Posted on September 4, 2021 by Davey Segal

It was a silky smooth night at Oswego Speedway for Ron Silk.

The Norwalk, Connecticut, native never ran worse than second throughout the Toyota Mod Classic 150, leading the field to green from the pole position and regaining that lead with 77 laps remaining en route to his first ever win at the New York 0.675-mile short track.

“Just a phenomenal car,” Silk said in Victory Lane following his dominant performance. “I went pretty hard there halfway through the race and said, ‘I’m sure there’ll be a caution and we’ll end up taking tires.’ Then with 20 to go I was getting a little nervous, like ‘did I save enough?’ But just a fantastic job by my guys. My car took a few laps to fire off on restarts. I was glad to not get one at the end there for sure.”

The win is Silk’s second of the season and second in a row, coming after the driver of the No. 85 machine bested the rest at Beech Ridge on Aug. 21. It’s also his fifth top-five finish of the season, third top-five in a row and 17th career win on the Whelen Modified Tour.

RELATED: Race results

While Silk was dominating up front, Matt Hirschman was putting on a show coming from the rear of the field. After being involved in a Lap 43 crash involving five others, Hirschman sustained significant left rear damage and pitted for repairs.

https://twitter.com/MartyCzekala/status/1434300515815460866

Restarting deep in the field, he went to work, slowly and methodically picking off cars one by one. With just under 30 laps to go, he re-entered the top 10. Fifteen laps later, he was inside the top five. Less than 10 laps later, he was all the way up to second behind Silk.

Hirschman settled for the runner-up spot, his second straight second-place finish (both to Silk in consecutive races) in his return to the track where he won earlier this season.

Bryan Bennett

“We made a charge, it looked like maybe a caution would come. But congrats to the No. 85. If he went the whole way and was still driving away from the rest of them, they obviously had a good car,” said Hirschman, who has an average finish of 1.6 and a worst result of second (three times) in five career Oswego starts. “We just had to overcome a lot that I wish we didn’t have to. Came home with a strong second at the end, but I like first better.”

If he were to have just a few more laps, Hirschman may have been able to get to Silk’s bumper and challenge for the win. But with no caution and lapped traffic to navigate, it didn’t happen.

“We would’ve eventually caught him and passed him probably,” he said. “But the race is 150 laps, I’m not going to make any excuses about it. I’m sure the longer it went the more it favored us, but it’s over.”

Justin Bonsignore came home third after leading more than 30 laps in the middle of the race, extending his top-10 streak to nine races. The result marks his fifth top five at Oswego, bringing his average finish to a whopping 3.2 in his six starts at the track.

More importantly, the two-time and defending champion expanded his points lead over Patrick Emerling, who struggled on the evening finishing 15th and two laps down.

“Obviously on that side of things, it was a good night for us,” Bonsignore said. “It’s getting down to crunch time as far as the points are concerned, so it gives us a little breathing room, but we’ll still have to race hard the next three (events).”

Doug Coby and Anthony Nocella rounded out the top five, with Bobby Santos III, Andrew Krause, Woody Pitkat, Kyle Bonsignore and Kyle Ebersole completing the top 10.

Unofficially, Bonsignore’s lead over Emerling in the standings now sits at 20 points with three races remaining on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule. Silk sits a distant third with Coby, Jon McKennedy and Kyle Bonsignore behind.

Up next for the Whelen Modified Tour is a trip to Richmond Raceway on Sept. 10 for the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 150. It’ll mark the first trip to “The Action Track” for the tour since 2002 and 11th overall, dating back to 1990.

Posted on September 4, 2021 by Chase Wilhelm

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Despite scoring his best finish of the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season on Saturday afternoon at Darlington Raceway, Harrison Burton wasn’t satisfied.

Burton crossed the finish line in second place behind race winner Noah Gragson after an overtime restart in the 152-lap race at the 1.366-mile oval. Burton’s teammate, Cup Series regular Denny Hamlin, appeared to have a strong grasp on the victory, but a caution on Lap 138 erased his lead over Gragson. Things went from bad to worse when the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team of Hamlin was penalized for equipment over the wall too soon during the final round of pit stops during the caution period.

That gave Burton an opportunity to give Gragson a run, but it ultimately fell short.

“Bittersweet,” Burton said. “It’s hard to win and whenever you have a chance, it’s like I gotta take advantage of this. The 54 (Hamlin) had some problems, I don’t even know what happened, and that kind of opened the door for me and Noah. I just kind of didn’t walk through it.

“Something about second always sucks worse than anything else because you feel like you’re one move away or one run away from being in Victory Lane,” Burton added. “I think he (Gragson) was just better than us in (Turns) 1 and 2 and we were really strong through (Turns) 3 and 4. I just had to take some lines that I didn’t really want to take, just kind of the opposite of what he did to try to get there and loosen him up. Just kind of didn’t do my job getting up there.”

Before Darlington, Burton had four third-place results this season, coming at Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway. It also served as Burton’s ninth top five of the year.

