2 years agoJoey Logano and Team Penske enjoy this Kansas track. Now, it appears the weather should cooperate this afternoon as temperatures cool into the 70's. Logano won the Spring race after a half dozen pretty mediocre results (average finish 15.9 in last seven races). It is clear with the Next-Gen car that the No. 22 has that bit of extra speed at crucial points. The Ford may have an advantage in the longer portion of the race (after Stage 2). That is what happened in May as Logano sped toward victory. Logano has won four intermediate races in the last three years so expect him to contend once again on Sunday.--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoTyler Reddick and his Richard Childress Racing car stole some thunder for Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400. That's right. Reddick took the pole by the slimmest of margins over Joey Logano. It appeared like Logano might have a chance but Reddick was fastest in the turns and ended up 0.037 seconds quicker. Reddick's No. 8 Chevy has about a 50-50 track record on intermediate tracks. Kansas has some odd tire wear in testing and practice. If Reddick's Goodyear tires can hold up with the speed, he may be able to contend on Sunday.--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoKevin Harvick is one of those drivers to watch out for at Darlington. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver can be a threat to win. He has won twice over the past seven appearances. Furthermore, Harvick and his No. 4 Ford have an average finish of 3.4 over that span which includes all seven races in the top ten and six in the top five. Since joining SHR, Harvick is 12 for 12 in top tens including three instances where he head 150+ laps. Even in May, Harvick started from way back in 35th and managed to end up fourth by race's end. He starts 18th on Sunday and expects to move up quickly. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoAlex Bowman has been struggling a bit for Hendrick Motorsports Racing of late. He starts 16th on Sunday at Darlington. Though he has won twice on intermediate tracks since 2019, Bowman has had his issues. The No. 48 Chevy did place second two Springs ago while leading 41 laps. That feels like a lifetime ago for Bowman. Since then, it's been all outside top-ten results and worse, negative place differential. Including the DNF in May, Bowman has struggled since his 29th in May at Darlington ending up in the top ten just twice and no higher than ninth. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoErik Jones did not make the playoff chase but did qualify 15th on Sunday at Darlington. Jones and his No. 43 Chevy have enjoyed past success on the track. He has four top-ten results in his previous seven appearances. That includes a win in 2019. Though his past three races have been far from incident free, Jones had been running well in May. He was eighth and sixth in the stage before that big one got him. For Petty GMS Motorsports, Jones debatably has a top-ten car. It is just a matter of getting the car across the checkered line at Darlington. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoNow that Austin Dillon is in the NASCAR playoff chase, what can the Richard Childress Racing driver do next? All it takes is that one win and Dillon waited till the last possible minute. By winning at Daytona, Dillon sets up reasonable well in the first three segments of the playoffs. Naturally, it will not be easy. The No. 3 Chevy starts 13th on Sunday at Darlington but does have four top ten results in his last seven races there. Just two years ago, Dillon nearly won the Fall race but had to settle for second. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoRoss Chastain will start 12th at Darlington on Sunday evening. The No. 1 Chevy was just 0.046 seconds off the top lap set by Joey Logano. Chastain and his TrackHouse Racing car has been one of the more polarizing figures this season. He gets a bit of a marked man reputation and he has caused several incidents to be kind. Curiously enough, Chastain started 23rd last year and finished third at Darlington not too far behind winner Denny Hamlin. It was one of the races that drew much notice from TrackHouse.--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoDenny Hamlin has been here before. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won last year at Darlington for his first win of the season. He led 146 laps of the 367 in total and even won Stage 1 while placing fourth after Stage 2. The No. 11 car was very quick in early qualifying. Though he missed the final round, Hamlin qualified 11th nonetheless. Again, that run near the beginning was just 0.008 seconds off the pole. Aside from car issues, Hamlin usually runs well at Darlington whether it is Next-Gen or not. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoMichael McDowell's car was particularly slow in turns three and four at Darlington during the final round of qualifying. He finished tenth nearly three tenths of a second off Joey Logano's pole lap. The No. 34 Front Row Motorsports does not have the best history here but the lower wear Next-Gen car could be some help to McDowell. It will be intriguing to see how he runs in Stage 1. McDowell and his Ford charged up from 16th to finish seventh in May. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoRyan Blaney and his Team Penske Ford need to send a statement of sorts on Sunday. He begins ninth after qualifying. Blaney and his No. 12 car finished 0.266 seconds behind Joey Logano. He traditionally starts well at Darlington with an average start of 7.6. Unfortunately, his finishes leave a bit to be desired. Blaney has ended up in the top ten just once in seven races. However, he did finish eighth last May and was in the top ten the previous Fall before some pitting and late speed issues. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoBubba Wallace will be driving Kurt Busch's No. 45 car for 23XI Racing during the final ten races. It was a decision made so that the team could compete for the Owners Championship. The elder Busch had already waived his spot out of the playoff chase. Anyway, Wallace turned in some fast laps as he qualified eighth for Sunday. Wallace has two DNF's in eight races at Darlington and not a single top ten finish. He is hoping for some better luck in the Kyle Busch car on Sunday from South Carolina.--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoKyle Larson did not win the Xfinity race on Saturday but his podium finish and racing turned some heads once more. He qualified seventh for this race at Darlington. Larson normally is one of the best intermediate track drivers out there with five wins in his last 27 starts. Only Denny Hamlin has a better rate with eight wins in his last 39 races on such courses. The difference is the Hendrick Motorsports Racing car had an engine issue in May. Before that, Larson finished second or third four straight times. The No. 5 car has done everything but win including leading 688 laps in just nine appearances at Darlington.--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoAustin Cindric and his Team Penske car qualified sixth for the Cook Out Southern 500. With most mindful that overtime is pretty rare for this event (last time in 2014). Cindric and his Ford will be looking at that long run near the end. After some good practice where his car maintained top ten speed lap intervals, even odds have shortened a good deal on a driver like Cindric. He is a little more than just a racer for tracks like the Daytona 500. Now with the playoffs here, the No, 2 Ford just has to go out there and prove it. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoKyle Busch and his Joe Gibbs Racing car turned in a nice qualifying performance on Saturday. As a result, his No. 18 starts fifth for the Cook Out Southern 500. Busch led 19 laps of the Spring race before an accident ended his race. He had been in the top-five after Stage 1. Before two previous DNF's, Busch had recorded a third, seventh, and second place result. There is little doubt that the Toyota's are fast. It comes down to that late speed. Look at how Martin Truex Jr. could not get any momentum last week at Daytona late. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

2 years agoTyler Reddick and his Richard Childress Racing car has strategic points of strength in every segment of this year's playoff chase. Darlington may not be the best of tracks but Reddick did his Chevy into the fourth spot starting Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500. The No. 8 car has just two top-tens in his last six races on the 1.366-mile course. However, his average finish of 12.5 means he finishes without DNF's. The question now is does the Next-Gen car keep helping Reddick. It has been much faster than expected for Reddick. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com