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Race: Saturday, May 12, 2012 in Darlington, SC
Title Sponsor: Bojangos
Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 7:15pm/et
NASCAR Pre-race: FOX - 6:30pm/et
Television Race Coverage: FOX, 7:00pm/et
In the Booth: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds
Pit Reporters: Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum, Krista Voda
Hollywood Hotel: Chris Myers and Michael Waltrip
Virtual Garage: Jeff Hammond
SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 4:30 pm/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace
Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times: Wednesday, May 16 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED
TV Listings, Links and Info:
Jayski's TV Listings Page
NASCAR on TV
Race Fan TV
This Week - Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90
Times are local to the Track
Friday, May 11
11:30 am - 1:30 pm NSCS Practice
2:15 - 3:00 pm NSCS Final Practice
5:10 pm NSCS Qualifying
Saturday, May 12
6:30 pm NSCS Driver Introductions
7:00 pm NSCS Bojangles' Southern 500 Race
NSCS = Sprint Cup Series
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Times are local to the Track
Practices:
Friday, May 11, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm/et, TV-SPEED
Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Friday, May 11, 2:15 - 3:00 pm/et, TV-SPEED
Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Friday, May 11 at 5:10 pm/et, TV-SPEED, no re-air scheduled.
2012: $5,663,476
2011: $5,531,600
2010: $5,547,816
2009: $5,666,384
2008: $5,618,601
2007: $5,507,009
2006: $5,410,760
2005: $5,338,043
2004: $5,219,075
2003: $4,695,345
Track Specifications:
Track/Race Length: 1.366 egg-shaped oval, 367 laps, 501.322 miles
Banking: Turns 1/2 - 25 degrees, width 79 ft; Turns 3/4 - 23 degrees, width 62 ft; Front - 3 degrees, Back - 2 degrees.
Frontstretch 1,229 ft long, 90 ft wide;
Backstretch - 1,229 ft long, 90 ft wide
Pit Road: Length: 2,025 feet, Width: 46 feet
Speed Limits: Pace Car - 50 mph, Pit Road - 45 mph
Track Last Repaved in early 2008
Grandstand Seating: 68,000
Opened: 1950
Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: NASCAR drivers' Moms
Command to start engines: NASCAR drivers' Moms
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: Randy Poindexter, Bojangles' Senior Vice President of Marketing
Invocation: Mark Jones, First Baptist Church of Darlington
National Anthem: Casey Weston
Military Flyover: F-16's 77th fighter squadron - Shaw Air Force Base
Track Websites:
Darlington Raceway
Facebook: Darlington Raceway
Twitter: TooToughToTame
ISC Motorsports
May 2011: see my Darlington Race Info page
2011 Pole Sitter: #4-Kasey Kahne, 181.254mph, finished 4th
Track Qualifying Record: Kasey Kahne, May 2011, 181.254mph
2011 Race Winner: #78-Regan Smith, 129.678mph, started 23rd
Track Race Record: Kyle Busch, May 2008, 140.350mph
Slowest Race Record: Fonty Flock, Sept 1952, 74.512mph
Oldest Winner: Harry Gant, 51 years, 7 months, 22 days, Sept 1991
Youngest Winner: Kyle Busch, 23 years, eight days, May 2008
The Numbers for the Bojangles' Southern 500:
0 - fewest cautions (9/2/63)
1 - fewest cars on lead lap at finish (24 times, most recent 9/3/79)
1 - fewest laps led by race winner Ricky Craven, 3/16/03)
2 - fewest leaders (5/9/64)
4 - fewest lead changes (9/4/50)
6 - number of jet dryers available for track drying this weekend
10 - most wins by driver (David Pearson)
12 - fewest cars running at finish (9/2/74)
17 - most cautions (5/9/09)
17 - most leaders (9/6/82)
19 - wins from the pole; 35 from the front row
23 - most cars on lead lap at finish (9/1/02)
41 - most lead changes (9/6/82)
41 - most running at finish (twice, most recent 5/10/08)
45 - different race winners
47 - different pole winners
101 - most caution laps (9/2/74)
120 minutes - approximate amount of time it takes to dry the 1.366-mile track after a significant rainfall
351 - most laps led by race winner (Johnny Mantz, 9/4/50)
Key Darlington Dates
1949 - Harold Brasington, a retired racer, purchased 70 acres from Sherman Ramsey and started construction of the race track. (The egg-shaped design was necessary because Brasington promised Ramsey the track wouldn't disturb his minnow pond on the west side of the property).
