Darlington Raceway Track Facts
Darlington Driver Tale of the Tape
Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ortho Ford)
· Two wins, three top fives, six top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 12.800, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 10.597, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 105.7, fifth-best
· 296 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.175, fifth-fastest
· 2642 Laps in the Top 15 (71.7), seventh-most
· 326 Quality Passes, second-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota)
· One win, two top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 13.600, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 8.995, third-best
· Driver Rating of 106.1, fourth-best
· 236 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.348, third-fastest
· 3134 Laps in the Top 15 (85.1), third-most
· 374 Quality Passes, series-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr (No. 88 Valvoline Chevrolet)
· Four top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 11.200, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.404, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 94.3, eighth-best
· 110 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.954, ninth-fastest
· 2650 Laps in the Top 15 (71.9), sixth-most
· 312 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Carl Edwards (No. 19 ARRIS Toyota)
· Three top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 13.100, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.732, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.0, 12th-best
· 151 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.807, 12th-fastest
· 2262 Laps in the Top 15 (61.4), 12th-most
· 287 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 3M Chevrolet)
· Seven wins, 19 top fives, 23 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 7.400, second-best
· Average Running Position of 7.629, series-best
· Driver Rating of 112.7, series-best
· 262 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.593, series-fastest
· 3356 Laps in the Top 15 (91.1), series-most
· 314 Quality Passes, third-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota)
· One win, four top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 6.889, series-best
· Average Running Position of 8.644, second-best
· Driver Rating of 107.1, second-best
· 186 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.315, fourth-fastest
· 2849 Laps in the Top 15 (86.0), second-most
· 303 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Jimmy John's/ Budweiser Chevrolet)
· One win, four top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.300, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.772, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 93.1, 10th-best
· 167 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.885, 10th-fastest
· 2531 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7), ninth-most
· 267 Quality Passes, 10th-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)
· Three wins, nine top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 8.800, third-best
· Average Running Position of 9.992, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 106.8, third-best
· 256 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.443, second-fastest
· 2789 Laps in the Top 15 (75.7), fourth-most
· 291 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Kasey Kahne (No. 5 HendrickRideAlong.com Chevrolet)
· Three top fives, four top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 17.500, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 10.665, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 97.9, sixth-best
· 230 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.069, seventh-fastest
· 2597 Laps in the Top 15 (70.5), eighth-most
· 233 Quality Passes, 13th-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)
· One win, three top fives, ten top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 10.100, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.487, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 93.2, ninth-best
· 123 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.814, 11th-fastest
· 2382 Laps in the Top 15 (64.7), 11th-most
· 264 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Seven top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.300, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 11.409, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 95.8, seventh-best
· 64 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 160.086, sixth-fastest
· 2778 Laps in the Top 15 (75.4), fifth-most
· 259 Quality Passes, 12th-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Bass Pro Shops / Mobil 1 Chevrolet)
· Four top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.900, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.805, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.1, 13th-best
· 105 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.791, 13th-fastest
· 2153 Laps in the Top 15 (58.4), 13th-most
· 311 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Martin Truex Jr (No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet)
· One top five, three top 10s
· Average finish of 13.111, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.116, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.1, 11th-best
· 127 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 159.992, eighth-fastest
· 2153 Laps in the Top 15 (65.0), 10th-most
· 278 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Bojangles Southern 500
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
Labor Day weekend has been missing something for the past 11 years that had been a staple in America since 1950, but that something has returned home. NASCAR Nation gets their wishes this week as the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway returns to its roots this holiday weekend.
Let’s say it again, “Darlington Raceway has the Southern 500 on Labor day weekend again!”
You may say, "big deal, a track is a track and who cares when they race." but that’s not so for the passionate NASCAR Nation that holds onto the sports past with great regard. When NASCAR moved Labor Day date at Darlington following the 2003 season, there was outrage. So what did NASCAR do? The following year they told everyone Darlington would get only one date for the 2005 season and the race would be in May, but they still called it the Southern 500.
It may have taken NASCAR 11 years to finally get to those angry protest letters from the fans, but at least they finally got it right.
