Charlotte Motor Speedway damaged by thunderstorm

UNB! NETWORK STAFF REPORT

As thunderstorms ravaged the Charlotte, North Carolina area, Charlotte Motor Speedway received heavy damage during the inclement weather.

A local Charlotte meteorologist said that the damage could have been caused by a microburst that came through the area.

The Ultimate NASCAR Blof will have all updates on this story when they come in.

DARLINGTON: Today's XFINITY Practice Notes

UNB! NETWORK PRACTICE REPORT

Kyle Busch was fastest in the opening session with a lap of 167.379 MPH. Denny Hamlin was 2nd fastest, Paul Menard was 3rd fastest, Joey Logano was 4th fastest, and Ty Dillon was 5th fastest. 35 drivers participated in this session.

Joey Logano was fastest in Happy Hour with a speed of 166.676 MPH. Following Logano was Kyke Busch in 2nd, Ty Dillon in 3rd, Kyle Larson in 4th, and Danie Suarez in 5th. 37 drivers participated in this session.

DARLINGTON: Today's Sprint Cup Practice Notes

UNB! NETWORK PRACTICE REPORT

Chase Elliott after he hit the wall in
opening Cup practice. His car is seen
in this photo. Austin Dillon also hit the
wall.

Greg Biffle led the opening sessiom with a lap of 176.189 MPH. Kurt Busch was 2nd fastest, Tony Stewart in 3rd, Kevin Harvick in 4th, amd Carl Edwards in 5th.

Brad Keselowski led the final practice session with a speed of 175.880 MPH. Greg Biffle was 2md fastest, Kurt Busch was 3rd, Paul Menard was 4th, and Austin Dillon was 5th fastest.

GARAGE TALK: Darlington Setup Analyzed

UNB! NETWORK STAFF REPORT

A crew member pushes Chase Elliott's car from the garage
area during NASCAR ctice at Darlington Speedway
on Thursday, April 10, 2014
(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Low Downforce For DarlingtonThis weekend at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will be running a low downforce aero package similar to the one used earlier this season at Kentucky Speedway.

The spoilers on cars will br 3-1/2 inches talll instead of the usual 3 inches tall for Darlington. Also, the spliyter will feature a 1/4 inch leading edge. The tires this weekend, which will have a 1970's look to them to honor The Tradition Returns weekend this weekend, were specifically made for the low downforce package.

The Kentucky aero package had a splitter extension panel of 25 inches. That will not be tge case in this Darlington aero package. It will be the normal length in this aero package.

Tire Talk For Darlington
"We had a very minimal change in grip at Kentucky from what we raced there in 2014," Greg Stucker, Director of Race Tire Sales for Goodyear, told SiriusXM NASCAR on Wednesday. "Just a little bit more grip on the left-side tire, and the results of that particular event I think were very, very positive. "I think the low-downforce package showed a lot of potential. I think a lot of people walked out of there thinking that was a really nice package. It certainly reduced grip, put a lot of control back into the drivers' hands. Did a lot of things that I think people were looking for." 

 Stucker said a "considerable amount of grip" has been added to the Darlington tires, with hopefully will offset some of the aerodynamic grip lost with the aero changes on the cars. 

"The reduction in downforce going from the standard 2015 (package) to the low-downforce package increased lap times by about three-quarters of a second, 7/10ths to 8/10ths, something like that," he said. "That much slower. When we put the grippier setup on, it gave us about that same 7/10ths to 8/10ths back."

STATS CORNER: Darlington

UNB! NETWORK STAFF REPORT
Below is a few drivers and some of their Darlington & career information in NASCAR and information on some of their sponsors, along with quotes from the drivers and some crew chiefs.

Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth celebrates a victory in the 2013 Southern
500, his only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at the
famous Darlington Raceway so far in his career.

JOE GIBBS RACING AT DARLINGTON: Joe Gibbs Racing has 68 Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway and has earned four wins, 17 top-five, and 39 top-ten finishes. The organization also has led for a total of 1,158 laps, has an average start of 15.5 and an average finish of 11.9 at the 1.37-mile historic track.

