Jimmie Johnson Gives Hendrick 200th Win at Darlington

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

The only trip to the Darlington Raceway, the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series becomes one with its roots at one of stock car racing’s oldest paved speedways. A tricky 1.366-mile track presents its own character that can often outwit the best personalities in motorsports.

Becoming a Mother’s Day weekend event in recent years, the Southern 500 race sponsored by Bojangles started Saturday night under sentimentality that quickly turn to the business of racing 500 miles. On pole, Greg Biffle continues has early season stride in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup race when the green flag flew on the Bojangles Southern 500. The Roush Fenway Racing #16 Ford Fusion would lead the first 48 laps of the evening kicking out what would be a 173-lap stretch of green flag racing.

When the first round of pit stops cycled with Kasey Kahne, Landon Cassill and Jimmie Johnson credited with leading a lap through the exchange, the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch took for 21 laps. Greg Biffle would reassume the lead of the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on lap 73 and would hold it for an additional 26 circuits.

Aside from the leader, intense attention was devoted to deeper in the field to the #10 Chevrolet being driven by Danica Patrick. Only her second career NASCAR Sprint Cup event, Patrick’s run with the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the Bojangles Southern 500 was more productive than her debut at the Daytona 500. Caught in the lap 1 multi-car wreck at the Daytona International Speedway race, Darlington would see Patrick endure the rigors of an entire NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. Though Danica Patrick finished the race with an intact Chevrolet Impala, she would finish 6 laps down in 31^st spot. Not helping her attempt to adapt to the premier stock car tour was the long green flag run that gave Patrick and other competitors few opportunities to fine-tune their car setups.

Photo Credit: Brian Czobat autostock, USA

On lap 101, the #48 Chevrolet made its way to the top spot in the hands of Jimmie Johnson. Though the first 10 races of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the four-car team of Hendrick Motorsports has set out on a quest for the organization’s 200^th series win. While Johnson and other within the Rick Hendrick group came close to delivering the win number 200, the feat had been eluded early in the season with some efforts coming within laps of the monumental victory. Showing his strength before the one-third mark of the event at Darlington Raceway, the question was will the Bojangles Southern 500 for the site for a major Hendrick Motorsports celebration?

A caution for debris on lap 173 slowed the record pace of the race. After the long competitive run under green, the first cautions as well as several cautions following brought relief to many race cars lapped through the event. By lap 184, only 14 cars resided on the lead lap at Darlington Raceway as the field led predominantly by Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch dominated. At points in the event, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr had their Saturday night race rescued by the NASCAR free pass. By the end of the race, 21 cars would be fortunate enough to be classified on the lead lap after 500 miles.

The #22 Dodge of AJ Allmendinger and the #1 Chevrolet of Jamie McMurray were not among the lead lap finishers after a wreck on lap 317. Also part of late-race mayhem was the #39 car of Ryan Newman. Four cautions through the race’s final 49 scheduled laps would force the hands of various teams contending on the less than predictable Darlington Raceway surface.

Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR

 
In the final laps, the battle for the win was between the #48 Lowes Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch’s #18 Doublemint Toyota. Trading the lead several time on-track, Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports-owned car grew much stronger than the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Kyle Busch taking the lead affirmatively on lap 325. Leading the final 44 laps that included a final green-white-checkered challenge from the #14 Chevrolet of Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson sailed to victory of the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington.

In what was one of the biggest celebrations seen for a long-time from the Hendrick Motorsports crew, Jimmie Johnson kicked off the festivities by a wild burn-out on the Darlington Raceway frontstretch. When concluded, talked about his run that involved leading a total of 134 laps. “We led a lot and we ran away once we had the clean air. But once we lost it, man, it was tough to make anything happen deep in the pack. And luckily we had a good enough car that I could work my way through there and still got it done.” said Johnson in post-race interview.

Owner of the #48 race team, Rick Hendrick talked about his race organization‘s milestone saying, “I can’t believe we won 200 of these things. I can’t believe it took this long after 199. I want to remember all those folks we lost. And everybody that helped this thing happen.” However, a telling comment on Johnson’s NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner motivation comes from the Hendrick Motorsports driver."You have got to love that man (Rick Hendrick), he just said 200 is great but let’s go get 250. So that tells you where his head is, I love it. Oh man, what a day.” said Jimmie Johnson.

