Coming off the closest finish in Cup Series history, when Kyle Larson edged Chris Buescher by an inch at Kansas, NASCAR heads to one of its most famous – and infamous – tracks this weekend for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.
This 1.3-mile, egg-shaped oval is known as “The Track Too Tough to Tame.” And for good reason. It’s one of the most exciting – and demanding – races of the year, and that’s saying something considering what the Cup Series has provided us so far in 2024.
Oh, and it’s not only on Mother’s Day, it’s also “Throwback Weekend” – where drivers and teams will be paying tribute to the past with special paint schemes on their cars.
So buckle up, once again, as FrontPageBets takes a look at the drivers to watch in this Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (3 p.m.; FS1).
(All odds courtesy of BetMGM and are subject to change)
Pick to win Darlington: William Byron (+725)
While Byron is not the odds-on favorite this weekend (that honor goes to Kyle Larson at +400), the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy did win last year’s spring race at Darlington for his first-ever victory at the track.
In 11 career starts there, Byron also piled up four top-five finishes, including three top-10s in a row.
Already having won three times this season, as well as finishing in the top 10 seven times, Byron enters this weekend’s race seventh in Cup points.
Top-5 Darlington pick: Denny Hamlin (-130)
Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, has won four times at Darlington in 23 career starts.
He also has 12 top-5s; and his average finish at the 1.33-mile track is 8.4.
Bottom line: Hamlin owns Darlington. He leads all active drivers in wins, runner-up finishes (4), laps led (978), top-5s, top-10s and average finishing position.
Longshot pick to win Darlington: Joey Logano (+2200)
A one-time Darlington winner – in the spring race of 2022 – Logano does have an average finish of 13.2 at the South Carolina track, which is sixth-best among active drivers in Sunday’s field.
In 20 starts there, the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, has 10 top-10s, including six top-5s.
Out of his 32 career Cup wins, 17 of them have come at tracks between 1-2 miles.
And while he hasn’t won a race in 43 starts – dating back to March 19, 2023 – Darlington could be the place he gets back into Victory Lane.
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Mike Szvetitz is the General Manager and Content Director for FrontPageBets.com. Szvetitz is a 24-year veteran reporter and editor, including serving 17 years as a sports editor in Florida, Alabama and Virginia, covering everything from preps to pros. His "View From The Lazy Boy" column won multiple state and national awards. He can be reached at mszvetitz@timesdispatch.com.
