Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Cook Out Southern 500

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina going into the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

DARLINGTON-SPECIFIC STATISTICS FOR THE TOP 16 PLAYOFF DRIVERS

(Driver stats below are during the Loop Data Era: 2005 to Present)

1 – Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.9 (series-best)

2022 Rundown:

• Four wins, 10 top fives, 17 top 10s, three poles
• Led 719 laps
• Average Finish of 10.5

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• Three top fives, five top 10s,
• Average Finish of 17.364, 16th-best
• Average Running Position of 11.819, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 89.1, 10th-best
• 139 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
• 2,749 Laps in the Top 15 (75.2%), ninth-most
• 461 Quality Passes, seventh-most

2 – Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.0 (eighth-best)

2022 Rundown:

• Two wins, seven top fives, 12 top 10s, one pole
• Led 457 laps
• Average Finish of 14.0

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• One win, five top fives, nine top 10s, one pole
• Average Finish of 13.529, 10th-best
• Average Running Position of 11.253, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 94.6, seventh-best
• 133 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
• 4,452 Laps in the Top 15 (75.9%), sixth-most
• 582 Quality Passes, sixth-most

3 – Ross Chastain (No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.1 (second-best)

2022 Rundown:

• Two wins, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s
• Led 583 laps
• Average Finish of 14.6

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• One top five, one top 10
• Average Finish of 22.167, 26th-best
• Average Running Position of 21.726, 23rd-best
• Driver Rating of 67.3, 19th-best
• 47 Fastest Laps Run, 16th-best
• 616 Laps in the Top 15 (30.0%), 22nd-most
• 101 Quality Passes, 23rd-most

4 – Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.8 (fourth-best)

2022 Rundown:

• Two wins, 10 top fives, 13 top 10s, three poles
• Led 307 laps
• Average Finish of 14.3

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• Five top fives, seven top 10s,
• Average Finish of 8.889, second-best
• Average Running Position of 9.150, second-best
• Driver Rating of 109.0, series-best
• 327 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
• 2,626 Laps in the Top 15 (83.0%), 10th-most
• 308 Quality Passes, 12th-most

5 – William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.8 (10th-best)

2022 Rundown:

• Two wins, four top fives, five top 10s
• Led 612 laps
• Average Finish of 18.1

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• Two top fives, two top 10s, one pole
• Average Finish of 19.875, 25th-best
• Average Running Position of 13.502, 12th-best
• Driver Rating of 86.0, 12th-best
• 44 Fastest Laps Run, 17th-best
• 1,800 Laps in the Top 15 (70.5%), 12th-most
• 269 Quality Passes, 13th-most

6 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.7 (11th-best)

2022 Rundown:

• Two wins, five top fives, seven top 10s, three poles
• Led 384 laps
• Average Finish of 19.0

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• Four wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s, one pole
• Average Finish of 7.750, series-best
• Average Running Position of 7.586, series-best
• Driver Rating of 107.6, second-best
• 398 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
• 6,250 Laps in the Top 15 (89.7%), series-most
• 718 Quality Passes, second-most

7 – Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Ford)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.4 (third-best)

2022 Rundown:

• Eight top fives, 12 top 10s, three poles
• Led 417 laps
• Average Finish of 13.7

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• One top 10
• Average Finish of 19.091, 23rd-best
• Average Running Position of 18.077, 16th-best
• Driver Rating of 76.0, 14th-best
• 66 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
• 1,313 Laps in the Top 15 (35.9%), 16th-most
• 225 Quality Passes, 17th-most

8 – Tyler Reddick (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.9 (ninth-best)

2022 Rundown:

• Two wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s, one pole
• Led 331 laps
• Average Finish of 16.7

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• One top five, two top 10s
• Average Finish of 12.500, eighth-best
• Average Running Position of 13.011, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 85.7, 13th-best
• 55 Fastest Laps Run, 14th-best
• 1,233 Laps in the Top 15 (67.7%), 18th-most
• 232 Quality Passes, 16th-most

9 – Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.2 (12th-best)

2022 Rundown:

• Two wins, seven top fives, 13 top 10s
• Led 106 laps
• Average Finish of 13.3

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• Three wins, 13 top fives, 18 top 10s, ; two poles
• Average Finish of 9.857, third-best
• Average Running Position of 10.575, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 103.7, third-best
• 412 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
• 5,945 Laps in the Top 15 (81.0%), second-most
• 715 Quality Passes, third-most