We don’t have a lot of history in our young country, but nostalgia is something most of us cherish and hold dear. We like Wrigley Field and Fenway Park because the age tells us its something special. For the Southern 500 on Labor Day, a race and date more synonymous with NASCAR history than the Daytona 500 running in February, it’s finally home where it belongs and I couldn’t be happier.
After a week off, maybe I’m just excited about seeing some racing again and the whole Darlington thing is just a side story in my mind that enhances the anticipation.
Another reason to be excited is that Darlington’s 1.366-mile high banked layout is unlike any on the circuit with four differing turns. It’s a tough track to master and every driver has found a ’Darlington Stripe’ on their car door at some point in their careers. They’ve been calling Darlington ’The Lady in Black’ for years because she’s just a mean old nasty lady.
This weekend’s race is also special because we’ll get to see the new aero package that ran in July at Kentucky, which turned out to be the most exciting race of the season with all kinds of passing. Less overhang on the splitter and a shorter spoiler seems to create the perfect formula for great racing. The cars were super loose and it forced drivers to feather the fuel pedal more around turns rather than mashing the pedal all the way around the track.
Kentucky’s 1.5-mile flatter, wider layout is much different than Darlington’s so who knows what to expect from the racing. What I think we’ll see is an intense race with more Darlington Stripes dished out because of the cars being so loose. Even with race packages where the car stuck good through the turns, drivers had trouble with managing Darlington. The winner of the race will be the driver who has the guts to continually be on the brink of sliding into the walls.
Yeah, I think I’m pretty much all-around jazzed for this race.
What will ultimately make this my favorite race of the year is if I can cash some tickets in odds to win and driver match-ups. To come to my final conclusion on how things should turn out, I’ve mixed in what happened at Kentucky, past Darlington history and current form.
Under that criteria, the four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers stand out. They had the new package figured out the best at Kentucky as all four finished in the top-five. Kyle Busch led 163 of the 267 laps en route to his second win of the season. He would go on to win the next two races. He also won at Darlington in 2008. He’s definitely got the current form thing down, he’s run well at Darlington and he dominated at Kentucky with the new package, but who wants to bet the favorite? I don’t want to lay big prices on match-ups either, so I’ve got to go another route and hope he doesn’t win.
Matt Kenseth finished fifth at Kentucky and got his first Darlington win in 2013. He’s won two of the past four races on the schedule and fits the profile of someone that can win.
Denny Hamlin has a 6.9 average finish at Darlington which is tops among all active drivers. The ’Lady in Black’ seems to have a fondness for Hamlin and let him win in 2010. He finished third at Kentucky and might offer some of the best value in this race. I’ll be looking to play him with odds to win and driver match-ups against anyone but Busch and Kenseth.
Kevin Harvick won at Darlington last season for the first time in his career after several years of taking beatings on the track. It was his fourth top-five finish in 18 starts, but he’s got five finishes of 32nd or worse over that span too. I’ll shy away from him this week just because of a lackluster Kentucky performance where he finished eighth and didn’t lead a lap.
Joey Logano has won two of the past three races coming into Darlington, but his 23rd-place average finish is something to really consider and force some match-up wagers against. He was second at Kentucky and we have to respect his set-up there, but his Darlington history resonates more. With a track already being tough on him and now having a looser car, I’ll look for plus money on drivers matched up against him.
Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #11 Denny Hamlin (8/1)
2) #20 Matt Kenseth (7/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (10/1)
4) #18 Kyle Busch (5/1)
5) #4 Kevin Harvick (6/1)
NASCAR Odds and Betting Analysis
By Micah Roberts
Linesmakers.com
Kyle Busch is the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook's favorite, at 5-to-1 odds, to win Sunday night's Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Not only has the Joe Gibbs driver won four of the past nine Sprint Cup races, one of those victories came at Kentucky Speedway. The new aero package employed at Kentucky, consisting of a 3 1/2-inch spoiler reduction and 1 3/4-inch less overhang on the splitter, will be used again this weekend.