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

After 368 laps, Denny Hamlin surged into the runner-up spot with his #11 Toyota taking the position from Tony Stewart who finished the Bojangles Southern 500 in 3^rd with a Hendrick Motorsports-prepped customer car. Rounding out the top-5 of the Darlington event was Kyle Busch and the #56 Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. Just before of the top-10, Roush Fenway Racing Fords piloted by Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards took top-10 runs. The pole-sitting Roush Fenway contender would come home 12^th holding onto the points lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.

While Jimmie Johnson and his #48 team enjoyed a triumphant victory, the other Hendrick Motorsports cars had a mixed night. Kasey Kahne finished 8^th while Dale Earnhardt Jr brought his #88 Chevrolet across the line 17^th. Suffering a flat rear tire around the mid-point of the event, Jeff Gordon once again met misfortunate on the race track finishing 35^th. “It’s the same old story. We’re running good. We have fast race cars. We’re doing everything we can as a team and just having things like that happen to us.” said Gordon.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ next race is the exhibition event at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 19^th serving as the prelude to the Coca-Cola 600 set for Memorial day Sunday night the following week.



2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Bojangles Southern 500
Darlington Raceway
Race Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Sponsor/Car Make
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet
2	11	Denny Hamlin	Sport Clips Toyota
3	14	Tony Stewart	Office Depot / MOBIL 1 Chevrolet
4	18	Kyle Busch	Wrigley Doublemint Toyota
5	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
6	17	Matt Kenseth	Zest Ford
7	99	Carl Edwards	Ford EcoBoost Fusion Ford
8	5	Kasey Kahne	Rockwell Tools Chevrolet
9	9	Marcos Ambrose	DeWalt Ford
10	20	Joey Logano	The Home Depot Toyota
11	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota
12	16	Greg Biffle	3M / OH / ES Ford
13	27	Paul Menard	Menards / Pittsburgh Paints Chevrolet
14	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row / CSX Play it Safe Chevrolet
15	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge
16	29	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Chevrolet
17	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Diet Mountain Dew / National Guard Chevrolet
18	31	Jeff Burton	BB&T Chevrolet
19	43	Aric Almirola	Gravely Mower Ford
20	55	Mark Martin	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
21	51	Kurt Busch	Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet
22	13	Casey Mears	GEICO Ford
23	39	Ryan Newman	WIX Chevrolet
24	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevrolet
25	38	David Gilliland	A&W All American Food Ford
26	83	Landon Cassill	Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota
27	36	Dave Blaney	SealWrap.com Chevrolet
28	34	David Ragan	Peanut Patch / Margaret Holmes Ford
29	47	Bobby Labonte	Scott Products Toyota
30	32	Reed Sorenson	Southern Pride Trucking Ford
31	10	Danica Patrick	GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
32	73	Travis Kvapil	Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota
33	22	AJ Allmendinger	Shell Pennzoil Dodge
34	1	Jamie McMurray	Bass Pro Shops / Allstate Chevrolet
35	24	Jeff Gordon	Drive to End Hunger / AARP Chevrolet
36	93	David Reutimann	Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota
37	49	JJ Yeley	America Israel Racing / JPO Absorbents Toyota
38	74	Cole Whitt	Turn One Racing Chevrolet
39	30	David Stremme	Inception Motorsports Toyota
40	87	Joe Nemechek	AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
41	52	Mike Skinner	CrusaderStaffing.com Toyota
42	79	Scott Speed	Team Kyle / KOMA Unwind Ford
43	26	Josh Wise	Morristown Drivers Service Ford

Underdog Unleashed: Regan Smith Claims Darlington Cup Win

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

Regan Smith arrived in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series in 2007 as a co-owner of the Ginn Racing #01 Chevrolet (driving alongside Mark Martin). A promising young talent, Smith's career hit a stumble in 2008. After one-full season in the Sprint Cup where achieved this 2008 season's Rookie of the Year title and almost won the race at Talladega, Smith received the short end of the stick due to multiple team mergers. First with the Ginn Racing team merging with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated in 2007, Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Racing's organization would join after the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Limited to a four-car team, Smith's team was excluded in favour of Ganassi's #42 car driven by the more established Juan Pablo Montoya.

