SPRINT CUP SERIES Darlington

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Darlington Not ‘Too Tough To Tame’ For Gordon

Making his final start at Darlington Sunday in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (7 p.m. ET on NBC), Jeff Gordon will attempt to add to his active record of seven wins at the track “Too Tough To Tame.”

Gordon ranks third on the all-time Darlington wins list behind NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson (10) and Dale Earnhardt (9). The active driver with the next-highest total is Jimmie Johnson (3).

The No. 24 Chevrolet driver is currently 15th on the Chase Grid, 52 points above the cutoff line. On the season, he has three top fives, 12 top 10s and three Coors Light Pole Awards.

In Need Of A Win

With two races to go before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Clint Bowyer owns the 16th and final spot on the Chase Grid - a comfortable 35 points ahead of the cutoff line. With Bowyer having such a large points lead, the drivers behind him virtually need to win one of the last two races (Darlington and Richmond) to get into the Chase. Here’s a snapshot of how some notable drivers currently off the Chase Grid have done at Darlington. 

Kasey Kahne – Despite having earned four Coors Light Pole Awards at Darlington, Kahne has never won at the 1.366-mile track. In 12 Darlington starts, he has three top fives and four top 10s with a high finish of third (2005). Kahne is no stranger to the pressure of making the Chase though. Winless heading into Atlanta on Labor Day weekend last season, he took the checkered flag in a last-ditch effort to secure his spot in the Chase.

Kyle Larson – Acclaimed as one of the top young drivers in NASCAR, Larson has suffered a bit of a sophomore slump with just one top-five and six top-10 finishes in 2015. That follows a Sunoco Rookie of the Year campaign that saw eight top fives and 17 top 10s. In his lone start at Darlington last season, Larson finished eighth.

Austin Dillon – Dillon, who finished 11th in his first-ever start at Darlington last year has showed some speed recently. The 2013 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion challenged for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Michigan three weeks ago, leading 19 laps on his way to a fourth-place finish.

Greg Biffle – Biffle has struggled mightily this season with just three top-10 finishes, but is a proven winner. He has 19 career victories, including two at Darlington. Biffle owns the fifth-best driver rating (105.7) at “The Lady in Black.”

Aric Almirola – Almirola won at Daytona last year to qualify for the Chase when he wouldn’t have made it otherwise through points. In three career starts at Darlington, Almirola’s best finish is 19th. On the season, he has one top 10 (Dover).

Harvick Heads To Darlington Eyeing A Repeat

Kevin Harvick’s back.

Back on the track called the “Lady in Black.”

Harvick returns to Darlington Raceway as its defending winner attempting to improve upon his run of eight top-two finishes in the 20 starts since his last victory (March 15, 2015 at Phoenix).

In 18 career starts at the South Carolina track, Harvick claims one win, four top fives, seven top 10s and one Coors Light Pole. His Darlington victory last year came from the pole.

Although he only has two wins and the most runner-ups (10) since Bobby Allison’s 1972 total (12), Harvick leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in most statistical categories. He ranks first in top fives (17), top 10s (21), average finish (7.5), average running position (7.5), fastest laps (923), laps led (1,406) and driver rating (119.7).

Elliott To Make Final Sprint Cup Start Of 2015

Defending NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott will compete in his fifth and final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season Sunday. The 19-year-old Chevrolet driver is running a partial NSCS schedule this year as he prepares to take over for Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 car next year.

Elliott’s results in his first four NSCS races: Martinsville (38), Charlotte (18), Richmond (16), Indianapolis (18).

Last season, Elliott won the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Darlington in his first-ever appearance at the track.

2 To Go Until Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup

Drivers have just two races left to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – Darlington and Richmond.

As of now, 11 drivers are qualified for NASCAR’s playoffs with wins as long as they start the next two races and remain in the top 30 in points: Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards.

The five remaining drivers on the Chase Grid have to either visit Victory Lane or stay high enough in the points standings where they don’t get bumped by a new winner outside the top 16.

