Posted on by Staff Report

DARLINGTON, S.C. — The start of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway was delayed by rain.

A sizable shower first hit the 1.366-mile South Carolina track around 5:45 p.m. ET, just before the scheduled 6 p.m. ET start of the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM). The 500-mile event is the centerpiece of NASCAR Throwback Weekend and the penultimate race in the Monster Energy Series’ regular season.

RELATED: Starting lineup | At-track photos

Competition officials have a solid contingent of track-drying equipment on hand: 10 NASCAR Air Titans, seven jet dryers, two Elgin sweepers, one track vacuum and a buffalo blower.

When the race does get started, 21-year-old William Byron will lead the 39-car field to the green flag. Byron captured the Busch Pole Award in Saturday’s qualifying, edging second-fastest Brad Keselowski, who is the defending race winner.

This story will be updated.

Posted on by Staff Report

The fans have spoken, selecting Bubba Wallace as their favorite throwback paint scheme and the winner of Darlington’s Best in Show during the fifth year of NASCAR’s Official Throwback Weekend at the South Carolina race track.

The No. 43 Victory Junction 15th Anniversary Chevrolet sports orange, green, purple and yellow livery to honor the late Adam Petty’s ARCA Racing Series No. 45 Spree Prepaid Foncard Pontiac from his victory in 1998 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The vote took place over roughly three-and-a-half weeks in August ahead of this weekend’s throwback celebration.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

RELATED: All the 2019 throwback schemes | Throwbacks from every angle

Last year’s winner, William Byron, finished second in the voting with his No. 24 City Chevrolet scheme that harkens back to the Cole Trickle paint scheme from the movie “Days of Thunder.”

Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman finished third with his Tim Richmond tribute scheme.

You can see all the throwback paint schemes tonight in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Track Release

DARLINGTON, S.C.  – Reserved tickets for the 70th annual Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500, the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR, are sold out, Darlington Raceway President Kerry Tharp announced Sunday.

MORE: Full race lineup | Top story lines

“It’s because of our loyal race fans and partners that we can officially say that all reserved seats for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 are sold,” Tharp said. “Darlington’s Throwback Weekend continues to grow in popularity each year and we appreciate and thank our fans for their continued support. The Bojangles’ Southern 500 is truly one of our sport’s crown jewels and we look forward to seeing everyone back in 2020 when we open up the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.”

This year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 will be attended by fans representing more than 12 different countries and nearly all of the 50 United States.

You can keep up with all of the latest news from Darlington Raceway at DarlingtonRaceway.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DarlingtonRaceway and on Twitter atTwitter.com/TooToughToTame. Fans are encouraged to post their Bojangles’ Southern 500 stories and memories at #BojanglesSo500 and #SportClips200.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

William Byron is on the pole for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Do the young Hendrick Motorsports driver and his “Days of Thunder” ride merit a spot in your Fantasy Live lineup? We’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration.

PLAY NOW: Set your lineup | How the game works | Tips to set your lineup

RJ Kraft’s Fantasy Live lineup for race day at Darlington:
1. Brad Keselowski
2. Kyle Larson
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Joey Logano
Garage: Martin Truex Jr.

RELATED: Odds for Darlington | Lap averages | Weekend preview

Analysis: We have two races left in the Fantasy Live regular season and by and large, it’s time to let the big dogs loose.

Keselowski, Larson, Hamlin and Harvick are my absolute must-haves for this weekend. All four have been very strong at Darlington over the past five years — all but Larson have wins there — and their lap averages were among the top six in final practice. So we are not going to overthink this. They are all in the lineup.

I am putting Logano in the lineup over Truex. Logano will line up seventh while Truex will start 22nd. The starting position itself doesn’t give me pause as much as the Team Penske driver being better on longer runs (20- and 25-lap averages) in final practice. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had a sharper fall off on the lap averages over the longer runs. Tire management is going to be crucial in this race. I also like Logano’s recent history at Darlington, despite his string of subpar results in recent 2019 races.

