Preview Show: Darlington Raceway plays host to race one of the Cup Series Playoffs
NASCAR.com breaks down the Cookout Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway as the Cup Series gets ready for race one of the playoffs.
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00:00 Hey everybody, welcome into Studio 3 for the preview show delivered by Dorn.
00:29 I'm Alex Weaver, that is Alan Kavanaugh, and if you have a calendar at home, make sure
00:36 and check the date and what time of year it is, because the playoffs are back baby.
00:40 The NASCAR Cup Series is rolling into Darlington to open the first round of the playoffs, a
00:46 track that's just too tough to tame.
00:48 Playoff time at the best, toughest track for these drivers.
00:51 I love the system.
00:52 I love that it opens up at such a historic track like Darlington Raceway.
00:56 And remember, drivers now look at this as like a three race season, because you've got
00:59 to get through these three races to make it to the next round.
01:03 And the moment the green flag drops on Sunday, four drivers are already below the line, essentially
01:08 eliminated.
01:09 Kevin Harvick, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse, Bubba Wallace, they have work that they have
01:14 to start doing immediately when the green flag drops.
01:16 That's why I love this system.
01:18 The toughest track, the toughest test for these drivers, and now four of them, the immediate
01:22 green flag drops, they're already out.
01:24 We saw Daytona last week for the NASCAR Cup Series, and that's a place where, yes, you
01:28 can play some strategy, but it's typically you come down Pit Road with your teammates,
01:32 with your manufacturers.
01:34 You also have been used to racing there at nighttime.
01:37 Well, the notebook that they have from the spring Darlington race was during the day.
01:41 Now we're racing there at 6 p.m. start.
01:43 It'll be nighttime.
01:44 They'll be chasing the track.
01:46 It's slick and hot at Darlington.
01:48 But also, Pit Road is all about strategy, the number of tires you have left.
01:53 So a little bit interesting play here for these playoff drivers, especially mistake-free
01:58 on Pit Road is needed.
01:59 Mistake-free is essentially what they have to be on Sunday night, and you mentioned it,
02:03 the terms of pit stops.
02:04 They'll have more pit stops on Sunday night than any other race throughout the year.
02:08 Think about that, the grind of 25 weeks of the regular season.
02:11 Maybe you're a little hurt, maybe you're a little banged up.
02:13 You have to be on top of your game the most on Sunday night when the playoffs start.
02:17 There's so much more on the line than there was the first 25 weeks.
02:21 It's crazy to think about.
02:22 Crew chiefs say they'll have a little more grip in the track than we had back in May
02:25 in the spring, but it'll still be Darlington.
02:28 These drivers have to think about four hours in the race car, again, mentally, physically
02:33 on top of their game.
02:34 It's playoff time.
02:35 It'll separate the men from the boys.
02:37 We should start taking bets on who gets a Darlington stripe first.
02:39 I'm going to go like Tyler Reddick.
02:41 Right away.
02:42 Instantly, just go up for it.
02:44 Well, last season, the opening round of the playoffs was the playoff spoilers.
02:48 It was the non-playoff drivers who were claiming all of the trophies and making it to victory
02:53 lane.
02:54 So, can they do it again at Darlington?
02:55 I'm keeping my eyes on that old Jones boy, Eric Jones.
02:58 That Jones boy.
02:59 Two Southern 500 wins, including last year when he surprised us all.
03:02 Can he do it again?
03:03 Absolutely.
03:04 It's just something about him and Darlington and drivers.
03:06 The cream kind of rides into the top of the track like that.
03:08 But think of the stacked field that's not in the playoffs.
03:11 Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, two Hendrick cars outside of the playoffs that can absolutely
03:16 have the speed, the skill to go out and win in Darlington.
03:19 Eric Jones can do it again.
03:20 So, yeah, we may see another playoff spoiler.
03:23 That's something else for these playoff drivers and teams to think about.
03:25 Yes, you want to win, but you have to accumulate as many points as possible.
03:29 If some of these other outsiders get a victory.
03:31 Yeah, the easiest way to just chill and advance to the next round of the playoffs is to win
03:36 at Darlington.
03:37 So, the last thing these playoff drivers want is for a non-playoff driver to win.
03:40 It takes away one of their automatic tickets.
03:43 But lately, it's been one manufacturer, the summer of Ford.
03:48 The summer of Ford.
03:49 Who saw that coming?
03:50 Did you?
03:51 No, never.
03:52 The last four or five races have been won by the Blue Ovals, except for one Chevy spoiling
03:55 the party in William Byron.
03:57 William Byron.
03:58 And you mentioned Chevy.
03:59 That's who I want to see on Sunday night.
04:00 Chevy, Hendrick Motorsports specifically, has to make a statement on Sunday night.
04:05 Because other than Willie B getting that win at Watkins Glen, Hendrick took the summer
04:09 off from winning.
04:10 Who saw that coming?
04:11 I mean, Kyle Larson has not won a race since Martinsville in the spring.
04:15 They need victories if you want to win a championship.
04:18 They have to get back to victory lane.
04:19 We'll learn a lot about those Chevys.
04:21 Hendrick Motorsports, Willie B, Kyle Larson.
04:23 We'll learn so much about them Sunday night, because they have to come out strong and make
04:26 a statement.
04:27 We mentioned the Fords on a hot streak.
04:29 Chevy needs to do something.
04:31 Probably a Toyota that's going to win, since we didn't mention it.
04:33 Or Chase Elliott, because that would just be the ironic season that we need.
04:37 It's the first time, actually, since 2016, that Hendrick Motorsports does not have three
04:42 or more cars contending for a championship.
04:44 Wow.
04:45 So a little bit different playoffs over there at HMS.
04:48 But a driver from Hendrick Motorsports who loved a trip to Darlington, it made him a
04:52 million dollars richer.
04:53 Jeff Gordon.
04:54 Let's throw it back to our NASCAR 75 flashback.
04:56 Yeah, we're throwing it back to 1997.
04:58 It's always great to win the Southern 500.
05:00 It's a little sweeter when it comes with a million dollar paycheck.
05:03 We'll start with 35 laps to go.
05:05 Jeff Gordon's the leader, and he does a total daze of thunder.
05:08 Watch this.
05:09 He drives through the smoke of a wreck, survives that, but the biggest challenge comes on the
05:14 last lap from Jeff Burton in that '99 car.
05:16 They touch going into turn one.
05:18 Gordon throws a big block and hangs on, wins the Winston Million.
05:23 Great visuals.
05:24 He's driving behind that big money truck, the fake money flying everywhere.
05:28 Great memory.
05:29 Big trophy.
05:30 Again, Southern 500, always cool.
05:31 A million dollars, a little bit cooler.
05:34 Jeff Gordon, that was a cool memory.
05:35 Yeah, it's a crown jewel of our sport, and it may not come with a million dollar paycheck
05:38 this Sunday, but it does come with the opportunity to punch your ticket to the round of 12 for
05:43 the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
05:44 And in my mind, man, that's worth a million dollars.
05:48 Priceless.
05:49 Make sure and tune in to the NASCAR Cup Series opening, the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at
05:53 Darlington Raceway this Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern on USA.
05:57 Make sure you join us right back here on the preview show delivered by DoorDash.
06:00 She's Alex, I'm Alan.
06:01 We'll see you next week.
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