10 – Christopher Bell (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.0 (fifth-best)

2022 Rundown:

• One win, seven top fives, 14 top 10s, three poles
• Led 262 laps
• Average Finish of 14.5

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• One top 10
• Average Finish of 18.167, 20th-best
• Average Running Position of 15.811, 14th-best
• Driver Rating of 74.7, 16th-best
• 39 Fastest Laps Run, 18th-best
• 870 Laps in the Top 15 (47.8%), 19th-most
• 179 Quality Passes, 19th-most

11 – Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.4 (seventh-best)

2022 Rundown:

• One win, six top fives, 13 top 10s
• Led 469 laps
• Average Finish of 15.6

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• One win, six top fives, 13 top 10s
• Average Finish of 12.952, ninth-best
• Average Running Position of 10.438, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 100.3, fifth-best
• 368 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
• 5,943 Laps in the Top 15 (81.0%), third-most
• 726 Quality Passes, series-most

12 – Chase Briscoe (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 70.1 (19th-best)

2022 Rundown:

• One win, three top fives, four top 10s, one pole
• Led 238 laps
• Average Finish of 19.0

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• Average Finish of 16.667, 15th-best
• Average Running Position of 18.666, 19th-best
• Driver Rating of 62.4, 23rd-best
• Zero Fastest Laps Run
• 263 Laps in the Top 15 (27.6%), 28th-most
• 53 Quality Passes, 30th-most

13 – Daniel Suárez (No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 78.0 (13th-best)

2022 Rundown:

• One win, six top fives, 10 top 10s
• Led 238 laps
• Average Finish of 16.5

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• One top 10
• Average Finish of 22.333, 27th-best
• Average Running Position of 23.132, 28th-best
• Driver Rating of 58.9, 26th-best
• 11 Fastest Laps Run, 28th-best
• 680 Laps in the Top 15 (23.3%), 20th-most
• 130 Quality Passes, 21st-most

14 – Austin Cindric (No. 2 Team Penske Ford)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 73.7 (17th-best)

2022 Rundown:

• One win, five top fives, eight top 10s, one pole
• Led 78 laps
• Average Finish of 15.7

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• Average Finish of 18.000, 19th-best
• Average Running Position of 19.457, 21st-best
• Driver Rating of 66.2, 21st-best
• 12 Fastest Laps Run, 26th-best
• 99 Laps in the Top 15 (33.8%), 32nd-most
• 26 Quality Passes, 34th-most

15 – Alex Bowman (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 77.6 (14th-best)

2022 Rundown:

• One win, three top fives, 10 top 10s
• Led 29 laps
• Average Finish of 15.7

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• One top five, two top 10s
• Average Finish of 19.200, 24th-best
• Average Running Position of 18.136, 17th-best
• Driver Rating of 73.9, 17th-best
• 131 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
• 1,368 Laps in the Top 15 (41.5%), 15th-most
• 247 Quality Passes, 15th-most

16 – Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)

• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 68.2 (21st-best)

2022 Rundown

• One win, four top fives, eight top 10s
• Led 18 laps
• Average Finish of 16.7

Darlington Raceway Outlook:

• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average Finish of 11.917, sixth-best
• Average Running Position of 16.942, 15th-best
• Driver Rating of 75.2, 15th-best
• 26 Fastest Laps Run, 22nd-best
• 1,616 Laps in the Top 15 (40.1%), 14th-most
• 253 Quality Passes, 14th-most

NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Fast Facts: Race #1 (Darlington Raceway)

• The 2022 season marks the third year the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs has opened at Darlington Raceway (2020-2022). Darlington Raceway is the fourth different track to open the postseason for the Cup Series.

Ø  New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the first race of the Playoffs from 2004–2010.

Ø  Chicagoland Speedway was the first race of the Playoffs from 2011–2017.

Ø  Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted the first race of the Playoffs from 2018–2019.

• Prior to the 2020 season, Darlington Raceway hosted just one other Playoff race, the penultimate event in the inaugural Playoffs in 2004. The race was won by seven-time series champion and former Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson. 
• Four times the winner of the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs has gone on to win the championship – 2004, 2011, 2012, and 2017:

Ø  In 2004 (inaugural Cup Playoffs), Kurt Busch won the opening race of the Playoff at New Hampshire and went on to win the title.