Undaunted by the setback and the highly-competitive nature of simply becoming a Sprint Cup series regular driver, Regan Smith signed with the #78 Furniture Row Racing team. A single car operation the Furniture Row Racing team was always regarded as an outsider compared to the NASCAR superteams which consisted of multi-car stables. Their base in Colorado rather than the traditional race shop in North Carolina went further to bring light to the inconformity of Furniture Row Racing. Despite being funded on a more modest basis, the Furniture Row Racing #78 Chevrolet was not enticed by the quick cash of a "Start and Park" effort. In every race the #78 Chevrolet competed, the team was seen performing at their full competitive ability. Teaming with Regan Smith in 2009, the partnership has pay dividends in 2011. After 95 races, Regan Smith secured his first top-10 finish at the 2011 Daytona 500. For the May 7th Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the pairing scored a major coup for the underdog.

After a top qualifying run, the #4 Red Bull Toyota piloted by Kasey Kahne led the 43-car field to green starting the Showtime Southern 500. An initial run that lasted only 7 laps at Darlington Raceway, the #60 car of Mike Skinner spun to draw caution. As the field was regrouped, the Stewart/Haas Racing #39 Chevrolet driven by Ryan Newman snuck around the #4 car of Kahne to lead the race's early stages.

As the race progressed, another drivers taking stints at the front of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race included Jamie McMurray, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards. For much of the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, a three-way battle between Edwards, Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne made up the complexion of the event combining to lead 259 of the scheduled 367 laps distance.

Struggling to please the temperament of the track known as the 'Lady in Black', the Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolets had a less than successful Saturday night race at Darlington. Collectively, the top-flight operation finished in modesty but were hardly a factor. In fact, the team did not lead a single lap at the 1.366-mile oval. The most dramatic display of the Hendrick Motorsport team's poor showing was Jimmie Johnson and his #48 Chevrolet spun twice during the event. Despite of this difficulty, the 5-time Sprint Cup champ would finish 15th in the final running order. Another on track incident for a Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet resulted when Dale Earnhardt Jr's #88 car was nabbed by NASCAR as hitting a pit road commitment cone. Running in the top-10 at the time of the gaffe, Earnhardt Jr was assessed a drive-through pit road penalty costing him a lead lap placing which he would not be able to regain until very late in the Showtime Southern 500. In less eventful outcomes, Mark Martin finished 19th while Jeff Gordon led the Hendrick Motorsport group with a 12th place finish.

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

With just 9 laps remaining in the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington, a yellow flag disturbed the race led at this point by Kasey Kahne who had just snatched the lead from the #99 Ford of Carl Edwards. Setting up a final run, many of the cars at the front of the field pitted for fresh tires including Edwards and Kahne. However, a gutsy call was made by the #78 Furniture Row Racing team opting instead for track position at Darlington. Historically an ill-advised move, the car driven by Ragen Smith was hoping to take advantage of a recent resurfacing of the Darlington Raceway where older tires are not a sign of complete doom. Needing only to held off competitors for 5 laps, Smith could pull off a major upset in NASCAR Sprint Cup.

As the race restarted on lap 262, Regan Smith launched while a clan of NASCAR Sprint Cup cars were actively fighting for every position through the late stages of the Showtime Southern 500. The most heated affair through the last laps on track occurred between Kyle Busch's #18 Toyota and Kevin Harvick driving the #29 Chevrolet. With three laps to go, Harvick and Busch along with the #33 of Clint Bowyer were exiting turn 4 when the two cars came together. The latest of a series of minor expresses of disrespect through the race, this time their contact contributed to incidental contact with the Richard Childress Racing #33 Chevrolet. Bowyer crashed hard into the inner frontstretch wall. Bowyer was unhurt but the focus immediately shifted off the wrecked #33 car. During the time span when Clint Bowyer crashed, Kyle Busch had turned down into the rear right corner of Kevin Harvick's Chevrolet sending the #29 spinning in front of the field. An angry Harvick was able to avoid any major damage as the yellow flag dropped for the 11th and final time at Darlington.

Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR

Setting up a green-white-checkered restart, Regan Smith continued to lead having his #78 Chevrolet slipping through every corner as he tried to stay out front of the Darlington event. Charging the Furniture Row Racing car was the #99 Ford of Carl Edwards using four newer tires to challenge the leading opponent on older tires. Maintaining control and the 1st place spot, Regan Smith crossed the start-finish line winning the Showtime Southern 500. A first win for Smith NASCAR Sprint Cup, the victory lane celebration was also the first time the Furniture Row Racing team collected a win. As Regan Smith celebrated in victory lane, almost every competitor in the race voiced their deepest congratulations and praise for the 2011 Darlington Sprint Cup winner including 2nd place Carl Edwards.

However, while a magical upset victory occurred at Darlington Raceway, the tone of post-race was monopolized by the borderline dangerous hi jinks of Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. On the cool down lap after the Showtime Southern 500, Harvick's #29 Chevrolet was running close behind the #18 Toyota of Busch. Two drivers known for their volatile on-track personas, the two expressed mutual disgust with each other through their cars. Eventually ending up on pit lane, Kyle Busch was blocked by Kevin Harvick's car as the Richard Childress Racing driver exited his vehicle while a crew member of the #29 ran towards the pair. As Harvick stepped out of his car and approached Busch's driver side window, the #18 Toyota violently accelerated ramming the #29 Chevrolet sending it coasting into a pit road wall. With both drivers angry following event, NASCAR called both drivers to the officials' hauler and later assessed them each a mild $25,000 fine.

The win in the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington by Regan Smith is the second time in 2011 a young, underdog driver won his first win on a historically significant NASCAR track. The first being Trevor Bayne's win at the Daytona 500 in February.

Busch Wins Nationwide Race, Trails Martin by One Win

Photo Credit: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images for NASCAR

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(May 6, 2011)

DARLINGTON, S.C.

With a convincing victory in Friday night's Royal Purple 200 at Darlington Raceway, Kyle Busch scored his fifth Nationwide Series win of the season and the 48th of his career, leaving him one behind Mark Martin for the career victory lead in the series.

Busch beat Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin to the finish line by 3.677 seconds. Elliott Sadler was third, followed by Nationwide points leader Justin Allgaier and Steve Wallace.

Pit strategy moved Sadler to the front of the field, as crew chief Jimmy Elledge elected to keep the No. 2 Chevrolet out on the track under caution for Michael Annett's backstretch crash on Lap 89.

Sadler passed Allgaier for the lead on Lap 108, but that didn't last. Busch, who had restarted ninth on Lap 104—after an eight-car wreck caused the fifth caution of the race—worked his way through the field and passed Sadler for the top spot on Lap 124.

The eight-car melee on Lap 95 collected the cars of Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne, both of whom had battled for the lead early in the race.

Kasey Takes Kyle Busch Motorsports Truck to Win at Darlington

Geoff Burke/ Getty Images for NASCAR

By Jared Turner
Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service


DARLINGTON, S.C.—Kasey Kahne did it again.

Making his first and possibly only Camping World Truck Series start of the year, Kahne cruised to a relatively comfortable win in Saturday’s Too Tough To Tame 200 at Darlington Raceway.

The victory made Kahne the first driver in the truck series to win three of his first four starts.

Second alongside Elliott Sadler on a restart with 53 laps to go, Kahne immediately dispatched of Sadler—who had taken two tires under the previous caution—and never trailed again.

Kahne held on through three more restarts, including a final one with three laps to go, to take the checkered flag ahead of four-time series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. and 2010 Darlington winner Todd Bodine. Matt Crafton and James Buescher completed the top five.

Kahne’s stiffest challenge over the final laps came from Bodine, who once moved alongside before getting loose and falling into the clutches of Hornaday.

“I gave it a shot and got sucked around and got loose and all that and finished third,” Bodine said.

Kahne, a full-time driver in the Sprint Cup Series since, scored truck wins at Darlington and Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2004 and finished second last year at Pocono Raceway.

Saturday marked Kahne’s second appearance in the Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota normally driven by team owner Kyle Busch, who was vacationing in Cancun.

“This is one of my favorite racetracks,” said Kahne, who qualified second and led four times for 95 of the 147 laps. “I’m really glad I came. I really enjoy driving this thing.”

Matt Crafton remained the series leader, stretching his advantage to six points on rookie Cole Whitt, who moved into second after three races. Whitt finished an impressive eighth after starting from the pole and leading twice for 30 laps before dropping back with a pit-road mistake and engine issue.

