Preview: Dodge Avenger 500
Darlington, or the track "Too Tough to Tame" as it is affectionately known by fans and drivers alike, is the next stop on the Nextel Cup circuit.
Darlington Raceway is an egg-shaped 1.366-mile oval and is really unlike any other race track on the circuit. It's not a superspeedway and not a short track, but somewhere in between. The course has two distinct sets of turns. Turns three and four are much narrower to accommodate a fishing hole just outside the track, which is a quaint quirk for fans and a challenging quirk for drivers and crew chiefs. All this, combined with the 23-to-25-degree banking and wide racing grooves, makes for some exciting side-by-side racing.
Watching a stock car race at Darlington, the first observation is how high the cars run through the corners. On most tracks, the preferred line is low and tight to the inside lines, but Darlington is a creature all it's own. Most drivers prefer to run the high line next to the wall and carry that momentum into the straightaways as they accelerate out of the turns. The rough racing surface at Darlington Raceway then proves to be the cherry on top. Tire wear will be the first and foremost concern at Darlington, arguably the roughest surface on tires on the Nextel Cup series.
This season's Darlington race will be complicated even further by the Car of Tomorrow as NASCAR will bring the new stock car of the future out for this weekend's event. If patterns hold, the teams that have prospered thus far in the COT will continue dominate. Those camps are Rick Hendrick Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing. The winner of this weekend's Darlington race will most likely come from one of these camps.
Darlington has a varied field of contenders in recent history. Many stables have run extremely well here. However, Rick Hendrick Racing seems to have an edge on the field if recent seasons are any indication. Greg Biffle has won this event the last two seasons, so it will be interesting to see if Roush Racing can give the Chevrolets some competition despite the COT advantage most Chevy teams enjoy.
Considering how well Jimmie Johnson has run thus far this season, and how well he has run at Darlington in the past, odds are great that yet another Johnson win could be lurking at Darlington. If other strong teams can avoid the "Darlington Stripe," which often happens out of turn four, then a surprise winner could possibly be in store.
The Contenders
Jimmie Johnson ? With a win in the COT already this season, and his outstanding record at Darlington, what's not to like about Johnson this weekend? He's finished in the Top 5 in four of his last five visits to the track, with two wins during this span. Darlington is a good track for him, and it should continue to be in the COT.
Denny Hamlin? Denny Hamlin has only one career Nextel Cup start at Darlington, and it came in this event a year ago. He qualified fifth and finished 10th that day. He's been strong in the COT thus far, so we like his chances. The dominant car he had at Phoenix likely will be the same one the team uses Saturday.
Tony Stewart ? Actually, Darlington is not one of Tony Stewart's better tracks. He's never won at the South Carolina superspeedway and has had some problems cracking the Top 10 lately. We'll just call this pick more of a gut feeling than anything. He has had some great COT's this season and is bound to visit victory lane soon. Why not at Darlington?
Jeff Gordon ? He's become a fixture in our contender list this season. There has hardly been a weekend this season that he's not been a player in the race's outcome. He has six career wins at Darlington, which leads all active drivers, and his last three visits have yielded Top 5 finishes in each and more than 175 laps led. Since he's the best COT driver thus far this season, he's a no-brainer for Saturday's race.
Solid Plays
Jamie McMurray ? McMurray has moved into 13th in the championship standings and can no longer be ignored by fantasy racing enthusiasts. His rough first season with Jack Roush is quickly becoming a faded memory. He has three Top 10 finishes in six career starts at Darlington and has led 76 laps during his career at the facility. Expect him to run among the leaders again.
Kyle Busch ? Darlington Raceway is the kind of track where Kyle Busch can display his driving skill. His outing in this event last season netted a seventh-place finish. Combine that with his COT performances this season and we really like the chances of the Rick Hendrick Racing young gun this weekend.
Jeff Burton ? Jeff Burton has collected two of his 19 career wins at Darlington Raceway. His eight Top 5 finishes in 24 starts here show that this is one of his better tracks. He might not contend for the win Saturday, but he should almost certainly crack the Top 10.
