NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Goodyear 400
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Sunday, May 8
The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $7,292,599
TV: FS1, 2 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 400.2 miles (293 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 90),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 185), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 293)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Mahindra ROXOR 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Saturday, May 7
The Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,273,583
TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200.1 miles (147 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 147)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Dead On Tools 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Friday, May 6
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $712,347
TV: FS1, 6:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200.1 miles (147 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 147)
NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR Cup Series embraces Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway
Nothing better than honoring the past and paying tribute to the heroes that paved the way for the NASCAR Cup Series today. This weekend at Darlington Raceway the NASCAR legends of today and yesteryear will come together to celebrate Throwback Weekend as the series competes in the 12th race of the 2022 season, the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 8 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Many of the drivers will be paying tribute to the past this weekend with special paint schemes on their cars. For a full detailed list of the paint schemes and cars participating, select this link and visit NASCAR.com’s 2022 Throwback Weekend Photo Gallery.
In addition, to cars on-track having a distinctive look with their paint schemes this weekend, the FOX Sports booth will have some NASCAR Hall of Famers join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer to call portions of the Goodyear 400. The King, Richard Petty will be first up bringing his vast knowledge as the series’ winningest driver. Petty will be in the booth during Stage 1 of the race, followed by Bobby Labonte during the second stage and ‘Awesome Bill from Dawsonville’, Bill Elliott, will close out the race in the final stage.
All three NASCAR Hall of Famers in the FOX Sports booth this weekend have won at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series, led by Elliott with five victories (1985 sweep, 1988, 1992, 1994), then Petty with three (1966, 1967 sweep) and Labonte with one (2000).
Historic Darlington Raceway a perfect stage for Throwback Weekend
The industry and fans alike all agree Darlington Raceway is the perfect stage for Throwback Weekend.
The historic 1.366-mile egg-shaped paved oval, known as Darlington Raceway, has hosted 121 NASCAR Cup Series races dating back to 1950. The raceway was built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-1950 and hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on September 4, 1950. A total of 75 cars competed in the inaugural event and Curtis Turnerwon the pole at 82.034 mph, and the race was won by Johnny Mantz(Plymouth, 75.250 mph). The race took 6 hours, 38 minutes, and 40 seconds to complete.
Since then, Darlington Raceway has undergone some changes through the years. In 1953, the track was re-measured to 1.375 miles. Then in 1970, the track was re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race of that season. The track was repaved in 1995 and then again prior to the 2008 season. Over the years the historic facility has become known amongst its competitors as ‘the track too tough to tame.’
In total, the 121 NASCAR Cup Series races have produced 51 different pole winners and 51 different race winners. Five of the 51 NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light pole winners at Darlington Raceway are active this weekend.
| Active Pole Winners | Poles | Seasons |
| Kevin Harvick | 2 | 2017, 2014 |
| Kurt Busch | 2 | 2013, 2001 |
| William Byron | 1 | 2019 |
| Denny Hamlin | 1 | 2018 |
| Brad Keselowski | 1 | 2015 |
NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the series in poles at Darlington with 12 (1967, ’70, ’72, ’73 sweep, ’75 sweep, ’76 sweep, ’77, ’78 and ’82). Kurt Busch(2001, 2013) andKevin Harvick(2014, 2017) lead all active drivers in poles at Darlington with two each.
Of the 51 NASCAR Cup Series race winners at Darlington Raceway, six are active this weekend.
| Active Race Winners | Wins | Seasons |
| Denny Hamlin | 4 | 2021, 2020, 2017, 2010 |
| Kevin Harvick | 3 | 2020, 2020, 2014 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 2 | 2021, 2016 |
| Erik Jones | 1 | 2019 |
| Brad Keselowski | 1 | 2018 |
| Kyle Busch | 1 | 2008 |
NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in victories at Darlington with 10 wins (1968, ’70, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’76 sweep, ’77, ’79, 80); followed by Dale Earnhardt with nine and Jeff Gordon with seven. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in victories at Darlington with four (2010, 2017, 2020, 2021). Hamlin’s JGR teammate Martin Truex Jr. is the defending winner of this event.
This weekend’s Goodyear 400 will be 293 laps (400.2 miles) and will be broken up into three stages. The first stage will be 90 laps, the second stage will be 95 laps and the final stage will be 108 laps.
