Sunday’s NASCAR Southern 500 at Darlington: What you need to know
Distance: 367 laps, or 501 miles.
Where: Darlington Raceway, a 1.366-mile, asphalt oval in Darlington, S.C.
When: 6 p.m. Sunday.
TV: NBC Sports.
Radio: MRN.
Last year’s winner: Martin Truex Jr.
Also this week: Chevrolet Silverado 250, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Fox Sports One.
Worth mentioning: This weekend marks the 30th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s 1987 Bojangles’ Southern 500 victory.
Who’s Hot/ Who’s Not
HOT
Erik Jones: His second-place finish at Bristol was his best-ever result, and he now has four consecutive top 10 finishes. Still, he needs a win either in Darlington or Richmond to clinch a playoff spot.
Kyle Busch: Winning at Bristol gave him two victories in three weeks time — there’s no reason he can’t keep that pace up into the Cup Series playoffs.
NOT
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: He’s still without a victory this year and only has one top-five finish. Probably not how he wanted his final season to go.
Kasey Kahne: It’s been downhill since his win in Indianapolis; he finished his last two races 38th and 24th.
Brendan Marks
This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Sunday’s NASCAR Southern 500 at Darlington: What you need to know."