KENSETH BY THE NUMBERS: In 21 Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington, Kenseth has completed 6,990 of 7,215 laps (96.9 percent) and has led for a total of 183 laps. Kenseth has earned one win, three top-five finishes, 10 top-ten finishes and one pole award at the South Carolina historic track. Kenseth earned his first victory at Darlington in the Sprint Cup Series in 2013.

THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 20 DOLLAR GENERAL TOYOTA: Dollar General vendor partners Listerine, Glad, TruMoo, Armour, Bounty, Pringles, First Quality, Hanes, Coca-Cola and Reese’s will be featured on Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota Camry this weekend at Darlington Raceway.
From the Cockpit:

Matt Kenseth: “Darlington has changed a lot over the years, we only race there once a year, and it’s a different aero package this time as well, so I’m not sure that anyone really knows what to expect this weekend. The track itself at Darlington seems to age quicker than it does at most of the others racetracks we race at. Darlington is just a really unique place that has changed a lot, especially after the repave. We used to be right up along the fence, but even that has changed with the addition of safer barriers so you never know what Darlington is going to be like until we get on track. I think that it’s great that we’re back to running Darlington over Labor day weekend because it was one of those races that I’m glad we’re back to that date. It’s one of the few truly special races that holds so much tradition with a date on the calendar.”

From the Pit Box:
Jason Ratcliff: “Things are going to be different this weekend because we haven’t run at Darlington at this time of the year in a while and I think that it will definitely be a lot warmer than it’s been in years past. The track itself has also been losing some grip over the years. Our team was able to test at Darlington at the end of June, and I thought that it was one of the better tests that we’ve had. Darlington is such a unique place anyways, but I think that based off this new aero package and tire combination, it’s going to provide for a really good race. I think that the tire combination for this weekend will allow everyone to get a better handle on this new aero package.”

About Dollar General:
Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for over 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. With more than 12,199 stores in 43 states, Dollar General is America’s largest small-box multi-price point discount retailer. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted manufacturers such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg’s, General Mills, and PepsiCo. For more information on Dollar General, please visit www.dollargeneral.com.

DG at the Track:
Dollar General has more retail locations than any retailer in America, with more than 12,199 stores in 43 states. There are 16 Dollar General locations in the Darlington, S.C. area.

Denny Hamlin

HAMLIN AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Denny Hamlin will make his 10th-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway for this weekend’s Bojangles’ Southern 500. In his previous nine starts at the ‘Lady in Black,’ Hamlin has one win from 2010 with four top-five finishes, seven top-10 finishes, an average start of 10.1 and an average finish of 6.9. Hamlin has led 357 laps at the 1.366-mile track, completing 100 percent of attempted laps (3,314 of 3,314 laps).

DOUBLE DUTY: This weekend, Hamlin will pull double duty competing in Saturday’s Sport Clips VFW Help a Hero 200 behind the wheel of the No. 20 Sport Clips Camry and Sunday night he will pilot the No. 11 Sport Clips Camry for the Bojangles’ Southern 500.

THROWBACK SCHEME: As part of Darlington’s throwback weekend to celebrate the 1970’s, the No. 11 Sport Clips Camry in the Cup Series will run a retro scheme inspired by Cale Yarborough and the No. 20 Sport Clips Camry in the XFINITY Series will run a special scheme during the Sport Clips sponsored race. This will not be the first time Hamlin has driven a Camry inspired by Yarborough at Darlington. For the 2012 Bojangles’ Southern 500, Hamlin donned a retro firesuit and a retro paint scheme to honor Yarborough’s induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Of all drivers who have won in the No. 11 car, Yarborough leads the list with 55 total wins.