For the garage, I debated Truex, Byron and Kyle Busch. I am out of Kurt Busch uses so he was not an option for me. If you are going by lap averages as your guide, it’s Kyle Busch here. Truex’s recent Darlington history makes him tempting, while Byron being on the pole puts him in prime position for stage points — something he has done in his previous races from the pole (at Charlotte and the June Pocono race). All week, I have been saying to prioritize the 367-lap race over next week’s 160-lapper at Indianapolis but Busch’s 33rd-place qualifying spot (and subsequent start from the rear due to an engine change)  has given me real pause on that especially with how good he is at Indianapolis. If all goes according to plan, this will be my final uses of Harvick and Hamlin, so that makes me feel a little better on holding the 18 back. In the end, I am ultimately putting my faith in Truex and crew chief Cole Pearn’s ability to master day-to-night races as well as better lap averages than Byron.

For the bonus picks, I have Larson in Stage 1, Keselowski in Stage 2 and Hamlin for the win.

Each week in this space, we’ll also highlight two Props Challenge items for players.

MORE: Need Props help? The Action Network has you covered | Play the Props Challenge today

1. O/U 4.5 drivers score at least 40 race points. In the 2018 race, five drivers scored at least 40 points. In the 2017 race, four drivers scored at least 40 points — Hamlin’s disqualified win dropped that down to three after a points penalty. This line is right on the money. I am going with the UNDER because I think drivers starting outside the top 12 like Truex, Kyle Busch and Erik Jones will be factors in the final stage but will not gain as much in the way of stage points.

2. Will the polesitter lead O/U 100.5 laps? Taking the UNDER here for three reasons. Byron has never led 100 laps in a race thus far despite winning three poles already this season. He had a pretty sharp drop down the lap averages board past the 5-lap averages. I also expect Keselowski and Larson to be in the lead pretty early into the opening run.

Posted on by PJ Walsh

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

When it comes to betting on NASCAR, odds can fluctuate massively based on how drivers qualify. Obviously, having a better starting position gives drivers an advantage over those in the back, especially with the 2019 aero package.

However, there are still some racetracks on the circuit with older surfaces that wear tires significantly. When tires quickly lose their grip, it puts more of an emphasis on the driver than track position.

Darlington Raceway is old school in every way, including its surface. Managing tires is the key to getting around here well over the course of an entire run.

So while starting position always matters, there are two past Southern 500 winners who the market has downgraded too much for my liking, and I’ll happily buy them back at their current discounted prices.

Kevin Harvick (8-1) to Win

Harvick is arguably the best driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at managing tire wear, and that shows in his recent performances at Darlington.

Over the past five Southern 500s, Harvick has the best average finish (4.2) and the best average running position (3.8), while leading the most laps (518) and running the most fast laps (196).

The 2014 Southern 500 winner qualified a respectable 11th for tonight’s race while showing plenty of speed in practice — Harvick finished sixth in 10-lap average and fifth in 20-lap average in Happy Hour.

Martin Truex Jr. (10-1) to Win

Darlington has really clicked for Truex over the past three years, highlighted by his win in this event back in 2016.

Over that span, just three drivers have a better average finish than Truex and only two have a better average running position. Truex has also spent plenty of time out front, ranking fourth in laps led and second in fast laps.

His starting position of 22nd isn’t ideal, but it’s not enough to justify a drop to 10-1 odds, especially since he performed just fine in final practice with the fourth-best 10-lap average and seventh-best 15-lap average.

*Odds from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of 9 a.m. ET

Posted on by Jonathan Merryman

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Drought is a familiar word for a family of off-road desert racers from El Cajon, California.

In retrospect an 83-race winless streak is nothing compared to falling asleep at the wheel while competing in the 1995 Baja 1000, nearly totaling your trophy truck and having to wait countless hours for anyone to realize you’re missing and show up to pull you out of the desert.

Seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson lived that.

Johnson’s throwback scheme for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) pays homage to that very truck, named “Butch.”

RELATED: See all throwbacks

“I wrecked it twice that year really bad. Once in Barstow and then the big wreck in the Baja 1000,” Johnson said. “Another family bought (Butch) and had it, restored it and were using it again in some lower-level desert racing. I found out where it was, they gave me a fair price to buy it back because of the sentimental value to it and I was able to get it and restore it.”

Butch is a 1990 Chevy Thunder Sportside built by Nelson and Nelson Racing. It’s draped in a purple and orange lightning bolt livery that also can be seen on Johnson’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet this weekend. It’s an opportunity for Johnson to give a little something back to the off-road community and the truck that helped propel his racing career.