1950 - First race on Labor Day, a 75-car field for the 500-mile event on what was then a 1.250-mile track
1951 - Field of 82 cars started the race
1953 - Track was re-measured to 1.375 miles
1959 - Last convertible race (won by Fireball Roberts)
1965 - Cale Yarborough, of nearby Timmonsville, crashed with his car sailing over the guard rail and off the track. He was unhurt and the mishap was used as an introduction to ABC's Wide World of Sports for several years.
1970 - Track re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race
1982 - International Speedway Corporation (ISC) acquires Darlington Raceway
1995 - Track repaved
1997 - Frontstretch and backstretch switched
2000 - All cars pit on same side for first time
2005 - First Saturday night race at Darlington
2008 - Track repaved prior to 2008 race
2012 Caution Update
1 - fewest cautions this season (Fontana)
3 - races extended beyond scheduled distance (Daytona, Martinsville, Talladega)
10 - most cautions this season (Daytona)
53 - number of cautions in the first 10 races of 2012; includes 24 for accidents, 14 for debris and five for spins
305 of 3,120 - number of laps under caution in 2012
386.163 of 3,730.430 - miles under caution in the first 10 races
(Darnell Communications for SRT Motorsports and Dodge)(5-10-2012)
At Darlington Raceway...numbers and stats:
• Built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-50, Darlington Raceway hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on Sept. 4, 1950.
• The track was re-measured to 1.375 miles in 1953.
• The track was re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race in 1970.
• The track was repaved in 1995.
• The 2005 race was the first Saturday night race at Darlington.
• The track was repaved again prior to the 2008 season.
• There have been 108 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Darlington Raceway since the track opened in 1950.
• There was one race per year in 1950, 1951, from 1953-1959, and again every year since 2005. Darlington held two races a season in all other years.
• Curtis Turner won the first pole, in 1950.
• Johnny Mantz won the first race, in 1950.
• 47 drivers have posted poles at Darlington.
• David Pearson leads all drivers with 12 poles at Darlington.
• 45 drivers have won races at Darlington; 25 drivers have won more than once there.
• David Pearson leads all drivers with 10 victories, followed by Dale Earnhardt with nine.
• Jeff Gordon is third overall and leads all active drivers with seven victories.
• Hendrick Motorsports has won 13 races at Darlington, more than any other organization.
• 19 races at Darlington have been won from the pole, the most productive starting position. Dale Jarrett was the last driver to win from the pole in 1997.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 43rd, in the track's inaugural race in 1950 by Johnny Mantz. That race had a 75-car field.
• Darlington is the site of one of the closest race finishes in NASCAR history. Ricky Craven edged Kurt Busch by 0.002 seconds on March 16, 2003 - which is tied with Talladega (April 17, 2011) as the two smallest margins of victory since NASCAR instituted electronic timing in 1993.
• Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Darlington Raceway winner: Kyle Busch (05/10/2008 - 23 years, 0 months, 8 days).
• Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Darlington Raceway winner: Harry Gant (05/06/1991 - 51 years, 7 months, 22 days)(NASCAR)(5-8-2012)
For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski's Darlington Raceway Track News/Rumors/Links page
Johnson wins at Darlington: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Bojangles' Southern 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway for his 1st win of the year, 3rd at Darlington, his 56th career win, and the 200th Sprint Cup Series win for car owner Rick Hendrick. He took the lead with 42 laps remaining and held the lead the rest of the way, including one green white checker finish.
#11-Hamlin finished 2nd followed by #14-Stewart, #18-Busch, #56-Truex, Jr., #17-Kenseth, #99-Edwards, #5-Kahne, #9-Ambrose, and #20-Logano.