SPORT CLIPS VFW HELP A HERO 200: This weekend, Sport Clips will continue their partnership with Darlington Raceway to raise awareness and funds for their ‘Help A Hero’ program. In its fourth year to partner with Darlington Raceway, the national haircut franchise will use the race to increase awareness and support for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) “Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship” program which provides scholarships to active-duty military and veterans who are pursuing a college degree or vocational certification. New to this year’s partnership, active duty and retired military, and veterans can purchase special 50 percent off tickets to the NASCAR XFINITY Series VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200. Darlington Raceway will also donate $2 for every ticket sold to support The VFW’s “Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship” program. To purchase, visit www.DarlingtonRaceway.com/HelpAHero. To date, Sport Clips and the VFW have granted more than $1.2 Million in scholarships since beginning the program in 2013.

JGR AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 68 total starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington Raceway. In those 68 starts, the team has four wins, one pole, 17 top-five finishes, 39 top-10 finishes, an average start of 15.5, an average finish of 11.9, led 1,158 laps and completed 22,659 of 23,125 laps (98.0%). Bobby Labonte recorded the team’s lone pole in 1997 and Labonte (2000), Kyle Busch (2008), Denny Hamlin (2010) and Matt Kenseth (2013) each have a win at “The Lady in Black.”

RACE INFO: The Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Sunday, September 6 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Watch and listen live on NBC, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET

About Sport Clips Haircuts
Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. It was established in 1993 by founder and CEO Gordon Logan and started franchising in 1995. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, is ranked by Entrepreneur as one of the Top 10 “Fastest-Growing Franchises” and ranks 36th in the “Franchise 500.” It is also ranked by FORBES as a “Top Ten Best Franchise” to buy for its investment category. With more than1,400 Sport Clips stores, new locations open each month in the U.S. and Canada. Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and was named as one of the “2014 Best for Vets: Franchises” by Military Times. Our “Help A Hero” program has raised more than $3 million to help deployed and hospitalized U.S. service members call home through the VFW’s Operation

 Uplink™ and to provide scholarships for veterans transitioning to a civilian career. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards, and partners with numerous NCAA and professional sports teams. To learn more about Sport Clips, visit sportclips.com.

Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson celebrates in victory lane after winning a NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington in 2012. This race marked the
200th victory for Hendrick Motorsports.

DARLINGTON THROWBACK EXPLAINED: Jimmie Johnson and longtime partner Lowe's will race a throwback car for this weekend. The No. 48 Chevrolet will feature the 1940s and 1950s Lowe's Home Improvement logo that was prominently used beginning with the company’s founding in 1946 through the time period in which Darlington Raceway first opened in 1950. To see the paint scheme, click here.

WIN NO. 200: On May 12, 2012, Johnson led 134 laps around the "Lady in Black" and took the checkered flag at Darlington for not only his 56th career win, but the 200th for Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson’s other wins at Darlington came when the track had two race dates in a single season and he swept the 2004 events. In the past two races at Darlington, Johnson has finished fourth and third, respectively.

DARLINGTON DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Johnson has the third-best driver rating at Darlington with a score of 106.8 during the past 10 years at the track. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.

Jimmie Johnson on racing at Darlington
“I really like Darlington. One of my favorite memories was winning the 200th for Hendrick Motorsports there. Everyone came to victory lane and we did this huge group photo. It was a special night – we had been chasing that number for a while – and it was just a big celebration.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
VALVOLINE THROWBACK: Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive a throwback No. 88 Valvoline Chevrolet SS this weekend at Darlington Raceway. The paint scheme pays homage to the brand’s storied history in motorsports with an early-1980s look inspired by Valvoline cars driven by some of the era’s racing icons, including Cale Yarborough, Ron Bouchard, Neil Bonnett and Buddy Baker. The one-race sponsorship of Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet SS marks an elevated partnership between Hendrick Motorsports and Valvoline, which in September 2013 announced a four-year agreement that kicked off last season. The new sponsorship at Darlington represents Valvoline’s first primary paint scheme since that time.

