Posted on by Adam Fenwick

For Kevin Harvick and Rodney Childers, Wednesday’s CARS Tour race at North Wilkesboro Speedway during NASCAR All-Star Week is the culmination of a project that started more than a year ago.

That’s when the pair, best known for their work together on the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series, decided to begin the process of building a Late Model Stock Car.

That car, carrying the No. 62, will make its racing debut during Wednesday’s Window World 125 at North Wilkesboro (4:30 p.m. ET on FloRacing) with Harvick holding the steering wheel.

RELATED: How to watch this week’s late model races at North Wilkesboro

“Going and working on that thing is like going and playing a round of golf for some people,” Childers said. “I love to go over there and enjoy it. [The other day] I was over there four hours after work. I was by myself, music was going, and it was peaceful, and I was having fun with it.

“There are some people who love to go fishing. There are some people who love to go hunting. To me, the late model is kind of that thing. I can still use my brain for a lot of cool things and come up with things that maybe the late model guys don’t know or can’t do. It’s kind of fun to pull that stuff out from the back of your brain and see if it’ll work.”

Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick will drive the No. 62 Late Model Stock Car during the CARS Tour event at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Wednesday night. (Photo: FloRacing)

According to Childers, building a new Late Model Stock Car team from the ground up has been no simple task.

From the chassis to the toolbox to the jacks, everything had to be ordered, and, in most cases, there was a lengthy wait before anything could be delivered. For example, Childers said they waited four months for the chassis, four months for an engine, five months for a toolbox, four months for jacks and 12 months for a trailer.

“We started out needing everything,” said Childers, who began his own career racing Late Model Stock Cars in the Southeast. “Needing a car, needing an engine, a transmission, wheels, a trailer, jack stands, jacks, a toolbox, tools. We didn’t have anything at all. It’s taken quite some time to actually feel like we were ready to go racing.

“It takes a long time to accumulate enough stuff like that. People who have raced a long time have all that, and they can build a new car and go race it in just a couple months. For us, we didn’t even have jack stands to put it on or a way of hauling it to the race track.”

Childers said he even went so far as to use the same check list he used when he was forming the No. 4 NASCAR Cup Series team ahead of the 2014 season to make sure he didn’t forget anything important.

“That was the list I actually used,” Childers said. “It has everything on there from jack stands to drain pans to grease guns to rivet guns to what tools to buy. It’s three pages of stuff that we started the No. 4 Cup car with. It’s been a gradual process of accumulating all that stuff.”

Once Childers acquired everything he needed, he started blocking off time each week to build the car. Initially he spent a few hours every Thursday working on the car, but as the race at North Wilkesboro has drawn closer, he’s found himself working nights to make sure the car would be ready to race.

“As far as the car, it was really just working on it for three or four hours on Thursdays. That was really my only day off,” Childers said. “I would go over there and piddle with it. Honestly Kevin was pretty patient with me just doing it that way and not getting somebody else to come in there and take over.

“I think he knew the car meant a lot to me, and he was just kind of letting me do it.”

Late Model Stock Car racing has always been a passion for Childers. He made a name for himself racing them long before he become a crew chief at the top level of NASCAR; that included a victory in the inaugural Fall Brawl at Hickory Motor Speedway in 1998.

That passion has kept Childers involved on a small level in Late Model Stock Car racing for years, either as an interested observer or by helping drivers like Bobby McCarty, a three-time champion of the CARS Late Model Stock Tour.

“Through the years I’ve continued to help different people at different times,” Childers said. “Two years ago I was helping Bobby McCarty, and he was able to win I think four or five races that year. One of them that really stuck out was the fall race at South Boston, where he just dominated. We had actually built the shocks here at SHR.”

The competition in the CARS Tour is among the closest in short-track racing today, something of which Childers is keenly aware. He knows going up against series regulars like Carson Kvapil, Deac McCaskill, Brenden Queen, Connor Hall and Chad McCumbee will be a challenge.

“I had somebody tell me Monday morning that it’s harder to finish top five in a CARS Tour race than it was an Xfinity race,” Childers said. “I kind of laughed at first, and then I was like, ‘You know, you’re probably right.’”

That begs the question: What does Childers expect when Harvick takes the green flag Wednesday evening at North Wilkesboro Speedway?

