NASCAR Cup Series 2021 regular season. Joey Logano finished second despite having an average running position of 21.0 the worst average running position for a runner-up finisher in a Cup race since at least 2008, according to Racing Insights. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevy team worked hard all day, and a 12th-place finish is pretty good considering how loose our Chevy was throughout the race and some of the strategy that played out. We had a really fast race car, so once we got in the back it was so hard to do anything, so thats on me. We made a great strategy call at the end to get positions back. Darlington: NASCAR Menu 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, 25. Ive got tons of laps around here, and not many top 10s. Top 10 is nothing to be too upset about, Elliott said after the 400-lap race at the historic half-mile track. If somebody was asking for my opinion and was willing to let me come to a short track and test the tire, Id tell them its not always about softer tires, Preece told NBC Sports. He is among those who want changes to the tires. I thought as a company we had a really good day. The 367-lap, 501.3-mile event is scheduled for an evening. . Paul was able to give me what I needed to get towards the front. 5 car driver. All-in-all, a good day for this RCR team. To be more aggressive and how I want to drive and maneuver the car you need to be able to go high and go low and really abuse the tire and the tire take it. Go back further and the contrast is more stark. The November 2020 race had 4.6 such changes per green flag lap. You cant pass. Tickets for the Cup Series race at Darlington are available on the track website right here. SO ARE WE. (Photo by Jared East/Getty Images) Harvick, Aric Almirola, Tyler Reddick and Michael McDowell sit beneath the cut line going into Darlington. It was still obviously extremely hard to pass. Live Stream . Our Chevy was really loose in traffic with the nose down. I think that maybe you could build a tire that would be better, but I think this kind of starts with the engine. They are all within three points of Christopher Bell in 12th. I never ever would have thought that I would win here at Martinsville. NASCAR Darlington playoff 2021: Start time, lineup, TV schedule. Thats a long-term decision for sure.. J.R. (Houston), my engineer, and I just walked to figure out where that last section was. Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. are both 28 points behind the No. But thanks to Cliff Daniels and everybody for making me feel like I know what Im doing sometimes around here. Renew for 2023. I thought inside the car we were maybe slipping and sliding around maybe 10 percent more. RADIO . I personally do not disagree with you that more power would be something to take a look at some day. The starting lineup for the Cook Out Southern 500 was set using NASCARs qualifying metric, which is a formula combining each drivers finish last week, each drivers fastest lap last week and each drivers points position. I wish one of us would have won the race, but youll have that. There were 10 lead changes in Sundays race but only three happened on the track. Its unfortunate, but when we had track position I think it showed that we had a really fast HaasTooling Ford Mustang, but you cant do those things. And then, like I said, when you can win at a place like this, it is definitely up there. Denny Hamlin, No. Finding that sweet spotis often the key to finding victory lane. September 1, 2021 Updated: September 5th, 2021 at 10:37 pm NASCAR starting positions for the Playoff opener at Darlington Raceway This weekend, NASCAR unloads in Darlington, South Carolina. I feel like every time theres a test available, I get put on that list to test here because I struggle. Pre-race broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. If there was still a chance for horsepower changes for 2024, Andrews said: That decision needs to be made now. I didnt have a fighting chance there. So, who will conquer "The Lady in Black" on Sunday? The race at Darlington is on NBCSN starting at 6 p.m. Weekend Schedule. He drove away from me so quick, but he was pretty patient. STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 115. The question entering this race was how Elliott would feel after the event. The 367-lap race (6 p.m., ET) will be televised by the USA Network. Really nice that it went green there. Was able to stay out and get a lucky caution there during a green flag cycle. Beginning in 2020, the race became the first event of the 10-race playoffs. So, it was fun at the end passing a lot of cars and getting up there, but still needed to be a little bit better, but overall, you know, proud of everybody for sticking with it and just grinding one out today., Denny Hamlin Finished 4th: The package was terrible its either the package or the tires. Cars that I was lapping 10 laps before, we caught a caution, and I couldnt pass them for second. What comes first? Our No. That was the best my car had been, I think, being able to get out front and manage. So this is an extremely special win for me. Bubba Wallace, No. Ive worked very hard to get better here. You saw the 41 (Ryan Preece) dominate the race, and then he got caught and went to the back and that was it. Really nice to be back and appreciate the warm welcome this weekend by everybody, so I appreciate that. NASCAR measures things differently. 2023 Cook Out Southern 500. That would stress his repaired leg. We will just keep on digging., Chase Elliott Finished 10th: It was about what I expected, so thats a good thing. LAST TIME: Kevin Harvick led 32 laps, including the final 13, before edging Austin Dillon by 0.343 seconds in the 2020 playoff opener on September 6. Everybody knows what happened here so long ago, and I think everybody you know, thats on everybodys minds every time they come to Martinsville, so wish Rick was here (and) Linda, but weve got Jeff Gordon here. All the information you need to get ready for Sunday's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the first of 10 NASCAR Cup Series playoff races. 