Mark Martin ? The 25-year racing veteran, who steps back into the Ginn Racing No. 01 Chevrolet this weekend, is a solid start at almost any track, but definitey so at Darlington. He has a 40 percent Top 5 rate and a 62 percent Top 10 rate at Darlington in his career, including four consecutive Top 10 finishes there. Expect the revitalized Mark Martin to continue his hot 2007 season.
Sleepers
Ryan Newman ? Newman has had his struggles the last couple seasons, but one thing remains the same: he always runs well at Darlington. It's hard to gauge how good the No. 12 team's COT program is because of some crashes and bad luck in the earlier races, but the equipment measures up. He should challenge the Top 10 again Saturday afternoon.
Martin Truex, Jr. ? Truex is becoming one of our favorite sleepers this season. The talent that made him a two-time Busch Series Champion is beginning to show at the Nextel Cup level. Although he has only one career Cup start at Darlington, it was a 14th-place effort in this race last year. He could potentially challenge the Top 10 this weekend.
Bobby Labonte ? In 26 career starts at Darlington, Labonte has averaged a finishing position of 14.9. He has one career win and 11 Top 10 finishes in those starts. His Top 10 effort in the COT recently at Phoenix is a good indicator of the possibilities at Darlington.
Jeff Green ? Green is someone who held little, if any, fantasy racing value when this season began. Since then, he's collected two Top 10's in the COT and has shown that Haas CNC Racing has a good handle on the new stock car. Forget that he's never finished in the Top 10 at Darlington in 11 prior starts. He should post a career-best finish at the track this weekend.
Greg Biffle ? We had to move the winner of the last two Darlington races to the sleeper list this week. Despite that honor and his proven track record, Biffle's COT races this year have been a mixed bag. He won't three-peat on Saturday, but he will crack the Top 15 and possibly challenge the Top 10.
Reed Sorenson ? Sorenson has just one career start at Darlington Raceway. It was in this event last year, and the then-rookie peddled his way to a respectable 11th-place finish. He should be good enough to crack the Top 15 again this weekend.
Flops
David Stremme ? Stremme made his Nextel Cup debut at Darlington last season with a lukewarm 25th-place finish after qualifying fourth. The young Ganassi Racing driver has a lot of ability, but the more difficult tracks on the circuit don't bode well for him. His two Top 10 finishes this season have come on tracks larger than 1.5 miles.
Casey Mears ? The first season with Rick Hendrick Racing has been a bumpy ride for Mears. He has struggled to stay within the Top 35 in championship points, and his COT efforts have been less than inspiring. Added to his current struggles is the fact that he's never cracked the Top 10 at Darlington and has an career average finish higher than 27th.
Matt Kenseth ? We're going to pick on Matt Kenseth this week among the big-time star drivers. Despite a third-place finish in this event last year, Darlington is one of the rare bad tracks for the "Killer Bees." Kenseth's finished in the Top 20 just once in the last four visits to Darlington.
Juan Pablo Montoya ? NASCAR newcomer Montoya rounds out our list of flops this weekend. He's inside the Top 20 in championship points and is having a good rookie season. However, the cookie-cutter race tracks have been best for him, and Darlington is anything but cookie cutter. Expect him to succumb to the challenges of racing at Darlington this weekend.
FOXSports.com Fantasy Auto Racing ? Top Four
Denny Hamlin ? We really like Denny Hamlin this Saturday at Darlington. Despite just one career start on the track, we'll take him just about anytime he takes the COT wheel. We could be witnessing the next Jeff Gordon in the making.
Jimmie Johnson ? With the exception of one race in his eight career starts at Darlington, Johnson has been flawless here. He has seven Top 10 finishes in eight tries. Considering the COT factor and that he has challenged for victory lane in each of his last four trips to the South Carolina race track, winning twice, he's a must-play this weekend.
Mark Martin ? When Mark Martin gets into the driver's seat this season, he's always a good fantasy selection. He's a no-brainer start as he has finished in the Top 10 in five of his last six appearances at Darlington Raceway and has finished no worse than 12th this season.
Jeff Green ? When the COT comes out to play this season, always take a look at Green. Among the smaller racing organizations, Green and Haas CNC Racing seem to have a really good COT program. And when it comes to his driving ability, well, he didn't win the 2000 Busch Series Championship by accident.