On-track activity is set to start with practice from 10:30 a.m. – 11:05 a.m. ET directly followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying at 11:05 a.m. ET. Both events will be televised on FS1.
Mother’s Day rare extravaganza
This weekend’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (May 8 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will be just the ninth time in NASCAR Cup Series history the series has competed on Mother’s Day.
Last season was the first time since 2007 the NASCAR Cup Series had competed on Mother’s Day. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. took the win last season on May 9, 2021, becoming the seventh different driver to win on Mother’s Day in the series.
Prior to last season’s race, the most recent winner on Mother’s Day in the NASCAR Cup Series was NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, who won the 2007 rain delayed Darlington Raceway race on May 13, 2007.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker holds the record for the most wins on Mother’s Day in the series at two (1956, 1954).
| Race Winner | Date | Track | Holiday |
| Martin Truex Jr. | Sunday, May 9, 2021 | Darlington Raceway | Mother’s Day |
| Jeff Gordon | Sunday, May 13, 2007 | Darlington Raceway | Mother’s Day |
| Cale Yarborough | Sunday, May 14, 1978 | Talladega Superspeedway | Mother’s Day |
| Benny Parsons | Sunday, May 9, 1971 | South Boston Speedway | Mother’s Day |
| Bob Welborn | Sunday, May 11, 1958 | Greensboro Fairgrounds | Mother’s Day |
| Buck Baker | Sunday, May 13, 1956 | Orange Speedway | Mother’s Day |
| Tim Flock | Sunday, May 8, 1955 | Arizona State Fairgrounds | Mother’s Day |
| Buck Baker | Sunday, May 9, 1954 | Wilson Speedway | Mother’s Day |
Hendrick Motorsports hasn’t missed a beat in 2022
Some have referred to them as the ‘Yankees of NASCAR’ and with how dominant they have been lately in the NASCAR Cup Series the moniker seems fitting. With Chase Elliott’s win at Dover Motor Speedway, it has only taken 11 races this season for all four of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers to earn a win and lock themselves into the Playoffs – a series record for the fewest races for an organization to win with four different drivers to start a season.
Last year Hendrick Motorsports combined to win 17 of the 36 races and extended their series record in championships taking home their 14th NASCAR Cup Series title.
This season, Hendrick Motorsports hasn’t missed a beat. The organization has won with all four drivers totaling five victories in 11 races (45.4% winning percentage) – most of any organization this season.
Looking to this weekend, Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins by an organization at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series with 14 victories – Tim Richmond (1986), Ricky Rudd (1991), Jeff Gordon (1995, ’96 sweep, ’97, ’98, ’02, ’07), Terry Labonte (2003), Jimmie Johnson (2004 sweep and 2012) and Mark Martin (2009) – but hasn’t visited Victory Lane with since 2012.
None of Hendrick Motorsports’ current roster of drivers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at the 1.366-mile track. Kyle Larson came awfully close finishing second in his last three starts at Darlington – both races in 2021 and the Playoff race of 2020. Watch for Larson to run well this Sunday at Darlington, in eight starts at the ‘Lady in Black’ he has put up five top fives and seven top 10s. He also leads the series in average finish (5.5), average running position (7.1) and driver rating (114.5).
Playoff spots are disappearing each week
Just 15 races left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season and nine drivers have already visited Victory Lane this year securing their spot in the Playoffs, leaving just seven spots open for the postseason as the series heads to Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 8 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney currently has the largest points cushion (+109) between himself the Playoff cutline among drivers without a win this season following Dover. Blaney has been close to winning this season leading 370 laps and posting four top fives and six top 10s. But this weekend could be tricky for Blaney, as he has made 10 series starts at Darlington posting just one top-10 finish. His average finish at the track is 19.3.