4th - Martin Truex Jr. 5th . It seemed like tires it took them 50-60 laps for them to fall off even if you had older tires. Got us a top 10 out of our first day back, so thats definitely something to not be too bummed about. Pre-race broadcast begins at 2 p.m. You cant pass. Logano, the reigning series champion, started at the back of the field because of an unapproved adjustment before the race. Chase Briscoe Briscoe finished fifth, leading a career-high 109 laps. The Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington will go green at 6 p.m. Of course, Darlington Raceway is also known as "The Track Too Tough To Tame," and a field of 37 Cup Series drivers will seek to do just that by balancingthe speed gained by riding right up alongside the outside wallwith the discipline to keep their cars from actually hitting it. Everybody knows what happened here so long ago, and I think everybody you know, thats on everybodys minds every time they come to Martinsville, so wish Rick was here (and) Linda, but weve got Jeff Gordon here. Ive worked very hard to get better here. Truex beat out Larson and Kyle Busch in the first Darlington race of the season. We made a great strategy call at the end to get positions back. NASCAR recorded 2,206 green flag passes over 350 green flag laps Sunday for an average of 5.8 passes per green flag lap. That is a 15.9% decrease in green flag passes from that March 2015 race to Sundays race. Like I said, I thought it was a little bit better, but it needs to be a lot more better., Aric Almirola Finished 6th: Its crazy that Martinsville is a track position race. I wish one of us would have won the race, but youll have that. I was just so slow right in the center, and I couldnt make any passes for that reason, so I was trapped back there. That was the best my car had been, I think, being able to get out front and manage. I thought we were arguably the best car the first part of the race and then we got a little bit behind as the track changed and the car changed a little bit. And don't forget, y'all: 6 weeks until the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Nashville. I thought our car was really, really good at that point. ET. Elliott returned to racing six weeks after he broke his left tibia in a snowboarding accident and finished 10th. Chastains lead showed the challenge in passing. We got these Cup cars that somehow dont fall off a half a second in 80 laps. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, 9. He has won two of the past four races at Darlington and is in need of a victory to rise out of the bottom four. Currently, the track holds two races in the spring (as companion to Rebel 400) named Shriners Children's 200 and fall (as companion to Southern . ET Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 Results . TV: Fox Sports 1. Erik Jones, No. fter 26 regular season races, the 2021 NASCAR playoffs have officially arrived as the series heads to Darlington Raceway on Labor Day Weekend. Joey Logano finished second despite having an average running position of 21.0 the worst average running position for a runner-up finisher in a Cup race since at least 2008, according to Racing Insights. All-in-all, it was an okay day. They put a rain tire on the trucks that fell off 1.5 seconds in 25 laps, Hamlin said. We pitted, which put us towards the end of the lead lap cars. Ross Chastain, No. Here's everything else you need to know heading into Sunday's race at Darlington. Sunday: More clouds than sun. Start Time: 2:30 p.m. CT Sunday. Chastain also looks at the tire as a key to impact the racing. Im 95 percent sure I was good. We were just as good as anybody, but its really tough. So I was pleasantly surprised by that., Asked if Elliotts performance sent a message, Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports, said: I think if you saw him after the race, just the fight that is in Chase Elliott. I did think in the drivers seat you made a little bit more of a difference. Larson, Blaney and Truex have the easiest paths to the next round, but that could change in an instant if someone deeper in the postseason standings wins a race. Racing Insights, which supplies statistics to NBC Sports, keeps track of positions changed per lap. It was like that all day. The November 2020 race had 4.6 such changes per green flag lap. Date: Sunday, May 9. To hear that means a lot. Eligibility restrictions apply. TV: FS1. So, it was fun at the end passing a lot of cars and getting up there, but still needed to be a little bit better, but overall, you know, proud of everybody for sticking with it and just grinding one out today., Denny Hamlin Finished 4th: The package was terrible its either the package or the tires. Our war room back at the shop said we should stay out there. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 15. He was 22nd on a restart at Lap 355 and worked his way up to 10th, getting past Austin Dillon on Lap 394 to reach the top 10. FULL SCHEDULE FOR DARLINGTON RACEWAY CHANNEL FINDERHOW TO FIND NBCSN REMIND MEADD TO CALENDAR Filter by Series: Saturday, September 4 3:30 p.m. . That is a 47.9% decrease in positions gained per green flag lap from that March 2015 race to Sundays race. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevy team worked hard all day, and a 12th-place finish is pretty good considering how loose our Chevy was throughout the race and some of the strategy that played out. NASCAR Cup Series 2021 schedule. 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Fall Darlington Race Page Cook Out Southern 500 Sunday, September 5, 2021 Darlington Raceway Time: 6:00pm/et TV: NBCSN - Radio: MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Kohler Generators Renews Partnership with RFK Racing Commercial breakdown: 2021 Cook Out Southern 500 Obviously, I was speeding, but I was like there is no way. The question entering this race was how Elliott would feel after the event. Here is all the informationyou need to get ready for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Kyle Larson captured the regular-season title to earn the top spot in the standings going into the playoffs. 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