Although a win slipped away, Burton was still proud of his team for overcoming the absence of crew chief Jason Ratcliff, sidelined because of COVID-19 protocols. The team has now produced four top-five finishes in the last six races with two races remaining in the Xfinity Series regular season.

“… Our whole team did a great job rallying together and everyone kind of pitched in to pick up the slack for Jason who’s sitting at home,” Burton said. “We’re all thinking of him and I really wish we could have won for him. Just wanted it real bad. Just frustrated, I guess.”

Burton’s interim crew chief, Dustin Zacharyasz, echoed his driver’s feelings about the second-place finish.

“Well, it’s actually a little disappointing to be right there with the green-white-checkered (finish) and feel like you have a better car and just can’t get it done is frustrating,” Zacharyasz told NASCAR.com. “I don’t have this big moral buildup, best finish of the year, I just want to win races. Didn’t get it done.”

“This team is capable of winning races,” he added. “We won quite a few races last year, so just trying to get back to that.”

With the playoffs in sight, Burton will use the Darlington result as more motivation to break into the win column.

“I just want to get this one back,” Burton said. “Make us work harder and be better.”

Posted on September 4, 2021September 4, 2021 by Reid Spencer

Fresh from the announcement of his return to JR Motorsports next year, Noah Gragson sped to victory at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, clinching a spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.

After pre-race favorite Denny Hamlin was sent to the rear under penalty for an equipment violation during a pit stop under caution on Lap 139, Gragson grabbed the lead from Daniel Hemric on Lap 143 and held it the rest of the way.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Gragson‘s victory in the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at the 1.366-mile speedway was his first of the season, his first at Darlington and the third of his career.

After debris from a Hemric spin on Lap 144 caused the eighth caution of the afternoon and sent the race to overtime, Gragson surged ahead on the final restart and finished .218 seconds ahead of runner-up Harrison Burton.

Reigning series champion Austin Cindric ran third, closing to a single point his deficit to current series leader AJ Allmendinger, who finished 20th after pitting under the final caution because of a loose wheel.

“It‘s been way too long,” said Gragson, who celebrated by climbing the frontstretch catch fence with his team after climbing from his car. “I hate that the 54 (Hamlin) … something happened to him on pit road. It was pretty fun racing there.

“We made good adjustments on the pit stops … And like you said, it‘s been way too long. A lot of frustration this year, and things haven‘t gone our way, but we‘re getting some momentum when we need to, and I just can‘t thank everybody enough on this No. 9 team.”

Hamlin appeared headed for his sixth Xfinity Series victory at Darlington when teammate Brandon Jones spun off Turn 4 on Lap 138 of a scheduled 147. On the ensuing pit stop for new tires, Hamlin‘s crew was penalized for bringing equipment over the wall too soon, ending the driver‘s chances for a win.

Hamlin — making his first Xfinity Series start of the season — overcame early trouble, spinning out of the top spot on the final lap of Stage 1 while trying to work around the slower car of Carson Ware. That handed the opening stage win to Hemric, who rallied on fresh tires after his team remedied a loose spark-plug wire soon after the start.

Gragson took the checkered flag on Lap 152 at the end of the only overtime attempt. The victory marked his fifth straight finish of seventh or better.

Cindric took advantage of Allmendinger‘s late issue to set up a tight battle for the regular-season championship with two races left before the 12-driver playoff field is set.

RELATED: Xfinity Series schedule

“We did a solid job all day trying to execute but we weren‘t perfect,” Cindric said. “I‘m proud of what we gained today with the Snap-On Ford Mustang. It‘s definitely the best race I feel like I‘ve had at Darlington, just having the strength and not having too many weaknesses.

“As a team, that takes a lot of conversations throughout the week to try to get that right, so we righted a lot of wrongs for me at this race track today. I feel good about that.”

Justin Haley, last weekend‘s Daytona winner, finished fourth, followed by Kaulig Racing teammate Jeb Burton. Justin Allgaier, Tyler Reddick, Jeremy Clements, Myatt Snider and Alex Labbe completed the top 10.

There were eight cautions for a total of 41 laps and 19 lead changes among eight drivers. Hamlin, who finished 12th, led a race-high 43 laps. Gragson was out front for 40 circuits.

According to Cindric, the fresh strip of pavement in Turn 2 seemed to gain grip throughout the race but did not play a significant role in the outcome.

“Today when we showed up it was a construction site, and now it‘s a race track,” Cindric said. “That‘s the way I see it. It‘s dirty. It‘s new asphalt. We‘re the first cars to run on it. It gained grip throughout the day. It got cleaned throughout the day. It got more raceable throughout the day. I don‘t think it will be much of a story line tomorrow (in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race).”

The Xfinity Series’ next race, the Go Bowling 250, is scheduled next Saturday, Sept. 11 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Richmond Raceway. Just two events remain in the regular season.