At the other end of the Playoff outlook sits Petty GMS Motorsports driver Erik Jones in the 16th and final postseason transfer spot on points; just three markers ahead of Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon in 17th. This weekend could be a big points gainer for Jones as Darlington is one of his best tracks. The Byron, Michigan native has made eight starts at Darlington posting one win (2019), four top fives and six top 10s. His average finish at 1.366-mile track is a stout 10.1 (third best among active drivers).
| 2022 Driver Playoff Outlook Following Race No. 11 – Drivers Without Wins | ||||||
| Rank | Driver | Points | Wins | Stages | Playoff Pts | Pts From Cutoff |
| 10 | Ryan Blaney | 368 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 109 |
| 11 | Martin Truex Jr. | 336 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 77 |
| 12 | Joey Logano | 316 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 |
| 13 | Christopher Bell | 284 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| 14 | Aric Almirola | 283 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 15 | Kevin Harvick | 280 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| 16 | Erik Jones | 262 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 17 | Austin Dillon | 259 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| 18 | Tyler Reddick | 249 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -13 |
| 19 | Daniel Suarez | 241 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -21 |
| 20 | Chris Buescher | 230 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -32 |
| 21 | Kurt Busch | 224 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -38 |
| 22 | Bubba Wallace | 214 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -48 |
| 23 | Justin Haley | 209 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -53 |
| 24 | Michael McDowell | 201 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -61 |
| 25 | Cole Custer | 189 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -73 |
| 26 | Ty Dillon | 180 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -82 |
| 27 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 169 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -93 |
| 28 | Corey LaJoie | 159 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -103 |
| 29 | Todd Gilliland # | 151 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -111 |
| 30 | Brad Keselowski | 150 | 0 | 0 | -10 | -112 |
Fab Four: Former Darlington winners without victories this season
A total of six former NASCAR Cup Series Darlington Raceway winners are active this weekend, and four of them are still looking for their first win of the 2022 season.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick has three series wins at Darlington (2014, 2020, 2020) and hopes to make it four this weekend. Harvick is currently riding a winless streak that dates back to September 19, 2020 at Bristol Motor Speedway – 54 races ago. This season Harvick has put up one top five and five top 10 in 11 starts. He has made 28 series starts at Darlington collecting two poles, three wins, 12 top fives and 17 top 10s. His average finish is 12.4. He finished sixth in this event last season.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. has two victories at Darlington Raceway (2016, 2021); including this race last season. Truex hasn’t won since September 11, 2021 at Richmond raceway – 19 races ago. This season Truex has amassed two top fives and five top 10s. Truex has made 19 series starts at Darlington posting two wins, four top fives and 10 top 10s. His average finish is 10.8.
Petty GMS Motorsports’ Erik Jones won at Darlington Raceway in 2019 – just his second career victory in the series. Jones is currently wrestling a winless streak that dates back to his win at Darlington on September 1, 2019 – 94 races ago. Jones this season has put up one top five and four top 10s. The Byron, Michigan native has made eight starts at Darlington posting one win (2019), four top fives and six top 10s. His average finish at 1.366-mile track is 10.1 (third best among active drivers). He finished 18th in this race last season.
RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski also has just a single victory at Darlington Raceway (2018). Keselowski made the jump to invest in RFK Racing and become an owner/driver over the off season and in his first year with organization he has put up just one top-10 finish in 11 starts. Keselowski is straddling a winless streak that dates back to April 25, 2021 at Talladega Superspeedway – 37 races ago. Keselowski has made 16 series starts at Darlington putting up one pole, one win, five top fives and eight top 10s. His average finish is 11.1. He finished 24th in this race last season.
NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty named Darlington’s Honorary Starter – Darlington Raceway and Goodyear, the “Official Tire of NASCAR,” announce that NASCAR Hall of Famer (2010) and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Richard “The King” Petty, will serve as the honorary starter for the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 8.
“Richard Petty is an icon in the sports world, so we are proud to add one more accolade to his legendary career as the honorary starter for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway,” said Kerry Tharp, Darlington Raceway President. “’The King’ will join many of his fellow NASCAR Hall of Famers and legends as part of the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR at the track Too Tough To Tame on May 6-8.”
“Darlington Raceway has always been too tough for me as I only conquered it three times,” said Richard Petty, NASCAR Hall of Famer and chairman for Petty GMS Motorsports. “I generally ran good but did not always finish well. The last time I drove around the track at Darlington in 2017, I got black flagged. This time as the honorary starter, I’ll be holding the flag!”
NASCAR Cup Series Featured Matchups: 2022 Goodyear 400 – Below is a close look at the featured matchups fans can bet on heading into this weekend’s event.