DARLINGTON BEST: Earnhardt scored his best Darlington finish last April, when he crossed the finish line second. Previously, Earnhardt matched his best Darlington finish in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 2008 after scoring a fourth-place result. He also finished fourth there in March 2002.

LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Earnhardt ranks sixth among drivers in laps run in the top 15 at Darlington. During the last 10 races there, the Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has spent 71.9 percent of the events running in the top 15. Earnhardt also ranks seventh in the average running position category with an 11.4 average spot.

DRIVER RATING: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Earnhardt ranks eighth in the driver rating category at Darlington with a score of 94.3 during the past 10 races. The driver rating is a formula that combines the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum points a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Sunday's race at Darlington
“I’m really looking forward to seeing all of the throwback paint schemes. There’s going to be a lot of things the fans are going to enjoy. Not only being here at the racetrack and being able to see everything, but the racetrack itself is sort of rebranding itself with all of the old signage and bringing back the ‘Too Tough to Tame’ slogan they used for years. Even the broadcast is going to have some throwback ad space during the commercials, which I think the fans are really going to love that are tuning in at home.”


Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon passes Jamie McMurray for the lead early in the
2010 Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
(PHOTO: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

POINTS UPDATE: Two races remain – Darlington Raceway and Richmond International Raceway – before the 16-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field is set with Jeff Gordon currently ranked 13th, 52 points ahead of the cutoff position. Along with seven wins at Darlington, the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has two victories at Richmond.

NEARING 25K: Gordon, driver of the No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS, is 169 shy of 25,000 career laps led. He has led more than 169 laps at the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval twice – in 1996 and 2005.

TOPS AMONG ACTIVE DRIVERS AT DARLINGTON: The 44-year old driver ranks first among active drivers in the following statistical categories at the South Carolina track: wins, top-five finishes, top-10s, laps led and average start (6.8).

MILLION DOLLAR PAYDAY: In the final year of its existence, Gordon won three of the four “Winston Million” races in 1997 to capture the $1 million payday from the series sponsor. Gordon held off a hard-charging Jeff Burton during the closing laps at Darlington to become only the second driver to claim the prize. Bill Elliott, the first $1 million victor, won in 1985.

ANOTHER MILLION DOLLAR VICTORY: On Sept. 6, 1998, Gordon again won $1 million from the series sponsor as part of its “No Bull 5” program – his fourth consecutive victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

NEW 3M TAGLINE: 3M’s new corporate tagline “Science. Applied to Life.” will appear on the No. 24 Chevrolet SS again at Darlington Raceway. This weekend marks the seventh time 3M has been the primary sponsor of the No. 24 Chevrolet SS. It previously appeared on Gordon’s car at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Dover International Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and will be the primary for a total of 11 races in 2015.

Jeff Gordon on racing at Darlington
“When I first started racing at Darlington, I loved it right away. There was a patience needed there – you had to hold back, not abuse the tires and stay out of the fence. You had to ‘race the racetrack,’ but you don’t hear that quite as much anymore.

“Darlington has changed a lot over the years since it was repaved. Now you’re racing track position, how far you can push the tires and how hard you can push the car.”

Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott celebrates a NASCAR Nationwide (Now
XFINITY) Series victory at Darlington Raceway in 2014.

Eye On The Prize: The final Sprint Cup Series race of Chase Elliott’s 2015 season arrives this weekend. Elliott's 2015 Sprint Cup season all began with Elliott’s Cup debut at Martinsville, which saw him finish 38th after damage forced his car to the garage for approximately 70 laps. Since then, he has put together three consecutive top-18 finishes. At the beginning of the season, Elliott said his first goal was to qualify for all of the races. So far, he’s four-for-four. His next was to run as many laps as possible and gain valuable experience before he joins the Sprint Cup Series full-time in 2016. At Richmond, Charlotte and Indianapolis, Elliott completed 963 of a possible 964 laps, putting a check mark beside the second goal. The rookie said he has appreciated the six races – including the Sprint Showdown prior to the All-Star Race – that were chosen for him in 2015.