Whitt, 19, was making his fourth career truck series start, his first at Darlington.

“The track just kind of suited my driving style, and from the get-go we just kind of fell into the rhythm,” Whitt said.

The race was slowed by 10 cautions, including one for a three-truck wreck involving Johanna Long, Ricky Carmichael and Nelson Piquet Jr. that brought out the red flag for 7 minutes, 37 seconds.

Notes: Kahne’s margin of victory was 1.116 seconds. … Kahne, who started second, became the fourth winner to start inside the top five. Bodine started eighth last year, and Bobby Hamilton started 14th when he won in 2003. … Kahne’s three wins tie Rich Bickle, Andy Houston and Dave Rezendes for 27th on the all-time win list.


Article provided with permission of NASCAR



Pos # | Car # | Driver ('i' denotes ineligibility for championship)| Sponsor/ Vehicle Make

1.18 Kasey Kahne(i) Toyota Toyota
2. 33 Ron Hornaday Jr. Tide / Kroger Chevrolet
3. 30 Todd Bodine Germain.com Toyota
4. 88 Matt Crafton Tarkett / Menards Chevrolet
5. 31 James Buescher Wolfpack Rentals Chevrolet
6. 17 Timothy Peters GearWrench Toyota
7. 2 Elliott Sadler(i) Armour Vienna Sausages / Bi-Lo Chevrolet
8. 60 Cole Whitt Red Bull Chevrolet
9. 13 Johnny Sauter SafeAuto / Curb Records Chevrolet
10. 81 David Starr ZACHRY Toyota
11. 92 Clay Rogers BTS Tire & Wheel Distributor / Fleet HQ Chevrolet
12. 93 Shane Sieg S&W Chevrolet
13. 77 Justin Lofton Lofton Cattle Toyota
14. 29 Parker Kligerman Penske Truck Leasing Dodge
15. 3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops/Remington/Tracker Boats Chevrolet
16. 39 Ryan Sieg S&W Chevrolet
17. 5 Travis Kvapil International Truck / Monaco RV's Toyota
18. 9 Max Papis GEICO Toyota
19. 46 Craig Goess Greenville Toyota of N.C. Toyota
20. 1 Jeffrey Earnhardt Fuel Doctor Chevrolet
21. 15 Dusty Davis Vision Airlines / Emerald Coast Toyota
22. 50 T J Bell LibertyTireRecycling/PinnacleRubberMulch Chevrolet
23. 07 Jamie Dick VIVAAutoGroup.com Chevrolet
24. 66 Justin Marks GoPro Chevrolet
25. 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Hotel and Casino Toyota
26. 57 Norm Benning Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet
27. 7 Miguel Paludo Stemco Duroline Toyota
28. 22 Joey Coulter RCR / Darrell Gwynn Foundation Chevrolet
29. 25 Tayler Malsam One Eighty Toyota
30. 4 Ricky Carmichael Monster Energy Chevrolet
31. 20 Johanna Long Panhandle Grading & Paving Toyota
32. 8 Nelson Piquet Jr. Qualcomm / Nelson Piquet Chevrolet
33. 23 Jason White GunBroker.com Chevrolet
34. 10 Chase Mattioli CollegeComplete.com Ford
35. 51 Justin Johnson Vision Airlines / Wounded Warrior Toyota
36. 32 Brad Sweet Great Clips Chevrolet

Darlington Truck Race Tamed by Todd Bodine

Mary Ann Chastain/Getty Images for NASCAR

Running a standalone event, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returned to Darlington Raceway after a 6-year absence. Assembling for the Too Tough to Tame 200, the visit to the so-called "Lady in Black" was the first time many of the younger truck series regulars to experience the 1.366 mile South Carolina race track. One of those drivers making the initial laps at Darlington was Timothy Peters piloting the #17 Red Horse Racing-owned Toyota Tundra. Fortunate for Peters, those early laps were fast enough to earn the #17 truck the pole position for the Saturday night event.  