“Ally was very gracious to let me have this opportunity,” Johnson said. “I’ve always wanted to throw back to the off-road industry. Within that, there were probably two or three paint schemes that we had to choose from. For me, and the amount of times I’ve told that Baja 1000 story and the fact that we had the truck and were restoring it, it just felt like the right way to go with it.”

Jimmie Johnson Main Ally Butch 3

Jimmie’s younger brother Jarit did most of the restoration work on the truck, a process that has been on and off for the past eight years. Jarit, too, was racing in that same Baja 1000 in 1995 and knows just how tough both driver and equipment have to be to survive one of the world’s most dangerous races.

Jarit spun several tales of growing up off-roading with Jimmie while driving “Butch” during the annual Darlington parade, which went through the heart of the town that hosts NASCAR Throwback Weekend.

“I was in the same race. I was racing a two-seater Class 10 car,” Jarit said, navigating the streets. “I got stuck in the mud at Coco’s Corner and my dad was in San Ignacio, which is about another 150 miles away. So I was missing and then Jimmie was missing.

“Once I got out of the mud and got down to San Ignacio where my father was, he told me that Jimmie ended up wrecking, but he was OK. But we were in the same race when he ended up crashing it. It was pretty tore up. I mean it smashed the cage down, ripped the right front off of it. It took a lot to get it rebuilt.”

Jarit also sees parallels in Butch’s resurrection and his brother’s fight to get back to Victory Lane, something that hasn’t happened since the first Dover race back in June 2017.

Jimmie Johnson Main Ally Butch 2

“I mean, there is some spunk in his step,” Jarit said. “Not saying that he hasn’t had that, but it’s just a good-flowing weekend that just gives everybody initiative like ‘cool, check out our paint scheme.’ It’s pretty cool,” Jarit said. “This era of the trophy truck and then the era of the Mickey Thompson truck, which has a similar paint scheme, it sent presents with Chevrolet and Jimmie and look where he is at now. It’s pretty sweet.”

Jimmie Johnson’s win total sits at 83 — the same number as his winless streak. His seven titles, tied for most all time with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty, remain seemingly untouchable in the modern era.

With a little inspiration and a touch of color from Butch, Johnson hopes to tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip’s 84 Cup Series wins and set a path toward something no NASCAR driver has ever accomplished.

Eight premier series championships.

Posted on by Terrin Waack

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. waved off the golf cart, opting to walk.

The frontstretch at Darlington Raceway is 1,229 feet long. Earnhardt spent half that distance, making his way from the start-finish line to the pit entrance, signing autographs for the fans who waited until after the South Carolina track was cleared of competition and swarmed the 15-time Most Popular Driver once given the thumbs up. It was a walk-and-talk deal. No stopping, no getting in the way.

And, for Earnhardt specifically, there was no looking back.

“This is probably my final run here,” Earnhardt said. “This place is too tough. These kids can have it.”

RELATED: Darlington Xfinity race results 

Earnhardt raced in Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200, an Xfinity Series event. The former full-time Monster Energy Series driver finished fifth, ultimately moving into the top five after Denny Hamlin was disqualified and Cole Custer was named the winner. That’s nine marks higher than Earnhardt’s 14th qualifying spot.

Stages 1 and 2, which were 90 laps each, both saw Earnhardt come in seventh. He ran within the back half of the top 10 for a majority of the 147 laps at the 1.366-mile track considered “Too Tough To Tame.” That surprised him.

“You just never assume when you go to the race track that you’re going to have a great day,” Earnhardt said. “I feel like I’m never disappointing myself. I never come in with high hopes and leave with my head hanging.”

The last time Earnhardt ran in the Xfinity Series at Darlington was 1999 — two decades ago. He did two races that year, finishing 11th and 12th.

Much more recent, but not too recent: The last time Earnhardt raced, period, was 2018. He did a one-off Xfinity Series run at Richmond Raceway, where he qualified second, led 96 laps and finished fourth. The same post-race scene unfolded there.

Earnhardt retired from full-time competition after the 2017 season.

