This week’s race: Bojangles’ Southern 500
Traditional Name: Southern 500
Other Notable Names: Mountain Dew Southern 500, Pepsi Southern 500
The Southern 500 has always been one of NASCAR’s iconic races, but even an event so steeped in history had to find a place in the modern version of the sport.
With expansion to new markets, Darlington Raceway lost one of its two traditional dates. Unfortunately for auto racing purists, the date that got dropped in 2005 was the Labor Day classic, which was moved to Auto Club Speedway to help that track with flagging attendance. A sponsor was in place for the May race so the name Southern 500 was dropped for four years. It was re-used in 2009 and has been a fixture of the sport ever since—but it has not been the same.
Finally, after a decade in the wilderness, the Southern 500 is back where it belongs and all seems right with the world.
10 best drivers at Darlington
Over the past three races, these drivers have the best average finish on this track.Because this race moved so dramatically and because this is a standalone script in this writer’s 500,000+ record database, we adjusted it to account for the past three races instead of the past three years. You’re welcome.
1. Jimmie Johnson
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 2.67
Career avg. finish: 8.4 in 16 attempts
Johnson’s superior three-year average is certainly well deserved. He won the 2012 race, was fourth in 2013, and third last year. Two of these solid results came after he stared on the outside of the first row, but last year’s feat was accomplished from the back half of the pack.
2. Matt Kenseth
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 3.67
Career avg. finish: 16.0 in 21 attempts
Kenseth’s last three Darlington races put him at the top of the charts, but he would have been among the top 10 at pretty much any point since 2006. He enters the weekend with seven top-10s and a 13th in his last nine races on this difficult track and has only dropped off the lead lap once. That is in stark contrast to his early career when he failed to complete the distance nine in 12 starts.
3. Kyle Busch
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 5.33
Career avg. finish: 13.6 in 10 attempts
Busch won the 2008 Dodge Challenger 500, but his results during the first part of his career were actually fairly irregular. That changed in 2012 and since then he has qualified and finished in the top 10 during his past three races. His last five efforts have all ended on the lead lap with results of 11th or better.
4. Kevin Harvick
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 7.33
Career avg. finish: 17.0 in 18 attempts
Harvick’s victory last year improved his average finish enough to propel him into the top five. It was not entirely expected since it was only his fourth top-five in 18 attempts. On the other hand, it came on the heels of a fifth in 2013. Now his back-to-back top-fives recommend him this season.
5. Denny Hamlin
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 7.67
Career avg. finish: 6.9 in 9 attempts
Hamlin struggled everywhere last year and Darlington was no exception. His 19th-place finish was only the second time in his career that he finished outside the top 10 and the only time he missed the top 15. Equally important, he has never failed to finish on the lead lap on this track.
6. Tony Stewart (tied with Edwards)
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 9.00
Career avg. finish: 11.8 in 22 attempts
Darlington has been one of Stewart’s better tracks since he became an owner/driver. Since 2009, he has earned five top-15s in six races and finished on the lead lap in all but one event. He was quick in practice on Friday, which should be encouraging to his fans. Unfortunately similar strong starts in the recent past have ended in disappointment on race day.
6. Carl Edwards (tied with Stewart)
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 9.00
Career avg. finish: 12.5 in 11 attempts
Edwards is excited about the new low-downforce package and confidence is one good way to woo the Lady in Black. He has come close to scoring a victory at Darlington and has two runner-up finishes to his credit. The most recent of these came in 2011.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 9.33
Career avg. finish: 14.3 in 20 attempts
The best news surrounding Earnhardt this week is that he has gotten progressively stronger at Darlington during the past three years. He finished 17th in 2012, was ninth in 2013, and came within one lap of winning last year. Junior Nation was devastated when a second green-white-checkered attempt allowed Harvick to blow past him on the final lap.
9. Greg Biffle
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 10.00
Career avg. finish: 13.3 in 14 attempts
Biffle is one of the few drivers in the field with multiple Darlington wins, but neither of them was known as Southern 500s. He was fastest in the Friday morning session and second-best in final practice. If he can pull off the victory this week, it will be one of the biggest of his career because it will vault him into the Chase.
