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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
“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.
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.
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Ross Chastain’s aggressive nature put him at the center of a physical conflict last Sunday at Kansas Speedway. He said Saturday that any rough patches with fellow combatant Noah Gragson have been smoothed out, and the two spent time together racing micro-sprint cars on dirt the next day.
Chastain’s actions both during and after the race, however, remained a talking point with the NASCAR Cup Series field’s Saturday arrival at Darlington Raceway. Questions still linger about how best to deal with both physical altercations and Chastain himself.
“I’ve had issues with a lot of guys and Chastain has been the most frustrating one because he has it every single week,” said Kyle Busch. “So when it happens with you, because it’s every single week and it’s so repetitive with one guy, then you get even more frustrated because it’s like the guy hasn’t even learned a single lesson or any bullet point of what the problem is. There’s a common denominator. And he’s got an aggressive style. We all want to say that he is and whatever … well, we’re all aggressive to a point because we’re all going to push hard and try to make runs; get spots, get good finishes.”
Chastain enters as the Cup Series points leader ahead of Sunday’s Goodyear 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the historic 1.366-mile track. His Trackhouse Racing No. 1 Chevrolet is a popular participant in the NASCAR Throwback Weekend theme with a nod to NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett from his UPS-sponsored days.
Jarrett appeared alongside Chastain during a Saturday morning media availability at Darlington, noting how much more intense that racing in the Cup Series has become since his driving career ended in 2008. But he endorsed Chastain’s individuality behind the wheel, even if it’s ruffled feathers.
“Ross’s style is his style, and it’s very good, and as I told him on the phone the other day, I hope he doesn’t change that because of pressures that come from outside,” Jarrett said. “He has to do what got him here and got him opportunities, and I hope he continues that because it’s a style that has suited others well through the years. It’s not for everybody, and we don’t want — and I talked ‘we,’ the media and fans — we don’t want everybody to be the same. And so, I think this is his style and the way he’s going about it, getting blamed for everything that goes on on the damn race track is getting a little old, in my opinion. I mean, hell guys on the opposite side of the track are saying it was Ross’ fault, so getting a little ridiculous.”
As for the fisticuffs, opinions were divided on how to settle post-race scores when tensions escalate. “This is big-time auto racing. This is not hockey,” was Chastain’s thought, but others seemed willing to let fighting go further before officials or security intervened, mentioning some NHL-style rules in the process.
“It’s tough because nobody wants to be in that position, because nothing positive comes from that other than publicity for commercials in NASCAR,” said Daniel Suárez, Chastain’s Trackhouse teammate. “But sponsors, sometimes they don’t like that kind of stuff, so that’s a tricky part. Also, once you’re already in that situation, sometimes you are in the heat of the moment that you don’t think about everything else, all the consequences. … I wish (security) let them go for a little bit, at least 10 seconds. I mean, why not? I think they should let them go for a little bit, maybe not as much as hockey, but a little bit because they have to get their emotions out.”
Said Michael McDowell, who had his own confrontation with Suárez four years ago at Phoenix Raceway: “I don’t know how I feel about it, but you know, I definitely don’t like the fact that Ross got a shot (in) and Noah didn’t. That’s no fun. So yeah, they gotta keep them all the way separated and not let it happen at all or give it 30 seconds to play out.”
Establishing clear-cut rules for each physical situation is a difficult proposition. Chastain’s pre-emptive punch came quickly, and security officials stepped in promptly. When two warring drivers have a size mismatch, letting a fracas go could be more dangerous.
“I mean, pound for pound, even I would probably lose the fight,” said Kyle Larson. “So no, I would say, I think I want security to break them up before they ever get to my car. Just kidding, but I don’t know. I don’t foresee myself ever being in a situation like that. I think everybody probably understands it’s not going to be an equal fight with me, so they’ll end up looking bad because I’m a little fella.”
Veteran Kevin Harvick has been in his share of conflicts through the years, saying he’d been on both sides of the altercations “and probably done it right and wrong.” But he also mentioned that in the instance of a so-called fair fight, the threat of serious injury is possible if left unchecked.
“As I get older, I think they need to just not let it happen,” Harvick said. “If they want to fight, they can go fight somewhere else. So you know, I know, like with the stuff that we do, obviously Ross was just defending himself and his territory, so it’s … I find myself torn on it. I think in today’s day and age, it almost seems a little bit cheap.”