“What I’m really reminded of when I get to do these races is how much we ought to respect drivers who do it every single week because it is so hard,” Earnhardt said. “Not just driving the race, like all the grind throughout the week. The testing. The debriefs. The study. Watching races and film. There’s so much to it that it starts to pop in my head, and I remember why I’m glad I’m not in that grind anymore. Just going practicing, qualifying and running in the rest, it’s fun.”

RELATED: Dale Jr. moving on from plane crash

Once a year is enough for Earnhardt. He would like to continue at that pace with Hellmann’s as a sponsor, specifically naming Homestead-Miami Speedway as a desired location “if they want to sell mayonnaise in Florida.” But the itch to fully return has disappeared.

That doesn’t mean he’s not around. Far from it. The NBC Sports broadcast booth is Earnhardt’s new place of employment.

“To me, this is what makes a Hall of Famer: When you’re done with your career, you don’t leave the sport,” Cup Series driver Joey Logano said. “That to me is the definition of a Hall of Famer and a legend in our sport. The fact that he stuck around and really no one said he had to — he stuck around doing TV and throwing in some Xfinity races every now and then again — it shows that he cares about our sport and about the people in it. I thank him for it. There’s not many who do that.”

Earnhardt also owns JR Motorsports. That’s where his No. 8 Chevrolet came from. The team has been around for 18 years now.

JR Motorsports had three other drivers at Darlington: Noah Gragson (eighth), Justin Allgaier (ninth) and Michael Annett (13th).

“Dale is one of those guys,” Allgaier said. “Obviously he’s still young, and I feel like if he wanted to do it on Sundays, he could go out and be equally as competitive as he was before, go win races and fight for a championship. The fact that he sits out of the car and comes back doesn’t surprise me. I know he was worried about it, but he’s way too good of a race car driver to struggle, I guess.”

As was evident Saturday.

Earnhardt hasn’t lost his edge. Success is just no longer his No. 1 priority.

“Well, it wasn’t a win,” Earnhardt said. “It wasn’t a storybook win or anything like that. It just feels good to be competitive. It feels good that everybody has a smile on their face.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

DARLINGTON, S.C. — The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Xfinity Series failed post-race inspection after Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway.

NASCAR disallowed Denny Hamlin’s apparent victory at the 1.366-mile track after the No. 18 entry failed a pair of height requirements, ruled too low in the left front and too high in the right rear.

RELATED: Race results | Custer awarded win

Saturday’s victory was awarded to Cole Custer, who initially appeared to settle for second place at Darlington for the second straight year. Custer said he realized the finishing order was being revised after his crew chief called him “standing like 15 feet away from me,” to say that the No. 18 car had been dropped to last place.

“It’s crazy. It’s a way to win it. It’s a strange way to win it,” Custer told NASCAR.com in the Xfinity Series garage after news of the disqualification seeped out. “I wish I would’ve been able to pass him. Him being low isn’t why he won that race. At the same time, that’s the rules we live by and everybody has the same deal. Everybody’s been bit by it at some point, so it’s cool. We get to have some more playoff points and this is the momentum that we needed.”

The disqualification is the first of an Xfinity Series race winner since an updated deterrence system was put in place at the start of the season. The only other disqualification of an apparent winner in a NASCAR national series race this year came in June, when Ross Chastain’s Niece Motorsports No. 44 entry was demoted from first place at Iowa Speedway.

The disqualification is the fourth in the Xfinity Series this season. Christopher Bell’s third-place finish in the JGR No. 20 was thrown out at Chicagoland in late June, and AJ Allmendinger’s Kaulig Racing entry was disqualified from third place at Daytona in July then again from second place at Watkins Glen a month later.

“I think you’ve got to look at the garage area,” said Xfinity Series director Wayne Auton, when asked about the recent rise in violations as the regular season winds down. “I think we’ve still got five weeks to go before we get a break, we’re in the middle of a 15-week stretch and the playoffs are coming, and everybody’s pushing everything they can to get that little bit they can to win the race. I can’t sit here and say all the dynamics of the 18 car because they have until Monday at 12 o’clock to appeal, but today they were found low.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DARLINGTON, S.C. – It looked like more of the same at Darlington Raceway for driver Denny Hamlin — until post-race inspection happened.

