Posted on May 7, 2022May 8, 2022 by Sean Montgomery

Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway
(⏰ 3:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FS1 | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM, TSN)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series throwback race at Darlington Raceway, the 12th regular-season event of the 2022 campaign.

Race-day info 📝

Where: Darlington, South Carolina
Approximate start time: 3:30 p.m. ET | Full weekend schedule
TV/Radio: FS1, TSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio | Full TV schedule
Forecast: Partly sunny, with a high near 67 degrees, according to NOAA.gov | Weather tracker
Race distance: 293 laps | 400.2 miles
Stages: 90 | 185 | 293
Pit-road speed: 45 mph
Caution car speed: 50 mph
The purse: $7,292,599
Darlington 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: Where drivers will start | How qualifying works in 2022
Pit stalls: Where each driver will pit | Expert pit analysis

Key things to watch 🔑

Big story line

Eleven races into the season and we have had nine winners, with the only repeat winners being Ross Chastain (Circuit of The Americas and Talladega Superspeedway) and William Byron (Atlanta Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway). The introduction of the Next Gen car has brought a lot of parity to the field with seemingly more comers and goers at the front of the field than in recent years. However, if you look at the breakdown of winners, only three of the nine picked up their first career win in the Cup Series. Nearly one third of the way through the season, will the parity continue? Or will the cream rise to the top? Darlington Raceway is a daunting, high-speed track that has historically favored the seasoned veterans of the sport. Kevin Harvick (three), Martin Truex Jr. (two) and Denny Hamlin (three) have combined to win an astounding eight of the last 11 races at the “Track Too Tough to Tame.” There has not been a first-time winner here since Erik Jones’ late-night triumph in 2019. The old, aging surface has historically favored familiar drivers. Sunday’s challenging race may be the ultimate test of proving which teams, and wheelmen, have a solid grip on the Next Gen car and are separating themselves from the pack. | Will Hendrick end its 10-year Darlington drought?

Who’s hot? Who’s not?

Kevin Harvick is beginning to round into the consistent form that we are used to. Back-t0-back top-10 outings have the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing driver on an upward trend heading to a track he has historically dominated. Still searching to end his winless streak, Harvick has had the hot hand at Darlington Raceway, capturing three wins and 12 straight finishes of ninth or better. He has also led laps in 11 of the last 15 races at the South Carolina track. Throwback Weekend might be the perfect time for Harvick and company to regain their championship-winning form. Trending in the opposite direction is Tyler Reddick. Known for his prowess in the outside lane and ability to run along the wall, Darlington could provide Reddick with a bit more comfort than in recent weeks. The No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team has two consecutive finishes of 30th or worse and is slipping in the standings. In Reddick’s last four races at Darlington, he has finished outside the top 12 each time. Look for the crew to start fast and stay out front in hopes of ending this minor slump.

Driving under the radar

Can Kyle Busch fly under the radar? The two-time Cup Series champion has the talent and the resume, but other names have risen to the top of discussions so far this season. But on paper, Busch has been almost as good as anyone lately, with a win and five top-10 performances in his last seven races. He’s led laps in seven races already and scored stage points in 10 of the 22. So far, he has only finished outside of the top 14 twice, and one was at the newly reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway. The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing driver could also have the strongest case for a driver deserving to be in the multi-win category with Ross Chastain and William Byron after a couple of dominant runs. Contract talks and driver conflicts have overshadowed Busch’s impressive performances recently. Seemingly more motivated than in quite some time, look for Busch to put together another championship-worthy campaign. | Trevor Bayne on standby for Busch at Darlington with new child on the way.

Saturday’s sessions

Weather played an important factor in Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying sessions at Darlington Raceway. On a hot, sunny day, sporadic bits of cloud cover provided a different look at how the track may change as the sun starts to wane on Sunday evening. Austin Cindric and Joey Logano were the two fastest in the morning’s lone practice session. But it was Logano who saw that speed translate over to the two-round qualifying session, landing the 23rd pole of his Cup Series career and first since 2019. Kyle Larson starts on the front row alongside Logano, followed by a plethora of Toyota drivers. Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch each laid down an impressive lap time to guarantee a top-10 starting position. As we have seen throughout the season, drivers struggled to get a hang of the Next Gen car in the weekend’s early laps, leading to a number of spins and minor crashes. Chase Elliott took the worst of the incidents in practice, slamming into the wall and forcing the No. 9 team to a backup. He did not qualify. | Elliott reacts to practice crash.

