For the first time since the ‘Return to Racing’ the NSACAR Cup Series is back at Darlington (Sunday, Sep. 06 at 5:00 p.m. CT on NBC). This time is has a much different meaning as the playoffs begin for the top series.
Playoffs Begin in Return to Darlington
Back in May, when NASCAR resumed competition, not many people thought we’d get to this point in the season. To be honest, not many people probably cared. Racing was back and it was the first major sport to return to competition since the pandemic shut down the sports world.
Now fast forward four months and here we are heading into the originally scheduled Southern 500 weekend at Darlington Raceway. Not only is NASCAR back at Darlington, but the Cup Series begins a much talked about playoffs. These playoffs are set up to be some of the best since NASCAR implemented the rule.
Leaders of the Pack
Getting started with the playoff weekend, you can’t look past the two drivers who have been the class of the field all year. Not forgetting to mention the two drivers won the first races back to competition at Darlington.
Kevin Harvick leads the series with most wins at seven and doesn’t look to be slowing down. Currently, the 2014 champion is on path to do battle with Denny Hamlin who has his sights set on title #1. Hamlin boast six race victories this season which is second to Harvick. Each week many can expect to see these two are generally battling for the win.
There is no reason to think these two won’t be battling for the race win entering Sunday. They are the tops of every power ranking and seem to be comfortable heading into the first playoff race. Obviously with their cushion in points, both are going after race wins and more points to pad their lead. A victory by either driving sends them into the Round of 12. They will both be there by just showing up on Sunday. They are, however, racers and racers want to win. Expect Hamlin or Harvick to be at the top come Sunday.
Contenders Looking In
Contenders, like Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott are looking to spoil what’s been a dream season for the two front runners. Keselowski and Elliott have been the strongest contenders here recently. The 2012 champion, Keselowski has won three times this season all on different types of race tracks and ran 4th in the most recent race at Darlington. He is a previous winner of the Southern 500 and is looking to clinch a spot in the next round. Outside of troubles during race two at Michigan, Keselowski hasn’t finished worse than 13th dating clear back to June 22nd at Talladega. As we have come to find out, consistency in the playoffs can put you in a position to win the title. Just ask Matt Crafton.
Chase Elliott is having a breakout season at Hendrick Motorsports and all you can say is, ‘It’s about time.’ Elliott has been talked and talked about and 2020 has been his year. This season, he has 15 top ten finishes and 10 top five finishes as well as three victories. He was good when the series resumed at Darlington but didn’t have the results to show for it.
Strength of Consistency
Logano and Truex are two drivers that will always be vying for a title. They don’t have to worry about much heading into this weekend just as long as they stay out of trouble. Logano has been consistent, just like his teammate, running inside the top ten to top five range each week. Unfortunately if you’re a Logano fan, he hasn’t finished first since before the shutdown. His best finish since NASCAR returned was 3rd at Texas. He’ll be looking for points in South Carolina.
Speaking of consistency, the man who’s been the most consistent is Martin Truex, Jr. Five straight races, Truex finished 3rd place before finishing 2nd both days at Dover. In Daytona, he wound up in 4th place. He may have only one win on the season but this guy has to be the one to watch throughout the playoffs and Sunday night.
Playoff Bubble
As we head to Darlington, many more drivers have to worry about two things, staying off the ‘Lady in Black’s wall’ and points above the cut. Never in the wildest dreams did we expect to see two-time and defending Cup Series champion Kyle Busch on the outside looking in. Heading into the race, Busch sits outside the cut in what has been a disastrous season for the Las Vegas native. He ran second to his teammate Hamlin at Darlington in May. At this point Busch can’t be to worried about the next round unless he picks up a win. He will be honoring M&M’s first win in NASCAR with Elliott Sadler’s paint scheme as part of throwback weekend. Maybe that is the luck Rowdy needs to get back in victory lane.
2019 #NASCAR Champion, @KyleBusch is throwing it back to 2004 this weekend @TooToughToTame. The birth of this sweet @mmschocolate paint scheme…#NASCARThrowback pic.twitter.com/EO9AhFzt4j
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) August 31, 2020
William Byron picked up his first Cup Series victory in Daytona to clinch him a spot in the playoffs. Not only did it propel him to the playoffs but it also moved him up to 9th in the standings. Although he is in, Byron still has work to do at Darlington as he is only three points to the good of the cut line. His teammate Alex Bowman also has work to do. Lucky for him, Bowman was bad fast during both races at Darlington back in May. He currently is five points above the line but has some confidence on his side after a 7th and 5th place runs in the last two races.
Stewart Haas Struggles
Stewart-Haas Racing has had ultimate success with Kevin Harvick this season. The same cannot be said for the rest of the team. Harvick has seven wins on the year, as a team combined they have eight wins. Cole Custer picked up the victory at Kentucky to secure a playoff spot. He is going to need to pull some magic out again in the next three races. This may not be the weekend Custer clinches a spot in the next round. He finished outside the top 20 in both races here.
For Clint Bowyer, this season has been all over the map. Something that has been a hindrance to Bowyer has been bad luck. He can’t finish races right now and it has cost the Kansas driver. Cording of the tires cost him a victory early on this season and mistakes on pit road have been the pain lately. Darlington is not the place to go when you aren’t running well.
Aric Almirola has probably been the most consistent. He will likely have a chance to do something in the playoffs as he has been so close. Going to Darlington, Almirola just needs to be consistent again and gain a few points from the cut.
Darlington Surprise
Let’s be honest, not many times do we come to Darlington and see a surprise winner. The last first time winner at Darlington was FOX analyst Regan Smith’s upset in 2011 with Furniture Row Racing. Last season, Erik Jones picked up the victory and that wasn’t really a surprise. He drives in good equipment and really Jones hasn’t finished outside the top ten at the track in his career.
Kurt Busch has ran well at Darlington in the past and will need to again to have a chance to advance. He is the 15th seed in the playoffs and will need to just gain points. There has been some crazy first races of the playoffs that have shook up the next few. Darlington is an unforgiving track. If Busch can keep his nose clean, maybe he will find a way onto the next round.
One of the playoff bubble teams that could pull the surprise is Matt DiBenedetto. The Wood Brothers Racing Ford is the 16th seed in the playoffs but nothing says he couldn’t advance to the next round. DiBenedetto and company ran respectively well at Darlington in May with finishes of 14th and 9th. Sure they might not have the speed of the top teams but they clawed to get into the playoffs. This blue collar team and hard working driver won’t go down without a fight.