Martin Truex Jr. vs. Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin may have had the fastest car at Dover Motor Speedway this past weekend, but his misfortune found him again. As Hendrick Motorsports has been starting to pull ahead this season, these two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates will try to prove that they can still compete to be the best team in NASCAR. Dominant winners of both 2021 Darlington races, these two led 394 of the 660 laps en route to a win apiece. There is no better track for Hamlin and Truex to right the ship and reach Victory Lane once again.
Ross Chastain vs. Kyle Busch
Ross’ unbelievable season continued at Dover with a P3, and it’s clear that he is a driver who will compete for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship this year. Kyle Busch, even with his two championships, has flown under the radar this year. He easily could have had his second win of the year this week, but an unfortunate caution as he was pitting proved to be too big of a setback at the “Monster Mile.” He’ll be hungry to find Victory Lane for the second time this season, as will Chastain, who could have had his third win of the season if not for Chase Elliott besting him on the final restart. Chastain’s biggest test this year may come at “Too Tough to Tame”.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. vs. Chris Buescher
In the Next Gen car, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Chris Buescher have both shown how great of drivers they are. Buescher earned his first pole this week, while Stenhouse wheeled himself to a P2 finish – his best of the season. Buescher has raced very well at Darlington, posting two top-10 finishes in 2021. Stenhouse has shown he has the speed to compete in his No. 47 car and will be looking to build off a robust performance at one of the most historic tracks in NASCAR.
William Byron vs. Ryan Blaney
Two guys that find themselves near the top of the leaderboard every week, it was a down week for both Byron and Blaney, who both failed to finish on the lead lap. That will surely change this week, as both of these drivers will look to find Victory Lane at Darlington for the first time. Byron bests Blaney with his two top-fives at Darlington, but Blaney has shown that you can never count him out. Two of the top drivers in the sport, everyone expects these two to be near the top as the white flag waves next Sunday.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to the famously historic Darlington Raceway
After an action-packed race that saw Josh Berry hold off his JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier by 0.604 seconds last weekend to win at Dover Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be back on the track this Saturday, May 7 for the Mahindra ROXOR 200 at Darlington Raceway at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
There have been 63 NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Darlington Raceway producing 35 different race winners and 29 different pole winners. Fifteen of the 63 Xfinity races have been won from the pole, the most recent by Denny Hamlin in 2017.
Only three former Xfinity Series Darlington race winners are entered this weekend – Chase Elliot (2014), Brandon Jones (2020) and Justin Allgaier (2021).
NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin holds quite a few records at the 1.366-mile track. In 29 Xfinity Series races, he earned eight poles, eight wins, 14 top fives, 18 top 10s and has led 972 laps – all are series records at Darlington.
On-track action for the Xfinity Series will begin on Friday, May 6 with practice at 5 p.m. ET followed by qualifying at 5:30 p.m. ET (both will be on FS1).
Justin Allgaier looking to make his way to Victory Lane
Fans haven’t seen Justin Allgaier in Victory Lane since last year when he won at this very race in Darlington. While his teammate, Josh Berry, was able to cut ahead for the win this past weekend at Dover (leaving Allgaier in second), the roles were reversed in the 2021 Darlington Spring race. It was Allgaier who took the lead from Berry with two laps to go after a back-and-forth battle for the lead in the last 17 laps, leaving Berry in the runner-up position.
Although a hard loss for Allgaier last weekend at Dover, he could very well redeem himself at Darlington Raceway, considering his history at the track “too tough to tame”.
It seems that mile tracks are a sweet spot for the JR Motorsports driver. Many thought he had a great shot at winning in Dover precisely because of his success at the track (now at two wins, 11 top fives and 15 top 10s in 22 starts) and the same can be said about the 1.366-mile track in Darlington. In 13 starts, he has posted one win, four top fives and nine top 10s.
Although Allgaier has the skills and experience to pull off a win in Darlington, he’ll likely have to fight his way to the finish line. His JRM teammate, Noah Gragson, has had a hot start to his 2022 season with two wins, seven top fives and seven top 10s and has a nice track record at Darlington Raceway. In his five series starts at Darlington, he has posted one win (September 2021), three top fives and five top 10s. That’s right, he’s never finished past eighth place.
