Darlington Raceway

The track that's Too Tough to Tame makes for interesting betting picks this week as experience will likely payoff for NASCAR drivers at Darlington.

It’s called gambling for a reason and there is no guarantee the drivers I pick will end up in victory lane. If a driver survives the day and is able to leave their mark with a win instead of a Darlington Stripe along the wall, it’s still difficult to find Victory Lane because it’s at the beginning of pit road. As for a mid-tier value pick this week, it’s hard to go against a Chevrolet driver since the manufacturer has brought home the checkered flag seven times, so far, in 2022. I mention Hamlin because he has won at Darlington more than any other driver, his odds this week are solid at 8 to 1 or +800, so a $5 bet gives a $40 return plus your initial investment back. Kyle Larson has the best overall average finish but he has only participated in eight Cup Series races here and his odds at 4.75 to 1 or +475 won’t make for a big payday. Apparently, winning the pole at a track has a huge effect on oddsmakers.

Joey Logano and Kyle Larson lead them to the flagstand. Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick will start from the tail of the field. 293 laps of stock ...

Logano wins the race to the pit exit. Green, Byron and Logano run side by side for the lead into turn one. Logano gets into the bumper of Byron into turn three! Reddick leads the entire field to the pit lane. Green, Logano and Busch run side by side for the lead. Lap 140, Truex Jr cycles to the race lead. BJ McLeod pulls to the pit lane with a fire under the hood. Lap 115, Larson pulls to the pit lane under green. He stays in the throttle to hold 2nd. Larson clears Logano via the outside in turn three. Joey Logano and Kyle Larson lead them to the flagstand. Lap 54, Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch run side by side for 2nd.

Joey Logano bumped leader William Byron from behind on the next-to-last lap to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday.

Busch had led 19 laps early in the race. Larson, starting second, led 30 of the first 32 laps before spinning out on lap 54 and falling to 29th. The racing was strong, although several of the top competitors didn't last to the end. "But the positive is we were really fast." "He slammed me so hard, it knocked all the right side off the car and sent me into the corner," Byron said. But Byron, who started low, forced Logano into the wall and out of the lead.

See all the retro scenes from Darlington Raceway as NASCAR's three national series embrace their throwback race weekend.

Read on to see photos from the weekend. View Fullscreen View Fullscreen View Fullscreen View Fullscreen View Fullscreen View Fullscreen View Fullscreen View Fullscreen View Fullscreen View Fullscreen View Fullscreen

Executing a decisive bash-and-run on the next-to-last-lap of Sunday's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, Joey Logano wrested the lead from William Byron ...

Goodyear sponsors the nASCAR Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway as The King, Richard Petty, will wave the green flag to start the race.

That results in more comers and goers and a lot of passing throughout the field, making for a competitive and entertaining race for the fans. Darlington Raceway has perhaps the most abrasive track surface on the NASCAR Cup circuit and that, as it turns out, is a good thing for race fans. And after NASCAR had a hard time getting Richard Petty off the track 2017 when paced the field at Darlington, they decided the NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and seven-time Cup Series champion should be the race’s Honorary Starter and wave the green flag starting the race. “NASCAR’s Official Throwback Weekend is always a highly-anticipated stop on the circuit, and alongside Darlington Raceway, we look forward to providing race fans with an unforgettable experience.” This time as the honorary starter, I’ll be holding the flag!” But Goodyear didn’t just change the design on the sides of their tires, they stepped up to sponsor the 400-mile race at the track with multiple nicknames.

Joey Logano won Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Find out what happened in the race.

Ross Chastain collected the second stage win of his career in Stage 2, but his elation was short-lived. A massive wreck off Turn 2 on Lap 260 of 293 took out more than a handful of front-running cars and set up the final restart. “We were racing with those guys for the lead. Obviously, at the end the right rear (of Byron’s car) started to go away, and, yeah, he didn’t even make it a contest.” Lap 167 brought the downfall of Kyle Busch, who had led 19 laps. “We were fighting the balance all day,” Chastain said. On Lap 112, second-place starter Kyle Larson brought his No. 5 Chevrolet to pit road and retired with engine failure. Justin Haley ran third, followed by Kevin Harvick, who posted his 13th straight top-10 result at the “Lady in Black” — a track record. Truex’s Toyota made slight contact with Stenhouse’s Camaro on the outside — but enough to start Truex spinning sideways. Man, super proud of the Shell-Pennzoil team, getting a victory here in Darlington. You know what it’s like — I’ve never won here in a Cup race before. He does this stuff all the time. “So proud of this race team.

Team Penske's Ryan Blaney currently has the largest points cushion (+109) between himself and the Playoff cutline among drivers without a win this season ...

In Win (2) 2 The race restarted with 26 laps to go. The incident was a huge break for Reddick as he was able to pit under caution with the leaders who were tracking him down. 1 1 The restart came with 11 laps to go and Chastain in the lead. Frustrated, Busch exited the car and walked to his hauler, leaving his car sitting blocking pit road. Kyle Busch began to complain that his front tires were going away and with 11 laps to go, he surrendered the lead to Logano. Chastain also made a pass for position moving up to second. Five laps later, Larson was battling Kyle Busch for the second spot when he overdrove a corner on the inside of the #18 car and spun. Joey Logano sits on the pole today with a speed of 170.720. Kyle Larson starts beside Logano on the front row. Many of the drivers will be paying tribute to the past this weekend with special paint schemes on their cars.