The Bojangles’ Southern 500 is scheduled to begin on Sunday, September 4th at 6:00 p.m. ET at Darlington Raceway. The event is televised on NBC. It’s throwback weekend in NASCAR’s second to last race before the start of the Chase to the Sprint Cup Championship.
The “Lady In black” is the next race on the Sprint Cup Series schedule. Darlington Raceway is an egg-shaped 1.366 mile oval. The features of the hallowed venue are different from any track on the circuit. Darlington Raceway is not an intermediate oval and not a super speedway, but somewhere in the middle.
The “Track To Tough To Tame” has two completely different set of turns. Turns 3 and 4 are much narrower than turns 1 and 2. This is a challenging for the drivers and also their teams, as the handling setup for the stock cars can change dramatically.
The key to achieving success at Darlington Raceway is finishing the actual race itself. The Southern 500 is always an attrition race. Drivers bang on the outside wall with regularity, usually resulting in a quick trip to the garage. As a result, experienced drivers seem to fare pretty well at Darlington Raceway. A select few drivers have found a way to tame the unforgiving venue.
Stewart-Hass’ Kevin Harvick is is one of the drivers who has figured out “The Track Too Tough to Tame.” The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion has three straight top-five finishes at Darlington Raceway. Furthermore, he completely dominated the race in 2014.
Harvick won the pole position to start the race and led 238 of the 374 laps turned on his way to Victory Lane. Harvick has his #4 Jimmy Johns Freaky Fast Chevrolet on a hot streak right now. He has navigated through five of the last six contests inside the top six. Las Vegas has him as the race’s favorite at 6/1.
Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski will be trying to add another victory to his 2016 resume before the Chase begins. The #2 Blue Deuce will have a solid chance at taking the checkered flag Sunday night.
Brad Keselowski drove the most dominating hot-rod in this race last year. He claimed the pole and led a race high 196 of the 367 laps turned. It’s also important that drivers keep their focus at Darlington Raceway. Keselowski excels at that and this is definitely his type of track. Odds-makers have the driver at tasty 8/1 to win the Bojangles’ 500.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, is one one of the drivers that will be in the mix when the last laps of the Southern 500 are decided. Darlington Raceway is by far his best track.
Hamlin has 10 career starts at Darlington and finished eight of them in the top 10. The 2016 two time winner, averages a starting position of 9.7 and also has an average finishing position of 6.5. It’s possible that Hamlin will visit Victory Lane at Darlington for the second time in his career. Odds gurus have the speedster at 8/1 to do just that.
Carl Edwards drove his way to Victory Lane in this race last year. The savvy driver has a good chance of repeating his performance again this season. Edwards has driven his #19 Toyota to four top sevens in his last five appearances at Darlington Raceway. Line-setters have the Joe Gibbs Racing driver at 8/1 to win his second consecutive Southern 500.
Jeff Gordon has figured out the “Lady In Black.” Actually, he has won over twice as many as teammate and six-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. In fact, Gordon has more wins at Darlington than any driver on the circuit.
The Dale Earnhardt Jr. replacement driver has collected 23 top 10’s and is a great pick in the “C” driver spot for NASCAR fantasy enthusiasts. Las Vegas gives Gordon a 20/1 chance to capture his eighth victory in the Southern 500.
Jimmie Johnson looks to once again flex his muscles. He was the fastest in the first round of practice and third fastest in the second round. The Hendrick Motorsport’s future Hall-of-Famer also has won at Darlington on three different occasions.
I fully expect Johnson to be in contention when the final laps are turned in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Sunday. Sports books place the veteran driver at 9/1 to win on Sunday.
The starting line-up for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is set this weekend by where the competitors are in the point standings. Qualifying is cancelled do to Hurricane Hermie. As a result, Kevin Harvick will start out front of the field.
