12:20pm

Laguna Seca
Race 2		 12:35-1:30pm

Darlington 1:30-3:00pm
pre-race
3:00-7:00pm
race

Laguna Seca 3:00-6:00pm

Le Mans 3:00-4:30pm
(SDD)

NASCAR 75
Countdown		 7:00-8:00pm

Key: SDD: Same day delay; D = delayed; R = Repeat/Replay

A variety of motor racing is available for streaming on demand at the following sites:

  • SRO-america.com
  • SCCA.com
  • Ferrari Challenge
  • The Trans Am Series airs in 60-minute highlight shows in primetime on the MAVTV Network. For those wishing to tune in live, the entire lineup of SpeedTour events will stream for free on the SpeedTour TV YouTube page. SpeedTour TV will also air non-stop activity on Saturday and Sunday (SVRA, IGT and Trans Am). You can also watch all Trans Am event activity on the Trans Am YouTube page and Facebook page.

NASCAR Toyota 500 at Darlington odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Wednesday’s Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway sports betting odds and lines, with NASCAR analysis, picks and tips.

The NASCAR Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET for the Toyota 500. Below, we analyze the Toyota 500 odds and betting lines, with NASCAR picks and tips with odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

Toyota 500: What you need to know

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday, May 19 at 7:25 a.m. ET.

The NASCAR Cup Series guys returned to action last Sunday, with Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick (+400) coming away with the checkered flag, his 50th win at the Cup level. He enters this one as the chalk, but is he the driver to beat?

  • There’s no qualifying for Wednesday’s 500 as the starting lineup is set using the finishing order from Sunday’s run. However, positions 1-20 are inverted, so Harvick starts 20th and Ryan Preece (+20000) will be on the pole after he finished 20th Sunday.
  • Harvick started sixth Sunday, making it six Darlington races in a row where the winner started sixth or better. The last pole winner was Harvick in the 2014 Bojangles Southern 500.
  • Joe Gibbs Racing driver Erik Jones (+1800) finished eighth Sunday. He has finished eighth or better in all four of his starts at the South Carolina track.
  • Penske Racing driver Brad Keselowski (+900) was second to Harvick’s 159 laps led Sunday with 80. Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman (+800), who finished second, was third in laps lead with 41.

Who is going to win the Toyota 500?

JGR’s Kyle Busch (+700) stumbled to a 26th-place finish in Sunday’s race, a shocking result considering he had posted finishes of seventh or better in seven of his previous eight starts at the “Track Too Tough to Tame.” Despite Sunday’s poor showing, BUSCH IS A SOLID PLAY.

Busch is second among active drivers with 716 laps led across 16 career starts at Darlington, with Harvick leading the way with 740 laps led across 24 starts. However, Busch’s average laps led per start is much better at 44.75 to Harvick’s 30.83.

Busch’s teammate DENNY HAMLIN (+800) posted a fifth-place finish Sunday. He now has two wins, eight top-5 finishes and 12 top-10 showings with 562 laps led across 15 career Darlington starts with a 7.6 Average-Finish Position (AFP). He’ll start 16th Wednesday, and is ALWAYS A WISE PICK at this track.

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Joey Logano (+1100) is an intriguing pick for Wednesday. He starts third behind long shots Preece and Ty Dillon (+25000), but is clearly the most proven driver in the front two rows – Clint Bowyer (+3000) starts in the 4 spot. While Logano has never won at Darlington, he has a 16.6 AFP with three top-5 showings and five top-10 finishes and 103 laps led.

Darlington Raceway long-shot bets

Looking to long shots, Preece and Dillon are obvious picks because of their advantageous starting spots, but will it matter? In four career starts at Darlington, the younger Dillon brother has an AFP of just 18.3, while Preece finished 20th Sunday and 22nd in his only previous start at Darlington last season. Go very, very lightly on these two, if at all.

The better bet might be TYLER REDDICK (+5000). He surprised with a seventh-place run Sunday in his Cup debut at Darlington. As such, his odds are much shorter than they might normally be, but he is still a pretty strong value. JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK (+15000) also might be worth a roll of the dice after a stupendous ninth-place run Sunday.

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