A five-time NASCAR Xfinity Series winner at the 1.366-mile track, Hamlin was first across the finish line in Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200, but the disqualification of Hamlin’s No. 18 Toyota for a ride-height violation made a winner of Cole Custer, who trailed Hamlin by .602 seconds at the finish line.

RELATED: Race results

“It’s a really strange feeling, honestly — obviously,” Custer said after being notified he was the winner. “You don’t want it that way, but it is what it is. We all play by the same rules. Was that the deciding factor? No.

“But it is what it is. We get the points. We get the money. We get the trophy, I guess. It’s a way to win.”

The victory was the first for Custer at the Track Too Tough to Tame and his sixth of the season, tying him with fourth-place finisher Christopher Bell for most in the series this year. Custer now has eight career Xfinity wins.

RELATED: Xfinity Series standings

The disqualification ruined a strong effort from Hamlin, who started 37th in a backup car after slapping the outside wall early in Friday’s opening practice. Hamlin took the lead on Lap 121 of 147 and held it the rest of the way.

And though Hamlin’s efforts became moot with the disqualification, he overcame issues with the handling of the backup No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota through the first two 45-lap stages of the event and was able to withstand a determined closing run by Custer.

“We did not have the best car by any means, but luckily, the techniques I’ve learned over so many years kind of (helped) us there,” Hamlin said before learning of the disqualification. “The guys did a great job getting this car ready.”

Abandoning the NBC Sports broadcast booth for his only race of the year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran fifth as the highest finishing JR Motorsports entry.

Custer hounded Hamlin after a restart with 10 laps left and ran the bottom through Turns 1 and 2 to gain ground. On several occasions over the final five laps, he pulled within a car-length of Hamlin’s bumper but couldn’t quite get to the winner.

“I thought I had him,” Custer said after climbing from his car. “I really wanted it — finishing second here really sucks. You really want to win at one of the marquee places … I couldn’t get a run off of (Turn) 4. I don’t know — it was so close.”

As it turned out, it was close enough.

Series leader Tyler Reddick ran second after leading a race-high 70 laps. Pole winner Ryan Blaney, the only other driver to hold the lead, was third after spending 50 laps at the point. Bell, Earnhardt, Chase Briscoe, Brandon Jones, Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier and Austin Cindric completed the top 10.

Earnhardt was pleased with his performance in the one-off start.

“I love this place,” said Earnhardt, whose No. 8 Chevrolet was sporting a paint scheme commemorating his father’s first start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte in 1975. “We love Darlington. … You never know how good you are till you come back and try it.

“All these guys are elite. All these guys do this every single week, and they’re very, very talented. To think you can take a year off and come back and be good … you just never know. But we did all right!”

WATCH: Junior finishes fifth, honors father

With two races left before the cutoff for the Xfinity Playoffs at Las Vegas, Reddick holds a 51-point lead over Bell in the race for the regular-season title. Custer is 136 points back in third place.

The disqualification was the fifth this year under the enforcement policy NASCAR adopted this season, all in either the Xfinity or Gander Outdoors Truck Series. Hamlin was the second race winner to suffer a disqualification, the other being Ross Chastain in a Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway.

Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Busch will drop to the rear of the field for the start of Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 after his No. 18 team changed the engine on his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota following a subpar qualifying run.

Busch was slated to start 33rd out of 39 cars after his qualifying lap at Darlington Raceway of 167.351 mph — significantly behind the Busch Pole Award-winning speed of William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at 172.487 mph.

RELATED: Darlington starting lineup

“Something is wrong,” Busch said after his qualifying run for Sunday’s 6 p.m. ET race (on NBCSN/NBC Sports App). “I don’t know what’s wrong. I’m not that slow. That’s a second off of what it should have been. …

“Everything was fine until about halfway down the back. It started to lay down. It started to shake and vibrate. When I got out of the gas in (Turns) 3 and 4 and got back to throttle, it got worse. So, I don’t know. It fired up and ran fine here on idle, but if you plug your computer in order to check it and look at anything, you go to the back (of the field).”

Busch’s previous worst starting slot this season was 31st — at both the August Bristol Motor Speedway race and at the Daytona 500.

NASCAR.com’s Terrin Waack contributed to this report.