Darlington preview: Key story lines, predictions for NASCAR’s return to racing

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to resume Sunday at Darlington Raceway, one of NASCAR's most iconic tracks. Following a two-month layoff between races as the world faced the COVID-19 pandemic, the greatest drivers in stock-car racing are set to once again take the green flag in The Real Heroes 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio). A quick 2020 refresher: Denny Hamlin strengthened his Hall of Fame case with a jaw-dropping third Daytona 500 crown in five years, Joey Logano has been the season's most dominant driver to date and Alex Bowman inserted himself into the playoff picture in dominant fashion with an Auto Club win before things were put on hold after the race on March 8 at Phoenix Raceway. The lineup for Sunday was set on Thursday evening with a televised draw, so the only things left between now and the drop of the green are a hearty 'Drivers, start your engines!' and the deafening roar of machinery that follows. RELATED: Darlington starting lineup | Ways to follow NASCAR.com has you covered from every conceivable angle. Read our full coverage below to get ready for both Sunday's The Real Heroes 400 and the rest of the 2020 season. NASCAR is back. Let's go.

CATCHING BACK UP

 

• Timeline of events: NASCAR news and information in regards to the coronavirus outbreak and its impact in the sport. | Read more
• Return to racing announced: At the end of April, NASCAR announced its return to racing on Sunday, May 17, at Darlington Raceway with a NASCAR Cup Series race that will serve as the first of seven races over an 11-day span at two different race tracks. | Read more
• The Real Heroes: The special NASCAR Cup Series race entitlement at Darlington Raceway follows the launch of The Real Heroes Project, a collaborative initiative by 14 sports leagues including NASCAR to recognize and pay tribute to medical professionals serving on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. | Read more
• 'Huge responsibility for us': NASCAR announced it’ll restart its season mid-May, the first professional sports league that will return to action. | Read more
• Previously, on NASCAR: Relive the key moments and winning drivers for the first four races of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season as the sport gets ready to return at Darlington Raceway. | Watch now
• Performance reviews: We were four races into 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season before things were put on hold, but we had a pretty good idea of where teams were. | Read more
• What went into 'wild prep': NASCAR teams had to hustle to get ready for the return to racing under different circumstances. Here's how Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 crew handled the frenzy. | Read more
• Recapping the Daytona 500: Denny Hamlin won his third Daytona 500 and became the fourth driver to win "The Great American Race" in back-to-back years and the first since Sterling Marlin did so in 1994-95. | Read more
• Recapping the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas: Joey Logano won this race for the second season in a row, securing the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion a spot in this year's playoffs. | Read more
• Recapping the Auto Club 400: Alex Bowman earned his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory, securing a spot in the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs | Read more
• Recapping the FanShield 500 at Phoenix: Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, held off blue oval stablemate Kevin Harvick in NASCAR Overtime to pick up his second win of the season. | Read more
• Rocket Man is back: Ryan Newman on his recovery, return: ‘I feel like a complete walking miracle’ | Read more
• FAQ on NASCAR's return: NASCAR announced the schedule for the first set of races throughout May in the sport’s return after the COVID-19 outbreak. Here are answers to some potential questions. | Read more

 

RACING FORWARD

• Keep an eye on Joe Gibbs Racing: Sure, we have no idea what we're about to witness Sunday, but the statistics don't lie. | Read more
• Expert picks, analysis for Darlington: NASCAR.com previews NASCAR's return to racing at Darlington Speedway. Who will be fast? Who can win? Find out in this week's Preview Show. | Watch now
• Odds, lines for Darlington return: Penn National Gaming has released its betting odds for the event -- with one heavyweight atop the board. | Read more
• Follow the race from home: Everything you need to dig into Sunday's race from every angle, with up-to-the-minute live scoring, Scanner, Drive and more. | How to follow
• What the drivers are saying: With NASCAR set to return, drivers had plenty to say in the week leading up to the race. See all the NASCAR chatter about what the first few laps back to racing will be like. | See what they had to say
• Reaching new heights: From inching closer to legends in several categories to several drivers closing in on 700 Cup starts, see what feats could be accomplished this season. | Read more
• Who's got the power? NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 NASCAR Cup Series drivers after the race at Phoenix Raceway -- with some iRacing in between -- and before the race at Darlington Raceway. | Read more
• Fantasy Fastlane: Fantasy Fastlane will look at each race from a fantasy perspective, examining the top plays and sleepers as well as plays to avoid for NASCAR Fantasy Live. Garage driver will lock at end of Stage 2. | Read more
• Paint Scheme Preview: See the schemes that will hit the track this weekend at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series. | See the schemes
• Technical details: NASCAR officials released information about starting lineup and pit-selection procedures, plus a modified competition caution process to allow for more wide-ranging adjustments for upcoming events scheduled without practice or qualifying. | Read more
• Where they're pitting: See where your favorite driver will pit for Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway. | Read more
• Recapping the beefs: We’ve been away for a while, so @nascarcasm wanted to get you back up to speed on which drivers have beef with each other, which drivers had beef but resolved it and which drivers are now beefless. | Read more
• Yet another Zoom call: Before Sunday’s The Real Heroes 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), NASCAR will hold a virtual driver-crew chief meeting — with a twist — that will air at 2 p.m. ET on NASCAR.com and NASCAR’s social channels. | Read more
• We're going streaking: NASCAR.com digs in with statistics from Racing Insights and its own research to examine a dozen early streaks and trends from all three national series. | Read more

WELCOME TO THE PARTY

• How the points work: Each finishing spot in the field earns a driver points, from a maximum of 40 points to the driver who finishes first, down to one point for the driver who finishes 40th. These points accrue over a season and determine the driver standings, as well as the owner standings. | Read more
• How the playoffs work: For all three NASCAR national series, there are a series of eliminations as the NASCAR Playoffs progress.  | Read more
• Need-to-know terms: Keep this handy guide by your side when watching your next NASCAR race to stay in the know with stock-car racing terminology. | Read more
• Nice to see you again: Welcome back, old friend. Or, for some of you, welcome aboard as you follow NASCAR for the very first time. Here's what you need to know. | Read more
• Drafting 101: Get race-ready with a little NASCAR 101 with Clint Bowyer. In this video Bowyer explains how to draft. | Watch now
• Darlington 101: With a tight schedule of racing on tap to round out the month of May, here’s a primer with helpful information before stock-car racing resumes at the track “Too Tough to Tame.” | Read more
• Who to root for? Greetings, first-time NASCAR viewers! Looking for a little guidance in choosing a driver to root for? We are here to help. | Read more
• Live out your NASCAR fantasies: Play NASCAR Fantasy Live at Darlington and compete all season long in the best NASCAR fantasy game around. | Play now
• Fantasy 101: NASCAR Fantasy Live is back in action with the resumption of the 2020 season at Darlington Raceway with a few tweaks from last year’s game. | Read more
• Want to win some cash?: Download NASCAR Finish Line today for your shot at free contests where you can win cash prizes. | Download now
• NASCAR on TV: Don't miss a minute of the action as NASCAR makes its triumphant return to racing on Sunday at Darlington Raceway. | See TV schedule