Jared East | Getty Images

Race-day staples ✅

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Paint Scheme Preview: Throwback schemes for Darlington Throwback weekend | See them here
• Power Rankings: Christopher Bell heating up with summer stretch on the horizon | Updated driver rankings
• Fantasy Fastlane: Will Denny Hamlin end his 2022 slump at Darlington? | Top plays, sleepers
• NASCAR betting: Odds for Sunday’s Cup Series race at Darlington | See the favorites, underdogs
• Backseat Drivers: Can anyone stop Hendrick Motorsports? | Hear the debate

Catch the pack 💨

Andrew Coppley

Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.

• Signed, sealed: William Byron inks three-year extension with Hendrick Motorsports | More details | Byron, Fugle focused on championship
• Drought: Will Hendrick Motorsports end its 10-year winless streak at Darlington? | Full analysis
• Patiently waiting: Trevor Bayne on standby for Kyle Busch at Darlington | Learn more
• Hall of Fame: New trio elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2023 | See the new Hall class | Voter Zack Albert’s ballot
• Hall of Fame videos: Matt Kenseth | Kirk Shelmerdine | Hershel McGriff
• Mission 600: Austin Dillon, Tyler Reddick train alongside U.S. paratroopers | Read more
• Honoring heroes: Kyle Larson, Jeff Gordon lay wreath at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier | Pictures, details
• Penalty report: JGR No. 11, Kaulig No. 16 teams fined for lost wheels | Full report | JGR set to appeal
• Next Gen: Expert analyzes the loose wheel issues seen at Dover Motor Speedway | Technical breakdown
• NASCAR Salutes: Annual military appreciation program returns for 2022 | Learn more
• Where are they now?: Catching up with Tim Brewer | Read more

Get in on the action 💰

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.

• Backseat Bets: Can Buescher beat Stenhouse head-to-head at Darlington? | Hear the debate
• The Action Network: Different drivers to bet at Darlington | Betting analysis
• Sunday’s picks: Ride with Ross Chastain at Darlington | Experts break it down
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
• Going all the way: NASCAR betting: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Lessons from the ‘Lady in Black’ 👩‍⚖️

Before the series returns to the track “Too Tough to Tame,” look back at some track history and previous winners.

• By the numbers: An in-depth, statistical look at Darlington’s annual Throwback Weekend | Read more
• Mother’s Day: Every NASCAR race held on Mother’s Day and the winners of the races | See them here
• Previous paint: Comparing throwback schemes from 2015-22 | Which is your favorite? | Only 2022 schemes
• Last year: Martin Truex Jr. holds off a late charge from Kyle Larson to win 2021 spring race | Race recap, highlights
• Finish for the ages: Relive the famous Busch-Craven finish at Darlington Raceway in 2003 | Watch it here

Fast facts ⏩

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Sunday will be the 122nd race at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway.
• The last six races at Darlington were won by only two organizations: Joe Gibbs Racing (four wins) and Stewart-Haas Racing (two wins).
• Twelve of the last 13 races at Darlington were won by drivers over the age of 30 years old.
• Five times a driver has swept both stages at Darlington but only once have they gone on to win.
• The final green-flag stretch last spring at Darlington was 100 laps; the longest in the past seven races there.

Say what? 🎙

Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.

