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Greg Biffle will be going for his third consecutive Darlington victory.By the Numbers: Darlington Raceway
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Many purists were upset when Darlington Raceway lost its popular Labor Day weekend event, and while the race name Dodge Avenger 500 doesn't quite have the same allure as the Southern 500, nonetheless a new holiday tradition has taken hold at NASCAR's first paved speedway.
Once on NASCAR's endangered species list, even after losing one of its two annual events, Darlington Raceway has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts since 2005 when its lone Nextel Cup date was moved to Mother's Day weekend and held on Saturday night.
Millions of dollar in track upgrades have been made. Sellout crowds have come out. And Greg Biffle has dominated.
Biffle is on a two-race winning streak at Darlington, each time having led the most laps. His 346 laps led in the past two races alone are seventh-most among active drivers. In six career starts at Darlington, Biffle has identical average starting and finish positions of 10.0.
Interesting Fact
15Margin of victory, in MILES, for Johnny Mantz in the first Southern 500, held Sept. 4, 1950.
Fun Fact
3Times Jeff Burton and Ward Burton finished 1-2, respectively, in 1999. Jeff won six times that year, including both Darlington races. He beat brother Ward under caution to win the 50th Southern 500.
All the Facts
2Times a driver has won three consecutive races at Darlington: Dale Earnhardt (1989-90); Jeff Gordon (1995-96).
2Victories at Darlington for Ward Burton, who has just five in his career.
3Drivers currently in the top 12 in points who have won at Darlington: 1. Jeff Gordon (6); 2. Jimmie Johnson (2); 5. Jeff Burton (2).
3Consecutive qualifying runs in which Kasey Kahne has won the Bud Pole. Qualifying was rained out in the final Southern 500 in 2004.
3Place of finish last year for Matt Kenseth, his only top-five in 13 career starts at Darlington.
4Finishes of 32nd or worse in the past seven Darlington starts for Kevin Harvick.
4.4Average starting position at Darlington for Ryan Newman, whose worst there is 12th (his only non top-10).
6Wins at Darlington for Jeff Gordon, most of any current driver. Gordon has finished second the past two years.
7Top-10 finishes in eight career Darlington starts for Jimmie Johnson. His average finish is 7.2.
8Laps led at Darlington by Tony Stewart, second-fewest at any track. Stewart has only led for six laps at Kansas.
10Wins at Darlington for David Pearson, most of any driver.
17Races at Darlington since the last pole winner there: Dale Jarrett in March 1997.
26Starting position and place of finish for J.J. Yeley last year, his only start at Darlington.
49Most starts at Darlington by any one driver without a top-five finish: Kyle Petty.
90Races, out of 103 total, at Darlington won from a top-10 starting spot.
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Darlington Raceway
Winners (active drivers)
| Year | Driver | Make | Start | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Ricky Rudd | Chevrolet | 13 | 69 |
| 1993 | Mark Martin | Ford | 4 | 178 |
| 1995 | Sterling Marlin | Chevrolet | 5 | 43 |
| Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 5 | 54 | |
| 1996 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 2 | 189 |
| Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 2 | 52 | |
| 1997 | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 1 | 171 |
| Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 7 | 116 | |
| 1998 | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 3 | 68 |
| Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 5 | 64 | |
| 1999 | Jeff Burton | Ford | 9 | 59 |
| Jeff Burton | Ford | 15 | 89 | |
| 2000 | Ward Burton | Pontiac | 3 | 188 |
| Bobby Labonte | Pontiac | 37 | 10 | |
| 2001 | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 2 | 16 |
| Ward Burton | Dodge | 37 | 27 | |
| 2002 | Sterling Marlin | Dodge | 11 | 57 |
| Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 3 | 125 | |
| 2003 | Ricky Craven | Pontiac | 31 | 1 |
| Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | 3 | 33 | |
| 2004 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 11 | 69 |
| Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 4 | 124 | |
| 2005 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 3 | 176 |
| 2006 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 9 | 170 |
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© 2001-2012 NASCAR | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. NASCAR.COM is part of Turner - SI Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network.
