NASCAR at Darlington 2016: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
Darlington is among the most challenging tracks in all of NASCAR, and the sport's top drivers will look to conquer the Lady in Black Sunday with the Chase for the Sprint Cup quickly approaching.
Among Darlington's nicknames is the Track Too Tough to Tame, but with time running out for the drivers on the Chase bubble, they need to dig deep and come through with a great performance in order to put themselves in position to race for a championship.
With Hurricane Hermine causing the cancellation of qualifying and creating some uncertainty for Sunday's race, the possibility for a rain-shortened event is present. That could lead to another surprise winner, much like Chris Buescher at August's Pennsylvania 400.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Ahead of the Bojangles' Southern 500, here is a look at everything you need to know about the race, including profiles of some contenders to keep an eye on.
Where: Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina
When: Sunday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. ET
Watch: NBC
Ticket Info: ScoreBig.com
Entry List
| 1 | Jamie McMurray |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne |
| 7 | Regan Smith |
| 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 | David Ragan |
| 24 | Chase Elliott |
| 27 | Paul Menard |
| 30 | Josh Wise |
| 31 | Ryan Newman |
| 32 | Jeffrey Earnhardt |
| 34 | Chris Buescher |
| 38 | Landon Cassill |
| 41 | Kurt Busch |
| 42 | Kyle Larson |
| 43 | Aric Almirola |
| 44 | Brian Scott |
| 46 | Michael Annett |
| 47 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 55 | Reed Sorenson |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 83 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 88 | Jeff Gordon |
| 95 | Michael McDowell |
| 98 | Cole Whitt |
Drivers to Watch
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin is comfortably in the Chase, with two wins to his credit this season, but he has a golden opportunity to improve his standing Sunday at what may well be his favorite track on the entire circuit.
No driver in the Sprint Cup Series has been as consistently good at Darlington as Hamlin. He has just one victory at the track, but that is bolstered by five top-five and eight top-10 finishes. His average finish of 6.5 is far and away the best out of this year's drivers.
Hamlin has a ton of momentum on his side, with six consecutive top-10 results to his credit, including a win at Watkins Glen.
He seems to be peaking at the ideal time, as the Chase for the Sprint Cup is set to begin Sept. 18 at Chicagoland Speedway.
Momentum can go away quickly in NASCAR, though, which is why it is important for him to finish the regular season strong. He could take a big step toward that by running well at Darlington, and if he does, he promises to enter the Chase as one of the top contenders to win it all.
Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson has been on the precipice of reaching victory lane for the past couple seasons, and after falling just short on so many occasions, he finally finished the job last time out at Michigan, recording his first career Sprint Cup win.
The win locked Larson into the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and it seemingly gave him limitless confidence in himself and his team, as evidenced by this tweet following his triumph:
The 24-year-old former Rookie of the Year may not have had a win under his belt prior to Sunday's triumph, but he does have a history of success at several different tracks, with Darlington being among them.
Although he only has two career starts at Darlington in the Sprint Cup Series, he finished inside the top 10 in each of them, and his average finish of 9.0 is second among all active drivers.
Larson has finished sixth or better in three of his past five races, and he suddenly looks like a strong dark horse to make a run at his first Sprint Cup championship.
If he can carry over the Michigan magic to Darlington Sunday, then he could quickly go from a dark horse to one of the top picks to win it all.
Jimmie Johnson
While Jimmie Johnson has two wins this year, the 2016 season has largely been a struggle for the six-time Sprint Cup Series champion.
He has shown signs of life over the past couple races, though, with seventh- and sixth-place finishes after previously struggling to crack the top 10 during the several weeks prior.
After closing out a solid, sixth-place result at Michigan, Johnson seemed content with the direction in which his team was heading:
Getting back on the winning track before the Chase could be huge for Johnson and the No. 48 team, and Darlington gives him a great opportunity to do just that.
Aside from Jeff Gordon, JJ's three career wins at Darlington are the most of any driver in the field. He also has nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes for an average result of 9.1 in 17 career starts.
Johnson is always a threat to take the checkered flag at any track regardless of his form, but now he is finally moving in a positive direction, a fourth career win at Darlington is within reach.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