James Gilbert | Getty Images

• “We have a lot of momentum as a team heading to Darlington this weekend. We had a great weekend in Dover after starting in the back with 70 laps to go at a place that is tough to pass, so I think it only helps myself and the rest of the team know that we are firing on all cylinders right now. I am looking forward to taking the No. 48 Ally Throwback Chevy to Darlington and making Mark (Martin) proud and try to get the car back in Victory Lane.” — Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

• “Darlington is going to be tough. My teammate Denny Hamlin did a tire test there and lost grip over the course of the run. As we know it’s been the name of the game trying to keep your car balanced and handling well over the course of a tire run is very difficult and with these new cars, it’s become even more difficult. It’s going to be a battle for sure and to see whoever can get their car to drive the best on old tires.” — Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

• “It’s been a lot of fun to have been able to win there a few times now. Darlington is one of those historic racetracks that everybody loves going to because of the fact that it’s forever tied to the guys that used to race there with the same shape of the race track. It may be a different surface, but it’s the same racetrack that they raced on in the 1950s. It’s a unique place to go race and a place that has so much history in our sport.” — Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Zack Albert

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Martin Truex Jr. voiced his displeasure with Ross Chastain’s driving tactics in last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway, explaining the basis of their post-race discussion Monday and the incidents that led up to it.

Chastain and Truex tangled in their last-lap contest for the third position with Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet drifting up into the path of Truex’s No. 19 Toyota. Chastain continued and placed third behind race winner Chase Elliott and runner-up Ricky Stenhouse Jr., but Truex slumped to 12th in the final order.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | At-track photos

The two exchanged words on pit road post-race. Saturday at Darlington Raceway, Truex explained that the final-lap skirmish was the culmination of multiple incidents that fed his ire.

“Well, he came up. I mean, I had a run to the outside, and he, his spotter told him I was there, and he just came up like I wasn’t there,” Truex said after qualifying fourth for Sunday’s Goodyear 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). “So it caused me to lift and get in the marbles, ultimately crashed and lost six spots, seven, eight spots. So I don’t really know the reason. He ran me all over the race track all day, and I get it. He’s air-blocking. These cars are terrible in dirty air, he’s doing what he has to do, but I’m talking three lanes up the race track, all over.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

“Like literally, just completely blowing and forgetting about making lap time. The guys in front of us are driving away, and he’s screwing around with me for fourth place. It’s the Cup Series, we don’t typically race like that. I just thought it was kind of uncalled for. And then obviously, the incident I was mad about – I wasn’t mad about the rest of it, which is ridiculous, but it is what it is, some guys will do it. And then the deal at the end of the race, just blatantly running me out of race track, that was what I was mad about.”

Chastain dodged when asked about their conversation during last week’s post-race interviews, saying they were discussing their next fishing trip together. He continued that running gag in Friday interviews at Darlington, joking that they planned to wet a hook in the minnow pond adjacent to the track’s Turn 4 bend.

But Chastain did say that in retrospect, he should have opted to let Truex by, which could have allowed both to track down Stenhouse in the late going.

MORE: Sunday’s starting lineup

“I’d say more the mistake was 30 laps before that, not just letting him go and hoping he got by Ricky and then I’d get by Ricky, too,” said Chastain, who will start eighth Sunday at Darlington. “That’s more what I mean. I mean the last lap is the last lap. We are coming back around to the checkered, I’m going to race him as hard as I possibly can and try not to crash. I trust him and hope that he’d trust me. It was like 50 laps before that or the beginning of that last run when he first got to me probably, looking back at it, let him go then and then try to get by Ricky and still finish third. But I didn’t.”

The two drivers sit also in close proximity in the Cup Series standings – Chastain in sixth and Truex seventh, with just two points separating the pair. Moving forward, Truex was asked if his post-race message at Dover was delivered.

“I asked him why he did it, and I’m not really sure he knows why he did it,” Truex said. “But it’s not going to happen again.”

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Darlington Raceway.

Posted on May 7, 2022May 8, 2022 by Zack Albert

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Denny Hamlin’s season of misfortune by the bushel with one great height continues. It’s been enough that his team’s approach has undergone some tinkering as the NASCAR Cup Series regular season nears its halfway point.

