! We have been on quite a run lately with picking 4 winners and a runner-up in the last 6 races dating back to Kentucky! Just a note the past 2 winners have come from inside the PAID package. We certainly thank you for following along on the forum.
Labor Day Weekend brings with it the famed Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington. NASCAR’s throwback weekend will have drivers hoping to survive the “Lady in Black”. For this week Twill is looking back through recent history at Darlington and also at drivers that are currently driving well over the last several races. 4 of them standout as contenders for Sunday’s race.
The first driver to look at for race day is the driver of the #42 Ganassi Chevrolet, Kyle Larson. Larson finds himself 11th in the point standings with just 2 races left before the playoffs begin. A win at Darlington would cement him into the playoffs. It has not been the year that Larson had been hoping for, but anything can happen at Darlington. His record at Darlington although winless is pretty solid. In his five career races at Darlington he has finished in the top 5 on 2 occasions and the top 10 on 4 times. He could be a solid pick consideration for Twill for the Labor Day weekend race.
Erik Jones, the driver of the #20 JGR Toyota has been a hot driver as of late. Aside from the last race at Bristol where he had trouble and finished outside the top 20 he has been a serious threat to win. He does not possess much experience at Darlington, but in his 2 appearances he has 1 top 5 and 2 top 10’s. While his JGR teammates have racked up 12 victories in 24 races amongst themselves, Erik has yet to find victory lane. A win at Darlington would be historic for Jones and his team. It would also calm their nerves going into the last week before the playoffs, being that he is so close to the cut point in 14th place.
Chase Elliott, the driver of the #9 Hendrick Chevrolet is firmly in the playoffs with 2 wins on the season. He would like to add a 3rd to his tally and position himself better for the playoffs. Like Jones, Chase does not have a lot of experience at Darlington, but in his 4 visits to the track he has 1 top 5 and 2 top 10’s. He finished 5th during last year’s race. He could be a guy to make his way into the conversation for the big race.
The final driver to look at needs a solid run to further his chances of making the playoffs finding himself in 15th position. Ryan Newman, driver of the #6 Roush Ford had a solid run at Bristol finishing 11th. At Darlington in his career he has 7 top 5’s and 13 top 10’s. He certainly knows his way around this tough track and could be in the running for the Free pick of the week.
The weekend kicks off on Friday afternoon with two practice sessions where driver’s and crew will try to find the best speed without having to go to backup cars for qualifying on Saturday afternoon. They drop the rag on the race shortly after 6 pm eastern on Sunday evening.
Only time will tell if one of these drivers or someone else will stand-out the most and will be Twill’s FREE winning pick for the weekend. Check back with JRO later for Winning Picks release on Sunday, September 1st @ 12 pm eastern.