Kevin Harvick won Darlington last season and comes in as the second choice to win at 6-to-1 odds, and he would probably be favored if it weren't for Busch’s dominance in Kentucky. Darlington's 1.366-mile layout with four unique high-banked turns is nothing like Kentucky Speedway’s 1.5-mile layout, but it's the aero package influencing the bookmakers’ numbers.
In Kentucky, Joe Gibbs Racing had all four of its cars finish in the top five, as Kyle Busch led 163 of the 267 laps. Harvick finished eighth, though it was one of the few races in which he failed to lead a lap this season. Although he has 17 top-five finishes in 24 races this season, Harvick has failed to win a race since March (Phoenix, CampingWorld.com 500). JGR, meanwhile, has taken the checkered flag in five of the past seven races, the momentum starting with the debut of the new aero package in Kentucky.
The package suggests JGR cars will be fast again on Sunday, but Darlington – a special track with so much NASCAR history – must be handicapped. There isn't any other track like it, and comparisons are hard to make. They call this the track "too tough to tame," and the Lady in Black will paint a Darlington stripe on anyone who gets too close to her wall. The best of the best have all gotten their Darlington stripes, but some are less susceptible – and those are the drivers you'll want to key on Sunday night, in addition to referencing what happened at Kentucky.
Let's take a look at the top candidates to win and their opening odds at the Westgate.
Denny Hamlin (8/1): Just like most of the field, this will be his first ever Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend, but he should compete for the win. While his only win of the season came at Martinsville, the 'Lady' has been super kind to Hamlin over his career. In nine starts, he's averaged a 6.9 finish with a win in 2010. When factoring in his Kentucky performance, where he finished third and led 13 laps, he looks like a very attractive wager this week in both odds to win and driver matchups. Also attractive is his retro No. 11 paint scheme that pays respect to South Carolina native Cale Yarborough, who won the Southern 500 five times.
Jimmie Johnson (10/1): He won his fourth race of the season at Dover in late May, but doesn't have any wins in the past 11 races. Like Harvick, the timing of the Kentucky aero package didn't do this team any favors, as he finished ninth there. His fourth-place finish two weeks ago at Bristol was his first top-five since Daytona in early July, so it's understandable to see him offered at odds as high as 10-to-1. But this is where the track comes into play, and she loves Johnson, letting him win three times there. His last Darlington win was in 2012, and he finished fourth in 2013 and third last season. An 8.4 average finish at such a tough track is a testament to his skills, and only Hamlin has been more consistent here among active drivers.
Kyle Busch (5/1): Betting the favorite is never any fun, but you take a nervous gulp when betting another driver these days because of his current run and how his team has figured out the new package. He won at Darlington in his career-best season of 2008 and has finished sixth or better in his past three starts there. I won't be betting him this week, but one eye will constantly be affixed to the No. 18 – he is the one driver I fear the most who can ruin my Sunday wagering equation.
Kevin Harvick (6/1): He's taken his lumps at Darlington more than most, but he finally broke through with a win last season. He should be expected to fare much better in this race than he did at Kentucky and figures to battle with one of the JGR drivers for the win. The No. 4 will also have a retro paint scheme for Darlington, and as his Budweiser Chevy will sport the gold-and-yellow Kodak colors Sterling Marlin rolled with.
Matt Kenseth (7/1): After 19 Darlington starts and no wins with Jack Roush, he finally went to victory lane in 2013 in his first year with JGR and then finished fourth last season. He's won two of the past four races on the schedule and finished fifth at Kentucky.
Joey Logano (7/1): He did just fine at Darlington as a rookie in 2009 with a ninth-place finish, but it's been downhill from there with four finishes of 22nd or worse. However rough the track has been on him, momentum is hard to ignore, and winning two of the past three races should make you think twice about betting against him. The track can play serious mind games with a driver, and he might be one of the top drivers to bet against in matchups, but think long and hard first and watch Friday's final practices just to be sure.
Jeff Gordon (20/1): He isn't a real contender to win this week, but it's hard not to admire his seven Darlington wins, including an amazing four-straight Southern 500 victories from 1995-98. Sunday will mark his 35th and final Darlington start. He's averaged an 11.4 average finish over that span, including 19 top-five finishes, and is one of the best the track has seen since its first NASCAR race in 1950. He doesn't have a win this season and is in Chase-alert mode, and there's nothing wrong with rooting for the No. 24 this week even if you don't have a bet on him. One positive is that his seventh-place finish at Kentucky was the best among Chevy drivers.
