Biggest NASCAR Storylines to Watch Ahead of Sprint Cup Series at Darlington

NASCAR had itself a summer vacation prior to the final two races of the regular season, and who else should welcome them back than the “Lady in the Black?”

Darlington Raceway plays host to the Bojangles' Southern 500 Sunday night, and the sense of urgency among the bubble drivers gets an extra crank with the ratchet in the garage. The extra week off after thundering around Bristol was a much-needed reprieve from the grind of chasing the Chase.

Twenty-four races are in the books, and there’s still room for two new winners before Chicagoland drops the green flag on the Chase.

But first you must read on for a sample of this week’s storylines.

Darlington Back Where It Belongs

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

Darlington Raceway and Labor Day Weekend go together like turkey and Thanksgiving, so it’s with open arms that this historic track gets back to its roots and draws the South Carolinians out for a Sunday night race.

Moving the Southern 500 back to its rightful place gives added importance and relevance to the race. With the new win-and-you’re-in format, technically the placement of the race on the schedule doesn’t matter. They’re all a tournament of one.

Still, seeing the seducing shape of the Lady in Black at the end of the season versus April layers an added sense of drama to this year’s renewal.

Larry McReynolds, a NASCAR analyst for Fox Sports, wrote, “The outcome at Darlington is anything but predictable. If you look at the statistics you'll see we've had nine different winners in the last nine races there. That's a clear indication of how tough it is for anyone to consistently get their arms around that joint.”

That may provide hope for some drivers looking to cement their spot on the Chase, but when you look at who won, with the exception of Regan Smith, we’re dealing with the biggest names in the sport¹.

Yes, Darlington can yield unpredictable results, but the big winners of this season could pick this track apart, leaving the bubble drivers sweating come Richmond.

1: Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin², Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick.

2: Retired

Will Greg Biffle Summon His Winning Ways?

Derik Hamilton/Associated Press

Greg Biffle is the oft-forgotten top-tier driver of the Sprint Cup Series. As it stands, he’s sitting in 18th place in the driver standings, 83 points behind Clint Bowyer, who’s last in the Chase Grid.

Bottom line: Biffle needs to win, and what better track than Darlington?

Biffle was the last driver to win this race in back-to-back years (2005-06), and he finished in fifth place last year at this track. His problem has been finding that elusive speed that the big boys have week to week. That search has worn him down to the nub.

He told Pete Pistone of MotorRacingNetwork.com:

"

It’s very hard to stay enthusiastic, it is. I wouldn’t say it’s like one arm tied behind your back, but it is difficult to get dressed, buckled in there, and get out on the race track, but every time we do we’re searching for that speed, so we’re back at the shop working on stuff, we’re testing, and then we’re bringing it to see what it does competing to that next guy. 

"

If Biffle can drill down and find that speed at Darlington, he’ll give his No. 16 team a chance at the Chase, and that will make getting up in the morning that much easier, at least for the three races of the Challenger Round.

Time Is Running out for Jeff Gordon to Earn That Win

Wade Payne/Associated Press

Jeff Gordon’s final season in a Sprint Cup car has been a grind, to put it mildly. Still with no wins and slipping down the Chase Grid, Gordon is no lock to qualify for the postseason.

He is the active leader in wins at Darlington with seven and he’s got two at Richmond, so there’s still time, fleeting as it is. Confidence in his team would be far stronger if his results trended upward.

If you draw a line through the fuel-saving finish to Pocono (where Gordon finished third), his average result over the past four races, according to NASCAR.com’s RJ Kraft, is 30th.

The silver lining for Gordon is tarnishing.

Can Kasey Kahne Save His Season?

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

We addressed a driver outside the Grid and one inside the Grid. Let’s swing back outside the Grid to the gnarly race for a spot in the Chase.

Hanging outside the draft are drivers like the previously mentioned Biffle, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson. Last year, Kahne waited until the penultimate race (Atlanta) to win his way into the postseason.

NASCAR.com’s George Winkler said, “Even though there's no reason to look at his recent performances and feel confident about the pick, there are some silver linings. He finished sixth at Richmond earlier this season, and he has a driver rating of 104.00 in the past five years at Darlington.”

Hendrick Motorsports, on the whole, hasn’t had what you would call a banner year (by its standards). It has six wins spread across two drivers while the other two have struggled to save face.

Kahne’s got the resources behind him; the question remains if he can put the past 24 races behind him and treat the remainder of the season as a two-race sprint for his team’s season.

Beware the Sleeper: Jamie McMurray

R Brent Smith/Associated Press

Lost among the big drivers on the Grid and equally lost among the big drivers off the Grid, is the driver of the No. 1 car: Jamie McMurray. He’s winless in 2015, but he leads all the drivers who have yet to reach Victory Lane.

McMurray is a sleeper this year, much the same way Ryan Newman was in 2014, and J-Mac is counting every single point.

“Really since Talladega, I’ve somewhat paid attention to that,” McMurray said in Brant James’ USA Today story. “It happens every year, where the eighth-to-15th-place people are tight. We’ve been somewhat fortunate that I’ve gotten to be at the front of that, where you have a little bit of a buffer.”

Earlier in the season at Talladega, McMurray did a cost-benefit analysis during a race he could have, in theory, won. He chose instead to ride it out and not go for the win. The risk of losing valuable points kept him from cutting off his nose to spite his race.

At some point McMurray must go for it, but his calculated performances to date have him about as secure in the Chase as he can be without a win. This makes him an unsung threat going forward.