There were 8 cautions for 38 yellow flag laps. The race went green for the first 171 laps. There were 22 lead changes among 8 drivers.
The estimated attendence was 63,000, up from 61,000 last year.
See race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Darlington Race Results page (pdf) and the official rundown on the Official Race Report.(5-12-2012)
2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Darlington, race 11 of 36]
1) #16-Greg Biffle [1 win], 411
2) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 409, -2
3) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [0 wins], 397, -16
4) #11-Denny Hamlin [2 wins], 394, -17
5) #48-Jimmie Johnson [1 win], 372, -39
6) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 372, -39
7) #14-Tony Stewart [2 wins], 369, -42
8) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 361, -50
9) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win], 349, -62
10) #15-Clint Bowyer [0 wins], 337, -74
Chase wild card drivers:
11) #2-Brad Keselowski [2 wins, 12th in points], 328, -83
12) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win, 13th in points], 307, -104
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings page (pdf).(5-12-2012)
Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Charlotte:
#83 remains in 35th but is now 49 points ahead of the #33 team.
Rank) Car#-Driver/Team, owners pts, +/-
32) #32-Sorenson/FAS Lane Racing, 159, +54
33) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 157, +52
34) #10-Reutimann-Patrick/Baldwin, 155, +50
35) #83-Cassill/BK Racing, 154, +49 ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #33-Leicht/Childress, 105, -49 from the top 35
37) #21-Bayne/Wood Bros., 96, -58
38) #30-Stremme/Inception, 86, -68
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see the Owners Points Standings page (pdf).(5-12-2012)
Race Fast Facts - Darlington Raceway:
Jimmie Johnson won the 63rd Annual Bojangles' Southern 500, his 56th victory in 374 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and eighth top-10 finish in 2012.
This is his third victory and 10th top-10 finish in 14 races at Darlington Raceway.
This is Hendrick Motorsports' 200th victory. Hendrick is only the second team to accomplish the feat (Petty Enterprises, 268 wins).
Denny Hamlin (second) posted his sixth top-10 finish in seven races at Darlington Raceway. It is his sixth top-10 finish in 2012.
Tony Stewart (third) posted his 11th top-10 finish in 20 races at Darlington Raceway.
Greg Biffle leads the point standings by 2 points over Matt Kenseth.(NASCAR Statistics)(5-12-2012)
Darlington Notes-n-Nuggets:
" Jimmie Johnson grabbed his 56th Cup win, good for eighth all-time, in his 374th start.
" The last win for Jimmie Johnson prior to Bojangles' Southern 500 was in October at Kansas (16 starts between).
" Jimmie Johnson is the eighth different winner in 11 Cup races in 2012.
" The victory gives Jimmie Johnson at least one win in all 11 career Cup seasons.
" It's Jimmie Johnson's third Darlington win in his 14th start, and first win since Fall 2004.
" Jimmie Johnson led 134 laps, the most of all drivers -- including the last 44.
" Darlington is the 11th track that Jimmie Johnson has at least three wins on.
" It was Hendrick Motorsports' 200th Cup win, joining Petty Enterprises (268 wins) as the second team to reach 200 Cup wins.
" Darlington marks Hendrick's first win of 2012, as last win was also Jimmie Johnson's last victory at Kansas in October.
" The victory was Handrick's 14th Darlington win -- the most of all teams.
" Denny Hamlin's (second) average finish in seven races at Darlington is 5.87, which is best of all drivers with more than two starts.
" Tony Stewart (third) matched his best Darlington finish in his 20th start. This was only his fourth top-five finish of the season.
" Kyle Busch (fourth) now has four top-five finishes in 2012, including the last three races.
" Martin Truex Jr (fifth) notched his fourth top-five finish of 2012.
" Greg Biffle (12th) had only his fourth finish outside the top-10 in 2012, but is still leading the points by two over Matt Kenseth.
" Dale Earnhardt Jr (17th) posted his worst finish of the 2012 season, and first finish outside the top-15.
" Danica Patrick (31st) was the third woman to compete in a Cup race at Darlington.