Implementing the hockey-style rules, as other drivers are suggesting? Harvick turned that notion inside out.
“You ever see any of them fight?” Harvick said. “I haven’t. I think they’re all full of talk, personally. There’s only a couple of them that aren’t, so until they stand there and brawl, let’s see if that’s actually what they want. Because I’d say most of them don’t want that.”
Martin Truex Jr. will lead the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag for Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) after winning the pole in Saturday’s qualifying session with a hot lap of 169.409 mph.
It’s Truex’s first pole at the South Carolina race track and the 21st in his Cup Series career.
Truex said his crew made adjustments to his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota that improved the car for the final round.
“We just made the balance really good,” said Truex, who scored a pole on his 15th different race track. “We felt good about our car in Round 1, and I knew one specific thing, if we could get it better, we’d have a shot at it. It’s been a long time, I guess, since we’ve had a pole (last year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway).
“Last year, we never really qualified all that great. We’ve been working on that a lot and really getting a lot better on that here lately.”
Bubba Wallace will join Truex on the front row after a 169.339 mph lap. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., William Byron and Ross Chastain made up the top five. Daniel Suárez, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 10 in the starting lineup for Sunday.
“Just got me,” Wallace said after Truex knocked him out of the top spot late in the round. “But all in all, a solid start to our weekend on the Cup side. I had some fun last night in the Truck Series. I forgot how crazy those guys are—guys and gals, I’m sorry.
“I learned a little bit. We were just on the tight side last night. Definitely not tight this go-around on the Cup side. All in all, our Camry is fast. Martin’s really good here, obviously… It’s good to start up front. I’ve just got to maintain it all race. That’s going to be a big task for me.”
PRACTICE
Four of the five fastest laps in the two 20-minute practice sessions came from Chevrolet with Chase Elliott topping the charts with a 168.232 mph lap. Erik Jones, William Byron, the lone non-Chevy Tyler Reddick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. completed the top five.
The quick single laps translated to long-run pace for Byron (163.704 mph), Elliott (163.587 mph) and Stenhouse (163.206 mph) as they also found themselves in the top five of 10 consecutive lap averages.
Last year’s spring Darlington winner Joey Logano struggled to find pace Saturday as he was 19th in single-lap speed (164.904 mph) and 20th in 10 consecutive lap averages (162.263 mph).
After five weeks of frustration, Christian Eckes got the rebound he needed on Friday night at Darlington Raceway.
Leading a race-high 82 of 158 laps, Eckes scored a convincing double-overtime victory in the Buckle Up South Carolina 200, the ninth event on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule.
The win was Eckes’ second of the season and third of his career. It followed a string of five races in which the driver of the No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet — dressed Friday in a throwback tribute to new NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Hershel McGriff — had finished 30th three times and 15th twice.
“I don’t really feel that excited, because the truck was so good it drove itself,” said Eckes, who won the race under caution after Grant Enfinger and Nick Sanchez tangled in the second overtime. “It’s been a really, really rough couple of weeks.
“To come back and win shows the resilience of this team, and how we had to win it just shows the fight in this team … I was really determined. It’s really, really fun to be here, man, and when you have a truck like this, you’ve just got to finish it out.”
A late charge and an excellent restart in the first overtime vaulted Stewart Friesen into second place at the finish. Tanner Gray ran third, followed by full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron and Carson Hocevar.
A spin by Timmy Hill through Turn 4 at Lap 146 sent the race into NASCAR Overtime. On the first attempt, rookie contender Jake Garcia washed high at the exit of Turn 2 and into the outside wall. His slowed momentum resulted in contact from behind, spinning his No. 35 Chevrolet backward into the inside SAFER barrier.
Eckes was at the head of the field when the caution flag was displayed just after taking the white flag to signify the final lap. Grant Enfinger’s contact with the outside wall brought out the eighth and final yellow of the evening.
The early stages of the race rapidly evolved into a contest between Eckes, Byron and pole winner Corey Heim, who led the first 26 laps before Eckes passed him for the Stage 1 victory and led 35 laps in Stage 2 before Byron passed him for the stage win with three laps left in the segment.
The first two stages ran caution-free to the breaks, but the complexion of the race changed markedly during the final stage and overtimes, which produced six cautions. Byron would have preferred longer green-flag runs.