“If you finish top 10, you’ve probably done something good,” Childers said. “It’s going to be a tough field. After you’ve worked on it for a year and a half, you want to go out there, sit on the front row, pace yourself and sit there and ride and see what you’ve got at the end. That’s what you really want to do.

“I think for us, anything could be possible.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Ross Chastain almost forecast his own fate in Sunday’s late-race showdown with Kyle Larson at Darlington Raceway. The two were at the front of the pack and clanged fenders on a restart that was a quick start and stop because of a multi-car crash with 14 laps left in regulation.

Chastain radioed his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing crew during that caution, asking in particular about Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy, saying, “He’s going to have to hit us harder than that.” And later: “Are we even, or does he want to drive me in the fence again?”

RELATED: Race results 

Neither Larson nor Chastain gave an inch near the end of Sunday’s Goodyear 400, and their battle of wills resulted in a restart rhubarb with six laps left in regulation. Chastain was done for the day after the two cars squeezed and scraped along the outside retaining wall, dropping him to a 29th-place finish. Larson continued with a wounded car and finished 20th behind teammate and race-winner William Byron.

“What a hack,” Larson said over the No. 5 radio. He declined further comment in the post-race media rounds, and crew chief Cliff Daniels politely abstained, deferring to team owner Rick Hendrick and vice chairman Jeff Gordon, who were in the media center as representatives for Byron’s winning No. 24 team.

After being evaluated and released from the infield care center, Chastain said he made a decision to go hard into the narrow first turn at the tough 1.366-mile track. Their side-by-side contest ended in a no-decision.

“We all go race, and I fully committed into (turn) one and wanted to squeeze him up,” said Chastain, who led 93 laps. “Didn’t want to turn myself across his nose, for sure. So, not how I wanted to be standing here talking you out here and another incredible day for Trackhouse.”

MORE: Chastain, Truex tangle on final lap of Stage 2

It was the second issue of the day for Chastain, who bopped the outside wall at the end of Stage 2 and caught up Martin Truex Jr. – dominator for the first half of the race – who spun out of the top five. But more relevant to the No. 5 team, it was the second time in three races that Larson was snared by a Chastain move.

At Dover two weeks ago, Chastain tried to lap the slower car of Brennan Poole at Dover Motor Speedway. But contact with Poole sent his No. 15 Ford sliding directly into the path of Larson, who limped to a 32nd-place result.

“Make that three races he’s taken us out of now, Chevrolet,” Daniels spouted on the No. 5 radio. “Good job.” But Hendrick said that the manufacturer alliance only went so far.

“I don’t care if he’s driving a Chevrolet if he wrecks our cars. I don’t care, and I told Chevrolet that,” Hendrick said. “If you wreck us, you’re going to get it back. If you don’t do it, they’ll run all over you. I’m loyal to Chevrolet, but when somebody runs over us, then I expect my guys to hold their ground. I’m not going to ask them to yield just because of Chevrolet.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

William Byron took full advantage of a late on-track incident between Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson to triumph in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway and become the first three-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series this season.

For Byron, the victory was sweet redemption for last season’s spring race at the ‘Lady in Black,’ where Joey Logano’s bump-and-run denied Byron his first victory at the fabled speedway.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing,” said Byron, who earned the 100th victory for the No. 24 team. “My granddad passed away on Thursday, and just, man, I wish my family could be here. Just things have a way of working out, honestly. It just worked out that way today. We didn’t have the best third stage. We just kept battling, and things just kind of come back around.

“Definitely didn’t expect this. But just thankful for a great team, and, yeah, just things have a way of working out, and to come back here to Darlington and have it go exactly the other way.”

SHOP: Get winner gear

It was a Lap 288 crash between Chastain and Larson—while battling for the lead—that gave Byron the opportunity to collect his seventh career victory.

Taking the inside lane, with Larson beside him, Chastain led the field to a restart after an eight-car wreck necessitated the seventh caution on Lap 281. Chastain drove hard into Turn 1, plowed up the track and wrecked both his No. 1 Chevrolet and Larson’s No. 5.

MORE: See Larson, Chastain wreck late in closing laps

“How does that make any sense, running us into the fence?” Cliff Daniels, Larson’s crew chief, fumed on the team radio. “That’s three races he’s taken us out of — the 1 car — three races he’s taken us out of.”