Notes: Post-race inspection was completed in the Xfinity Series garage without major issue, confirming Gragson’s victory. NASCAR officials announced that the cars of the top four finishers would be brought back to the NASCAR R&D Center for further inspection and testing on the engine dynamometer. … Ty Dillon finished 13th as a late-hour substitute in the No. 02 Our Motorsports Chevrolet in place of Brett Moffitt, held out of Saturday’s race for medical reasons.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on September 4, 2021 by Pat DeCola

Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington (⏰ 6 p.m. ET | 📺 NBCSN | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s Cup Series Playoffs opener, the 27th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event of the 2021 season.

Where: Darlington Raceway, aka The Lady in Black, a 1.366-mile oval in Darlington, South Carolina
Starting Lineup: Ryan Blaney will lead the field to green under the lights, accompanied by Denny Hamlin on front row. See the full lineup
Green flag: 6:18:40 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Forecast: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70, according to NOAA.gov
Grand Marshal: Representative of Cook Out, Katie Yonchuk
Race Distance: 367 laps, 501.322 miles
Stages: 115 | 230 | 367
Pit-road speed: 45 mph
Caution car speed: 50 mph
Darlington 101: Get the full lowdown
Entry list: See who’s in the field
Pit-stall assignments: See who is pitting where | Expert breaks down pit-road selections

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Five to watch

Here are five big story lines we’ll be following at Daytona:

1. We’re here — the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Just 10 races separate 16 remaining drivers from the forever glory of being crowned a NASCAR champion, and the field may be deeper than ever before. First up: the Round of 16, starting with Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500. Win that and you advance to the Round of 12, along with staking claim in one of NASCAR’s most prized races. Win-win. The regular season held no shortage of story lines right from the jump, seeing Michael McDowell shock the world in the Daytona 500, Christopher Bell become the first Joe Gibbs Racing driver to lock in a week later on the road course at the World Center of Racing, William Byron become elite seemingly overnight and Kyle Larson flex on the field in ways reminiscent of a few other guys who used to drive for Hendrick Motorsports and know a thing or two about championships. But one thing’s for sure: we’re just getting warmed up, and the 2021 Playoffs are sure to sizzle.

2. Perhaps the biggest question as we get rolling here: will Larson’s dominance carry over into the postseason? All signs point to yes, but it does feel likely that JGR’s best days of 2021 are still ahead of the Toyota organization, Team Penske likely won’t go winless the rest of the way given Ryan Blaney is coming off two straight wins, Kevin Harvick could still find a path to Victory Lane and oh, by the way, all three of his teammates have been excellent this year as well and are also vying for a championship. With only 10 race trophies left to collect, it doesn’t leave much room on the plate for Larson to feast, but he’s also been otherworldly. He’s still likely to make the Championship 4 and currently stands as the title favorite, but his road to the Bill France Cup looks a good deal bumpier than it did during his summer peak.

3. And how about the underdogs? Given the season-long strength of the top of the field and relative consistency the top 10 teams have shown, those drivers on or around the bubble certainly have an uphill battle ahead of them. Daytona darling McDowell knows his team needs “to have the three best races of our careers” just to make the Round of 12, so any expectations for advancement past that point is a bit of wishful thinking. Tyler Reddick appears to be catching fire at the right time and could make a run, Bell is in top-tier equipment and has had nearly a full season to prepare for the playoffs and Aric Almirola sets up well to have a productive Round of 16 and potentially build some momentum. And then, of course, is Harvick, who enters as the No. 16 seed after last year’s top seeding — he’s a complete wild card, and should be fascinating to watch.

4. Come playoff time, any sort of perceived advantage needs to be explored, and Darlington is no exception. The winner will advance to the daunting Round 12, which opens at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, takes a trip to Talladega Superspeedway and wraps up at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Every one of the dozen eligible drivers at that point will be clamoring to win at Vegas and avoid the stress of the mercurial Talladega and Roval. What would come in handy in the quest to win at Vegas? The extra two weeks of preparation that come along with a Southern 500 victory and the peace of mind knowing you’re already locked into the Round of 12.

5. Lest we forget that other, non-playoff drivers make up the rest of Sunday’s field of 37 cars and also would love to be crowned a Southern 500 champion. Erik Jones is a former winner, and has six top 10s there in his seven starts, albeit in better equipment. Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Wood Brothers group still look like a team that could sneak in a win before they part ways at the end of the year, and one in this race would do wonders for his future prospects. Ryan Newman has seen success at this track before, is coming off his best finish of the season and was 10th here in the spring. Austin Dillon is fresh off just missing the playoffs and was runner-up in this race last year. It’s more likely a playoff driver wins, but these guys certainly won’t make it easy on them.