Another driver who could possibly appear in Victory Lane this weekend is driver of the No. 39 RSS Racing Ford, Ryan Sieg. Although he has yet to post a series win, he has been towards the front of the pack all season long. In his 10 starts this season, he has posted one top five and seven top 10s. In two of the races where he didn’t place in the top 10, he posted 11th-place finishes (Phoenix and Austin). The only race where he didn’t finish in or near the top-10 was in Las Vegas where he fell victim to a crash early on in lap 25. He also has improved consistently at the “track too tough to tame” over the course of his Xfinity Series career. What started as him finishing in the middle of the pack has turned into top-10 finishes in the last four races (with the exception of last year’s September race where he placed 11th). On top of that, he’s been keeping up in the driver standings, currently sitting in eighth place with 287 points.
Xfinity Series goes big on Throwback Weekend paint schemes
This weekend is the highly anticipated Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers are ready to show off their schemes on the track. Check out the throwback schemes that have been announced for this weekend so far:
- Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 JBR Toyota will resemble Bobby Labonte’s 2002 Interstate Batteries car.
- Justin Allgaier’s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet will pay tribute to Dale Earnhardt’s Wrangler Jeans car.
- Josh Berry’s No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet will resemble Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2002 Looney Tunes/Action Performance car
- Brett Moffitt, driver of the No. 02 Our Motorsports Chevrolet, will be throwing it back to Mark Martin’s rookie season paint scheme
- Joe Graf Jr. will be modeling his No. 07 SS Green Light racing Chevrolet after Buckshot Jones’ No. 00 Georgia Pacific 2001 scheme
- JJ Yeley’s No. 66 car will resemble pink Country Time car from 1993
- David Starr will be paying tribute to team owner and former NASCAR driver Bobby Dotter, who drove the No. 08 Hyde Tools car in 1995.
- Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet will be honoring Rick Mast’s Skoal Cup Series paint scheme from the early 1990s.
- Ryan Vargas is teaming up with Monarch Roofing to have his No. 6 JD Motorsports Chevrolet resemble Jeff Gordon’s 1999 Xfinity Series paint scheme.
- Jeb Burton will honor his father’s (Ward Burton) No. 27 Gwaltney’s 1992 paint scheme.
- Patrick Emerling, driver of the No.35 Emerling-Gase Motorsports Toyota, will throw it back to NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evan’s Modified paint scheme
- Josh Bilicki’s No. 44 Alpha Prime Racing Ford will honor Bill Elliott’s No. 00
- Jeremy Clements’ No. 51 Chevrolet will honor Dale Earnhardt’s Wrangler Jeans car
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.
Sunoco Rookie of the Year Update – The Class of 2022 Sunoco rookies now have 10 races under their belts heading into this weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway.
Austin Hill has led the pack all season long and has already clinched his Playoff spot with his win in the season opener at Daytona. He currently sits with 274 points, one win, four top fives and four top 10s.
Not far behind is Sheldon Creed with 217 points and five top 10s.
Sitting in third is Kyle Sieg with 94 points, followed by Jesse Iwuji with 24 points.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Trucks return looking for the track ‘too tough to tame’ Darlington Raceway
After a couple weekends off, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is ready to tackle the track ‘too tough to tame’, Darlington Raceway, this Friday, May 6 for the for the Dead On Tools 200 (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Darlington Raceway has hosted nine NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, dating back to the inaugural event on May 12, 2001. The first series race at the 1.366-mile track was won by Bobby Hamilton (Dodge). ThorSport Racing’s Matt Crafton is the only driver in the series to make all nine previous starts at Darlington Raceway.
The nine NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Darlington have produced five different pole winners and six different winners. Five drivers are tied for the series-most poles at Darlington Raceway with one each – Jack Sprague (2001), Jason Leffler (2002), Carl Edwards (2004), Timothy Peters (2010), Cole Whitt (2011). And three drivers are tied for the series-most wins at Darlington with two each – Bobby Hamilton (2001, 2003), Kasey Kahne (2004, 2011), and Sheldon Creed (2021 sweep).
This weekend’s race will be 147 laps and broken up into three stages. The first stage will conclude on lap 45, the second stage will end on lap 90.
This Friday the on-track activity will kick off with practice from 3 p.m.-3:30 p.m. ET directly followed by Cometic Gaskets Pole Qualifying at 3:30 p.m. ET (both events will be on FS1).