Chastain took responsibility for the mistake that took him out of the race and relegated Larson to a 20th-place result.

“Full commit into Turn 1,” said Chastain, who finished 29th. “I got really tight and drove up and turned myself. I wanted to squeeze him. I wanted to push him up. We’d been racing back and forth all day. But I definitely didn’t want to turn myself.”

The incident forced overtime, handing the lead to the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Byron outran Kevin Harvick in the final two-lap dash.

In a race that included massive wrecks on Laps 194 and 281, Chase Elliott ran third, followed by Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch, Justin Haley, Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher.

In sharp contrast to the aggressive battling between Chastain and Larson, Harvick, whose No. 4 Ford had sustained front-end damage during the Lap 281 wreck, gave Byron plenty of room after the overtime restart on Lap 294.

“We had a good car all day,” Harvick said. “We just never could get up towards the front in our Sunny Delight Ford Mustang. Struggled in traffic today, but we were really good at the second half of the run and just struggled at the beginning of the run.

“But we had good track position, then had a bad pit stop under green, and then wound up having everything work out there at the end. Didn’t have anything for William. The front is torn up pretty good. But they did a great job and just kind of kept ourselves in the game, and you never know what’s going to happen.”

Pole winner Martin Truex Jr. had the dominant car for the first half of the race. The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota handily won the first stage and led a total of 145 laps, but the handling on Truex’s Camry tightened up during the second stage, allowing Chastain to pass for the lead on Lap 151.

Truex recovered to challenge Chastain for the Stage 2 victory, but on the final lap of the stage, Chastain braked hard behind a lapped car, bounced off the outside wall and sent Truex spinning toward the apron.

MORE: Truex, Chastain tangle at end of Stage 2

Chastain picked up his fifth stage win of the season, but Truex dropped to 10th, and his car never recovered after the incident. And though Truex gained four spots on pit road after the sixth caution and restarted third on Lap 281, he was part of the massive eight-car wreck that decimated the field in the first two corners.

“When we got into Chastain there at the end of the second stage going for the win in that, it knocked the toe out, so we were tight from there on out,” said Truex, who finished 31st. “Just an unfortunate deal. There was plenty of room there, but he just came off the wall and hit me.

“Like I said, knocked the toe out in the right front. Pretty crappy from there, and then on that restart (Lap 281), I guess I just got real tight, and I don’t even know who I squeezed into the wall, but I apologize to them. Probably my fault, just got real tight and couldn’t stay down the track.”

Note: Inspection is complete in the Cup Series garage, confirming the No. 24 of Byron as the winner. The Nos. 20 and 21 will be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center for further inspection.

Posted on by Staff Report

The tides of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway turned at the end of Stage 2 as front-runners Ross Chastain and Martin Truex Jr. made contact in Turn 3 and 4 heading toward the second green-checkered flag of the day.

RELATED: Race results 

With Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suárez fighting to stay on the lead lap, Chastain entered Turn 3 conservatively while Truex entered on the inside of the No. 1 Chevrolet. Suárez’s pace and Chastain’s line entering the corner forced the No. 1 to check up, resulting in slight contact between Truex and Chastain.

Chastain slid up into the wall and Truex Jr. was sent spinning down onto the apron with slight damage. The incident brought out the yellow flag to end the stage, giving Chastain his fifth stage win of 2023. Both cars made it back to pit road.

After gaining the lead on Lap 2, Truex led the next 145 laps before Chastain overtook him on a long, green-flag run.

Chastain and Truex’s days of on-track skirmishes didn’t end as the No. 1 wrecked after getting together with Kyle Larson on a restart with six laps to go. Chastain wound up in the garage with a 29th-place finish. Truex was involved in a wreck with Joey Logano on the previous restart that also ended the day of the No. 19, catapulting the dominant car early on to a 31st-place finish.

MORE: Larson, Chastain wreck late in battle for win

“When we got into Chastain there at the end of the second stage going for the win in that, it knocked the tow out so we were tight from there on out,” Truex said after a brief check at the infield care center. “Just an unfortunate deal. There was plenty of room there, but he just came off the wall and hit me. Like I said, knocked the tow out in the right front. Pretty crappy from there and then on that restart I guess I just got real tight and I don’t even know who I squeezed into the wall, but I apologize to them. Probably my fault, just got real tight and couldn’t stay down the track.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR North Wilkesboro TV programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR North Wilkesboro TV schedule.