“We needed a little bit longer runs, I think,” said Byron, who was driving the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports entry and seeking the 100th victory for that organization. “Our truck was strong on longer runs — we just had too many medium to short runs, and it was hard to get track position there to advance forward. …
“Hopefully, we learned some stuff for the Cup race (on Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). We usually run really good here, so it’s just a matter of trying to put it all together and learn some nuances with the race track, so hopefully we did that.”
Heim led four times for 66 laps but took himself out of contention by failing to pit with the rest of the lead cars on Lap 116. He led the field to the restart on Lap 119 of a scheduled 147 but quickly fell back through the field.
Heim, however, pitted for fresh tires before the first overtime and recovered to finish eighth on the new rubber.
Reigning series champion Zane Smith, who was part of a three-car accident on Lap 101 and finished 22nd, retained the series lead by nine points over Ty Majeski, who came home 35 laps down in 31st after his crew changed the steering box in his ThorSport Racing Ford.
DARLINGTON, S.C. – Two NASCAR Cup Series teams – the No. 45 Toyota for Tyler Reddick and the No. 54 Camry of rookie Ty Gibbs – failed pre-race inspection twice Friday at Darlington Raceway. Both teams lost pit-stall selection for Sunday’s Goodyear 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and had a crew member ejected.
In the case of the 23XI Racing No. 45 team, NASCAR officials opted to bar crew chief Billy Scott for the remainder of the race weekend. Veteran Dave Rogers — 23XI’s performance director — was listed as the interim crew chief for Reddick on an updated Cup Series entry list Friday evening.
For Reddick’s group, it marks the second consecutive week that the No. 45 team failed twice in pre-race inspection. Michael Hobson, the No. 45 car chief, was ejected before last weekend’s Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.
Car chief Nate Bellows was ejected from the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 team.
Sunday’s 400-miler is the 13th race of the year for the NASCAR Cup Series, which will mark the halfway point of the regular season by day’s end. Reddick is listed as a 17-2 choice in the latest odds for Sunday’s event, and Gibbs is a 70-1 shot.
There is no fan base in the world more passionate about what they love than NASCAR. Fans tune in every week to see their heroes go to battle, hoping they will do anything to capture the checkered flag. Favorite and least favorite drivers are chosen, naturally, due to watching the actions of the drivers on the track. Sometimes it happens instantly and sometimes that love or hatred builds over time.
The same can be said for all of the competitors on the track. Reputations grow with every pass, every bump and every word. Every driver ticks a different way. You have mild-mannered drivers who have the respect of the entire field and come back with their car as clean as it was when it came out of the hauler. There are drivers who will fight back — but only if they are pushed around.
Then there are those who will move anyone out of the way in an instant if it means they can advance a position on the leaderboard. Those who get on the radio and TV and back up their actions on the track. These are the drivers who gain a reputation for doing anything and not caring about anybody else but themselves and winning.
On Throwback Weekend at a track in Darlington Raceway where we’ve seen legends made, we look back at the instigators of NASCAR.
DALE EARNHARDT
“The Man in Black.” “The Intimidator.” You don’t earn those nicknames by driving clean and without ruffling some feathers. Dale Earnhardt is looked at by many as being one of if not the best, the most intimidating and often the biggest instigator of all time.
Earnhardt gained his driving style from watching his father Ralph race while he was just a kid. It seemed like during the 1980s that the more races Earnhardt won and the more titles he captured, the angrier the entire field was at the rising star from Kannapolis, North Carolina.
Earnhardt was fined $10,000 for moving Darrell Waltrip out of the lead at Richmond. Race leader Sterling Marlin’s chance at his first career victory ended after Earnhardt put him into the wall at Bristol. Bill Elliott and Geoff Bodine were both furious with the way Earnhardt drove them at the end of the 1987 All-Star race at Charlotte.
Waltrip said Earnhardt on the track was like watching a Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers basketball game but with no referees. Marlin vowed revenge exclaiming “His day is coming, and he’ll get it too.” Elliott compared Earnhardt’s driving style to “a bull in a China closet.” All three drivers went on to talk about how they’d never even think about doing the things Earnhardt did to them to anyone else.
Earnhardt and Bodine’s rivalry was triggered by that incident in the All-Star race and led to a handful of other battles between the two. Bodine got payback for that race during an Xfinity Series race at Charlotte the following week. Earnhardt then returned the favor at Charlotte the next season and then again, the following day during the Cup Series race. This led to NASCAR issuing a five-lap penalty to Earnhardt. The two drivers were later gathered together off the track to settle the issue.