Chase Elliott: “I finally got the chance to sit down with (No. 24 Sprint Cup team crew chief) Alan (Gustafson) a little bit and he was joking a bit and I think he had a pretty big say-so in what races he wanted me to run this year. He picked some good ones, I think. I think it’s a good choice to get to go and run some of the bigger shows, so far at least. The Southern 500 is one of the biggest and to me is just a very historic race in NASCAR’s history, and having the throwback weekend I think is going to be really cool. We have a really cool paint scheme for that and I am looking forward to first hopefully getting into the show. That’s our first goal.”

Cobb issued P3 penalty for phone in Truck

UNB! NETWORK STAFF REPORT

Jennifer Jo Cobb and her No. 10 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team has been assessed a P3 level penalty for having a non-engine electronic component in the truck during the event on August 30. Cobb has been fined $5,000, plus an additional $2,500 for an infraction occurring while on probation, which was given to her when she ran on the track at Dover International Speedway earlier thisnseason.

This past Saturday during a Truck Series practice session, Cobb was involved in a two-car wreck. She exots her truck, but the FOX Sports 1 broadcast shows her reaching back into her truck to get her iPhone.

In 2012, NASCAR banned phones in cars when Brad Keselowski took a photo from in his car during a red flag in the Daytona 500 of that year. He was fined $25,000 for doing the same thing again at Phoenix International Raceway in November of that same year.

Lawsuit getting ugly

A few days ago the Ward family lawyer, Mark Lanier, responded to Tony Stewart's version of events that occurred on the night of August 9, 2014 calling Stewart's response appalling & that Stewart sped up & ran Kevin Ward Jr over. Everyone has seen the dreaded video of that night. Tony Stewart responded to the lawsuit saying that he didn't see Kevin on the track until just prior to contact & that Kevin tried to make contact with the car. My question is this. Who does that? Who tries to stop a sprint car that's going 40 MPH? I have an ugly feeling that this lawsuit is going to get more ugly before it gets better & there may never be a truce between Stewart & the Wars family as long as the Ward's continue to have hate & greed in their hearts.

Kyle Busch XFINITY Series Notes & Quotes For Darlington

UNB! NETWORK STAFF REPORT

Kyle Busch: RACE ADVANCE: DARLINGTON

Kyle Busch celebrates his NASCAR Nationwide (Now XFINITY)
Series victory at Darlington Raceway in 2013

(PHOTO: Motorsport.com)

No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota News and Notes:

• Kyle Busch returns to rural South Carolina this week to drive the No. 54 Monster Energy Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Toyota Camry at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway for the NASCAR XFINITY Series’ 24th race of the season. The historic 1.366–mile track will be the driver’s seventh start in the XFINITY series in 2015, and time back in the No. 54 seat since Busch’s recent Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway night-race win. To date this season in only six XFINITY Series races Busch has earned three victories, five top-five finishes, one pole and 309 laps led. His recent BMS XFINITY Series win garnered Busch his 150th victory across 13 years in all three of NASCAR’s top series (33 Cup, 73 XFINITY, 44 Truck).

• Last week in the No. 54 Camry Boris Said tackled the Road America road course in Elkhart Lake, WI and produced a seventh-place qualifying effort, with a strong top five run early in the race, until a pit-road miscue caused the Monster Energy Toyota to fight back to a sixth-place finishing position.

• Busch will make his 303rd XFINITY Series start piloting the black Toyota Camry Saturday night at Darlington and works to offer the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 team their fifth taste of victory this year. JGR’s Monster Energy unit earned wins earlier this season at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn with Busch and again the following week at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet with young driver Erik Jones. More recently at the famed “Brickyard” or Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Busch started from the pole-qualifying position, led over half the race laps (53) and brought home the checkered flag in style. Busch then followed up the team’s Indy win, with a recent trip to victory circle at the “World’s Famous Half-Mile” on a Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

• Busch has accumulated three wins across NASCAR’s two top-tier series at Darlington. He last experienced victory lane on the South Carolina short track in 2013 in the XFINITY Series, when in dominating fashion he was the race-high laps leader (107 of 147 laps) and captured the win from a front-row pole-qualifying position. In 2014 the JGR team hoped to repeat their 2013 victory performance at the “too tough to tame” facility but ended up with a fourth-place result. Despite not catching the win, Busch started the race again in the pole-qualifying position and led the field four times for a race-high 84 of the 147-lap event.