Note: All NASCAR North Wilkesboro TV times are ET.

MORE: How to find USA Network | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App | Watch on USA Network | Get the NBC Sports App | Watch on Peacock | FloRacing | How to watch NASCAR International

Monday, May 15
1 a.m., NASCAR 75: The Greatest Countdown Show Ever! (re-air), FS2
3 a.m., NASCAR 75: The Greatest Countdown Show Ever! (re-air), FS2
4 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (re-air), FS1
Noon, NASCAR Xfinity Series: Shriners Children’s 200 at Darlington Raceway (re-air), FS2
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (re-air), FS1
10 p.m., NASCAR 75: The Greatest Countdown Show Ever! (re-air), FS1
11 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS1

Tuesday, May 16
Midnight, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Buckle Up South Carolina 200 at Darlington Raceway (re-air), FS2
2 a.m., NASCAR 75: The Greatest Countdown Show Ever! (re-air), FS2
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: All-Star (re-air), FS1
4 a.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Buckle Up South Carolina 200 at Darlington Raceway (re-air), FS1
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: Darlington (re-air), FS2
9 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (re-air), FS2
4:30 p.m., One Hot Night: The NASCAR 1992 All-Star Race (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
8 p.m., NASCAR 75: The Greatest Countdown Show Ever! (re-air), FS1
9 p.m., One Hot Night: The NASCAR 1992 All-Star Race (re-air), FS1
11 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: All-Star (re-air), FS1
11:30 p.m., NASCAR 75: The Greatest Countdown Show Ever! (re-air), FS1

Wednesday, May 17
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: All-Star (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: All-Star (re-air), FS1

Thursday, May 18
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock

Friday, May 19
Midnight, NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: All-Star (re-air), FS2
12:30 a.m., One Hot Night: The NASCAR 1992 All-Star Race (re-air), FS2
11 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1997 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS2
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: All-Star (re-air), FS2
Noon, NASCAR Pace Lap, MAVTV
3 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice at North Wilkesboro Speedway, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR Pace Lap (re-air), MAVTV
4 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race practice at North Wilkesboro Speedway, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: All-Star Race qualifying (pit-crew challenge) at North Wilkesboro Speedway, FS1

On MRN:
4 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice and pit-crew challenge at North Wilkesboro Speedway

Saturday, May 20
6 a.m., One Hot Night: The NASCAR 1992 All-Star Race (re-air), FS1
7 a.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice at North Wilkesboro Speedway (re-air), FS1
8 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race practice at North Wilkesboro Speedway (re-air), FS1
9 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race practice at North Wilkesboro Speedway (re-air), FS1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series qualifying at North Wilkesboro Speedway, FS1
10:30 a.m., IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo: Laguna Seca Race (re-air), CNBC
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: All-Star (re-air), FS1
Noon, NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: All-Star (re-air), FS2
1 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, FOX
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, FOX
7 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race Heat qualifiers at North Wilkesboro Speedway, FS1
7:30 p.m., ARCA Menards East: Dutch Boy 150 at Flat Rock Speedway, FloSports
8 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour: Buzz Chew Chevrolet Cadillac 200 at Riverhead Raceway, FloSports 

On MRN:
1 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway
7 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race Heat qualifiers at North Wilkesboro Speedway

Sunday, May 21
8 a.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway (re-air), FS1
10 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Heat qualifying races at North Wilkesboro Speedway (re-air), FS1
10:30 a.m., IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo: Laguna Seca Race (re-air), CNBC
12:30 p.m., ARCA Menards East: Music City 200 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway (re-air), CNBC
5 p.m., NASCAR All-Star Open race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, FS1, FOX Deportes
7 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, FS1, FOX Deportes

On MRN:
4:30 p.m., NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway

Posted on by Zack Albert

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Alex Bowman provided an update on his health Sunday at Darlington Raceway, saying he has no firm timetable on his return to NASCAR Cup Series competition as he heals from injuries suffered in a sprint-car crash.