His aggression with everyone on the track continued, as the 1995 night race at Bristol ended with Earnhardt spinning Terry Labonte across the start/finish line to a chorus of boos. Earnhardt pulled into the garage and was met by a water bottle thrown at him by Rusty Wallace, who spun out early on after contact with Earnhardt.
It wasn’t just the way he drove on the track but how he backed his driving style up off it, with a plethora of moments defending himself.
“I’ve seen guys trying to spin me and they don’t. They run second. If I wanted to wreck someone, I could tell you what hole in the fence I was going to put ‘em in. I do what I see fit when I’m on that track.
“I don’t do anything unjust. If beating ‘em’s unjust, they’re just going to have to get beat. If it’s not, I do what I have to do.”
Earnhardt, forever instigating both on — and off — the track.
California’s Ernie Irvan burst onto the scene in 1990 with both speed and aggression that left a sour taste in the mouths of most of his competitors and fans. The biggest incident of his young career came at Darlington in 1990. Irvan, who was 10 laps down at the time, raced the leader Ken Schrader hard for one of his laps back but ended up causing a 14-car incident that sidelined Neil Bonnett for a significant amount of time.
Schrader said Irvan needed to calm down. Dale Earnhardt called his driving disrespectful. Irvan, on the other hand, was surprised Schrader was racing him hard and blamed the incident on just “racing.” The following season, Irvan was involved in an incident at Talladega that left Kyle Petty with a broken leg. He caused a huge pileup at Pocono too.
This all led to Irvan standing up and apologizing to the entire field at the drivers’ meeting when the series returned to Talladega later that season. “I’ve driven a little over-aggressive at times this season and I’ve lost the respect of a lot of drivers and car owners in the garage area. That really hurts me. I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove it and gain that respect back.”
The 1996 season saw contact from Irvan send Dale Earnhardt to the hospital and Sterling Marlin furious with Irvan. Marlin was so heated that during a press conference at Indianapolis the following Wednesday, Marlin waved his glasses at Irvan and suggested he get a pair. Marlin did it a second time and the two drivers had to be separated.
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TONY STEWART
Throughout Tony Stewart’s first few years in the Cup Series, he had run-ins with Kenny Irwin Jr., Robby Gordon and Jeff Gordon just to name a few; setting an early precedent that he was not somebody that you wanted to mess with.
Stewart’s passion for winning didn’t take a backseat to anything. As Stewart put it after his incident with Irwin Jr. at Martinsville in 1999, “It’s the same thing when we ran sprint cars. He didn’t like to be behind me then either.”
His issues weren’t all just on the track either. He was fined in 2002 and placed on probation following a post-race incident with a cameraman. Stewart’s driving during the 2004 season left NASCAR on FOX’s Darrell Waltrip to be highly critical of the driver, prompting a handful of tense pre-race exchanges on TV between the two Hall of Famers. That same season an on-track incident between Stewart and Kasey Kahne started a fight on pit road during the race between the two teams.
He blasted David Gilliland in 2006 after a handful of incidents in a colorful interview. He also had run-ins with Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and, most famously, Joey Logano, calling him a “scared little kid” after a pit-road altercation.
Since he broke onto the scene, Kevin Harvick had a way of getting under just about everyone’s skin. The fiery antics of the driver were first put into the spotlight during his rookie Cup season in 2001. A late-race incident with Bobby Hamilton got Harvick sent into the NASCAR hauler. He didn’t back down in his post-race interview, exclaiming, “an eye for an eye, that’s how we race.”
The following season, Harvick was turned by Greg Biffle in an Xfinity Series race at Bristol. Harvick responded by hopping over Biffle’s car after the race and grabbing Biffle around the collar. Later that season, NASCAR suspended him after wrecking Coy Gibbs in a Truck Series event at Martinsville.
The 2003 season saw a heated incident between Harvick and the gritty veteran Ricky Rudd, who made contact with Harvick during the race at Richmond. Once the checkered flag waved, Harvick raced around the pits trying to find Rudd, before parking against the side of Rudd’s car on pit road. Harvick climbed out of his car but then stomped on the hood of Rudd’s car, setting off an altercation between the two teams.
He had on-track disagreements that led to heated conversations with Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Joe Nemechek, Ty Dillon, Joey Logano and Chase Elliott, just to name a few.