Relishing the reputation for being the track too tough to tame, this race kept the track's slogan intact. In the first 10 laps of 147, the yellow flag flew on two occasions for spins involving the #92 of Dennis Setzer and Jason While in the #23 Dodge. White's truck would be the reason for caution again on lap 58 when the Mopar's engine suffered a terminal failure on-track. With 9 cautions 37 laps overall, a remarkably high number competitors within the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series had their will broken by the infamous oval. Topping the list of 16 vehicles that failed to finish the Too Tough to Tame 200 was Brian Ickler, Ricky Carmichael and Mike Skinner.

Timothy Peters led the first 47 laps, reigning Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday would be the next driver to lead at Darlington. Five leaders would pace the Too Tough to Tame 200 with four of them leading more than 23 laps signifying how important gaining the lead was through the course of the event. The Richard Childress Racing #3 truck handled by Austin Dillon proceeded to lead after Hornaday up until lap 101 once the flag was brought under caution for an incident involving Mario Gosselin and Ricky Carmichael. Through the orchestra of pit road activity, the #30 truck of Todd Bodine was rushed into the lead by his crew. A deciding move for the event, Bodine and his Germain Racing #30 Toyota led the final 46 laps to win the Too Tough to Tame 200 at Darlington Raceway. Starting without intent to run a full Camping World Truck Series schedule, the #30 Germain Racing team were only even originally planning to run the race. However, by their lead positioning in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver's standings the team arrived having to miss other previously-planned engagements including a wedding.

After taking pole, Timothy Peters kept his #17 Toyota at the front for the entire event to score a 2nd place for a 1-2 finish for Toyota. Leading a charge of Chevrolet Silverado race trucks, Ron Hornaday finished 3rd ahead of Johnny Sauter and Austin Dillon rounding out the top five.

Denny Hamlin Shines in Southern 500 at Darlington

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images

Serving as the new Mother's day weekend tradition, 43 NASCAR Sprint Cup cars took the green flag to the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. With the mothers in NASCAR providing a commanding chorus for starting engines, competitors took the green flag with the #1 McDonalds Chevrolet of Jamie McMurray leading the field to the start line.


Once the race was underway, McMurray's fellow front row starter Jeff Gordon took his #24 Chevrolet to the lead by lap 1. Gordon would lead the first 37 circuits around the 1.366 mile oval until Brian Vickers drove by in his #83 Red Bull Toyota to take the top spot. With the lead returning to Jamie McMurray after a pit road hustle under a lap 47 caution, he masterfully launched on the restart as than 2nd place Jeff Gordon couldn't anticipate the acceleration of the #1 Chevrolet. Gordon fell to fourth complaining that the #1 car illegally jumped the race back to green. However, observations other than Jeff Gordon's point of view saw McMurray's restart as a clean acceleration to the start/finish line. Gordon fell to fourth place as his #24 Hendrick Motorsports-owned Chevrolet remained in contention throughout the event.

In past years at Darlington Raceway, the asphalt surface was renowned as an abrasive to tires. This resulted in every pit stop concluding with a no-brainer call for four tires as even tires a few laps old would be drastically slower than new rubber. However, since Darlington was resurfaced in 2008, strategy has been complicated when the less weathered asphalt did not strip tires to the same severity. Using this change in strategy on a yellow flag pit stop at lap 85, Tony Stewart was able to take the lead holding it for five laps under the caution when the #14 car was unable to enter the team's pit box. While Jeff Gordon would overhaul the #14 Chevrolet on the restart, Stewart was able to settle into 6th place until he needed to pit for fuel on lap 120.

Also pitting off-sequence with the field was the #88 AMP Energy Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. For the second week in a row, a tire problem brought this Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into pit road prematurely. Pitting for a flat on lap 131, the Showtime Southern 500 race was at least more favourable to the #88 car. While Earnhardt Jr could not make a lasting impact in the top-10 at Darlington during the Saturday night event, an 18th place result did allow him to reclaim 12th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points following the race.



Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

With 20 lead changes amongst 11 leaders, the dominant cars in the Showtime Southern 500 were the #11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin and the #24 Chevrolet of Jeff Gordon. With both drivers leading over 100 laps apiece, their cars were mainstays at the front of this event all night. Less than a month after leg surgery, Denny Hamlin is concluding his sudden Sprint Cup series resurgence taking the lead at Darlington for lap 141. Only holding the position for 5 laps on that occasion in the #11 FexEx Toyota, Hamlin first showed his potentially winning hand in the Sprint Cup race. Denny Hamlin had won the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Darlington the night before.