Bowman remained sidelined for Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at the 1.366-mile track, and Josh Berry substituted in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet for the third consecutive week. Bowman suffered a fractured vertebra in an April 25 event at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, and he said he is scheduled to have a physician assess his recovery this week.

RELATED: At-track photos: Darlington

“Every day is a little different. I feel like I definitely feel way better than I did a couple weeks ago,” said Bowman, whose crash came on his 30th birthday. “… But I don’t have any time for an estimated return. Some doctor appointments this week, get some more X-rays, see how I feel and I can go from there. But yeah, I’m obviously mobile, super fortunate that the injury wasn’t worse than it was.”

Bowman was moving without any noticeable impairment through the garage area Sunday afternoon, signing autographs before a media availability at the No. 48 hauler. He said he’s resumed working out in the gym with some modified exercises but that the biggest back pain has been when he laughs, coughs or sneezes or reclines to sleep. Bowman said he’d also want to be able to pull his seat belts tight without pain and absorb bumps and pit stops before feeling comfortable back in the cockpit.

Bowman said his Hendrick Motorsports team has been supportive of his extracurricular racing, and he owns a team that races sprints and midgets. Despite missing two races heading into Darlington, he was still 15th in the Cup Series standings — with six top-10 finishes in 10 starts — and dismissed the suggestion that his season was a write-off.

“I don’t think so. I mean, we’re still in the playoffs right now on points as we sit,” Bowman said. “So I think it’s overcoming, you look at what Kyle Busch has done and what other guys have done post-injury. I mean, it sucks, right? It’s not where I want to be, especially with the season we were having, but I know we can be as strong as we were before I got hurt when I come back.”

Bowman said his return to the track would depend on what his doctors report Wednesday, plus his comfort level of being in the car. He said he might participate in pit-stop practice this week, driving in the parking area and seeing how the jarring action of the car dropping off the jack feels.

Still, he welcomed being back at the track for NASCAR Throwback Weekend, backing the efforts of Berry and the rest of the No. 48 group.

“I knew my back was gonna hurt when I got old. I just didn’t think it was gonna be like that,” Bowman said. “But yeah, just trying to stay plugged in, right, here to be supportive of the 48 team. If I wasn’t here, I would be sitting on the couch. So quick little road trip and glad to be here.”

The Cup Series’ next race is the NASCAR All-Star Race, scheduled Sunday (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Bowman has a berth in the All-Star main event, but team owner Rick Hendrick said that the Coca-Cola 600 on May 28 at Charlotte Motor Speedway could be the more desired return date.

Either way, Hendrick said he won’t hurry Bowman back behind the wheel.

“Look, I want him to be right when he gets back in the car because when you’ve got an injury like that, which he would like to be back in Charlotte,” Hendrick said. “He’s seeing the doctor this week, and he’s got to get in and out of the car. They’ve got to get the belts on him and see how he responds. That’s a terrible injury. If you come back too early, it can mess you up for the whole year. I want him to be right. He’s listening to the doctors. He has started working out. I think it’s a good shot he’ll be back pretty quick. But we haven’t done the test in the car with the straps on him and harnesses and see if he has any pain.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Darlington throwback might also mean a throwback to last weekend’s dramatic finish at Kansas Speedway — if the Racing Insights’ metric formula holds true. There are strong indicators that Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) could come down to another battle between Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin.

FANTASY LIVE: Set your roster | See weekend schedule

Hamlin’s average finish of 7.5 at Darlington is his best on an oval and his best of all tracks with more than two starts. Hamlin also has four victories at Darlington and has finished in the top 10 there in 76% of his starts.

Larson, meanwhile, has an average finish of 9.2 at Darlington, which is the second-best mark among drivers with more than two starts there. Larson has also had some close calls at Darlington. He has been passed for the win 21 times in his career, including twice at ‘The Lady in Black.’

Larson will try to close the door on that elusive Darlington win and give Hendrick Motorsports its first victory at the track since 2012 by Jimmie Johnson. But Hamlin will be aiming for career Cup win No. 50 and a chance to spoil the No. 5’s fun two weeks in a row.

OTHERS TO WATCH

MARTIN TRUEX JR.: Truex claimed his first pole of the season on Saturday and is a two-time Darlington winner.