Welcome back to Labor Day weekend, Darlington! It's been a long time, and the tradition was sorely missed. And a special thanks to NASCAR for going back to its roots and embracing its history. Now if we could only get Rockingham back on the schedule.
Drivers to Watch - Darlington
By Sportsbook.ag
The Sprint Cup series heads to Darlington for a race on “The Track Too Tough to Tame” on Sunday. Darlington Raceway, which is also referred to as “The Lady in Black”, features a rather distinct egg-shaped design and runs 1.366 miles with four turns. Turns 1 and 2 on this track feature 25-degree banking and turns 3 and 4 feature 23-degree banking. It’s a track that was built in 1949 and has hosted the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (with its current name) for the past two years now.
With only two events to go until the Chase for the Sprint Cup Challenger Round, this race is absolutely crucial. Last year, Kevin Harvick emerged as the winner in this race. His average speed was 131.211 and he was able to take full advantage of earning the top pole position.
Gordon has earned seven wins at this track in his career (1995, 1996 twice, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2007) and Denny Hamlin has one Sprint Cup victory (2010) and a record 5.9 average finish here.
Let’s now take a look at who might come away victorious in South Carolina on Sunday:
Drivers to Watch
Denny Hamlin (8/1) - Denny Hamlin has just one Sprint Cup victory at Darlington Raceway, but he has won numerous other races here before and holds a track record for average finish at 5.9. Hamlin enters this race in fantastic form, coming in fifth at the Pure Michigan 400 and third at the Irwin Tools Night Race. He has one victory on the year and another eight top-five finishes to his name. He may be one of the favorites to win this race, but he is still getting favorable enough odds to warrant putting some units on him.
Jimmie Johnson (10/1) - Jimmie Johnson had a poor outing at the Pure Michigan 400 two races ago, but he followed it up with a fourth place finish at the Irwin Tools Night Race on Aug. 22. Johnson has had success at Darlington before, winning a Sprint Cup race here in 2012. While he hasn’t been as dominant this season as in years past, Johnson still has four victories and 11 top-five finishes on the season. He is consistently at the top of the leaderboard and would be a great value play at the odds he is currently receiving.
Jeff Gordon (20/1) - Jeff Gordon only has a few races left as a full-time Sprint Cup driver and he’ll be looking to go out with a bang over the next few weeks. Gordon will be visiting a track that he has had a lot of success at in his career and should be feeling confident that he’ll get his first victory of the season. Gordon has three-top five finishes this season and 12 top-10s, but he has not been able to enter victory lane just yet. At 20/1, it’s definitely worth putting a unit or two on him to get that done at a track he is very familiar with.
Greg Biffle (100/1) - Greg Biffle has not won a Sprint Cup race since 2013, but he is getting some extremely favorable odds and has been doing quite well as of late. Biffle has finished in the top-25 at five straight races and that includes a fifth place finish at the Windows 10 400. Biffle has also had some success at Darlington, winning this race in back-to-back years (2005, 2006) earlier in his career. It wouldn’t be a bad decision to put a unit or two on a guy that can make you look pretty smart once Monday rolls around.
A.J. Allmendinger (500/1) - Allmendinger may not have any victories in the Sprint Cup Series this season, but he does have three top-10 finishes and one of them was a seventh at the Windows 10 400 just a few weeks ago. He is receiving some insane odds for this race and isn’t poor enough of a driver to be counted out completely. He won a race in 2014 and is more than capable of surprising people and doing so again. If he did then it’d be tough to swallow not taking him.
