Darlington Raceway harkens to the days of old in NASCAR, when drivers fought with not just the cars, but also the tracks, risking life and limb around each corner. This weekend the racetrack known as the Lady in Black celebrates that history, with the help of the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the Sport Clips 200 at Darlington.
In pole qualifying, an old veteran would storm his way to the top. Denny Hamlin (#20 Sport Clips Toyota) would put a throwback schemed car on pole for Saturday’s race, with teammate and rookie Daniel Suarez (#18 Arris Toyota) in second.
As the race got underway, classic Darlington would rear her head once more. Tires would wear down quickly on the surface, creating some slip sliding action throughout the field. Meanwhile, the Cup drivers of Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick (#88 Armour Sandwiches Chevy) would continue to pace the field.
Meanwhile, Hamlin’s teammate Kyle Busch (#54 Monster Energy Toyota) had his qualifying time disallowed, meaning he would start at the rear of the field. Busch would battle forward all day through the field, reaching into the Top 5. However, he was never able to challenge for the race win, finishing second.
It would ultimately be the Denny Hamlin show all day long, winning from the pole once again in the Sport Clips 200 at Darlington. He would lead a one-two-three finish for Joe Gibbs Racing, with Kyle Busch in second, and Daniel Suarez in third, winning $100,000 in the Dash4Cash final race.
In the chase for the season long championship, Chris Buescher (#60 Advocare Ford) would grow his lead slightly in the points standings by finishing six at the track too tough to tame. Next up for the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be the short track at Richmond International Speedway on Friday night. Coverage can be seen on NBCSN.
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