While Jeff Gordon was enjoying another chance to end his 39 race winless streak, 4-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was dealing with what ultimate turned into his roughest race of the 2010 season. In the infant stages of the Showtime Southern 500, the #48 Lowes Chevrolet began to progress from the 22nd place start moving up to 17th after the first 5 laps. However, Johnson's efforts to advance in the race was hampered early as the #48 car brushed the wall becoming an early recipient of the Darlington stripe. With minor sheet metal damage, the Hendrick Motorsports #48 pit crew were able to patch this problem with several pit road trips sending Johnson back into competition.

Despite enduring the early complications, Johnson would be involved in two additional accidents. First tangling with the #56 NAPA Toyota of Martin Truex Jr on lap 82, the figurative nail in the coffin resulted less than a 100 laps later. On lap 180, the 6th caution of the event flew initially for a spinning #37 car belonging to Kevin Conway but a bizarre crash results seconds later in turn 4 when the #43 Ford of AJ Allmendinger slid sideways on the track apron colliding hard into Jimmie Johnson's already wounded vehicle.


Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images

McMurray, Hamlin, Gordon and later the #31 CAT Chevrolet of Jeff Burton and the #18 of Kyle Busch would lead the second half of the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. It was an impressive effort by the entire #18 Joe Gibbs Racing team that saw Kyle Busch hold the lead for a total 29 laps in a back-up race car that started 43rd. Another hard charger at Darlington was the #29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driven by points leader Kevin Harvick will lept form 35th spot to the top-10. With closest Sprint Cup points challenger Jimmie Johnson encountering troubles in the 500 mile event, Harvick had a major opportunity for a major points payday (a feat that came true with Harvick leaving with a 6th place finish in the race and a 110 point lead over Johnson heading into Dover).

With a 11th and final caution flying at lap 343 for the #20 Toyota of Joey Logano spinning leaving pit road, Denny Hamlin took the lead one lap later on a pit stop cycle and would sail the #11 FedEx Toyota to a third victory for 2010 for Joe Gibbs Racing. Along with celebrating in Darlington's victory lane, Hamlin has elevated himself to 6th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings after an unfortunate start to the season.

Earning an honourable 2nd place finish, pole sitter Jamie McMurray built some serious non-restrictor place racing momentum which included 71 laps out front in the Showtime Southern 500. Unlike McMurray who was in clear view at the front of the field for much of the event, the #2 Miller Lite Dodge of Kurt Busch quietly work his way to a 3rd place run. The elder Busch driving for Penske Racing also scored a significant gain in catching Jimmie Johnson in points. After Darlington, Kurt Busch is only 3 points behind Johnson for 2nd place.

After another strong outing, Jeff Gordon and the #24 Hendrick Motorsport squad settles for a 4th place finish. Not the victory the driver would want, the finish nonetheless is securing Gordon's chances in the 2010 Sprint Cup chase. Rolling out the top-5 five at the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Darlington is the #42 Chevrolet of Juan Montoya.

The next race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series taking place on the 1-mile Dover International Speedway Sunday May 16th.

McMurray Snags Pole for Southern 500 for NASCAR Sprint Cup Race

Tom Whitmore/Getty Images for NASCAR

McMurray will start the new Mother's Day weekend classic Showtime Southern 500 on the pole Drawing 29th in the qualifying order, Jamie McMurray was lovin' the later draw to set fast lap on the 1.366 mile Darlington Raceway oval. Taking his 2nd pole of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, the other pole position for the #1 Chevrolet came at California's Auto Club Speedway following the Daytona 500 victory for the Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing team.