Ø  In 2011 (race was delayed until Monday due to rain), Tony Stewart won his first race of the Playoffs at Chicagoland Speedway and went on to set the record for the most wins in a Playoff run with five victories and the title.

Ø  In 2012, Brad Keselowski won the opening Playoff race at Chicagoland Speedway and went on to win the title.

Ø  In 2017, Martin Truex Jr. won the opening Playoff race at Chicagoland Speedway and went on to win the title.

• The worst finish in the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs by a driver that went on to win the title was Jimmie Johnson’s 39th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the 2006 postseason.
• The worst finish in the opening NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Chicagoland Speedway for a driver that went on to win the title was Jimmie Johnson’s 12th-place finish in 2016.
• Eventual champions and their finishes at Chicagoland:

o   2015 Kyle Busch – ninth

o   2014 Kevin Harvick – fifth

o   2013 Jimmie Johnson – fifth

o   2012 Brad Keselowski – first

o   2011 Tony Stewart – first

• The worst finish in the opening race of the Playoffs at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by a driver that went on to win the title was Kyle Busch’s 19th-place finish in 2019.
• The worst finish in the opening race of the Playoffs at Darlington Raceway by a driver that went on to win the title was Chase Elliott’s 20th-place finish in 2020.
• Last season, Kyle Larson finished second at Darlington Raceway to open the Playoffs and went on to win the title.
• No non-Playoff driver has ever won the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
• Since the inception of the elimination-style format of the Playoffs in 2014, entering the Playoffs as the No. 1 seed has been the most successful seeding producing four championships among three drivers – Kyle Larson (2021), Kyle Busch (2019, 2015) and Martin Truex Jr. (2017).
• The deepest seeding an eventual champion has started the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with is seventh and it has happened twice – by Kevin Harvick (2014) and Joey Logano (2018).
• Below are the seedings of the eventual champions as they entered the Playoffs (2014-2021):

o   Kevin Harvick, 2014 (seventh seed)

o   Kyle Busch, 2015 (No. 1 seed)

o   Jimmie Johnson, 2016 (fifth seed)

o   Martin Truex Jr., 2017 (No. 1 seed)

o   Joey Logano, 2018 (seventh seed)

o   Kyle Busch, 2019 (No. 1 seed)

o   Chase Elliott, 2020 (fifth seed)

o   Kyle Larson, 2021 (No. 1 seed)

NASCAR Cup Series 2022 Top 16 in the Driver Standings at Darlington Raceway

* – Based on last 20 races at Darlington Raceway (2005 – 2022).

Darlington Raceway – Stats & Information 

Track Length: 1.366-Miles

Race Length: 501.32 Miles (367 laps)

Stage 1 & 2 Length: 115 Laps (each)

Final Stage Length: 137 Laps

The Purse: $7,823,733

Degree of Banking in Corners: 25 degrees – Turns 1 & 2 and 23 degrees – Turns 3 & 4

Degree of Banking on Straights: 6 degrees

Frontstretch Length: 1,229 feet

Backstretch Length: 1,229 feet

First Race: Sept. 4, 1950 – Southern 500

Qualifying & Race Data

2021 Cook Out Southern 500 pole winner:

None – Starting Lineups set by Metric Qualifying – Ryan Blaney started from the first position

 Track Qualifying Record:

Aric Almirola, Ford, 184.145 mph, 26.705 secs., April 11, 2014, (Set in Round 1 of 2)

 2021 Cook Out Southern 500 winner:

Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 121.279 mph, (04:08:01), September 5, 2021

 Track Race Record (500 miles):

Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 141.383 mph, (03:32:45), May 11, 2013

HISTORY

• Darlington Raceway was built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-1950 in Darlington, South Carolina.
• Darlington Raceway hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on September 4, 1950 – 75 cars competed in the event – Curtis Turner won the pole at 82.034 mph, and the race was won by Johnny Mantz (Plymouth, 75.250 mph, 6:38:40).
• The track was re-measured to 1.375 miles in 1953.
• The track was re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race in 1970.
• The track was repaved in 1995.
• The 2005 race was the first Saturday night race at Darlington.
• The track was repaved again prior to the 2008 season.
• In 2020, Darlington Raceway hosted the NASCAR Cup Series three times in one season as part of the reschedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
• In total there have been 122 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Darlington Raceway from 1950-2022.