Hamlin enters Sunday’s Goodyear 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) with highly uncharacteristic numbers on his stat sheet to date. He has a victory already – at Richmond – that has virtually clinched his spot in the Cup Series Playoffs, but that’s his only finish inside the top 10 through 11 races. Six finishes have been outside the top 20, a burdensome weight that’s left him 23rd in the standings and with a lackluster 22.5 average finish.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | At-track photos

“It’s been frustrating. I mean, honestly, it’s just been, you know, week after week of being the coyote that gets the anvil dropped on its head,” Hamlin said Saturday at Darlington Raceway, nodding to the infamous Wile E. Coyote cartoon. “I mean, I don’t even know how else to explain it.”

Hamlin finished right near his 2022 average last week after a list of unforced errors at Dover Motor Speedway – one a pit-stop miscue that caused his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing to lose a wheel early on, and secondly a crash where he was unable to miss the spinning No. 51 of Cody Ware.

He continued on, avoiding what could have been his fifth DNF of the year.

“We’ve had things that just have broken. I’ve had more mechanical failures this year than I’ve ever had,” Hamlin said. “Again, you know, some of these parts that we don’t control and NASCAR is continuing to change them and develop them to make them better so we don’t have a lot of problems, but we’ve just been kind of the poster child of the ones that break things. And then last week, you know, what can I do? … The 51 spun there and I just didn’t, didn’t get around, run into him. It’s been unfortunate, but I can tell you it’s a lot different than running top 10 every week and trying to figure out how you’re going to get enough speed to win. That’s what I’d really be worried about.”

Almost prophetically, Hamlin had another breakage during Saturday’s Cup Series qualifying, with part of the underbody causing a grinding noise underneath his No. 11 Toyota. He had qualified 22nd, but will drop to the rear of the field for Sunday’s start.

His JGR teammates have fared better in their respective perches in the points, all ranking among the top 10 – Kyle Busch tied for third, Martin Truex Jr. seventh and Christopher Bell 10th.

“I mean, he’s been competitive, and he’s been right there with us every week,” Bell said of Hamlin. “So he’s made jokes about it, like you can’t stop the bleeding, right, because something always happens to him. Even last week at Dover, he had a car capable of winning the race and unfortunately had a pit-road mishap and then got caught up in a wreck. That was not his fault at all, so we don’t even really talk about it.”

Hamlin said his faith in his performance has been boosted by his season-best 67 laps led at Dover, but also his average running position – which he said stacks up favorably to Chase Elliott, the current points leader. But the current deficit has prompted the No. 11 team to shake up its goal, strategy-wise.

That shift means a focus on building up a bankroll of playoff points, and letting any other points fall where they may.

“We’ve given up on the regular-season points, and even getting in the top 10. I’m not even sure,” Hamlin said. “So for us, it’s actually simplified our strategy, we go for playoff points only. So when you see the field start splitting because they want stage points or whatever, you know where the 11 (team) stands from this point on. We’re trying to get five points at the end of the race and two for the Playoffs during stages. So it actually simplifies our strategy for the regular season.”

Posted on May 7, 2022May 8, 2022 by Reid Spencer

It was easy to hear the relief and elation in Joey Logano’s voice after the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford put his car on the pole for Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Oh, it was so much needed for all of us here,” said Logano, who struggled to a 29th-place finish last Monday at Dover. “The last couple of weeks were pretty rough, getting in a couple of crashes and not being strong at Dover.”

MORE: Full starting lineup | Buy tickets

On Throwback Weekend at the Track Too Tough to Tame, Logano is sporting a paint scheme reminiscent of the quarter midget racer he drove as a child.

“This is full circle for me,” said Logano, who covered the 1.366-mile distance in 28.805 seconds (170.720 mph) in the money round of qualifying on Saturday. “This is my first quarter-midget paint scheme — it’s got all the same stuff on it since I was a kid.”

In winning his first pole of the season, his first at Darlington and the 23rd of his career, Logano edged Kyle Larson (170.236 mph) by .082 seconds. Christopher Bell qualified third at 169.818 mph, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch, as Toyota drivers claimed starting positions three through six.

Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, William Byron and Tyler Reddick will start from positions seven through 10 on Sunday after advancing to the final round of time trials.