In the Past 5 years at Darlington, McMurray's best finish has been a 6th in 2005 when he last drove for Chip Ganassi/Sabates Racing. Back with essentially the same organization absorbed as Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing, Jamie McMurray will be joined by Jeff Gordon on the front row. The second row will feature two Toyota Camrys with Brian Vickers placing was #83 Red Bull car in 3rd and David Reutimann placing his #00 Toyota in 4th spot. The #5 Hendrick Motorsports car of Mark Martin completes the top-5 running order as the defending Showtime Southern 500 race winner from the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Four drivers who experienced off-outings through the qualifying session at Darlington was the #48 Chevrolet Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch's #18 Toyota, Kevin Harvick in the #29 Chevrolet and the #99 Ford driven by Carl Edwards. Johnson could only place his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 22rd place as the deepest starter within the superteam for the Showtime Southern 500. The points leader by only a small margin heading into Dalington, Kevin Harvick will once again this season face a deep grid position with 35th place. Like Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch will also be the anchor to his Joe Gibbs Racing team taking the green on Saturday starting 39th place. As for Carl Edwards, he will be taking a car owner points provisional starting spot after issues with his #99 Roush-Fenway Ford Fusion.

Referred to as 'The Lady in Black', Darlington Raceway requires drivers to address this figurative lady with respect. However, deserving serious respect through this weekend is certainly mothers. For many years, the entire Mother's Day weekend was kept clear of any scheduled NASCAR Cup Series races. That changed in 2005 when Darlington Raceway was given a Saturday night show when NASCAR probably realized that even mothers enjoy a Sprint Cup race. Of Course, Sunday is still reserved for personal Mother's Day activities so the entire race was a win-win.

Alongwith honouring mother's, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Southern 500 on Saturday night will also see some extra commendations go to rewarding the history of NASCAR. Threatening to be forgotten due to the increasing change sweeping through the sport, stock car's premier sanctioning will soon have a monument of their own to acknowledge their heritage. Set within the home base of most NASCAR race teams in Charlotte, the NASCAR Hall of Fame prepares to open on Tuesday, May 11th amidst the major festivities through the second half of May which includes the Sprint All-Star race and the Coke 600 on Memorial Day weekend. In recognition of one of the inaugural class' members, McMurray's #1 Chevrolet will carry the name of Bill France Jr on the rear clip for the Southern 500 at Darlington. Bill France Jr. is of course known not only as the son of the founder of NASCAR but the individual credited for the major advances of NASCAR through the final quarter of the 20th century.



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Since the Darlington Raceway has been playing host to the May night race, the 1.366 mile oval is earning a reputation as a real action track. In the past 5 events, there has been a minimum 23 lead changes per race with as many as 35 exchanges in 2008. This one race date for Darlington has also been renowned as being a sold-out event attracting a solid fan following from the South Carolina area.

The Showtime Southern 500 will receive the command to start engines at 7:30PM Eastern time Saturday night with the race's television broadcast live on Fox.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway
Qualifying Order

Top 10

1) 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet
2) 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont / National Guard Facebook Chevrolet
3) 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
4) 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
5) 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
6) 39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation Chevrolet
7) 47 Marcos Ambrose Kingsford / Scott Branded Products Toyota
8) 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
9) 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge
10) 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford

Other Notables

11) 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
12) 43 A J Allmendinger Insignia / Best Buy Ford
14) 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
15) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
17) 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 27.620 178.045
19) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet
22) 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
24) 14 Tony Stewart Old Spice / Office Depot Chevrolet
29) 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford
35) 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
39) 18 Kyle Busch Doublemint Toyota
41) 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford

Race Preview: 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

Track Length: 1.366 Mile
Highest Banking: 25 Degrees
Listed Race Distance/Actual Race Distance: 501.32 miles
Laps: 367
Previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Events Held: 106 races

2009 Pole Winner: Matt Kenseth
2009 Race Winner: Mark Martin


Lead Changes in Past 5 Darlington Raceway Races

2009: 23
2008: 35
2007: 23
2006: 25
2005: 30


Cautions in Past 5 Darlington Raceway Races

2009: 17
2008: 8
2007: 10
2006: 6
2005: 12


Top 5 Lap Leaders In Last 5 Races

1. Greg Biffle 558
2. Denny Hamlin 194
3. Jimmie Johnson 182
4. Kyle Busch 172
5. Kasey Kahne 147


Top 5 Average Finishers In Last 5 Races

1. Jeff Gordon 2.6
2. Jimmie Johnson 5.8
3. Denny Hamlin 8.0
4. Mark Martin 8.6
5. Tony Stewart 10.4


Wins at Car Make In Last 5 Races

Chevrolet: 2
Dodge: 0
Ford: 2
Toyota: 1


Cars Entered for Southern 500: 46