" Jeff Gordon (35th) floundered to his seventh finish outside the top-20 this season, including all of the last four races.
" Race finished with a Green-White-Checkered -- the fourth time that's happened in 2012.
(Racing Recall/nascar.com)(5-12-2012)
Lucky Dogs - Who got a lap back on each caution at Darlington: (and their finish)
Caution 1: #15-Bowyer, 11th
Caution 2: #39-Newman, 23rd
Caution 3: #88-Earnhardt, Jr., 17th
Caution 4: #1-McMurray, 34th
Caution 5: #31-Burton, 18th
Caution 6: #9-Ambrose, 9th
Caution 7: #2-Keselowski,15th
Caution 8: #55-Martin, 20th
(5-12-2012)
Race Coverage of the Bojangles' Southern 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Saturday, May 12, 2012.
Television (TV): FOX at 7:00 pm/et; Pre-Race show at 6:30 pm/et; green flag approx 7:15pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs: on SPEED, Wednesday, May 16 at 12:00pm/et
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Bojangles' Southern 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway have been made.
Pole sitter #16-Biffle chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #48-Johnson took pit stall 21, the first pitstall behind the start finish line.
#5-Kahne, who starts 3rd took the 7th pit stall, the 1st stall with an opening behind it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #1-McMurray, who starts 11th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(5-11-2012)
Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's:
Official Race Report
Race Results
Drivers Points
Owners Points
Starting Lineup
Qualifying Results
Happy Hour Practice Speeds
Practice 1 Speeds page
NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.
Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.
See Jayski's - 2012 Sprint Cup Race Results Page for pole winner, race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup, practice speeds and chase stats as well as link to race track and race information page for each race
Biffle wins pole at Darlington: #16-Greg Biffle won the pole for the Bojangles' Southern 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway with a speed of 180.257mph for his 2nd pole of 2012 and 11th career pole. #48-Johnson was 2nd fastest followed by #5-Kahne, #39-Newman, #18-Busch, #56-Truex, Jr., #99-Edwards, #11-Hamlin, #78-Smith, and #31-Burton.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #79-Speed, #30-Stremme, #73-Kvapil, #26-Wise, #52-Skinner, #74-Whitt, #87-Nemechek, #49-Yeley.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (4):#23-Riggs, #98-McDowell, #33-Leicht, #19-Bliss.
See qualifying results, order, pole progression, go-or-go homers & starting lineup on the Darlington Lineup / Qualifying Page.(5-11-2012)
Qualifying Fast Facts - Darlington Raceway:
Greg Biffle won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 63rd Annual Bojangles' Southern 500 with a lap of 27.281 seconds, 180.257 mph.
This is his 11th pole in 341 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his second pole and eighth top-10 start in 2012.
This is his second pole in 12 races at Darlington Raceway. His first pole at the track came in May 2008. Biffle led 95 laps in that race, but finished 43rd after engine trouble.
Biffle started in the top 10 in both of his Darlington wins, third in 2005 and ninth in 2009.
Jimmie Johnson (second) posted his sixth top-10 start of 2012 and his seventh in 14 races at Darlington Raceway.
Kasey Kahne (third) posted his eighth top-10 start at Darlington Raceway. It is his 10th in 11 races this season.
Josh Wise (30th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.(NASCAR Statistics)(5-11-2012)
Coverage of Qualifying for the Bojangles' Southern 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Friday, May 11, 2012 at 5:10pm/et.
Television (TV): SPEED, 5:00pm/et
Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: none scheduled
Qualifying Order for the Bojangles' Southern 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway is posted. 47 cars/drivers are listed.
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #10-Patrick, slowest in practice.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #29-Harvick, who was fastest in first practice.
Qualifying order is set by the first practice session, with slowest driver going out by speed and the fastest going out last. The non-top 35 drivers are now mixed in with the top-35 in owners points, slowest to fastest.
See the full qualifying order on the Darlington Qualifying Page.(5-11-2012)
Rain Out Procedures: the rain-out qualifying procedure for all three NASCAR national series is as follows: If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.