10. Clint Bowyer
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 11.33
Career avg. finish: 20.1 in 9 attempts
Bowyer may or may not need a victory to make the Chase, but he would sleep easier at night if he was locked into the playoffs. He was not quite as fast as “The Biff” and actually has no top-10s in his last seven Darlington starts, but he has been consistently just outside that mark with two 11ths and a 12th in his last three attempts.
Others of Note
12. Martin Truex Jr.Last three races average finish at Darlington: 14.67
Career avg. finish: 13.1 in 9 attempts
Now that Truex no longer has the ability to string long streaks of top-10s together, he is in jeopardy of becoming a footnote in the 2015 Chase for the Championship. He does not need to win either of the next two races, but he must contend for top-fives—and he could pull that off. Truex finished fifth in the 2012 Bojangles’ Southern 500.
13. Jeff Gordon
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 14.67
Career avg. finish: 11.4 in 34 attempts
It is highly unlikely Gordon will contend for the victory this week, but one cannot write about Darlington without mentioning his seven victories. Five of these were Southern 500s and it just doesn’t get much more impressive than that—unless your name is David Pearson or Dale Earnhardt Sr.
17. Brad Keselowski
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 21.33
Career avg. finish: 14.3 in 6 attempts
The best news to report about Keselowski is that he has been running at the end of every Darlington race he started. With only two top-10s, he is not going to be on many rosters this week, but given the right circumstances he could match his career-best finish of third—which came in the Showtime Southern 500.
18. Kurt Busch
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 22.00
Career avg. finish: 17.9 in 18 attempts
Busch may be looking past this weekend or alternately he may feel that he has something to prove. His last three Southern 500s have all been marred by crash damage, including a failure to finish last year that was credited with a 31st.
20. Joey Logano
Last three races average finish at Darlington: 22.33
Career avg. finish: 23.0 in 6 attempts
Logano has been even more star-crossed than Kurt Busch at Darlington. Half of his six starts were marked by crash damage and last year a broken hub caused him to watch the closing laps from the garage for the first time in his career. He has not finished better than ninth on this track and there are simply better and safer places to start him.
Rank | Driver | 3 Yr Avg Fin | Attempts |
1. | 2.67 | 3 | |
2. | 3.67 | 3 | |
3. | 5.33 | 3 | |
4. | 7.33 | 3 | |
5. | 7.67 | 3 | |
6. | 9.00 | 3 | |
6. | 9.00 | 3 | |
8. | 9.33 | 3 | |
9. | 10.00 | 3 | |
10. | 11.33 | 3 | |
| |||
11. | 14.33 | 3 | |
12. | 14.67 | 3 | |
13. | 15.00 | 3 | |
14. | 19.00 | 2 | |
15. | 20.67 | 3 | |
16. | 21.00 | 3 | |
17. | 21.33 | 3 | |
18. | 22.00 | 3 | |
18. | 22.00 | 3 | |
20. | 22.33 | 3 | |
21. | 24.00 | 2 | |
22. | 24.33 | 3 | |
23. | 25.67 | 3 | |
24. | 27.00 | 3 | |
24. | 27.00 | 3 | |
26. | 27.33 | 3 | |
27. | 27.50 | 2 | |
28. | 29.33 | 3 | |
29. | 33.00 | 3 | |
30. | 34.00 | 3 | |
31. | 34.50 | 2 | |
32. | JJ Yeley | 36.00 | 2 |
33. | 38.00 | 2 | |
34. | 43.50 | 2 | |
35. | 45.00 | 2 | |
Drivers with only one start | |||
| 8.00 | 1 | |
| 11.00 | 1 | |
| 23.00 | 1 | |
| 29.00 | 1 | |
| 33.00 | 1 | |
| 42.00 | 1 | |
Exercise Caution
Most caution flags: 17, 2009 Southern 500Fewest caution flags: 0, 1963 Southern 500
Average number of caution flags per race: 7.1
Final Caution, last five races:
April 2014: 372 of 374 to set up second green-white-checkered: 2-car accident on backstretch (Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer)
May 2013: 335 of 367: 1-car accident in turn 2 (Kasey Kahne)
May 2012: 362 of 368 to set up green-white-checkered: 2-car accident in turn 2 (Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman)
May 2011: 365 of 370 to set up green-white-checkered: 3-car accident on frontstretch (Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer)
May 2010: 343 of 367: 1-car accident in turn 2 (Joey Logano)
Most caution laps: 101, 1974 Southern 500
Fewest caution laps: 0, 1963 Southern 500
Average number of caution laps per race: 45.5
Leading the way
Most leaders: 17, 1982 Southern 500Fewest leaders: 2, 1964 Rebel 300
Average number of leaders: 8.4
Most lead changes: 41, 1982 Southern 500
Fewest lead changes: 4, 1950 Southern 500
Average number of lead changes: 18.6
Victory Lane
Last five winners at Darlington (starting position):April 2014: Kevin Harvick (1)
May 2013: Matt Kenseth (7)
May 2012: Jimmie Johnson (2)
May 2011: Regan Smith (23)
May 2010: Denny Hamlin (8)
Worst starting position for race winner: 43rd, Johnny Mantz – 1950 Southern 500 in a field of 75. Since then Ward Bruton (2001) and Bobby Labonte (2000) won from the 37th position.