Race-day staples

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

• Power Rankings: Tyler Reddick might just be getting started | Scope the ranks
• Paint Scheme Preview: Shining bright under the lights | See the schemes
• Meet the field: Analyzing the 16-driver 2021 playoffs | Read more
• Bubble Watch: Who’s already in danger at Darlington? | Read more
• Track-by-track: Analyzing every race in the Round of 16| Read more
• Predict this: NASCAR.com staff playoff predictions | Read more
• Fantasy Fastlane: See who to use, avoid | Full Fantasy advice | Set your roster
• Preview Show: Jonathan Merryman and Alex Weaver preview the race | Watch the show
• Quite a collection: Multi-time winners of the Cook Out Southern 500 | See the list
• Darlington stars: All-time Southern 500 winners | See the list

Get in on the action

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

• Bet on it: Betting odds for Darlington | See the odds
• NASCAR betting: Pro handicappers debate where to find value | Read more
• Go all the way: Odds for 2021 Cup Series championship | See the odds
• Talking playoffs: How Fantasy Live game works for the postseason | Read more
• On the grid: How the Cup Series Playoffs Grid Challenge works | Read more
• No risk, big reward: Take a shot at winning cash prizes with the free-to-play Jackpot Races app | Hit the jackpot
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2021 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ

Fast facts

Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images

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

• Denny Hamlin has an average running position in the top 10 in 13 of the last 14 races at Darlington.
• Kevin Harvick has led 1,000 fewer laps this season compared to this point in 2020.
• Ryan Blaney owns a series-best 6.6 average finish the last nine races in 2021.
• Joey Logano has finished outside the top 20 in the last four races— his worst streak since May/June 2017.
• Kyle Larson owns the best average finish (6.00) at Darlington all-time among drivers with more than two starts.

Catch the pack

Read up on all the headlines from the week leading up to Saturday’s race.

• Playoff momentum: Blaney rounding into roles as team leader, title contender | Read more
• Team power: Kyle Busch, Bell eye strong runs at 2021 Cup Series title | Read more
• Will or won’t: @nascarcasm on each driver’s title hopes | Read more
• Yes, hard feelings: Distaste for Hamlin will ‘absolutely’ carry over in playoffs, says Logano | Read more
• No playing favorites: Larson enters 2021 playoffs as heavy favorite — but is he? | See details
• ‘We have to crush it’: Underdogs aiming to claw, advance | Read more
• Debate: Is Ryan Blaney Championship 4-caliber? | Watch the video
• Testing, testing: Eight teams to test Next Gen at Daytona | Read more
• Ripple effects: Inside the dynamics of 23XI’s growth | Read more
• Radio silence: Christopher Bell on relationship with Kyle Larson: ‘We haven’t communicated’ | Read more

Say what?

The best quotes from big names in the sport heading into this weekend’s race.

• “I feel good about our team. I think our team has done a great job with the circumstances we’ve been presented with and I think the last four or five weeks our cars have run a lot better. We’ve still got some work to do with some things on the balance side of the car to start these races, but, in the end, our team has done a great job and those numbers could have been a lot better if it weren’t for three or four ill-timed accidents at the end of a few of the races. You obviously want to win, but some years just don’t go exactly how you want them to go and I think those are the years that you’ve got to dig down and do the things that our guys have done this year, so gotta be in it to win it and we’ve given ourselves a chance and see where it all falls in the end.” — Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

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• “We’re definitely excited to be going to Darlington to start the Playoffs this weekend. It’s a place we have a lot of confidence at – and really this whole first round, we feel really good about. I’m not sure anyone knows exactly what to expect with the repaved area in turn two so that will be a challenge for everyone. I felt like that was one of our stronger parts of the track as the bumps had developed, but we’ll do our best to plan for the change and hopefully continue to build on how strong we have ran the past few times at Darlington to get the Playoffs started strong.” — Martin Truex Jr. driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

• “We are super excited for Darlington this weekend. These next three weeks are exciting races. Three, I feel like, really cool racetracks with fun environments for us. It’s getting to be that time of year. Fall is an exciting time of year for a lot of things around sports and our season is getting down to it, as well. We are just excited to get going. It’s hard to believe we are 26 weeks in. It doesn’t really seem like it, but here we are starting another playoffs and heading into the final 10 of the year. It goes by fast, but over two months of racing is still a long time. They will click off and you’ll get in certain moments that you might like, some you might not like, and we’ll make the most of them all.” — Chase Elliott, driver of the No.9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

• “The first thing I think of with kicking off the Playoffs at Darlington, is that it is a crown jewel event. That is the perfect stage that we could have start the 2021 Playoffs, and we are starting it at one of the coolest tracks. We are also going into some unknowns with the repaved or repaired surface in turn two. it is really going to improve the lap times with the grip level. Turn two is where your lap time is made and if you get through there good, it’s really going to help with that. Now with the extra grip, there is going to be a ton of speed down the back straightaway, into turn three, and there could be a question if we are up against the rev chip. So, you might have to back off the throttle to preserve the engine. With this being the second longest race of the year, that could be a huge factor at the end of the race as far as durability. But for the most part it’s still the same old Darlington. There is a ton of stuff that the driver has to compartmentalize at Darlington, plus the emotions of kicking off the Playoffs. A lot of things that we have to juggle when we get there.” — Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

Posted on September 4, 2021September 4, 2021 by NASCAR Foundation Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 3, 2021) – AdventHealth joins The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation (MTJF) and The NASCAR Foundation as the presenting sponsor of the Honor a Cancer Hero online auction. Bidding launches today featuring teams competing in NASCAR’s three national series and the ARCA Menards Series. It signifies the most extensive participation with more than 100 opportunities available for the second-annual event raising awareness for childhood and ovarian cancers.