These drivers are Jamie McMurray (76 points above the cutoff line), Ryan Newman (+63), Paul Menard (+54), Jeff Gordon (+52) and Clint Bowyer (+35).

The winless drivers who have won at Darlington in the past and have yet to earn Chase berths this season are Gordon and Greg Biffle.

The winless drivers who have won at Richmond in the past and have yet to earn Chase berths this season are Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart.

For the first time, a winless driver CAN clinch a spot in the Chase. If a repeat driver wins at Darlington, a winless driver would need to have a 45 point lead on the fifth-highest of the winless drivers (or 44 points, depending on tie-breakers). If there is a new winner, a winless driver would need to lead the fourth-highest winless driver by 45 points (or 44, depending on tie-breakers).

History Lesson: A Nod To The Greats

The concept of a “throwback weekend” could not become a reality without cars that look the part. To that end, a majority of teams are adopting retro paint schemes this weekend with classic designs and logos.

Here’s a look at some of the paint schemes that pay homage to cars from years past.

Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Ford

The Miller High Life scheme is a throwback to NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison’s 1983 championship season.

Austin Dillon – No. 3 American Ethanol Ford

Dillon’s colors this week honor grandfather – and team owner – Richard Childress, who started 285 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races as a driver.

Kasey Kahne – No. 5 HendrickRideAlong.com Chevrolet

The No. 5 paint scheme honors the No. 5 All-Star Racing Chevrolet driven by Geoffrey Bodine in 1984, Rick Hendrick’s first year in NASCAR.

Trevor Bayne – No. 6 AdvoCare Ford

Bayne’s car is a tribute to the 1998 No. 6 Ford driven by Mark Martin to a career-high seven wins.

Sam Hornish Jr. – No. 9 Winn Dixie Ford

Winn Dixie joins Hornish with a scheme reminiscent of the one Mark Martin drove to Victory Lane 39 times in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota

The red-and-white paint scheme is similar to the No. 11 driven by NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough in the 1970s.

Clint Bowyer – No. 15 Buddy Baker Tribute Toyota

This hand-painted scheme is the same as the No. 15 driven by Buddy Baker in 1974.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ­– No. 17 Cargill Ford

The No. 17 is a replica of the No. 17 driven by NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson for Holman-Moody from 1968-71, when he won two of his three championships.

Jeb Burton – No. 23 Estes Toyota

Burton’s paint scheme honors the colors his father Ward drove to victory in the 2001 Southern 500 and 2002 Daytona 500.

Chase Elliott – No. 25 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet

The design of the No. 25 honors Elliott’s NASCAR Hall of Fame dad, Bill, and the car in which he won the Winston Million in 1985.

Josh Wise – No. 32 Corvetteparts.net Ford

Wise will run the paint scheme used by Ricky Craven when he beat Kurt Busch in the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington in the closest race in NASCAR history. It was also the last time the No. 32 visited Victory Lane.

Landon Cassill – No. 40 #Snap Honor Chevrolet

Sterling Marlin ran this “Proud to be an American” paint scheme in 2001, shortly after the 9/11 attacks.

Kurt Busch – No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet

Busch honors car owner Gene Haas’ first paint scheme, with driver Jack Sprague in 2002.

Kyle Larson – No. 42 Mello Yello Chevrolet

The iconic Mello Yello paint scheme was originally featured in “Days of Thunder” and later run by Kyle Petty.

Aric Almirola – No. 43 STP Ford

Almirola’s sponsor and colors honor boss Richard Petty, and his 1972 Plymouth – the first year of the historic pairing.

Justin Allgaier – No. 51 Brandt Chevrolet

Allgaier’s red paint scheme is a nod to racing legend A.J. Foyt’s car driven in the 1970s.

David Ragan – No. 55 Ol’ Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota

Ragan is honoring his father Ken with a paint scheme he raced in 1987.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – No. 88 Valvoline Chevrolet

The Valvoline paint scheme honors one driven by NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough in the early 1980s, including his 1982 Southern 500 win.