Neither Chase Elliott nor Kevin Harvick made qualifying runs after suffering flat tires during Saturday’s practice. Elliott was forced to a backup car after hard contact with the wall, and Harvick’s team spent the qualifying session replacing the damaged rear diffuser on the No. 4 Ford.

MORE: Elliott on wreck: ‘I hate that’

Both drivers will start from the rear of the field on Sunday.

Brad Keselowski and Corey LaJoie also found trouble in practice. Keselowski spun at pit entry to conclude Group B’s practice session as he attempted to head into pit lane. LaJoie went around in the center of Turns 3 and 4 that saw his No. 7 Chevrolet brush the outside wall. They qualified 23rd and 30th, respectively.

Staff contributed to this report.

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Terrin Waack

Darlington Raceway isn’t “Too Tough to Tame” for Erik Jones.

In his first-ever Cup Series race at the 1.366-mile South Carolina track in 2017, Jones finished fifth. He won his third visit two years later. And of his eight career starts overall, six produced top-10 results.

“It’s just one of those places that I went for the first time about six or seven years ago and ran and just enjoyed it, just had fun with it,” Jones told NASCAR.com. “Some places you go and you unload, it’s like wow, this is a struggle, I just can’t figure it out. But Darlington was never, never like that for me. I always felt comfortable.”

DARLINGTON: Weekend schedule | Paint schemes | Betting odds

The same feeling is in place as NASCAR heads there this weekend for its annual throwback extravaganza. The Cup Series has practice and qualifying Saturday (10:30 a.m. ET, FS1) before Sunday’s Goodyear 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1), the 12th points-paying event of the 2022 season.

Erik Jones, Darlington Raceway, 2019 (Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images)

Jones’ No. 43 Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet will sport a 1959 “Petty Blue” paint scheme in honor of team co-owner and seven-time champion Richard Petty. Jones is excited about the all-blue wrap — wanted to run it last year but didn’t have the chance — and also the upcoming competition itself, understandably so.

For the first time since 2020, when he was with Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 20 Toyota, Jones is boasting back-to-back top 10s. He came in sixth at Talladega Superspeedway (led 25 circuits; lost the lead on the last lap) two weeks ago and 10th at Dover Motor Speedway last week.

“That’s just big momentum for the team, big confidence for the team,” Jones said. “Keeps the guys pushing forward. Keeps them focused. And keep me focused, right? Sometimes, when you go out and you’re struggling week to week, it’s hard to stay with your mind on it and keep going. And it can be mentally draining at times. When you’re running good, though, everything feels a lot better and it makes life a lot easier.”

Jones’ 2022 results are on pace to be, if not already are, better than 2021. He has one top five (Auto Club Speedway) and four top 10s. Last year, he closed out with no top fives, six top 10s.

This is Jones’ second season in the No. 43 machine. What’s different, though, is GMS Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports merged to form Petty GMS Motorsports. It’s now a two-car stable rather than one. Jones’ teammate is Ty Dillon in the No. 42.

“We’re in a way better spot than what we were a year ago, and that’s just a good feeling when you can improve your year like that,” Jones said. “I’ve seen improvement through this year week to week as a team, as an organization, getting stronger on a lot of different aspects. Not just the car, but the pit crew, the road crew and the shop crew. Everybody is just continuing to get better and better.”

Nowhere better to continue that trend than Darlington.

A goal of Jones’ is to put the No. 43 back in Victory Lane, where it has parked 199 times before. Ninety-four races have passed since Jones last won. It has been eight years since the No. 43 car captured a checkered flag (Aric Almirola, Daytona-2 2014). Petty powered it to three Darlington victories between 1966-67.

“A win definitely gives you confidence anywhere,” Jones said. “You feel like you’ve done it once, you can do it again, right? And coming back at Darlington, it’s always in the back of my mind.”

Posted on May 7, 2022May 7, 2022 by Zack Albert

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Not only was a trophy in the balance in Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, but for Carson Hocevar, so was permanent ink. Not a Sharpie or a Marks-A-Lot, but a real-deal tattoo.