Happy Hour Practice for the Bojangles' Southern 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway isover after 45 scheduled minutes, the top five fastest, slowest and notes:
#22-Allmendinger 175.022
#16-Biffle 174.730
#99-Edwards 174.099
#48-Johnson 174.087
#73-Kvapil 173.626
slowest: #34-Ragan 168.250 & #32-Sorenson 167.027.
See fastest speeds, best ten-lap averages, laps run and more on the Darlington Happy Hour Practice Speeds (pdf), no average speeds all laps and NOT changing back to the old way, just posting the pdf's.(5-11-2012)
Go-or-Go Homers final practice for the Bojangles' Southern 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.
the final practice rank for the go-or-go homers (drivers not in the top 35 of current owners points)
These drivers would make the race if things stay the same:
#73-Travis Kvapil, 5th fastest
#26-Josh Wise, 8th
#98-Michael McDowell, 9th
#30-David Stremme, 10th
#79-Scott Speed, 21st
#23-Scott Riggs, 24th
#49-J.J. Yeley, 30th
#87-Joe Nemechek, 31st
These drivers would miss the race if things stay the same:
#19-Mike Bliss, 32nd
#74-Cole Whitt, 33rd
#33-Stephen Leicht, 34th
#52-Mike Skinner, 35th
(5-11-2012)
1st Friday Practice for the Bojangles' Southern 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway is over after 120 scheduled minutes, the top five fastest, slowest and notes:
#29-Harvick 177.090
#16-Biffle 176.290
#51-Busch 175.993
#99-Edwards 175.760
#14-Stewart 175.647
slowest: #52-Skinner 169.438 & #10-Patrick 167.997.
notes: #43-Almirola looped his car coming off turn four on his second lap. He didn't hit anything.
Drivers with Darlington stripes: #48-Johnson, #33-Leicht, #38-Gilliland, #56-Truex, Jr, #43-Almirola, #10-Patrick.
This practice will set the order for qualifying Friday at 5:10pm/et on SPEED.
See fastest speeds, best ten-lap averages, laps run and more on the Darlington 1st Practice Speeds (pdf), no average speeds all laps and NOT changing back to the old way, just posting the pdf's.
(5-11-2012)
Go-or-Go Homers first practice for the Bojangles' Southern 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.
the first practice rank for the go-or-go homers (drivers not in the top 35 of current owners points)
These drivers would make the race if things stay the same:
#73-Travis Kvapil, 29th
#98-Michael McDowell, 30th
#26-Josh Wise, 33rd
#30-David Stremme, 36th
#74-Cole Whitt, 37th
#19-Mike Bliss, 40th
#79-Scott Speed, 41st
#23-Scott Riggs, 42nd
These drivers would miss the race if things stay the same:
#49-J.J. Yeley, 43rd
#87-Joe Nemechek, 44th
#33-Stephen Leicht, 45th
#52-Mike Skinner, 46th
(5-11-2012)
The Entry List for the Bojangles' Southern 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway is posted, 47 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
Danica Patrick is back in the #10 Chevy, David Reutimann will drive the #93. Travis Kvapil will drive the #73, a third car for BK Racing.
Not in top 35 of owners points:
#19-Mike Bliss (46/5)
#23-Scott Riggs (43/10)
#26-Josh Wise (40/10)
#30-David Stremme (38/10)
#33-Stephen Leicht (36/10)
#49-J.J. Yeley (39/10)
#52-Mike Skinner (54/1)
#73-Travis Kvapil (0/0)
#74-Cole Whitt (47/6)
#79-Scott Speed (55/1)
#87-Joe Nemechek (42/10)
#98-Michael McDowell (41/10)
In the event that qualifying is cancelled:
the eight who would make it [8]: #'s 33,30,49,26,98,87,23,74
missing the race would be [4]: #'s 19,52,79,73
See the full entry list at my Jayski's Darlington Entry List.(5-7/10-2012)
2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Talladega, race 10 of 36]
1) #16-Greg Biffle [1 win], 378
2) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 371, -7
3) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [0 wins], 369, -9
4) #11-Denny Hamlin [2 wins], 351, -27
5) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 333, -45
6) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 332, -46
7) #14-Tony Stewart [2 wins], 328, -50
8) #48-Jimmie Johnson [0 wins], 324, -54
9) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win], 308, -70
10) #15-Clint Bowyer [0 wins], 302, -76
Chase wild card drivers:
11) #2-Brad Keselowski [2 wins, 12th in points], 299, -79
12) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win, 13th in points], 286, -92
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings page (pdf).(5-6-2012)
Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Darlington:
#10 team jumps up to 33rd, #36 falls to 34th and #83 falls to 35th. #33 team is 36th, now 30 points out.