STARTS

• A total of 748 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway; 468 drivers have competed in more than one race at Darlington.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Darlington with 65 starts.
• Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active series drivers in starts at Darlington with 29 starts each.
• A total of 124 different drivers have made their NASCAR Cup Series career debut at Darlington Raceway; the most recent was T.J. Bell (May 7, 2011).
• Of the 124 drivers making their NASCAR Cup Series career debuts at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte posted the best finish of fourth-place after starting 19th on September 4, 1978.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen (16 starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Darlington Raceway with a 3.688.
• Kyle Larson leads all active Cup Series drivers in average starting position at Darlington Raceway with a 8.889 in nine starts.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Darlington Raceway (All-Time and Active)

POLES

• A total of 52 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at least one pole at Darlington Raceway.
• Five of the 52 NASCAR Cup Series Darlington Raceway pole winners are active this weekend.

• NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Darlington Raceway with 12 poles – (1967, ’70, ’72, ’73 sweep, ’75 sweep, ’76 sweep, ’77, ’78 and ’82)
• Pearson’s 12 Darlington poles are tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough (12 poles at Daytona) for the second-most poles all-time at a single track in the NASCAR Cup Series. Pearson also holds the series record with 14 poles at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Kevin Harvick (2014, 2017) leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in poles at Darlington with two.
• Curtis Turner won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series pole at Darlington Raceway in 1950 driving an Oldsmobile with an average speed of 82.034 mph.
• Youngest Darlington Cup pole winner: William Byron (09/01/2019 – 21 years, 9 months, 3 days).
• Oldest Darlington Cup pole winner: David Pearson (09/06/1982 – 47 years, 8 months, 15 days).
• In total, nine drivers have won consecutive poles at Darlington Raceway – most recently Kasey Kahne (2004, 2005).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive Cup poles at Darlington Raceway with five straight (1975 – 1977).
• Eight drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Darlington Raceway.

• Wood Brothers Racing leads all organizations in NASCAR Cup Series poles at Darlington Raceway with 12 among three drivers: David Pearson (’72, ’73 sweep, ’75 sweep, ’76 sweep, ’77, and ’78), Cale Yarborough (1969 sweep) and Donnie Allison (1971).
• A total of 12 different manufacturers have won at least one pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway.
• Ford leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Darlington Raceway with 44 poles; followed by Chevrolet (22), Mercury (13), Pontiac (10), Dodge (8), Buick (3), Oldsmobile (3), Plymouth (3), Toyota (2), Chrysler (1), Hudson (1) and Studebaker (1). 

WINS

• A total of 52 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Darlington Raceway; 28 of the 52 have multiple times at Darlington Raceway.
• Six of the 51 NASCAR Cup Series Darlington race winners are active this weekend.

• NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in victories at Darlington Raceway with 10 wins (1968, ’70, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’76 sweep, ’77, ’79, 80); followed by Dale Earnhardt with nine and Jeff Gordon with seven.
• Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin (2010, 2017, 2020-2, 2021-2) leads all active drivers with four wins.
• Youngest Cup Series Darlington winner: Kyle Busch (5/10/2008 – 23 years, 0 months, 8 days).
• Oldest Cup Series Darlington winner: Harry Gant (09/01/1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 22 days).
• 13 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Darlington; Dale Earnhardt (1989-1990) and Jeff Gordon (1995-1996) are tied for the series-most consecutive wins at Darlington with three each.
• Six drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Darlington Raceway: Johnny Mantz (1950), Nelson Stacy (1961), Larry Frank (1962), Terry Labonte (1980), Lake Speed (1988) and Regan Smith (2011).
• A total of 20 different starting positions on the grid have resulted in victories in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (21) than any other starting position at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series. The outside front row (second-place) has produced the second-most wins (18). The front row starting positions combined have produced 31.9% of the race winners at Darlington Raceway with 39 wins coming from the two spots.
• A total of 12 different drivers have won from the pole at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins from the pole at Darlington Raceway with four wins (1971, 1972, 1976 sweep).
• Kevin Harvick (2014) and Joey Logano (2022) are the only active drivers to win from the pole at Darlington Raceway.
• A total of 21 of the 122 (17.2%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway have been won from the pole or first starting position; the most recent was Joey Logano in 2022.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Darlington is 43rd by Johnny Mantz in 1950 – the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series event held at the historic raceway.