A race at Darlington has been won by the pole sitter 20 times and from the front row 37 times in 111 races.
Recent races won from the pole:
Kevin Harvick: 2014 Bojangles’ Southern 500
Dale Jarrett: 1997 TranSouth Financial 400
Dale Earnhardt Sr.: 1993 TranSouth Financial 500
Dale Earnhardt Sr.: 1990 Heinz Southern 500
Active winners at Darlington:
Jeff Gordon: 7
Jimmie Johnson: 3
Greg Biffle: 2
Kyle Busch: 1
Denny Hamlin: 1
Kevin Harvick: 1
Matt Kenseth: 1
Top-10 All-time Winners:
David Pearson: 10
Dale Earnhardt: 9
Jeff Gordon: 7
Bobby Allison: 5
Bill Elliott: 5
Darrell Waltrip: 5
Cale Yarborough: 5
Harry Gant: 4
Buck Baker: 3
Dale Jarrett: 3
Jimmie Johnson: 3
Richard Petty: 3
First time winners at Darlington:
2011: Kurt Busch, Southern 500
1988: Lake Speed, TranSouth 500
1980: Southern 500, Terry Labonte
1962: Southern 500, Larry Frank
1961: Southern 500, Nelson Stacy
1950: Southern 500, Johnny Mantz
Running at the End
The following active drivers have been running at the end of every Darlington race they started:Kyle Busch (10)
Denny Hamlin (9)
Martin Truex Jr. (9)
Paul Menard (8)
Brad Keselowski (6)
Landon Cassill (4)
Aric Almirola (3)
Sam Hornish Jr. (3)
Danica Patrick (3)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2)
Justin Allgaier (1)
Alex Bowman (1)
Austin Dillon (1)
Timmy Hill (1)
Kyle Larson (1)
Kurt Busch had been running at the end of all 17 races he started before he was eliminated in a crash last year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.crashed and failed to finish in his first race in 2000, but he has been running at the end of 19 races since.
Kasey Kahne had been running at the end of all 11 races he started before he was eliminated in a crash last year.
Matt Kenseth crashed and failed to finish in his first race in 1999, but he has been running at the end of 20 races since.
Travis Kvapil failed to qualify in his first race in 2004, but he has been running at the end of 8 races since.
Joey Logano had been running at the end of all five races he started before he was eliminated with a broken hub last year.
Great Starts
Active drivers with top-10s in their first start on this track:Ryan Newman: fifth (2002)
Jimmie Johnson: sixth (2002)
Tony Stewart: sixth (1999)
Brad Keselowski: seventh (2009)
Carl Edwards: seventh (2004)
Kyle Larson: eighth (2015)
Joey Logano: ninth (2009)
Denny Hamlin: 10th (2006)
Current Streaks
At DarlingtonJimmie Johnson, three top-fives
Kyle Busch, three top-10s
Kevin Harvick, two top-fives
Matt Kenseth, two top-fives
Jeff Gordon, two top-10s
Dale Earnhardt Jr., two top-10s
Ryan Newman, two top-10s
Darlington has no active comparative track
In 2015
Brad Keselowski, seven top-10s
Carl Edwards, four top-10s
Kevin Harvick, three top-fives
Joey Logano, three top-10s
Denny Hamlin, two top-fives
Dale Earnhardt Jr., two top-10s
Ryan Newman, two top-10s