KEVIN HARVICK: Three-time Darlington winner with 13 top-10 finishes in the last 14 races there.

ERIK JONES: Two-time Darlington winner, including the most recent race in September of 2022.

JOEY LOGANO: He won this race last year and finished fourth in the September 500-miler.

TYLER REDDICK: He finished second in May and third in September last year at Darlington.

Projections as of Sunday, May 14.

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR GOODYEAR 400

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results.

FinishCar numberDriver
15Kyle Larson
219Martin Truex Jr.
311Denny Hamlin
424William Byron
54Kevin Harvick
61Ross Chastain
720Christopher Bell
845Tyler Reddick
912Ryan Blaney
109Chase Elliott
1122Joey Logano
128Kyle Busch
136Brad Keselowski
1423Bubba Wallace
1554Ty Gibbs
163Austin Dillon
1799Daniel Suárez
1847Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
192Austin Cindric
2043Erik Jones
2117Chris Buescher
2214Chase Briscoe
2310Aric Almirola
2434Michael McDowell
2521Harrison Burton
2648Josh Berry
277Corey LaJoie
2838Todd Gilliland
2931Justin Haley
3016AJ Allmendinger
3141Ryan Preece
3277Ty Dillon
3342Noah Gragson
3451Ryan Newman
3578BJ McLeod
3615Brennan Poole
Posted on by Dustin Albino

The results might not show it, but Martin Truex Jr. has arguably been the best driver at Darlington in recent years. In the 2021 Goodyear 400, he stomped the field by leading 248 of 293 laps from the pole. Oh, what’s that? Truex will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday, and the polesitter has won consecutive spring Darlington races. Don’t be surprised if it’s a No. 19 Toyota runaway again.

RELATED: Starting lineup for Sunday | Set your Fantasy Live roster

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:

Starter 1: Martin Truex Jr.
Starter 2: Denny Hamlin
Starter 3: Ross Chastain
Starter 4: Kyle Busch
Starter 5: Kyle Larson
Garage pick: Bubba Wallace

NEXT IN LINE: William Byron, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick.

RISING: While Ricky Stenhouse Jr. didn’t make the cut for my lineup or even the next in line, the No. 47 team continues to put together its best season to date. The third-place qualifying effort is Stenhouse’s best on a non-superspeedway since joining JTG Daugherty Racing in 2020. His Darlington stats aren’t ideal, with just one top-10 finish in 14 starts and an average finish south of 23rd. 

Much like Stenhouse, Wallace doesn’t have the best statistics at Darlington, with a single top-10 finish in nine starts (last September). Getting reps around the egg-shaped oval is one of the primary reasons why he ran the Truck Series race for Tricon Garage on Friday evening. But the No. 23 Toyota is fast this weekend, as Wallace earned his best starting position of the season in second. On the long run, Wallace was among the best in the field as well, ranking second on 20- and 25-lap averages. 

FALLING: For the second consecutive week, Stewart-Haas Racing put two of its entries outside of the top 25 in qualifying with Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece turning the 31st and 32nd quickest times, respectively. But let’s focus on Kevin Harvick, who ranked 20th in qualifying and 24th on single-lap speed in practice. The No. 4 Ford turned up the wick on longer runs, but he isn’t the quickest Ford this weekend. Before catching fire last fall, Harvick hadn’t finished outside the top 10 at Darlington since 2012. Entering the race, it’s questionable whether he will get back inside that threshold.

While the Fords primarily looked quicker in practice — though Keselowski was the lone blue oval to make it to the final round of qualifying — Logano has dropped from my lineup. The defending winner of the Goodyear 400 ranked 20th on 10-lap averages and qualified 15th. The No. 22 team has been sluggish in recent weeks, plummeting from the regular season championship leader to 11th in points over the last seven events. 

MORE: Read all info for the Darlington showdown

FEATURED MATCHUPS

Denny Hamlin vs. Kyle Larson: Expect good races from both drivers on Sunday, as Darlington is one of their best tracks on the circuit, despite Larson not visiting Victory Lane yet. The Nos. 5 and 11 cars looked similar on pace on Saturday while making a long run, but my gut tells me to stick with Hamlin. He’s so good at Darlington. 

