Racing News Daily » Entries tagged with "Southern 500"
Kurt Busch has Memories Aplenty When it Comes to Darlington
DARLINGTON, S.C. – Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver Kurt Busch is still looking for his first career victory at the historical Darlington Raceway after 14 races, but he certainly is not lacking for memorable experiences. The 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion hopes to add to those memories in Saturday night’s SHOWTIME Southern 500 on the demanding 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval. Perhaps one could label Busch’s experience during his first Southern 500 as the ultimate example of the old idiom that “ignorance is bliss.” Such was the case for Busch back in September 2001. “My first (Southern 500) there, I actually slipped my way into the pole,” Busch said of his surprising lap of 168.048 mph (29.263 seconds). I slipped into the pole because it was a 95-degree day, Labor … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup, video
Busch Has ‘Double’ the Fun at Darlington
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – If you ask Kyle Busch what he does for fun, the answer is simple – racing is his ultimate fun. What could be more fun than racing for Busch? That would be winning, which doubles his fun. Busch, who turned 26 on Monday, is fresh off his latest win after scoring his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of the season last weekend at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. The driver of the No. 18 Doublemint® Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) will look to double his win total at historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, the next stop of the Sprint Cup tour during Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500. This weekend’s race will mark the first of three races … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
Gordon Knows the “Lady in Black” is Probably Hungry
DARLINGTON, S.C. – Re-paving at Darlington Raceway in 2007-08 may have taken away some of the ‘bite’ the track once had, but seven-time track winner Jeff Gordon is aware “The Lady in Black” is still hungry. And still willing to ‘eat up’ race cars. Along with seven wins, Gordon has three poles, 18 top-fives and 21 top-10′s in 30 starts at the 1.366-mile track. He has led 1,720 laps – more than double the amount of laps led by the nearest active full-time driver (Jeff Burton – 817) – at a facility with the moniker “The Track Too Tough To Tame.” “You have to race the track,” said Gordon, who will drive the No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet in Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500. “It’s just one of those tracks … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
Kvapil Loves Tough-to-Tame Darlington
Statesville, N.C. – For a track that tends to chew drivers up and spit them out, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway is strangely a favorite of Travis Kvapil’s. So despite the demands of the track they call “Too Tough to Tame,” the driver of the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford always looks forward to racing at the historic 1.366-mile oval. The team has the opportunity to qualify for Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500 on speed, but will have to attack the tough track with the right set-up for the unique, egg-shaped turns. Kvapil has four career Cup starts at Darlington, with a top finish of eighth (2008). Comments from Long John Silver’s driver Travis Kvapil on Darlington: “Darlington is one of my favorite racetracks we go to. It’s different from any … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
Frank Stoddard forms a Sprint Cup team and headed for Daytona
Mooresville, NC – Frank Stoddard, 14-time winning NASCAR Sprint Cup crew chief, announced today that he has formed his own NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race team. Stoddard will own the #32 Ford Fusion and plans to compete in the full schedule. Stoddard, a native of North Haverhill, New Hampshire, paved the way for a successful Sprint Cup career by working with the great Stanley “Stub” Fadden while racing short tracks throughout the northeast and collecting four wins together. Stoddard moved to the south to join Roush Racing in 1995 and worked with driver Jeff Burton where they amassed 14 victories, including the Southern 500, two Coca Cola 600 trophies and four wins in his backyard at New Hampshire International Speedway. He continued his career with Scott Wimmer, where they finished third in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
NASCAR Sprint Cup Southern 500 Race Results
Denny Hamlin backed up his Friday night Nationwide Series victory by winning Saturday nights Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Following Hamlin to the checkers were Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top 5. The full Race Results: … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
Hamlin nets weekend sweep with Southern 500 win
By Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service DARLINGTON, S.C.—Denny Hamlin, NASCAR’s version of the Bionic Man, proved once again that ACL surgery on his left knee hasn’t slowed his stride. In fact, it’s arguable that the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has been stronger since the March 31 operation. Hamlin ran away from the rest of the field on a restart with 20 laps left and won Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500 Sprint Cup race by 1.908 seconds over polesitter Jamie McMurray. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
Southern 500 Starting Grid
Jamie McMurray set a new track record in qualifying for the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Starting outside of McMurray will be Jeff Gordon. The full starting grid: … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
Gordon’s Frustration Evident — And Understandable, Given Near-Misses
Forgive Jeff Gordon if he’s ready to chew nails out of frustration. The four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion might have multiple wins by now if circumstances had favored him a bit more in 2010, but instead of railing, he’s counting blessings. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
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