Odds to win Bojangles’ Southern 500
Kevin Harvick 4/1
Kyle Busch 5/1
Joey Logano 7/1
Matt Kenseth 7/1
Carl Edwards 8/1
Denny Hamlin 8/1
Brad Keselowski 10/1
Jimmie Johnson 10/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 15/1
Kurt Busch 15/1
Martin Truex Jr. 15/1
Jeff Gordon 20/1
Kyle Larson 20/1
Kasey Kahne 30/1
Jamie McMurray 40/1
Ryan Newman 60/1
Tony Stewart 60/1
Austin Dillon 75/1
Clint Bowyer 75/1
Paul Menard 75/1
Chase Elliott 100/1
David Ragan 100/1
Greg Biffle 100/1
Ryan Blaney 100/1
Aric Almirola 300/1
AJ Allmendinger 500/1
Casey Mears 500/1
Danica Patrick 500/1
Ricky Stenhouse 500/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 500/1
Driver Handicaps: Darlington
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com
To assist in making your fantasy racing picks, MRN.com's Jeff Wackerlin helps steer you toward Sunday night's Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Who's HOT at Darlington
• Kevin Harvick is the defending race winner and has posted a 3.0 average finish in his last two starts.
• Matt Kenseth won the 2013 race and has posted a 2.5 average finish in his two starts with Joe Gibbs Racing.
• Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in wins (7) and laps led (1,744).
• Denny Hamlin, 2010 winner, leads all drivers with a 6.9 average finish.
• Kyle Busch, who led 265 laps in 2013, has scored five top 10s in his last seven starts, which includes a win in 2008.
• Jimmie Johnson has posted four top fives, including one win in 2012, in the seven races since the track was last repaved.
• Carl Edwards, who will make his first track start with Joe Gibbs Racing, has recorded four top 10s, including two runner-up finishes in the last seven races.
Who to Keep an Eye On at Darlington
• Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski and Kenseth each participated in the Goodyear tire test at Darlington with the low-downforce aero package. The right-side tire code is the same that was run at Kentucky Speedway earlier this summer with the rules package.
• Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Hamlin, Edwards and Kenseth, respectively were the top five in the first race with the low-downforce aero package at Kentucky. Busch led the most laps with 163 while sixth-place finisher Keselowski was second in laps led with 62.
• Greg Biffle, who won at Darlington in 2005 and 2006, ranks second in laps led (291) in the seven races since the track was last repaved. Kyle Busch (587) ranks first in laps led in that span with Harvick (287), Kasey Kahne (226) and Hamlin (178) round out the top five. Stewart (11.6) and Martin Truex Jr. (13.3) each rank in the top 10 in average finish among drivers that have competed in all seven races since repave.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finished in the top 10 in his last two starts at Darlington, including a runner-up finish last year.
• Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon finished eighth and 11th, respectively, in their first Bojangles' Southern 500 starts last season.
• Ryan Newman, who has finished 10th in his last two Darlington starts, tested the car he will race this weekend at Darlington in early June.
MRN.com Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Kyle Busch
Pete Pistone: Kevin Harvick
Robbie Mays: Denny Hamlin
John Singler: Joey Logano
Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish in the Five Races at Darlington
Denny Hamlin: Has finished in the top six in four of his last five starts, including a win in 2010. He leads all drivers in average finish in both the last five races (6.0) and overall (6.9). Two of Hamlin's last three starts have resulted in runner-up finishes. Hamlin led 13 laps and finished third at Kentucky Speedway in July with the low-downforce aero package that will be used this weekend.
Kyle Busch: Since joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008, Busch has posted five top 10s at Darlington, including a win in his first start with the team. He's finished sixth in the last two races and led 265 laps in 2013. Busch won at Kentucky earlier this summer with the same low-downforce aero package that will be used this weekend.
Kyle Larson: Finished eighth in his first Bojangles' Southern 500 start last season. Larson started on the pole in July at Kentucky Speedway based on practice speeds with the low-downforce aero package that will be used this weekend, but he finished 35th.
Carl Edwards: Will make his first track start with Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards finished fourth in July at Kentucky with the rules package that will be used this weekend. Edwards finished in the top 10 seven times in his previous 11 track starts with Roush Fenway Racing.
Kevin Harvick: Won last year in his first track start with Stewart-Haas Racing after leading 238 laps. The win was Harvick's second consecutive top five and seven top 10 in 18 overall starts. Harvick was the top finishing Stewart-Haas driver at Kentucky in July with this weekend's low-downforce aero package, in seventh. This weekend, Harvick will debut a new car (chassis No. 945) in the Bojangles' Southern 500.