Christopher Bell vs. Erik Jones: Neither driver stood out during practice or qualifying, but Jones ranked 31st out of 32 drivers that made a 10-lap run. Not ideal for the most recent Darlington winner. Bell has gone quiet about the season and gets the job done repeatedly. Give me the No. 20 team this weekend, though it wouldn’t surprise me for Jones to flip the script and have a solid outing. 

Kevin Harvick vs. Joey Logano: Welp, these drivers both fell into my falling category, so I’m not particularly high on either entering Sunday. But in a straight-up duel, I’m taking Harvick to outrun Logano at Darlington. Out of all the Ford drivers, Harvick has arguably been the most consistent, though Ryan Blaney has a slightly better average finishing position.

Noah Gragson vs. Daniel Suarez: The rookie season for Gragson continued to languish, as the No. 42 car qualified 29th. And though Darlington is not among Suarez’s best tracks with one top-10 effort in 10 races, he should have enough sheer pace to outrun Gragson on Sunday.

Posted on by Zack Albert

DARLINGTON, S.C. – John Hunter Nemechek had a charging Kyle Larson hounding him for the lead in the final 10 laps of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race. When the 2021 Cup Series champ made his move on the final lap, the result was a fender-bamming classic at Darlington Raceway.

Nemechek wound up getting the worst of his full-contact duel down the stretch with Larson, who went on to win Saturday afternoon’s Shriners Children’s 200 in his first Xfinity start of the year. Larson’s final glance off the Turn 4 wall bumped his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet into Nemechek’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, which careened toward the inside retaining wall.

RELATED: Race results | Darlington weekend schedule

Nemechek skidded across the start/finish line for a fifth-place result. While disappointed, his reaction was far removed from anger after a pressure-packed battle.

“Oh no, that’s racing hard. That’s good, hard racing,” Nemechek said after a quick evaluation at the infield care center. “I’m smiling ear-to-ear internally, let’s put it, for the hard racing that we had today, and how him and I raced each other. I’m disappointed with the fifth-place finish with the car that we had today and not being in Victory Lane, but I’ll let that disappointment drive me and hopefully we can go win some more races this year.”

Nemechek started from the pole position and led a race-high 57 of the 147 laps – 11 more than Larson’s second-best total. The two divided the stage wins, but Larson had to rally back into the hunt after a pit-road speeding penalty dropped him to 30th place for the start of the second stage.

Nemechek had things seemingly in control but Larson kept gaining ground, especially as the No. 20 Supra started to slip navigating Turn 4. Those bobbles left Nemechek to lament what might have been.

“I feel like we both had dominant race cars at times,” Nemechek said. “I feel like him and I were definitely the class in the field as the day went on, and I don’t know if he wouldn’t have got a speeding penalty how we would’ve ended up but I felt like we were really good for portions of the run, and he was really good other portions of the run. So ultimately, he probably should’ve won the race. He shouldn’t have been that close to me, come the white-flag lap, but he was fast, and he’s one of the best in the sport. There’s a reason that he’s a NASCAR Cup Series champion and wins a lot.

“So we’ll take it and move on with it. I learned a lot today for when we come back here in the fall and just got to be a little bit smarter about it.”

MORE: At-track photos: Darlington

Larson’s gains came to fruition on the last trip around the 1.366-mile track. He dipped low underneath Nemechek exiting Turn 2 and their contact through the third corner carried both cars up the track. Nemechek’s crossover attempt on the low side ended with Larson’s ricochet leaving the final bend.

“I touched him and then he got in behind me and it kind of turned my car, pointed me this way so that I’m sliding and hit the wall and then was just trying to get my … I didn’t want to wall ride or nothing like that because I didn’t want to get a penalty or anything,” Larson said. “So we hit the wall and I came off of it, and I’m just watching my little mirror, seeing where he’s at and trying to chase away from him a little bit and keep my foot in it. Hit the wall there, late exit at about the same point when he was getting to me, so just a wild, crazy finish, and hopefully the fans all enjoyed it.”

Nemechek moved into the lead in the Xfinity Series standings, using his strong stage showings to grab a one-point edge over fourth-finishing Austin Hill. Saturday represented an extension of the 25-year-old driver’s performance so far this season; he leads the series in average finish and is tied for the tour’s lead in top fives and top 10s.