During the auction, NASCAR fans can bid to have their cancer hero’s name placed on the signature panel of their favorite driver’s car during the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and ARCA Menards Series races at Kansas Speedway or during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway. The auction concludes on September 13.

“As many as one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime according to the American Cancer Society. It is up to all of us to fund research to help find cures and improve treatments. AdventHealth is honored to be part of this fundraising effort, to celebrate cancer heroes and to provide cancer care that helps patients beat or manage cancer through groundbreaking research, innovative treatments, and whole-person care,” said David Banks, senior executive vice president and chief strategy officer for AdventHealth.

Proceeds from the online auction will benefit MTJF and The NASCAR Foundation, two organizations recognized as champions for the health and well-being of others.

“We are honored to provide NASCAR fans this opportunity to celebrate those involved in the fight against cancer,” said Nichole Krieger, executive director of The NASCAR Foundation. “Whether honoring someone who has personally battled cancer, a medical provider, nurse, caregiver or other member of the all-important support system, what a remarkable way to recognize these heroes. And to partner with the NASCAR community, AdventHealth and MTJF makes this effort even more special.”

With September designated as childhood and ovarian cancer awareness month, the two foundations are teaming up to celebrate and support those champions who have overcome battles with cancer.

“We are so excited to launch this fundraising initiative for a second year,” said Sherry Pollex, founder of the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation. “There was an outpouring of support from NASCAR, drivers, teams, and fans from across the country last year. September is a special month for the MTJ Foundation in creating cancer awareness and we are hoping to raise the fundraising bar even higher this month. We are proud to partner with The NASCAR Foundation and AdventHealth to honor these cancer heroes.”

To learn more and to see a complete list of participating drivers, please visit here.

Posted on September 3, 2021September 3, 2021 by Marcus DiNitto

There was point earlier this season at which Martin Truex Jr. was the NASCAR Cup Series’ dominant driver. In a 10-race stretch from late February at Homestead through early May at Darlington, Truex tallied eight top-nine finishes, including three wins and two more top-five finishes. The two outliers were the dirt race at Bristol and the superspeedway of Talladega.

The betting market, of course, took notice, pricing the No. 19 Toyota as the clear favorite for what turned out not to be the 11th race in Truex’s impressive early-season run. He started on the pole at Dover that day but finished 19th, and he’s yet to return to Victory Lane since the Goodyear 400, the season’s first race at Darlington.

But as the circuit returns to the South Carolina track this weekend, so to does the market’s respect for Truex, who is priced as the second betting choice to win Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the first event of the 10-race Cup Playoffs. Truex sees odds in the +450 to +550 range at sportsbooks around the country.

Favorite status, to no one’s surprise, belongs to Kyle Larson, offered for +325 at Barstool Sportsbook and +300 at BetMGM and WynnBET.

Getting the NASCAR playoffs started with three straight races on tracks that employ the 750-horsepower, low-downforce package bodes well for Truex. All three of his wins his seasons have come on such layouts (Phoenix, Martinsville, Darlington), and as pointed out by our friend Jim Sannes, he’s led the pack for a good portion of these races.

Among drivers +800 or shorter to win this week, laps led at ovals using the 750-horsepower package:

1. Martin Truex Jr. (581)
2. Kyle Larson (528)
3. Denny Hamlin (525)
4. Kyle Busch (33)

— Jim Sannes (@JimSannes) September 2, 2021

In a matchup prop available at Barstool, Truex is a +125 underdog to Larson (-167).

Since his most recent win, Truex has not been a model of consistency. Bettors have to weigh this reality against his excellent short-track record.

Around the garage

Kyle Busch. Another takeaway from Sannes’ above tweet: the massive drop-off in laps led on 750-hp ovals from Truex, Larson and Hamlin to Kyle Busch. While Busch (+650) is priced a tick higher than Hamlin (+600) at Barstool and Wynn, he’s +600 at BetMGM to Hamlin’s +700.

Busch’s season got off to a slow start, and his 247 total laps led rank a distant ninth. But the No. 18 Toyota has been among the best on the circuit since his win at Kansas in May, and his record on intermediate tracks is stellar. In 46 races on these layouts since 2018, Busch boasts a series-leading 7.59 average finish and a strong 105.5 driver rating.

Ryan Blaney. Blaney looks for his third consecutive Cup Series victory Sunday, but the betting market is dubious on his chances. The No. 12 Ford is priced at +2000 at BetMGM, +2200 at Barstool and WynnBET, and an eye-opening +4000 at SuperBook USA. He’s longer than either of his of his Team Penske garage-mates on every oddsboard.