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Darlington Raceway

• JJ Yeley leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington without visiting Victory Lane at 15; followed by Aric Almirola with 14.
• Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins by an organization at Darlington in the NASCAR Cup Series with 14 victories – Tim Richmond (1986), Ricky Rudd (1991), Jeff Gordon (1995, ’96 sweep, ’97, ’98, ’02, ’07), Terry Labonte (2003), Jimmie Johnson (2004 sweep and 2012) and Mark Martin (2009).
• A total of 11 different manufacturers have won in the series at Darlington; led by Chevrolet with 41 victories; followed by Ford (32), Mercury (10), Toyota (10), Oldsmobile (six), Dodge (five), Pontiac (five), Buick (four), Plymouth (four), Hudson (three) and American Motor Company (two).

 ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

 Runner-Up Finishes:

• A total of 63 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished runner-up at Darlington Raceway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty lead the NASCAR Cup Series in runner-up finishes at Darlington Raceway with eight second-place finishes each.
• Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in second-place finishes at Darlington with three each.

Top Five In Runner-Up Finishes at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)

Top-Five Finishes:

• A total of 144 different drivers have finished in the top-five at Darlington Raceway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes with 25.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top-five finishes at Darlington with 13.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 239 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted top-10 finishes at Darlington Raceway, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott with 35 top 10s.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active NSCAR Cup Series drivers in top 10s at Darlington with 18 top 10s.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)

Average Finishing Position:

• Bob Burdick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Darlington Raceway with a 3.0 in two starts.
• Kyle Larson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Darlington with a 6.0 in seven starts.

Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)

 LAP LEADERS

• In total of 176 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have led at least one lap at Darlington Raceway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Darlington Raceway with 2,648 laps led in 44 series starts.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with 813 laps led in 29 starts.
• The most laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway by the race winner was 351 laps of the scheduled 400 laps (87%) by Johnny Mantz on September 4, 1950. He started the race from the 43rd position.
• The most laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway by a driver that did not win the race was 284 laps of the scheduled 367 laps (77%) by Kyle Larson on September 2, 2018. He started the race from the second position.
• The fewest laps led in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway by the race winner was just the final lap by Ricky Craven on March 16, 2003. He started the race from the 31st position.

Top 10 Lap Leaders at Darlington Raceway (All-Time & Active)

FEMALE COMPETITORS

• Three female drivers have competed at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series – Danica Patrick, Janet Guthrie and Shawna Robinson. Patrick is the only female competitor to make multiple starts at Darlington.

TRACK / EVENT STATS

• Since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway is the March 16, 2003 race won by Ricky Craven with a margin of victory of 0.002 second over Kurt Busch.
• Darlington’s 0.002 sec. margin of victory is tied with the 2011 Spring Talladega race as the closest finishes in the series using electronic scoring.

Top Five Closest Margins of Victory at Darlington Raceway

 Four NASCAR Cup Series races have resulted in a NASCAR Overtime finish at Darlington Raceway:

 Darlington Raceway holds the top-five NASCAR Cup Series records of largest Place Differential in a single event (all-time). The series record for the most positions advanced from a driver’s starting position to their finishing position belongs to NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts, who in 1950 started 67th and finished runner-up advancing 65 positions.

• Nine of the 118 races at Darlington Raceway have been shortened from their scheduled number of laps; the most recent was earlier this season.

• Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway seven times: 1952, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2016.
• The two qualifying sessions from 2020 and 2021 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and instead was determined by a random draw or inverted field.

NASCAR IN SOUTH CAROLINA

• South Carolina has hosted a total of 321 NASCAR national series races among 10 different tracks.

• The first NASCAR Cup Series race held in the state of South Carolina was at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 4, 1950 – the event was won by Johnny Mantz in a Plymouth.

 SOUTH CAROLINA IN NASCAR

• A total of 140 different drivers have made at least one NASCAR national series start with their home state recorded as South Carolina.
• James Hylton leads all NASCAR drivers from South Carolina with the most NASCAR national series starts with 607.
• Four drivers from South Carolina have been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame – David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Cotton Owens and Tiny Lund.
• 11 drivers from South Carolina have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series; seven have won in the NASCAR Cup Series.

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