It provided some degree of solace, even without the winning result.

“Just one of those things that happens, race-wise, but we can take a lot of positives away from today,” Nemechek said. “From the speed that we had all day, execution on pit road, everything was really, really good today. Driver just needs to be a little bit better.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

In a fitting end to a true Darlington slugfest, Kyle Larson won Saturday’s Shriners Children’s 200 after bouncing off the wall at the Turn 4 exit and knocking John Hunter Nemechek into the inside SAFER barrier 100 yards short of the finish line.

With the help of two opportune cautions, Larson recovered from a speeding penalty that sent him to the rear of the field for the start of the Final Stage.

Restarting behind race winner Nemechek for the final green-flag run with seven laps left, Larson stalked the No. 20 Toyota and charged into the lead on the final lap, as the top two cars made side-to-side contact on at least three occasions during the run to the checkers.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“We had a really, really good car the whole race, and I made a mistake on pit road,” said Larson, who was driving the No. 10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing. “I knew we were going to have time to get to the front if we had a caution.

“We were picking off cars really fast and had some lane selections work out for me. … We were just bouncing off each other a little bit. I don’t know what happened in (Turn) 3. It seemed like he (Nemechek) tried to get behind me to shove me into the corner.

“It kind of hooked me right, and I hit the wall, and I was trying to stay away from him and get off of (Turn) 4. What an exciting race there.”

The victory was Larson’s first of the season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and his first at Darlington in any of NASCAR’s top three divisions. It was Larson’s 14th career Xfinity win in his only start so far this year.

Nemechek, who beat Larson in a photo finish to win Stage 2, had to settle for fifth after the last-lap crash. Justin Allgaier claimed the runner-up spot, followed by Cole Custer, who pitted for fresh tires on Lap 137 and charged forward from 16th after the final restart on Lap 141. Austin Hill was fourth in a damaged car.

“Had a really fast race car and battling with one of the best in the sport in my opinion, Kyle Larson,” said Nemechek, who led 57 laps to Larson’s 46. “It was a really great day. …

“Just disappointed a little bit from the standpoint of how that ended up there. Overall, we gave it a shot and still had a shot to win off of Turn 4. Fast car, top five to show for it, when it probably should have been Victory Lane or second.”

Larson paced the field when Sheldon Creed washed up the track and pinched Nemechek’s Toyota against the wall on Lap 67. Trying to avoid the wreck, Sam Mayer steered his Chevrolet down the track into the Camaro of Hill, who slid sideways into the path of Brandon Jones. The driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet couldn’t avoid terminal damage.

MORE: ‘Big One’ breaks out at Darlington

Behind Jones and Hill, the cars of Ryan Truex and Chandler Smith spun in tandem, with the crush panels cascading out of the driver’s side of Smith’s No. 16 Chevrolet.

All told, 11 cars sustained damage in the wreck, and four others merely spun and continued. Jones, Chandler Smith and Truex fell out of the race.

Unlike Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, which ran without cautions for racing incidents during the first two stages, action in the Xfinity Series event started early and ultimately resulted in 10 cautions for 51 laps.

On Lap 4, Sammy Smith spun in Turn 2 while running beneath the No. 98 Ford of Riley Herbst, causing the first caution. After the subsequent restart on Lap 8, Smith slipped sideways, making slight contact with Justin Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet.

And on Lap 12, Herbst pancaked the right side of his Mustang against the outside wall and came to pit road for an unscheduled stop, losing two laps in the process.

Nineteen laps later, Herbst slammed the wall between Turns 1 and 2 and exited the race in last place with irreparable damage.

Jeb Burton spun on Lap 39 to cause the second caution. After pit stops, Larson won the first stage six laps later, beating pole winner Nemechek to the green-checkered flag.

The second stage contained its own share of action. Parker Retzlaff spun off Turn 4 across traffic to cause the fourth caution. Lap 60 brought two separate incidents that saw the front right quarter panels ripped off the cars of Sage Karam and Anthony Alfredo.

Seven laps later came the Talladega-sized “Big One” that destroyed the winning chances of more than a handful of contending cars.

NOTE: Post-race inspection was completed in the Xfinity Series garage without issue. The Nos. 7, 18, 21 and 00 will be taken to the R&D Center for further inspection.