You could make a case that his biggest rival was Kyle Busch — the pair are still battling for wins and are currently ninth and 10th all-time on the NASCAR Cup Series wins list. The 2005 Xfinity season saw the two tangle at Dover in the midst of Harvick racing for the owners’ championship. Their relationship through the years has been full of hard racing on the track, colorful interviews and many heated moments — though they remain friendly today.
Kyle Busch started his career as a driver with the tough task of following his brother Kurt’s success. “Rowdy” not only matched that but also seemingly followed with his temper and aggressive driving.
Xfinity Series veteran Jason Keller’s crew had to be held back from Busch after Busch wrecked Keller off a restart at New Hampshire. Busch was promptly given a black flag for aggressive driving. Later that season, Busch dumped Ron Hornaday Jr. at Darlington, setting the tone for a rivalry that ended in Busch being suspended for intentionally wrecking Hornaday Jr. in a 2011 Truck race.
He threw his HANS device at Casey Mears car during the 2006 Coca-Cola 600. Busch even feuded with his brother Kurt at Charlotte the following season. If Busch wasn’t looked at as an instigator already, he moved Dale Earnhardt Jr. out of the lead at Richmond in 2008 after the two had already been entangled a few times in the past.
Busch had high-profile feuds with Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski, and those rivalries included countless amounts of incidents. A 2017 incident at Las Vegas between Busch and Keselowski’s then-teammate Joey Logano led to Busch taking a swing at Logano post-race.
Quite possibly the most polarizing driver in the Cup Series in a long time, Joey Logano has had his fair share of rivalries and intense moments through the years.
Throughout his career, he has had physical altercations with Denny Hamlin at both Bristol and Martinsville, Tony Stewart at Fontana, Kevin Harvick at Pocono, Ryan Newman at Michigan and Kyle Busch at Las Vegas.
He caught heat in 2012 when he moved Mark Martin out of the lead at Pocono, en-route to the win. His aggressive, do-anything-for-a-victory style of driving has triggered an infinite amount of drivers, most notably on superspeedways, where he has four victories.
His most notable feud came in 2015. Logano was battling Matt Kenseth for the win when Kenseth threw a huge block on Logano, who did not lift and sent Kenseth around. To add salt to Kenseth’s wounds, Logano ended the race in Victory Lane.
Fast forward to Martinsville next week. Kenseth, still angry with Logano from Kansas, sent Logano into the wall while the No. 22 was leading and ruined his chance at victory and the championship. Kenseth was promptly parked for the day and suspended.
Brad Keselowski’s first full-time Xfinity Series season came in 2008 and it wasn’t a quiet one for the Michigan driver. Keselowski made contact with Denny Hamlin a handful of times during a race at Charlotte, ending in an altercation between the two teams. A few weeks later Kevin Harvick threatened to dump him at Watkins Glen due to the way Keselowski was racing him hard.
His first Cup Series win came in dramatic fashion, taking the checkered flag at Talladega after contact between Carl Edwards and himself left the No. 99 of Edwards airborne. This inadvertently set off a long-standing rivalry between the two drivers. Later that season, Keselowski made contact with Edwards in an Xfinity Series race at Memphis. This culminated in a 2010 incident at Atlanta that made this new rivalry explode.
Keselowski’s No. 12 car bumped Edwards early in the running, sending Edwards into the wall and to the garage. Edwards returned to the race about 100 laps later seemingly with payback on his mind, sending Keselowski around before being parked by NASCAR for aggressive driving.
The following season the two battled for the Xfinity Series win at Gateway and Keselowski moved Edwards out of the way before racing side by side for the win on the backstretch. The race ended with Keselowski in the wall and both drivers being placed on probation by NASCAR.
The rivalry with Hamlin was still ongoing at the time as the two had altercations at Phoenix, which left Hamlin spinning and fuming at Keselowski. The following week Hamlin got his revenge at Homestead, spinning Keselowski out early in the race.
Keselowski’s aggressive driving at Richmond in 2014 left both Hamlin and Matt Kenseth angry with the driver. As Hamlin was being held back from confronting Keselowski later in the year at Charlotte, Kenseth appeared out of nowhere and attacked Keselowski between the haulers.
It wouldn’t be a complete list of instigators without mentioning the man they call “Mr. Excitement.” Jimmy Spencer only visited Victory Lane twice in his Cup Series career but he gave everything he had every single week on the race track.