Rank) Car#-Driver/Team, owners pts, +/-
31) #38-Gilliland/Front Row, 165, +60
32) #32-Labonte/FAS Lane Racing, 145, +40
33) #10-Reutimann-Patrick/Baldwin, 142, +35
34) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 140, +35
35) #83-Cassill/BK Racing, 135, +30 ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #33-Raines/Childress, 105, -30 from the top 35
37) #21-Bayne/Wood Bros., 96, -39
38) #30-Stremme/Inception, 81, -54
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see the Owners Points Standings page (pdf).(5-6-2012)
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ABC Florence - WPDE-TV 15
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Chassis selections for the Bojangles' Southern 500: see the list of many teams and what chassis were selected by the team to run at Darlington International Speedway:
MISSING? why are some teams missing? like the #11, #24 or others? those teams do not report what chassis in the race previews or prs.
#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops®/Tracker Boats team will bring Chassis #1112 to Darlington Raceway this weekend. This chassis raced in last year's Brickyard 400, leading five laps and finishing fourth. This chassis also saw track time during last fall's race at Chicagoland Speedway, finishing 38th due to an engine failure.
#2-Brad Keselowski: The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-810 during Saturday night's Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Keselowski last drove this chassis to a fifth-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway in March.
#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-713 for Saturday night's race at Darlington. This car was built for the 2012 season, and Kahne has driven it to two top-14 finishes -- a 14th-place result at Fontana (Calif.) and a seventh-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Kahne lined up fifth for both events.
#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 743 for the 367-lap race at Darlington Raceway. This DEWALT Ford Fusion was run at Bristol earlier this year.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-708: This is a brand-new racecar that has never turned a wheel on the racetrack, but it has seen numerous hours in the wind tunnel. The Southern 500 marks Chassis No. 14-708's on-track debut.
#15-Clint Bowyer: Primary Chassis No. 727 raced to a 13th place finish at California. Chassis No. 721 is the backup and previously served backup duty at Las Vegas, Fontana, Texas and Kansas - but never raced.
#16-Greg Biffle: Primary: RK-749, Last ran Bristol - finished 13th; Backup: RK-786, Last ran Homestead - finished 35th
#17-Matt Kenseth: Primary: RK-806 (Brand new chassis)
#22-A.J. Allmendinger: and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing No. 22 Team will be racing their "PRS-812" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Darlington. This chassis has been raced only once to date; in the March 11 race at Las Vegas. Dinger started 14th and had moved up to sixth in that race before fuel system issues relegated him to the garage for repairs. The "PRS-814" chassis will serve as the backup. It is a new Dodge Charger and has yet to make it onto a race track.
#27-Paul Menard: will pilot Chassis No. 347 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet was last seen on track at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, where Menard drove it to a 10th-place finish. This chassis was also used in competition in 2011 at Auto Club Speedway, Dover International Speedway (May) and both events at Pocono Raceway.
#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot Chassis No. 374 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This chassis was built new for competition in 2012, and was driven by Harvick at Auto Club Speedway in March where he collected a fourth-place finish in the rain-shortened event.
#31-Jeff Burton: will race chassis No. 393 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 31 Chevrolet, built new for the 2012 season, was utilized in March at Auto Club Speedway where Burton finished in the 22nd position in the rain-shortened Auto Club 400.
