CONCORD, N.C. – Throwback weekend is in full swing.
With the excitement building for this weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway, take a look at the history of success for Hendrick Motorsports at the South Carolina track.
- In the organization’s 179 starts at Darlington Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports has claimed 14 wins, 45 top-five finishes, 75 top-10s, seven pole positions and 3,175 laps led at the 1.366-mile oval. Its 11 Southern 500 wins are the most all-time, led by Jeff Gordon's six, which are the most by a driver. Five different drivers have won the Southern 500 for Hendrick Motorsports, which is tied for the record
- Since 2003, Hendrick Motorsports has paced the way in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington. Its 21 top-five finishes and 31 top-10s at the South Carolina venue in that span are the most in the series, and its five wins and four runner-up results are tied for the most. The organization ranks third in laps led at the track since 2003 with 1,011.
- The last two times the Southern 500 was held on Sept. 1 – the date it will be run on Sunday – the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team captured the checkered flag. The first of those wins came in 1996, when Gordon started second and found Victory Lane for the third consecutive time at Darlington. The next time came in 2002, when the NASCAR Hall of Famer started third and led 125 laps to capture his fifth Southern 500 win.
- Chase Elliott will make his fifth NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway this weekend. In his previous four starts at the 1.366-mile track, he has one top-five finish and two top-10s. He also has three starts at the South Carolina track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, winning in his first Xfinity Series start in 2014 and becoming one of only four drivers to win at Darlington in their first-ever start at the track
- Returning to “The Lady in Black” for the second time in his Cup career and the third time overall, William Byron is looking to capitalize on his previously strong showings at Darlington Raceway. Last year, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native qualified 10th and ran within the top 10 for most of the race until under 50 laps remaining when engine issues ended his day early. Prior to last year’s showing, the 21-year-old driver raced at the 1.366-mile track in 2017 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, starting sixth and crossing the finish line in fifth, the highest finishing Xfinity Series regular.
- With two races left in the regular season, Johnson finds himself in 18th place, 26 points behind the bubble in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff hunt. He is no stranger to finding Victory Lane at Darlington, winning three times, including his most recent win in 2012 when he captured Hendrick Motorsports’ historic 200th NASCAR Cup Series victory. Johnson’s three wins at the track “Too Tough To Tame” is the most of all active drivers.
- The Southern 500 at Darlington is considered one of the sport's "crown jewel" races. Johnson is one of only four drivers in NASCAR history to have won all four – the Daytona 500, the Charlotte 600, the Brickyard 400 and the Southern 500.
- Alex Bowman has three previous starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington. He rolled off the grid fourth in last season’s race, securing his career-best starting position at the 1.366-mile track. The 26-year-old has one start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the venue, where he started 13th and finished 17th.
With these insights in mind, be sure to catch the race this Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN as our teammates look to add the organization's success at Darlington Raceway.