Hocevar left his mark – maybe not permanently – on Darlington Raceway again in the Dead On Tools 200, finishing with a hard-fought runner-up effort in overtime behind eventual winner John Hunter Nemechek. The 19-year-old Michigan native said that had he won, extreme sports star Travis Pastrana – who Hocevar’s throwback No. 42 Chevy honored – would get a tattoo. If Hocevar crashed, he said the ink was his. Instead, he mustered a second-place result – the third time he’s achieved that career-best mark without winning, and the second time in a row.

“I had him, man. I had him, or at least I had something,” he told his Niece Motorsports team on the radio on the cool-down lap. “Damn it. I don’t like this second thing, but it’s a lot better than anything else besides winning. Thank y’all.”

Hocevar started sixth and remained in contention throughout, finishing third in Stage 1 and winning Stage 2. He rallied after a sluggish pit stop at the Stage 2 break left him in eighth place for the start of the final segment. Hocevar surged back up the leaderboard and was lined up on the inside of Nemechek for the overtime session, which pushed the event two laps beyond the scheduled 147-lap distance.

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

A bombs-away move wasn’t out of the question, but his No. 42 entry faltered, allowing Nemechek to scoot free.

“I took the front row and had a decent shot, came to the white flag and my motor died or electricals died for like split seconds and then he was gone,” Hocevar said. “I think I would have had a shot just because I was better in (turns) 1 and 2, I felt like, and I could at least maintain. I knew he was gonna run the top, so I was Carl Edwards-ing that thing in (turns) three and four.”

A re-enactment of Edwards’ 2008-edition Hail Mary dive at Kansas vs. Jimmie Johnson, however, wasn’t in the cards. “I wasn’t gonna lift till I saw God or at least I saw Him about five car-lengths back in my rearview mirror – or he would have drove in hard and we both hit the wall and we both drag race to the line. That was my plan.”

The prevailing wisdom that Darlington’s tough nature rewards veterans and chews up rookies has skipped over Hocevar so far. He was another top-five runner in his first trip to the track “Too Tough to Tame” last year, notching what was then a career-best third.

That was his first race paired with veteran crew chief Phil Gould, who remains atop the No. 42 pit box to watch his protégé’s success this season.

“I was blown away about how well he did, he took to the track and just how he studies everything, and he’s super smart,” Gould said of his first impressions. “His racing IQ is really high, I think is the best way to say it. As young as he is, I think once he does get that first win, there’ll be a lot of them coming.”

Posted on May 6, 2022May 12, 2022 by Reid Spencer

The fastest truck won Friday’s Dead On Tools 200 at Darlington Raceway, but not without much ado between the green flag and the checkers.

Pole winner John Hunter Nemechek fought through 10 cautions, an extra pit stop to tighten a loose wheel and an overtime restart to post his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory of the season, holding off hard-luck Carson Hocevar by 0.552 seconds in the two-lap shootout to the finish.

“Just a huge shoutout to all the guys that work on this No. 4 KBM Toyota Tundra,” Nemechek said after spinning his truck like a dervish in a celebratory burnout on the frontstretch.

“I thought we gave it away early, honestly, and we were able to rebound and battle back. I learned a lot tonight. I was finally able to bring home the first win of the year.”

Runner-up last fall at Darlington in a race he thought he should have won, Nemechek led a race-high 69 laps in triumphing for the first time at “The Lady in Black” and the 12th time in his career. In winning the pole earlier in the day, he was 0.432 seconds faster than second-place qualifier Ty Majeski.

Clearly, Nemechek had the speed, but his victory was by no means assured after he brought his truck to pit road under caution for a second time on Lap 61 to remedy a loose left-front wheel. That left Nemechek 26th for a restart on Lap 63, but by the end of Stage 2 on Lap 90 he had climbed back to fifth in the running order.

On Lap 123, he passed Christian Eckes for the lead and held it the rest of the way, through the two final cautions and the overtime.

Hocevar was the victor in Stage 2 — the first stage win of his career — but he lost ground on pit road under caution for the stage break and ultimately recovered to restart side-by-side with Nemechek in the overtime.

Nemechek had the advantage of the outside lane for the final two laps and pulled away to win by the half-second margin.