Matt Kenseth: After 19 previous starts with Roush Fenway Racing, Kenseth was finally able to score a win at Darlington in 2013 in his first track start with Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth won the race minus crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who was serving a one-race suspension. Ratcliff joined Kenseth at Darlington last season and helped lead him to a fourth-place finish. In June, Kenseth participated in the Goodyear tire test with the low-downforce aero package.
Austin Dillon: Finished 11th last season in his first Bojangles' Southern 500 start. This weekend, Dillon will return in the same car (chassis No. 507) that he last finished 13th with at Pocono Raceway last month.
Tony Stewart: Is coming off his third top 10 in the last five races. This weekend, Stewart will pilot the same car (chassis No. 707) that he finished 33rd with a Kentucky Speedway in July using the same low-downforce aero package that will be used this weekend.
Ryan Newman: Finished 10th last season in first track start with Richard Childress Racing. The finish marked Newman's fifth top 10 in the last six races. This weekend, Newman will return in the same car (chassis No. 486) that he posted a pair of top-10 finishes with at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. He also tested this car at Darlington in early June.
Jimmie Johnson: Last of three wins came in 2012 after leading 134 laps. Johnson has finished fourth and third, respectively, in the last two events to lower his average finish to extend his top-five run to three races. In July at Kentucky Speedway, Johnson finished ninth with the low-downforce aero package that will be used this weekend.
Greg Biffle: Last of two wins came in 2006 when he led 170 laps en route to the checkered flag. Biffle won his second Darlington pole in 2012 and led 74 laps before finishing 12th. Last season, Biffle finished fifth for his sixth top 10 in 14 overall starts.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Has finished in the top 10 in his last two starts, including a runner-up finish last season. Earnhardt Jr. has posted three top 10s at the track since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, the first race on the current racing surface.
Jeff Gordon: Is the active track win leader with his last of seven victories coming in 2007 - last race on previous track surface. He also leads all active drivers in laps led (1,744) and average start (6.8). Gordon's crew chief Alan Gustafson is a previous Darlington winner with Mark Martin in 2009 and will lead Gordon for the fifth time there with an average finish of 5.0 in the last two races. Gordon finished seventh last month at Kentucky Speedway with this weekend's low-downforce aero package.
Martin Truex Jr.: Finished 27th last season in first track start with Furniture Row Racing. Truex does have three top 10s in his previous eight starts among two teams. In early June, Truex topped an open test at Darlington before the determination for the low-downforce aero package to be utilized this weekend.
Jamie McMurray: Posted his best run in 14 starts in 2010 when he won the pole and led 71 laps en route to a second-place finish. McMurray's last of five top 10s came in 2011, in ninth.
Brad Keselowski: Has posted a 14.3 average finish in six starts. Keselowski's best finish came in 2011, in third. Last season he led for the first time at Darlington (four laps) and finished 17th. Keselowski will look to turn around his Darlington record as he was one of the drivers selected to take part in the Goodyear tire test in late June with the low-downforce aero package.
Kasey Kahne: A 37th-place finish last season, because of an accident, raised his average finish to 20.7 in three track starts with Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne has combined to lead 180 in his last four starts, including 124 in 2011 when he was with Team Red Bull.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Has posted a 19.0 average finish in two starts with his best finish, of 18th, coming in 2013. Stenhouse posted his best finish of the season on a non-short track at Kentucky Speedway, in 11th, with the low-downforce aero package to be used this weekend.
Kurt Busch: Finished 31st in his first track start with Stewart-Haas Racing last season after he was involved in a late-race incident. Overall, Busch has a 17.9 average finish in 18 starts. In July, Busch finished 10th at Kentucky Speedway with the low-downforce aero package that will be used this weekend. The car (chassis No. 794) Busch will drive is the same one he tested at Darlington in June and at Chicagoland Speedway in July.
Clint Bowyer: Has posted an 11.3 average finish in three track starts with Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer's best finish, and only top 10, came in 2007 when he won the pole and finished ninth when he drover for Richard Childress Racing.