• The now 30-year old Busch holds a 12-year streak from 2004 to 2015 of consecutive poles within the XFINITY Series, a 44-career total. Busch captured the pole-qualifying position at Darlington Raceway five times within the XFINITY Series in 2014, 2013, 2011 and 2009. His very first series pole also came at the “Lady in Black” in 2004 when Busch became the youngest pole winner there on March 20 at the age of 18 years, 10 months and 18 days.

• Joe Gibbs Racing at Darlington in the NASCAR XFINITY Series covers 43 races, eight wins, 20 top-five finishes and 28 top-10 finishes, five poles and 876 laps led, 464 of those by Busch.

• Crew Chief Chris Gayle’s Darlington Raceway statistics include two races with two top-five and two top-10 results, including three laps led.

• With last Saturday’s Road America course top-10 result, the No. 54 Monster Energy team remains in third place in the NASCAR Owner’s Championship point standings, 89 points from the series leading No. 22.

• Loop Data Statistics at Darlington over the last 10 races record Busch #1 statistically in Fastest Laps (224, 21.6%) and Laps Led (406, 39.2%).

• Race Info: VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200, September 5, 2015 at 3:30pm EST live on NBC, covering 147 laps, 200.8 miles.

From the Cockpit:

What are your thoughts going into this weekend’s XFINITY Series event at Darlington?

“It’s important to have good practice time here. Last year we fought the rain and missed out on enough track time to really dial in the car. Our Monster Energy Camry was too loose in last year’s race so hopefully we’ll take those notes and improve on them for this race. I’m looking forward to getting back into the Monster Energy machine. If we dial the car in right--early, then we should be strong for the race.”

From the Pit Box:

How do you prepare this week going into Darlington with Kyle Busch?

“Darlington is a really unique track from a layout perspective and a preferred driving line around the racetrack. It makes for some exciting racing, but also has the potential to end your day if any large mistakes are made. This track also seems to lose a little grip every year and become more of the ‘old' -- before repave --Darlington. This race will also take place later in the season and be an afternoon race instead of a night race as the previous two years. This should also reduce the available track grip and make it a little different for all the competitors this year. It will take a fast car that doesn't abuse the tires to keep the speed at this racetrack. Kyle has won this event a couple of times, and we'd like to help him add to that total this weekend.”

NASCAR THROWBACK: 1985 Southern 500

UNB! NETWORK STAFF REPORT

Bill Elliott celebrates in victory lane after winning the
1985 Southern 500, and the Winston Million.

(PHOTO: Getty Images)

The 1985 Southern 500 was a special one fow Dawsonville, Georgia's Bill Elliott, as he would win the race, and earn the Winston Million.

Elliott would start 1st in his No. 9 Coors Ford, and that was exactly where he would finish. He would lead 100 of the scheduled 367 laps in this race.

Rounding out the Top-5 in this race would be Cale Yarborough (started 22nd), Geoffrey Bodine (started 17th), Neil Bonnett (Started 21st), and Ron Bouchard (Started 19th).

[:STATS & INFO: 1985 SOUTHERN 500:]

Series & Race #: NASCAR Winston Cup race number 20 of 28 
Race Date: Sunday, September 1, 1985 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina
Race Length 367 laps on a 1.366 mile paved track (501.3 miles)

Time of race: 4:08:02 Average Speed: 121.254 mph Pole Speed: 156.641 mph Cautions: 14 for 70 laps  Margin of Victory: 0.6 sec  Attendance: 80,000  Lead changes: 20