“A lot of emotions,” said Hocevar, who ran a close second to Ben Rhodes in the previous race on Bristol Dirt. “I was freaking out for a second. I had an electrical issue, and every once in a while it would stumble, and it flat out shut off in the middle of (Turns) 1 and 2 coming to the white (flag). …

“The 4 truck (Nemechek) was really good. I was hoping I maybe could have got him. I would have done a lot into (Turns) 3 and 4. I was better than him in 1 and 2. He was better than me in 3 and 4, but I could have done a lot — just like every race car driver, right? But close once again. Hopefully, we’ll be one spot better next week.”

Grant Enfinger was third across the line, followed by Majeski, Matt Crafton, Stage 1 winner Parker Kilgerman, Ryan Preece, Zane Smith and Tyler Ankrum. Crafton, credited with a fifth-place finish, was initially disqualified in post-race inspection, but that penalty was rescinded after a mid-week appeal hearing.

Fifty-eight-year-old Todd Bodine, making his 796th NASCAR national series start en route to 800, finished ninth, posting his first top 10 since 2012.

Friday’s race, the seventh of the Truck Series’ schedule, saw numerous on-track clashes. The most significant collision happened at Lap 99, when a flat tire suffered by Tanner Gray saw his No. 15 truck contact Austin Wayne Self’s No. 22 Chevrolet. Self slid into Chase Purdy, who crashed head-on into the outside wall in Turn 3. Hailie Deegan was also collected.

Defending series champion Ben Rhodes suffered a flat left-rear tire in Turn 1 at Lap 143 for the race’s final caution. Rhodes careened into the outside wall with the right rear of his No. 99 Toyota, suffering major damage before spinning toward the infield.

The Truck Series returns Saturday, May 14 for the Heart of America 200 at Kansas Speedway (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Staff contributed to this report.

Posted on May 6, 2022May 8, 2022 by Staff Report

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Four NASCAR Cup Series teams failed pre-qualifying inspection twice Friday, leading to a crew member ejection and the loss of pit-stall selection for each team at Darlington Raceway.

RELATED: Weekend schedule

The following teams each lost their car chief and pit selection for Sunday’s Goodyear 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM):

• No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford for driver Kevin Harvick
• No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Kyle Larson
• No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford of Michael McDowell
• No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Alex Bowman

Update from Sunday: The following teams will have to drop to the rear prior to the start of the race.

• No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford for driver Kevin Harvick (no qualifying time and unapproved adjustments)
• No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for driver Chase Elliott (backup car)
• No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for driver Denny Hamlin (unapproved adjustments)
• No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford for driver BJ McLeod (no qualifying time and unapproved adjustments)

Cup Series cars did not take to the track Friday, but the garage was open for inspection. There were no three-time failures in the inspection process, which was interrupted by late-afternoon rain showers.

Cup Series practice is scheduled Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET, with Busch Light Pole Qualifying to follow at 11:05 a.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM).

Posted on May 6, 2022May 6, 2022 by Staff Report

As Kyle and Samantha Busch get ready to welcome their second child into the world, driver Trevor Bayne will be on standby to pilot the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota if needed, the team confirmed Friday.

Busch, the only active multi-time Cup Series champion, may have to leave the track this weekend at Darlington Raceway or next at Kansas Speedway so he and Samantha can be with the surrogate carrying their baby, should she go into labor.

MORE: Full Darlington schedule | Buy tickets

If so, Bayne will be on-site and ready to hop into the car, which Busch piloted to a victory last month at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Bayne, a former full-timer at the Cup level with Wood Brothers Racing and what is now RFK Racing, joined JGR this season for a limited schedule in the Xfinity Series, with a best finish of third in his debut at Auto Club Speedway in February. He has made 187 career Cup starts in total, famously becoming the youngest winner of the “Great American Race” in the 2011 Daytona 500.

The 31-year-old also has two Xfinity wins in 155 starts and has made eight career Camping World Truck Series starts. His last Cup start came in November 2018 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (⏰ 3:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FS1 | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM, TSN)