NASCAR at Darlington 2015: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
NASCAR returns Sunday after a week hiatus to put the pedal to the proverbial metal with the Chase for the Sprint Cup on approach.
Call it perfect timing, too, because the series makes a return to Darlington Raceway at the proper time—Labor Day weekend. It's the Bojangles' Southern 500, a special event NASCAR will use to provide fans with a throwback environment, highlighted by old-school paint schemes and more.
On the track, the stakes couldn't be higher. There are many names hanging around the Chase cutoff line, and things continue to shuffle near the top of the leaderboard as more drivers tally wins.
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Here's a look at everything you need to know about Sunday's event.
Viewing Details
Where: Darlington Raceway
When: Sunday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. ET
Watch: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Live Extra
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Sprint Cup Standings
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 908 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | 865 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 819 |
| 4 | Brad Keselowski | 793 |
| 5 | Jimmie Johnson | 792 |
| 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 771 |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | 753 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 713 |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 712 |
| 10 | Jamie McMurray | 696 |
NASCAR at Darlington Lineup
| 1 | Jamie McMurray |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne |
| 7 | Alex Bowman |
| 9 | Sam Hornish Jr |
| 10 | Danica Patrick |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 13 | Casey Mears |
| 14 | Tony Stewart |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer |
| 16 | Greg Biffle |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr |
| 18 | Kyle Busch |
| 19 | Carl Edwards |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth |
| 21 | Ryan Blaney |
| 22 | Joey Logano |
| 23 | Jeb Burton |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon |
| 25 | Chase Elliott |
| 26 | J.J. Yeley |
| 27 | Paul Menard |
| 30 | Travis Kvapil |
| 31 | Ryan Newman |
| 32 | Josh Wise |
| 33 | Mike Bliss |
| 34 | Brett Moffitt |
| 35 | Cole Whitt |
| 38 | David Gilliland |
| 40 | Landon Cassill |
| 41 | Kurt Busch |
| 42 | Kyle Larson |
| 43 | Aric Almirola |
| 46 | Michael Annett |
| 47 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 51 | Justin Allgaier |
| 55 | David Ragan |
| 62 | Timmy Hill |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr |
| 83 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr |
| 98 | T.J. Bell |
Drivers to Watch
Kevin Harvick
Series leader Kevin Harvick took home the victory at this event last season. He has to hope the experience translates so he can better position himself for when wins get factored into the leaderboard equation. He's in first place right now, but four drivers have more wins than his two after Joey Logano's win at Bristol last time out.
Harvick seems ready to contend, and he also seems thrilled with the idea of a throwback weekend, as he posted on Instagram:
A second-place finisher in each of his last two outings, Harvick has eight top-10 finishes in his last nine races but no wins. His back-to-back wins at Las Vegas and Phoenix happened in March.
If Harvick is to get back into Victory Lane, Darlington seems like a good place to do it.
Joey Logano
Feel free to call it Logano month now.
Logano started 16th but won at Watkins Glen three races ago, leading just one lap—albeit the most important one. Then he went to Bristol and led a whopping 176 laps in a rather easy victory.
He too will get in on the throwback action, per Shell Racing U.S.:
Logano is the hottest driver on the track right now; even other drivers can't help but heap praise on him. Carl Edwards did so after Bristol, per ESPN.com's Bob Pockrass: "What's really neat about Joey is to see him step up his game the last couple of years. He really, really has raised his game. He's one of the toughest guys out here. I think he'll be a threat for the championship."
With three wins in the books and a Chase berth already secured, there's no excuse to overlook Logano like some might have in the past. After such an impressive pace job at Bristol, a fourth win might be in the cards.
Martin Truex Jr.
While Martin Truex Jr. has been one of the year's most heartwarming stories to now, the present hasn't been too kind for the Furniture Row Racing driver.
Truex continues to take a dip in the top 10, in large part because he's finished 19th or worse in three of his last four outings. The worst came at Bristol, where he tallied just 16 points for a 28th-place finish.
There's still reason for hope, though, and not just because Truex will debut a slick paint scheme to promote a good cause, either:
The paint scheme helps, but keep in mind that Truex is still the guy who had just one non-top-10 finish through late June.
Truex might be on a downtrend, but if he can put on an aggressive race and stay in the thick of things, he isn't too far off from making another climb back up the leaderboard.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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