An Xfinity Series incident at Hickory in 1989 with Dale Jarrett left Jarrett in the wall and Spencer in Victory Lane. Spencer was fined and suspended for the remainder of the 1993 Xfinity Series season after a post-race brawl between Spencer and Joe Bessey’s team.
In 1994, Spencer was penalized five laps at North Wilkesboro for retaliating under yellow against Ken Schrader. Two years later, he had to be restrained by NASCAR officials after sprinting toward Wally Dallenbach Jr.’s car after being involved in an incident. Spencer stomped away, screaming at the NASCAR officials in the process.
After a 1997 incident at Bristol, Geoff Bodine took a stand against Spencer. “It’s about time somebody told the truth. He’s wild out there. He’s crazy, ridiculous.”
The most notable rivalry of Spencer’s time behind the wheel was with rising star Kurt Busch. Spencer turned Busch during the 2001 fall race at Phoenix and the following season Busch paid Spencer back at Bristol, moving the veteran driver out of the way en route to his first career victory.
A few weeks later, Spencer paid Busch back in the Brickyard 400. Fast forward to 2003 and their rivalry finally came to blows at Michigan. The two raced hard throughout the event and after the race, the 46-year-old Spencer punched the 25-year-old Busch in the face while Busch was still inside his car in the garage. Busch was left with a broken tooth and bloody nose.
Spencer was suspended one race for the incident and fined $25,000 but that didn’t change his attitude.
“I will always protect myself and my race team,” Spencer said.
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BUCKSHOT JONES
Buckshot Jones made a name for himself in the Xfinity Series by not only winning but ruffling tons of feathers on the way.
Jones’ hard battle with Joe Bessey for the win at Dover in 1997 ended in the No. 00 of Jones in the wall and Jones’ pit crew attempting to block the race-winning car of Bessey from entering Victory Lane.
The 1997 season also saw Jones tangle with Dale Shaw, prompting a brawl on pit road between the teams and fines to both drivers.
His well-documented rivalry with Randy LaJoie also started in 1997 at Talladega when the two got together. Jones was upset with LaJoie after the race and ran into LaJoie on the cool-down lap. LaJoie, who was already unbuckled, spun across the track and collected another innocent car. This left Jones with a $2,000 fine from NASCAR. A few months later, the night race at Bristol was highlighted by Jones moving LaJoie out of the lead late in the going before LaJoie returned the favor and put Jones in the wall. Jones then tried to retaliate against LaJoie and was parked by NASCAR.
Fireworks between the two drivers continued the following season as Jones made contact with LaLoie on the eighth lap at Nazareth, destroying the No. 74 of LaJoie. “I might have to take a trip somewhere and see what his problem is,” LaJoie said on the incident.
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CURTIS TURNER
One of NASCAR’s earliest instigators, Curtis Turner was not shy when it came to laying the bumper to his competitors. Turner, who ran moonshine for his Dad as a child and later served in the Navy during World War II, seemed to always get under the skin of anyone he raced against.
He was most famously involved in a post-race incident with Lee Petty. Turner and Petty had been racing hard the entire race and that did not sit well with Petty, who approached Turner following the race and hit him with a tire iron. Another incident saw Turner being approached by Bobby Myers, was holding a billy club.
Turner’s reputation even once led to an incident where police needed to intervene. During a 1966 race at Bowman Gray Stadium, Turner and Bobby Allison took turns running into each other early on during the event. It got to the point where Turner would come to an all-but stop on the track and wait to get his revenge on Allison. Both drivers were disqualified from the race by just around the halfway point.
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BOBBY ALLISON
If you ever needed proof that Bobby Allison was an instigator, look no further than the start of his career. As a 28-year-old, he had Bill France sticking his head inside of his car during a pit stop, threatening him that if he didn’t stop his antics with Curtis Turner, he’d be banned from NASCAR. How did Allison take that? He simply drove back onto the track, eventually getting disqualified from the race for the way he continued to drive.
The infamous fight at the conclusion of the 1979 Daytona 500 was a helmet-throwing, blood-dripping brawl that saw Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and Allison’s brother Donnie all fined for their antics.
Allison feuded with a multitudenumber of drivers during his career including Yarborough, Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip and anybody who would try to get in the way between his hands and the race-winning trophy. The Hall of Fame driver even once feuded with his car owner at the time, Junior Johnson, with Allison claiming Johnson gave him a bad engine in retaliation for the fact he was leaving the team at the end of the season.
