Denny Hamlin got one victory closer to his goal of earning 60 Cup Series wins last week at Martinsville. It was Denny's 55th win, his 15th career short track victory, and the 15th Martinsville win for JGR Racing. His first win with crew chief Chris Gayle came almost exactly10 years since Hamlin's last visit to Victory Lane at Martinsville (March 29, 2015). Gayle came over from the No. 54 team this season. Toyota finished 1-2-3 with Christopher Bell finishing second and Bubba Wallace third.
As we roll into Darlington, Denny has lots of momentum and an outstanding record at the Lady in Black with four wins, four second-place finishes, 13 Top 5s and 18 in Top 10s, all of which are the most among active drivers. Can he go back to back? Stay tuned.
This Week's Pick Strategy: I typically load my roster with drivers who love driving that high line like Kyle Larson and
Tyler Reddick. I'm weighing more heavily toward Chevys than Fords, but one or two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers should balance your roster well.
Drivers with the Most Top 10s
2020* to 2024
By Race
By Race
Both with 4 - Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott
All with 3 - William Byron, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Justin Haley
Drivers with Most Top 10s
By Track (Last 11 races)
Denny Hamlin - 7
By Track (Last 11 races)
Denny Hamlin - 7
All with 6 - Joey Logano, William Byron, and Brad Keselowski
All with 5 - Tyler Reddick, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, and Chris Buescher
All with 4 - Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, and Bubba Wallace
* Two May 2020 races
Last Year's Pole Winner: Tyler Reddick
Last Year's Race Winner: Brad Keselowski
The Likely Suspects: My Darlington elites are Denny Hamlin,
William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and Erik Jones.
My Fabulous 5 (Drivers most likely to finish in the Top 5): Denny Hamlin; Kyle Larson; Tyler Reddick; William Byron; and Kyle Busch.
NASCAR Fantasy Live Line Up:. Josh Berry; Bubba Wallace; Christopher Bell; Chase Briscoe; and Kyle Busch. And in the garage: Kyle Larson.
Featured Match Ups: Logano over Chastian; Hamlin over Byron; Busch over Gibbs; and Wallace over Elliott.
Second-Look Driver: This week's sleeper pick is Erik Jones who will be looking for some redemption this week after the No. 43 was disqualified following post-race inspection at Martinsville for failing to meet the minimum weight requirement. Fortunately, Darlington is one of Erik's best tracks. He has earned two wins, five Top 5s, and eight Top 10s at Darlington for an average finish of 13.214, the fifth best among active drivers. Erik is the only active driver to win in more than one manufacturer at Darlington (Toyota 2019, Chevrolet 2022). Chase Briscoe (Ford 2024) and Kyle Busch (Toyota 2008) have the opportunity to challenge that this Sunday at Darlington.
Points to Ponder:
- Joey Logano leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in poles at Darlington Raceway with two (2022 sweep).
- Ford leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Darlington Raceway with 45, followed by Chevrolet (22).
- The first starting position is the most prolific in the field, producing more winners (21) than any other at Darlington. The outside front row (second starting position) has produced the second-most wins (19).
- Chevrolet leads the NASCAR Cup Series in
wins at Darlington Raceway with 44 victories; followed by Ford with 34. Toyota
has made 10 trips to Victory Lane.
- Denny Hamlin (2021,
2020, 2017, 2010) leads all active drivers in victories at Darlington
with four, as well as in second-place finishes with four (2007, 2012,
2013, 2022), Top 5s with 13, and in Top 10s with 18.
- Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins by an organization at Darlington in the NASCAR Cup Series with 16.
- Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Darlington Raceway with an 8.200 in 25 starts.
- Kyle Larson leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with 1,048 laps led in 14 starts at Darlington.
Enjoy the race!
Carol D'Agostino has been playing Fantasy NASCAR for 18
years. She launched NASCAR
Fantasy Fusion for Skirts & Scuffs in October 2011. Each week, Carol
pores through statistics and combs through her personal notebooks to
arm fans with analysis
and picking strategies that will leave their friends wondering how they
got so
smart. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond
Raceway and occasionally at her home track, Dover International
Speedway. She is
also part of the distinguished NASCAR Expert Picks panel at frcs.pro. formerly called Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. When she isn’t wielding her fantasy-racing superpowers, you’ll find
Carol hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a
small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat or
executing downtown revitalization projects for a small town on
Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
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Carol D'Agostino has been playing Fantasy NASCAR for 18
years. She launched NASCAR
Fantasy Fusion for Skirts & Scuffs in October 2011. Each week, Carol
pores through statistics and combs through her personal notebooks to
arm fans with analysis
and picking strategies that will leave their friends wondering how they
got so
smart. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond
Raceway and occasionally at her home track, Dover International
Speedway. She is
also part of the distinguished NASCAR Expert Picks panel at frcs.pro. formerly called Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. When she isn’t wielding her fantasy-racing superpowers, you’ll find
Carol hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a
small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat or
executing downtown revitalization projects for a small town on
Maryland’s Eastern Shore.