It’s been awhile since I’ve appeared in these pages. My trip to Martinsville was a disaster (snowmegaddon), so next on my schedule was Bristol, which despite gloomy skies, tremendous races happened. The crowd was good, but many wanted to make fun of the crowd. No the track wasn’t full, but a good 100,000 was there and Kurt Busch outlasted and outran one of NASCAR’s darling young drivers, Kyle Larson to claim victory, and qualify for the playoffs.
When Furniture Row Racing announced that they would cease operations Tuesday, my first reaction was shock. But as the news sunk in I realized that it should not have come as a surprise but rather another indicator that NASCAR’s efforts to reduce the cost of operating a team at the premier Cup Series level are failing miserably.
I had such high hopes for NASCAR, at least since July. That is when NBC came on board, and presented the long sought after broadcast crew that could keep fans glued to the track simply by the strength of their commentary. We have waited years for that to happen, and it is crucial for a sport that has yet to solve some on-track competitive issues and more than a few off it. If the racing is not spell binding, then the commentary damn well better be if you hope to have anyone watching.
Darlington was a day all about time. A time when in 1950 the first Southern 500 was run. A time when some of the great names from the past were brought back to be saluted by their sport in the present. A time when 0.6 seconds can mean everything.
5. Kyle Larson: Larson easily won the first two stages at Darlington and finished third, after Brad Keselowski beat him out of the pits on their final pit stop. "I led 284 of 367 laps," Larson said, "but we faltered in the pits when it counted. We should have taken first place; instead, it was the 'won' that got away." Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
DARLINGTON, SC — Brad Keselowski took advantage of the final caution in Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, winning the race off pit road to ultimately claim the trophy.
Brad Keselowski in his No. 22 Penske Racing Ford took the lead after an exciting incident between race leader Chastain and Kevin Harvick took them both out of contention. Keselowski captured his first win at Darlington Speedway and the 39th of his career.
DARLINGTON, SC — Denny Hamlin won the Bojangles’ Southern 500 Busch Pole Award Saturday afternoon at Darlington Raceway with a 173.571 mph lap in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, scoring his 29th career pole and his third this season. He has won twice at the 1.366-mile track and is the defending race winner.
With only two regular-season races remaining in the season, drivers who have not clinched a spot in the Playoffs, have everything to gain and nothing to lose this Sunday in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
The 20-year-old Day from Clovis, California, led the final lap of 113-scheduled laps and outdueled the field on the final lap to become the 184th competitor to win in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series division at 'Dega.
The 2026 Daytona 500 champion from Corning, California, was awarded the pole position for Sunday's Cup event at Talladega due to rain canceling Saturday's qualifying session.