Blaney, though, has been consistent on 750-hp ovals this season, with finishes of (10th, 11th, 11th, 8th, 12th, 37thand 5th).

While a win appears unlikely for Blaney, a solid showing does not. At WynnBET, Blaney is offered at +275 for a top-five finish and -125 for a top 10.

Kevin Harvick. Another week, another track on which Harvick has seen plenty of success. He’s a consensus +1000 to avoid another week without a win.

Harvick has finished in the top five, including two wins, in the six races at Darlington since 2018. His 3.17 average finish is tops among drivers who have competed in all six and his 113.2 driver rating is second-best to Truex.

Handicappers should be careful with these stats, however. Those two recent Darlington wins both came in 2020, when the 550-hp, high-downforce package was used on the track.

Similar to Blaney, though, “Happy” has demonstrated consistency on 750-hp ovals this season, driving the No. 4 Ford to six top-10 finishes in the seven races (we’re excluding the Bristol dirt from this analysis).

Barstool offers +135 odds on a Harvick top-five finish Sunday, and for those willing to lay the wood, a fair -240 on a top 10.

As an indication of the market’s unwavering respect for the 2014 Cup champion, SuperBook USA prices a Harvick vs. Chase Elliott matchup prop as a coin flip, with -110 juice on either side.

Marcus DiNitto is a writer and editor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been covering sports for nearly two-and-a-half decades and sports betting for more than 10 years. His first NASCAR betting experience was in 1995 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he went 0-for-3 on his matchup picks. Read his articles and follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.

Posted on September 3, 2021September 3, 2021 by Zach Sturniolo

Bobby Santos III is a racer at heart.

Long before the third-generation driver out of Franklin, Mass., became the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, Santos quite literally had motorsports in his blood thanks to his grandfather, Bob Santos, as well as his dad, Bob Santos Jr., who both were wheelmen in their own rights.

His grandfather, Bob Santos, was a modified racer across New England, while Santos Jr. raced in other classes at local tracks like Thompson Speedway, Seekonk Speedway and Stafford Motor Speedway.

By the time Santos III came into the picture, there was no doubt his future was likely going to be behind a steering wheel.

“I guess I was about 2-years-old in my backyard, my dad had me riding around in a go kart,” Santos recalled. “And then the first actual race car I drove was a quarter midget at four-years-old.”

The racing bug bit Santos hard and he dictated to his life’s dream: racing at the highest level of NASCAR. But before he could get there, he knew he needed to cut his teeth in the northeast racing scene – and there was nothing he loved more than the Whelen Modified Tour.

That’s where Santos found the brunt of his success. In addition to his 2010 title run, Santos has 19 career wins on the tour, 54 top fives and 82 top 10s in 150 starts. Almost all 19 of his victories have come on the tour’s most storied tracks – six at both New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Stafford, five at Thompson and even a triumph at Martinsville Speedway where he brought home a storied grandfather clock.

“It means everything,” Santos said of the tour. “That’s what I grew up [with]. I grew up going to Thompson and Stafford watching Ted Christopher, Mike Stefanik. Teddy was was my favorite growing up and watching guys like him, Reggie Ruggiero, that whole group of guys growing up. I mean that’s the people I looked up to, the racing that I looked up to.

“So to be successful on the tour, it means a lot. I mean as far as I’m concerned, I know there’s other modified groups and series that run in the northeast, but from my standpoint, the way I look at it, when I want to race a modified, I want to race on the tour. I want to race against the best. I want to race against Doug Coby and Justin Bonsignore. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the best equipment and the best guys. Those are the people that I want to race because if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.”

A month from his 36th birthday, Santos realizes his hopes of chasing the upper echelon of stock-car racing are dwindling. He made six NASCAR Xfinity Series starts between 2007-2012 as well as a Camping World Truck Series start at Loudon in 2011, but Santos never had the proper funding for a quality ride to showcase his abilities.

If the right opportunity fell Santos’ way to get back into one of NASCAR’s three national touring series, Santos said he would “absolutely do it.” But the realist within him is totally content with where life has taken him.

“Because of timing or money or for whatever reasons, it never really worked out that I got to where I want it to be with [NASCAR],” Santos said. “But I am lucky enough now that I actually do race for a living.”

Santos has only made a handful of starts per year on the modified tour since last running the full schedule in 2016, but he’s kept himself plenty busy in USAC sprint cars, super modifieds and more in the interim.

“The biggest thing I’m doing that [I’ve] been able to make a living doing is the sprint car stuff,” Santos said. “And I work full time in the shop taking care of those cars, so I guess [I’m] not just racing for a living, but working on race cars is basically what I get to do.”

Santos’ passion for motorsports is evident. So what advice would he give a kid in New England eager to chase a dream in racing?

