Snapshot: Bojangles’ Southern 500

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Do not adjust your television set. That only appears to be Richard Petty dueling with Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and Buddy Baker.

It's Darlington's second annual Throwback weekend, with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entries sporting paint schemes from yesteryear. The Bojangles' Southern 500 is a nod to the past in one of the series' oldest venues -- and a chance for drivers to lock themselves into the Chase.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Chase Elliott isn't wasting any energy contemplating last week's runner-up result at Michigan. It was his second second-place finish, at the same track, but Elliott said he has no reason to revisit the ending.

'I saw it live and in person,' he said. '… I got to see it firsthand. It's over and done with.'

Elliott is a former winner at Darlington, capturing the XFINITY Series race in 2014. His Darlington Cup debut last season didn't go as well (41st). Elliott will start 11th.

At-a-glance

What: 67th annual Bojangles' Southern 500
Where: Darlington Raceway, a 1.366-mile layout located in Darlington, South Carolina
When: Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016
Green flag: 6:20 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR
Forecast: Sunny with a high near 85. North wind around 6 mph. (NOAA.gov)
National anthem: Barry Williams (Greg Brady, The Brady Bunch)
Grand marshals: Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin
Race Distance: 367 laps, 501.3 miles
Pit road speed: 45 mph
Caution car speed: 50 mph

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s season officially came to an end before the first car got on the track at Darlington, with Hendrick Motorsports officials announcing on Friday that the veteran driver would miss the remainder of the season while recovering from a concussion suffered earlier this season.

Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon was already on tap as a replacement at Darlington, where he has won seven times. He'll also be in the No. 88 Chevrolet at Richmond, Dover and Martinsville while Alex Bowman will drive for the team in the remaining races.

Kyle Larson scored his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win a week ago at Michigan. Will the team ride the momentum into this week's race or stumble from an emotional letdown?

The last few years have shown that most first-time winners struggle in the following race. Only two of the last 11 (David Ragan and Paul Menard) have finished 10th or higher. Chris Buescher, who earned his first Sprint Cup win this year at Pocono, finished 30th the next time out. Aric Almirola (23rd), Trevor Bayne (40th), Regan Smith (34th) and Joey Logano (19th) are among those who also struggled after their first victory.

Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will make his 24th and final start at Darlington this weekend. It's one of only two tracks, the other being Kentucky Speedway, where the co-owner/driver has yet to win in the Sprint Cup Series.

'If you can say you won a race at Darlington, that's a feather in your cap because you conquered something that's very difficult to obtain,' Stewart said. 'That's something to be proud of, knowing that you're in a group of drivers with names like Allison and Pearson and Petty, the pioneers of our sport.'

Tropical Storm Hermine forced officials to cancel all at-track activity on Friday, setting the starting lineup per the rulebook.

As a result, 2014 series champion and points leader Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing) will lead the field to green.

It will be the fourth time this season Harvick has started out front.

Harvick has a pair of victories this season but neither came in races in which he started on the pole.