#36-Dave Blaney: will drive the No. 293 chassis, which he drove twice this season and five times during the 2011 season. The Harford, Ohio native's best start with the No. 293 chassis was 17th at Richmond and best finish was 23rd at Phoenix this season. TBR purchased the chassis from Richard Childress Racing, where Jeff Burton drove the chassis prior to its debut with TBR.
#39-Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-682: The Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway will mark the second start for Chassis No. 39-682 this season. The first came at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. An ill-handling racecar and an unusually long green-flag run the final 234 laps ran caution-free meant Newman's crew didn't have much of a chance to apply chassis adjustments. So Newman finished a disappointing 21st. The chassis made two runs in 2011, both of which resulted in top-20 finishes. The car debuted at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September. Although Newman qualified in the top-10, he struggled with track position for most of the day and finished a disappointing 20th. Chassis No. 39-682 returned to action for last season's finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After qualifying 14th, Newman ran as high as second, and in the top-10 for the most of the day, before finishing 12th. The chassis was updated for the 2012 season before making its first start at Texas.
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Crew Chief Chris "Shine" Heroy and the No. 42 Target team will bring Chassis #1111 to Darlington Raceway this weekend. This chassis made its debut in last season's finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, leading two laps and finishing 31st after an accident put the No. 42 four laps down. This chassis also earned Montoya's first top-10 of the 2012 season, finishing eighth at Bristol Motor Speedway.
#43-Aric Almirola:: The #43 team will race chassis No. 742 this weekend. The chassis was used at various intermediate tracks in 2011, most recently at the Kansas race in October.
#48-Jimmie Johnson:: Chassis No. 681 serves as the primary for Johnson at Darlington. Chassis No. 669 serves as the backup.
#51-Kurt Busch: Chassis No. 557: This weekend's Bojangles' Southern 500 will be the first race of the 2012 season for this chassis. The team used this particular chassis during the mid-April tire test at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. Prior to the 2012 season, the car was used as a road-course car. Hendrick Motorsports built this chassis with a universal clip, which allows for greater adjustments with the geometric points on the chassis. As such, the team converted the car from a road-course car to an intermediate-track car for this season.
#55-Mark Martin: Primary 726 - finished 12th at California Speedway. Backup 708 - has not raced in 2012.
#88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-711. Earnhardt last raced this chassis to a third-place finish at California in March.
#99-Carl Edwards: RK-815 - This is a new car
(from team PR's/sites if reported)(5-11-2012)
Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials
Number of Tires:
Sprint Cup: Left-side -- 1,475, Right-side -- 1,475;
Nationwide: Left-side -- 525, Right-side -- 525
Set limits:
Sprint Cup: 5 sets for practice/qualifying and 11 sets for the race;
Nationwide: 6 sets for the weekend
Tire Codes:
Left-side -- D-4392; Right-side -- D-4430
Tire Circumference:
Left-side -- 87.2 in. (2,215 mm);
Right-side --
88.3 in. (2,244 mm)
Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi;
Right Front -- 55 psi; Right Rear -- 50 psi
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 22 psi; Left Rear -- 20 psi;
Right Front -- 52 psi; Right Rear -- 48 psi
Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same tire codes at Darlington this weekend . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that teams in these two series ran at Darlington last season . . . these teams have also run each of these two tire codes separately at other tracks in the past, including this left-side code (D-4392) at Texas last month . . . additionally, last season, they ran this left-side code at Texas, Nashville (Nationwide only), Chicagoland and Homestead; and this right-side code (D-4430) at Charlotte . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Darlington . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.
See all Paint Scheme news, links and chart for this race on the:
Paint Schemes Gallery & Race Chart page
The chart was removed from here as it was also posted on the Paint Schemes Gallery page, makes no sense to post the same info in two spots
Vegas Insider
NASCAR Race and other odds
Bojangles' Southern 500 Preview by Micah Roberts
NASCAR Top-Five Finish Prediction
World Sports Exchange:
Bojangles' Southern 500
2012 Sprint Cup Championship
Bovada Sportsbook:
Bojangos' Southern 500
(this is not to promote gambling but to offer readers odds and ideas on what the 'experts' think about the upcoming race and the Cup series season)