Youth Movement is evident in Camping World Truck Series
Hard to argue there is not a youth movement this season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series when the average age of the winners is a youthful 22.3 and the eldest driver to hoist a trophy this season, was Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt winner, Ben Rhodes at 25.
Five different drivers have visited Victory Lane this season in the Camping World Trucks, all 25 years old or younger – Ben Rhodes (25), William Byron (24), Zane Smith (23), Corey Heim (19), Chandler Smith (20).
Corey Heim is the youngest driver to win this season at 19. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver won his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
It’s not just the winners this season that are leaning on the younger side of the age spectrum. The top 10 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver standings have an average age of 26.5, ranging from the 45-year-old veteran Matt Crafton to 19-year-old rising star Carson Hocevar.
Five different Camping World Truck Series winners in the last five races
Since the second race of the season, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has rallied off five different winners and when the series returns this Friday, May 6 at Darlington Raceway for the Dead On Tools 200 (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), it could very well see a sixth.
ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes and Halmar Friesen Racing’s Todd Bodine are the only active drivers entered at Darlington Raceway with a Camping World Truck Series win at the 1.366-mile track (2020). The last two Truck Series races at Darlington have been won by Sheldon Creed (2021 sweep), who has moved fulltime into the NACAR Xfinity Series this season with Richard Childress Racing.
Three drivers are tied for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series best average finish among active drivers at Darlington Raceway with a 5.0, and all three are looking for their first win of the season – Grant Enfinger, John Hunter Nemechek and Christian Eckes.
Rhodes, Bodine only former winners entered at Darlington
Looking to this Friday’s Dead On Tools 200 (May 6, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Darlington Raceway, current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver standings leader, defending series champion and ThorSport Racing driver Ben Rhodes and two-time series champion (2006, 2010) Todd Bodine are the only two active winners entered in the race. Rhodes won the Camping World Truck Series race at Darlington in 2019 and Bodine grabbed his trophy back in 2010.
Rhodes is the most recent winner in the series taking the checkered flag at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt on April 16. In six starts this season, Rhodes has put up one win (Bristol) and five top fives. His average finish is 7.5. Rhodes will be looking to add another win to his stats sheet at Darlington this Friday. The Kentucky native has made three starts at the 1.366-mile track posting one win (2019), two top fives and two top 10s.
Veteran Todd Bodine returns to the series for his second start of the year with Halmar Friesen Racing. Bodine will pilot the No. 62 Toyota with crew chief Trip Bruce on Friday night. Bodine made his series season debut back at Las Vegas (3/4) starting 23rd and finishing 21st. Bodine has made three Truck Series starts at Darlington Raceway, posting one win (2010) and two top fives.
Camping World Truck Series serving up some great racing in 2022
Through six races of the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule, the teams and competitors have been putting on quite the show for fans with five different winners visiting Victory Lane.
Plus, the action at the end of the Truck races has been amped up as well, with four of the six events concluding with a pass for the win with four laps or less left in each race.
Three of the six Camping World Truck Series races this season have finished with a margin of victory of less than second. And the six 2022 season races have produced an average margin of victory of 1.191-seconds – the closest since 2019 (0.859-second).
In addition, the competition at the front of the pack has been intense. Through six races this season, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has seen 22 different drivers lead laps for an average of 7.33 leaders per race – the most since 2008 (7.33).
The great racing has been throughout the field as well. The first six races have also produced 10,951 total green flag passes, the second-most since the statistic was initially tabulated in 2007; behind only the 2020 season’s 11,614 total green flag passes.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.
Akinori Ogata to attempt Truck season debut at Darlington – Reaume Brothers Racing has tapped Akinori Ogata, from Kanagawa, Japan, to pilot the No. 43 Chevrolet this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Ogata will be attempting to make his season series debut.
Ogata had made 12 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts posting a best finish of 18th at New Hampshire in 2015.
He has one career Truck Series start at Darlington (2021); he started 23rd and finished 34th after being caught in an incident late in the race.
Ross Chastain returns to Trucks – One of the hottest drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series right now, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, will be competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race this Friday driving the No. 41 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet. Chastain will be collaborating with crew chief Cody Efaw. This will be Chastain’s series track debut at Darlington Raceway this weekend.
