The 2017 Winston Cup Series: Hamlin's Darlington Comeback

Denny Hamlin celebrates after winning the Southern 500 at Darlington. Hamlin's throwback scheme paid tribute to legendary modified driver Ray Hendrick.

     In what could easily be the most impressive comeback of the season, Denny Hamlin won this year's Southern 500. Hamlin nearly blew it with around 50 laps remaining, when he overshot the entrance to pit road, losing around 10 seconds. He then rebounded with fresh tires, and caught back up to leader Martin Truex Jr, who then blew a tire and surrendered the lead. For Truex Jr., the loss was heartbreaking, but for Hamlin it was the culmination of a never-quit attitude. Coming home 2nd was Kyle Busch, who was on the same pit strategy as Hamlin. Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon, and Erik Jones rounded out the top-5 at Darlington. Only 8 cars finished on the lead lap, in a race that featured a 102-lap green flag run to the finish.
     This year's Southern 500, in my opinion, was the best of the "throwback" races yet. Nearly the entire 40-car field had some form of throwback scheme, whether it was from NASCAR's past, or simply a retro look. Hamlin's paint scheme recognized modified driver Ray Hendrick, who Hamlin idolized growing up. Both Earnhardts ran special schemes; Dale Jr. ran a throwback to his Busch series car, and Jeffrey ran a scheme paying tribute to Dale Sr.'s Busch ride in 1989. In fact, only five drivers didn't have a special paint job for Darlington this year...

In order by number, the throwbacks run by Keselowski, Dillon, Patrick, DiBenedetto, Larson, and Cope

Some of my personal favorites were run by:
     -Brad Keselowski, who threw it back to the early 90's with a Rusty Wallace paint scheme
     -Austin Dillon/Ryan Newman, who both paid tribute to Dale Earnhardt's ride in 1987
     -Danica Patrick, who based her ride off of Dale Jarrett's #88, from his Championship year in 1999
     -Matt Dibenedetto, whose ride was based off of Bobby Allison's car from 1988
     -Kyle Larson, who threw it back to Kyle Petty's ride in 1995 (including the staggered number)
     -Derrick Cope, who threw it back to himself, and his former Mane 'n Tail ride from 1994-96

     A few prominent drivers had trouble during the race, including Clint Bowyer (40th), Daniel Suarez (38th), and Ryan Blaney (31st). There were eight cautions during the race, slightly below average for recent years at Darlington. Eight different drivers led the race's 367 laps, and in a rare occurrence, Hamlin and Larson tied for most laps led. Using the old rules, this simply means both of them get an extra point for leading the most laps...

     One of the storylines for Sunday night's Southern 500 is that Martin Truex Jr. locked up the "regular season title"... but not on this blog! With his tumble to 8th place, Truex didn't get the perfect run at Darlington he wanted, but it was still a good points day. Among drivers trailing close behind, only Kyle Busch and Hamlin gained on Truex. Now the #78 leads Busch by 23 points, and Karvick by 27... Right now, Larson's 35-point penalty after Kentucky appears to have had a big impact, and could potentially cost him a chance at the championship... Bowyer's rough night helped bump him down to 9th in the standings, while McMurray and Elliott moved up to 7th and 8th...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrates his win at Richmond in 2004

     Up next, the Cup drivers head to Richmond, one of the last short track races of the year. Among active drivers, Kyle Busch leads the way with four wins there, which he won consecutively in the spring Richmond race from 2009 to 2012... While Earnhardt Jr. hasn't been the most successful in recent years at Richmond, he has three wins there, in 2000, 2004, and 2006. Look for him to show potential in his last race at the track, even if he's without crew chief Greg Ives...

Joey Logano celebrates his Richmond win back in April

     And following real storylines, this is pressure time for Joey Logano. His Richmond win in April was "encumbered" and didn't count towards his playoff hopes. Logano needs to win Saturday night to ensure he makes the playoffs, and he actually has a good chance. In the last 10 races at Richmond, Logano has performed great, with 2 wins and 8 top-tens. His average finish in that time is about 9th, only bested by Harvick with an astounding average of 7th place (6.9). Meanwhile, Martin Truex Jr. has never won at the track.