“Just go to the track and learn it and watch it,” he said. “And watch the right people and watch the right guys. Fortunately for me, I have my dad behind me and supported me since I was 4 years old right up to this day, traveling the country, helping me at the racetrack and working on race cars. It definitely takes a good support system with family and the right people around you and a lot of hard work.

“I think what’s enabled me to continue to race and at least make a living at the level I’m at is that my dad taught me how to work on the cars and understand the cars and have knowledge of the race cars when I was little. And that put me in the position to have the job that I have now, working on race cars. If I didn’t understand the cars that I’m driving, then I wouldn’t have the job that I have working on them.”

Santos is set to rejoin the modified tour for three of the final four races of the 2021 season: Oswego Speedway on Saturday, Richmond Raceway on Sept. 10 and the season finale at Stafford on Sept. 25.

Live coverage of the Toyota Mod Classic 150 on Saturday can be found at 7:30 p.m. ET on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and tape delayed on Thursday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Posted on September 3, 2021September 3, 2021 by Staff Report

As the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads to Oswego (N.Y.) Speedway (Saturday, September 4, at 7:30 p.m. ET on TrackPass) for the second time this season, two-time and defending series champion Justin Bonsignore holds a narrow eight-point lead over Patrick Emerling in the title fight with four races remaining in the season.

The duo took control of the points standings following the fourth race of the season at Jennerstown (Pennsylvania) Speedway – a race won by Bonsignore – and quickly ran away as the two championship contenders. At the time, Emerling held a one-point advantage, and neither has allowed any other drivers into the championship talk since.

A quick glance at the stats shows why the two have separated themselves. They each have nine top-10 finishes in the 10 races contested thus far, with Bonsignore putting together eight top fives and a win, compared to seven top-five finishes and two wins for Emerling. And since Jennerstown, they have finished in consecutive finishing positions three times – including a one-two result at New York International Raceway in Lancaster, that was won by Emerling.

In the series’ first visit of the season to Oswego Speedway in June, Emerling finished third while Bonsignore was fourth.

Bonsignore entered the Whelen Modified Tour’s most recent race at Beech Ridge (Maine) Motor Speedway with the largest advantage between the two to date – 12 points. However, a third-place effort by Emerling coupled with an eighth-place result for Bonsignore cut four points off the lead, landing Emerling within eight points (413 to 405) heading into this Saturday night’s showdown.

Bonsignore is chasing his third Whelen Modified Tour championship after winning two of the past three. He broke up a four-year run of titles by Doug Coby with his win in 2018, then sandwiched another Coby championship in 2019 (his sixth overall) by taking last year’s series championship.

Emerling is looking to cap off a breakout season with his first title. He had only tallied one series win in his previous 10 seasons (2017 at Bristol Motor Speedway) and his seven top-five finishes this year are a career-best.

Following Oswego, the series heads to Richmond Raceway on Friday, September 10. They then return north to wrap up the season with a stop at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway and the season finale at Stafford (Connecticut) Motor Speedway for the third stop of the year at the famed short track.

Patrick Emerling will look for his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in the final four races to go. (Bryan Bennett/NASCAR)

Posted on September 3, 2021 by Zach Sturniolo

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs are here and kick off with one of the sport’s crown-jewel events: the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

With 16 drivers set to begin their fight for a championship, it’s time to preview what makes Darlington “Too Tough to Tame,” who to watch and much more:

TO THE GREEN

Coming off his first set of back-to-back race wins, Ryan Blaney has earned pole position for the Southern 500. Alongside him on the front row will be two-time Southern 500 winner Denny Hamlin, while former Cup champions Kurt Busch and Chase Elliott make up Row 2. Check out the entire starting lineup here.

RULES PACKAGE

The lower-downforce, 750-horsepower package will be used this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Shorter spoilers and front splitters minimize the aerodynamic dependency on the race cars while more power means drivers have more input using the throttle.

PARTIAL REPAVE

A 600-feet long, 32-feet wide segment of asphalt was repaved in Turn 2 following years of needed attention after race weekends at Darlington. With the addition of a second event to its yearly schedule, the track’s leadership determined it was time to address the issues head on.

“We’ve been nursing that part of the race track for several years now,” said Scott Miller, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition, in a Monday appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “(It was) old asphalt, and there comes a point like we got to with what’s going on at Atlanta right now where you just can’t feel good about the surface and potentially breaking up on the weekend. So that section of the track has been a bit problematic for a while now, and it was just time to fix it so we could avoid any problems with the track breaking up or pieces coming out.”

HISTORY OF THE LADY IN BLACK

— Darlington held its first race on Sept. 4, 1950, the 21st race in Cup Series history and 13th of the 1950 season.

— Darlington native Harold Brasington leased cotton and peanut farmland on the west side of town from his friend Sherman Ramsey in 1949 to build the raceway. He created an egg-shaped oval with one corner tighter, narrower and more steeply banked because he promised Ramsey that the new track wouldn’t disturb his minnow pond at the west end.

