DARLINGTON, S.C. — The Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway has change into one of the vital in style races on the NASCAR schedule for groups, rivals and followers with its Throwback Weekend theme on the venerable 1.366-mile one-of-a-kind monitor the place vehicles and stars rejoice the game’s earlier eras.
A handful of drivers might actually get into the spirit by reviving their present championship scenario. And previous Darlington race winners akin to Brad Keselowski, Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano and Erik Jones would like to hoist their first trophy of the 2025 season – that’s the type of throwback they need.
Keselowski is a two-time and the defending Spring race winner at Darlington — incomes his first (and solely) victory as far as a group proprietor, driving the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford final April. Briscoe’s win final Fall was additionally important – maybe probably the most clutch efficiency of his NASCAR Cup Sequence profession when he took the win within the common season finale to earn a Playoff place.
Coming into the weekend, the 2012 sequence champion Keselowski is ranked an uncharacteristic thirtieth within the championship standings with no single top-10 nor lap led. Nonetheless, he holds the very best common end (6.4) within the final 5 Darlington races. And it’s the first of three straight venues (additionally Bristol, Tenn. and Talladega, Ala.) the place he’s a a number of race winner.
Briscoe claimed the Daytona 500 pole place in his first outing driving the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He’s ranked twelfth within the driver standings with three top-10s, however trying to land his first journey to Victory Lane with the brand new group. A win this weekend would mark the primary time a driver has gained consecutive Darlington races for the reason that monitor’s Honorary Tempo Automobile Driver Greg Biffle did it in 2005-06.
Coming into the weekend, all 4 Hendrick Motorsports drivers are ranked among the many top-five within the championship – led by Daytona 500 winner William Byron, who holds a 16-point lead on Homestead-Miami race winner Kyle Larson. Chase Elliott, the 2020 sequence champion, is third, 32 factors behind Byron and Alex Bowman is ranked fifth, solely 35 off Byron’s tempo.
Byron and Larson swept the 2023 races at Darlington and Larson holds the very best driver score (108.1) on the monitor. The 2021 sequence champ Larson has seven top-five and 9 top-10 finishes and shall be driving a throwback No. 5 paint scheme this week honoring one other former Hendrick champion, NASCAR Corridor of Famer Terry Labonte.
Final week’s Martinsville (Va.) Speedway winner, JGR’s Denny Hamlin can also be anticipated to be a serious participant at Darlington, the place his wins (4), runner-up finishes (4), top-fives (13), top-10s (18) and common end (8.2) are all top-marks within the sequence amongst lively drivers.
A victory for Hamlin’s JGR teammate, Christopher Bell – who’s earned three trophies already this season – would make him the primary driver since NASCAR Corridor of Famer Jeff Gordon in 1997 to win 4 of the primary eight races. And Bell is coming off his profession greatest work at Darlington – third in final Fall’s race.
Add to the combo, reigning sequence champion, Joey Logano. He has led 260 laps (second this season solely to Hamlin’s 298) however nonetheless hasn’t recorded a top-five end. The motive force of the No. 22 Group Penske Ford gained at Darlington in 2022.
The final 9 Darlington races have been gained by 9 totally different drivers and the document for that mark is 11 (2006-16). Curiously, the driving force who led probably the most laps has completed twenty fifth or worse in 4 of the final 5 races.
“I feel over-aggression is type of over-blown at Darlington, particularly with this automotive, you will be fairly aggressive,” Byron mentioned. “You’ve obtained to be aggressive at Darlington now to get clear air and keep up in direction of the entrance. You’ve obtained to be good on the long term, so nonetheless you handle that, whether or not set-up or driver enter. You’ll be able to’t afford to simply type of trip round on this automotive at Darlington anymore. It’s going to be loads like Homestead the place you’ve obtained to have the ability to trip the fence and be good in all of the lanes.”
