Going Into Darlington, Top 10 Has Different Look

Going Into Darlington, Top 10 Has Different Look

When comparing the NASCAR Nationwide points standings after Talladega to the same time last year, there is one thing even the most casual of observers will notice – there are plenty of new names in the top 10.
Going into Friday night’s VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway, there are six drivers present that were not included in last year’s top 10 after the eighth race: Regan Smith (currently first); Parker Kligerman (fourth; -47); Brian Scott (seventh; -51); Brian Vickers (eighth; -53); Alex Bowman (ninth; -74) and Trevor Bayne (10th; -75).
Of the six drivers, only one of them appeared in the top 10 in the standings at the end of the 2012 season – Scott (ninth). In eight races this season, he has three top-10 finishes. 
Kligerman and Bowman, who are both running their first seasons in the NNS, are coming off solid performances at Talladega with sixth- and 13th-place finishes, respectively. Kligerman also has two top-five performances. Bowman’s best performance of the season was third in the season opener at Daytona.
Former 2003 series champion Vickers has a pair of third-place finishes and a fourth, while 2011 Daytona 500 champion Bayne has a pair of fourth-place finishes and a ninth on the season.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Etc.

Milestone Watch: This weekend, Joe Nemechek will make his 400th start in the NNS, joining Kenny Wallace, Jason Keller, Mike Wallace, Tommy Houston and David Green on that list. … Justin Allgaier will attempt to make his 150th NNS start. … The last 10 NNS races at Darlington Raceway have been won by NSCS regulars, going back to Greg Biffle’s victory in March 2004. … Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth will be among the NSCS regulars competing in the race Friday night.