— Sunday’s race marks the third playoff race Darlington has hosted and second consecutive playoff opener.

— Of the last 12 Darlington winners, 11 were age 34 or older.

— Six drivers have gotten their first career win at Darlington, the most recent of which was Regan Smith in 2011.

— There have been five last-lap passes for the victory at Darlington, most recently Ricky Craven over Kurt Busch in 2003.

Source: Racing Insights

GOODYEAR TIRES

Goodyear will supply teams with the same tire compound used since 2019 on Darlington’s notoriously abrasive surface. Tire management is critical at this 1.366-mile oval and those who conserve early are often rewarded later in a green-flag run.

“The abrasive track surface puts the onus on drivers to manage their tires and team members to keep up with the track and perform fast and consistent pit stops throughout a long race,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing.

Despite all the aged and rough asphalt, though, fresh pavement in Turn 2 may provide an added twist in how tires react, according to 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch.

“I think the tire is made for the older asphalt, so to me the fresher asphalt will be free grip,” Busch said during his playoff media availabilities. “It’s a matter of slip-sliding into the asphalt, grabbing it, and then having the car straight launch out of the asphalt and back onto the older stuff. A lot of eyeballs will be watching the preliminary races, because we will have no practice and we will just have to go for it.”

DARLINGTON STORYLINES

— Joe Gibbs Racing (three) and Stewart-Haas Racing (two) have won each of the last five races at Darlington.

— JGR has won six of the last 11 Darlington contests and has not gone more than one race between wins at the track too tough to tame since 2011-12.

— Martin Truex Jr.’s May 2021 victory was the only time a stage winner has won at Darlington. Truex swept both stages.

— In five of the last nine Darlington events, the race winner has led 35 or fewer laps.

— Ryan Blaney has won each of the last two Cup Series races, the only repeat winner in the last nine events.

— Toyota has six wins this year but one in the last 14 races.

— A stage winner has not won each of the last five races.

— Kevin Harvick has won at least one playoff race in each of the last nine seasons, the longest active streak. The longest streak all-time is 13 seasons set by Jimmie Johnson.

— Only one of the last 31 playoff races was won by a non-playoff driver.

Source: Racing Insights

ODDS TOO TOUGH TO TAME

Despite winning the spring race this year, Martin Truex Jr. is not the favorite entering the 2021 Southern 500, according to BetMGM. That honor goes to Kyle Larson at 3-1 odds, just over Truex’s 5-1 chances.

Behind them, Kyle Busch (6-1), Denny Hamlin (7-1) and Chase Elliott (9-1) have earned quite the respect from Las Vegas entering this weekend’s grueling event.

Darlington is a track where the sport’s best typically triumph. But as always, there are drivers flying under the radar who may be worth considering when putting money on the line.

For example, Erik Jones won the Southern 500 in 2019 and had a strong car in May until a tire failure dropped him through the field. In Jones’ seven tries, May marked his only Darlington finish outside the top 10. And at 150-1 odds, putting a little cash on him wouldn’t hurt.

FANTASY LIVE

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out the playoff version of NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now and offers a fresh start for those of you who played the regular-season contest. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts, and there is a $10,000 prize for the winner.

The 2021 Fantasy Live points leaders are Kyle Larson (1,013), Denny Hamlin (1,005) and Chase Elliott (881).

This year, NASCAR.com also has the Playoffs Grid Challenge game, presented by Ruoff Mortgage, where you can pick the winners for each round of the playoffs right up through the Championship 4. First prize is $10,000.

RELATED: Fantasy advice | How to play: Playoffs Grid Challenge | Playoff Fantasy Live

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.

New for this season, NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.

And finally, head over to the NASCAR Mobile App for AR Racing presented by Mobil 1, where you can design your own car and race the playoff drivers at the playoff tracks in augmented reality.

Posted on September 3, 2021September 3, 2021 by Staff Report

NASCAR Mobile AR Racing returns for the 2021 NASCAR Playoffs, giving fans a chance to design and compete with their race car in augmented reality on the NASCAR Mobile App. This year’s game is sponsored by Mobil 1 and has some new features:

— All playoff tracks and playoff drivers will be unlocked and available at launch.

— Tracks will take on the same look and feel as their real-life counterparts (for example, night racing at Darlington Raceway).

— Fans will have the option of running a Mobil 1 paint scheme on their Chevrolet, Ford or Toyota by clicking on the Mobil 1 logo.

The game will be available on NASCAR Mobile for IOS and Android and features two modes:

— Practice mode: Drive around for fun and get used to how your car handles at each track.

— Game mode: Compete against the playoff drivers with a difficulty level based on playoff level 1-16. Here you will earn points and move up the leaderboard.

How to play? Fans can play by opening the NASCAR Mobile App and clicking on the AR Racing game banner on the homepage. Next, they will be prompted to scan their environment with phone and place a 3D-version of their favorite track anywhere to start racing.

Don’t delay, start playing NASCAR Mobile AR Racing today.