Take 5: Good morning, Darlington and other Southern 500 story lines

Darlington Raceway produced another hard-fought classic in a strange, soggy Bojangles' Southern 500 that stretched from Sunday night to an early Monday morning finish. With the throwback vibe still top of mind, and drivers and teams likely hitting that snooze button on Labor Day morning, here are five story lines that emerged from the Sunday/Monday marathon.

THAT JONES, BOY OH BOY: Erik Jones made his 100th premier-series start a much more memorable Monday morning milestone with his second career win, and a crown jewel to boot. Jones, who led 79 of the 367 laps and held off teammate Kyle Busch over the final stretch, was solidly positioned in the playoff field before his first victory of the year. The Darlington triumph, however, offers a well-needed confidence boost just before the 10-race postseason as Jones joined his three Joe Gibbs Racing teammates among the ranks of race winners in 2019. "We want to go in with a win," said Chris Gayle, crew chief of Jones' No. 20 Toyota. "I think that's what feels so good to me right now is to not have to points our way in. Obviously we've sat around and watched the other three guys winning four races and wanting to be a part of that, and it's been an up-and-down year where various things have kept us from reaching our potential, but I think you can look over at the last eight to 10 weeks, there's only been a couple of races that we haven't been in contention to get that win every week."

PLAYOFF PARALLELS: Daniel Suarez and Ryan Newman tangled near the midpoint of Stage 2, a close call that sent the No. 6 Ford spinning and had Newman fuming. Suarez claimed the two never touched, blaming an aero push, but now the two are knotted up in another way -- tied for the 16th and final provisional playoff spot with only the regular-season finale next weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway remaining. "We have to head into Indianapolis being smart," Suarez said, "and hopefully we can end up on the good side of things."

BULLY FOR BOWYER, JOHNSON: Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson did their best damage control at a track known for causing it. Bowyer leapfrogged both Suarez and Newman in the points standings with a sixth-place result and five points earned from his Stage 2 finish. Johnson salvaged a 16th-place effort after catching a piece of the race's largest crash, but strong stage finishes netted 13 extra points to offset some of the impact. Bowyer is in the best spot of the bubble drivers in 15th, but hopes for headway to buoy his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing team. "That was the task at hand," Bowyer said. "We put ourselves back in position, but, kid you not, yes, I want to make the playoffs, but I want to make the playoffs to get past the first round and to hit that thing in stride and race to our capabilities. Tonight was our capability. Single-digit finishes we’re capable of rattling off and this was a good shot in the arm, a momentum boost for our race team going into that last race in Indy, and if we can do that again is what I'm looking for because, again, you always have to be looking down the road."

CONSOLATION PRIZE: Kyle Busch hounded his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate over the final stretch before scraping the wall with his No. 18 Toyota and finishing third. The silver lining was clinching the Monster Energy Series' regular-season championship, banking a 15-point bonus that he'll hold through every round of the playoffs. "I mean, it's huge," Busch said of the postseason edge. "You know? With however well you can run through the whole beginning part of the season, those points, they help you through every round because every round you get that reset. You get to carry those points all the way through."

TIME AFTER TIME: The torrential Sunday evening rain that forced a 10:08 p.m. ET green flag meant a 1:52 a.m. ET Monday finish to one of the season's longest races. The rigors of navigating a treacherous 1.366-mile track for 500 miles typically makes for a physically grueling event, but adrenaline and the demands of Darlington make focusing an easier task. "Once you get in the car, it's pretty easy to get going," said fourth-place Kevin Harvick, who had turned off the air conditioning and fans because of battery issues with his No. 4 Ford. The cooler nighttime conditions made the going more palatable. That, and caffeine. "I did have an extra cup of coffee at about 8 o'clock to make sure I was ready to go."