Darlington Raceway is a unique track. It is a 1.366-mile track that is high-banked, and shaped like an egg. No wonder they call it “The Track Too Tough to Tame.” It is tough to run 400 miles at this track without hitting something (the wall or other drivers). Experience means a lot in this race.
NASCAR competed in three races at Darlington last year. All of the races used the 550 HP aero package. The Cup Series will switch to the 750 HP aero package this week. So how much of a difference will this make?
Drivers have to “race the racetrack” at Darlington. The key to success is to be able to run right up against the wall or at the bottom of the track in order to save your tires over the long runs. It doesn’t matter what the aero package is, the skills to run fast at Darlington remain the same.
NASCAR provided the media with the combined stats at Darlington from the races in 2019 – 2020. All of these stats consist of races using the 550 HP aero package (different from what they will use this week). I still think they are useful because they show which drivers are good at this track. Visit FRCS.Pro if you would like to see the stats from the races before 2018 using the high-speed aero package.
Here are the stats you need to know for the Goodyear 400…
Driver Rating at Darlington (2019 – 2020)
Driver Rating is always a good stat to use because it incorporates a little bit of everything throughout the race and paints a picture of which drivers had the fast cars.
Fastest Drivers Late in a Run at Darlington (2005– 2020)
Fastest Drivers Late in a Run is my most important stat for the race this week. The drivers who can manage the tire falloff will be able to pass a lot of cars late in a run. The drivers at the top of this stat were the drivers who finished up front last year.
Laps Led at Darlington (2019 – 2020)
This is good information to know if your Fantasy NASCAR league awards bonus points for leading a lap during the race. It is also good information to help you determine the dominators for your DFS contest.
Fastest Laps at Darlington (2019 – 2020)
This is good information to know for building your DraftKings lineups. The game awards .45 points per fastest laps run, so you want drivers on this list in your lineups.
*Stats from NASCAR Media Website
** Photos from NASCAR Media Website
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