Although Hendrick Motorsports is one of the most successful organizations in NASCAR history, the Chevrolet team hasn’t scored a win at Darlington Raceway, one of the sport’s most famous tracks, since Jimmie Johnson won there in May 2012.
Hendrick drivers have won 95 times on 26 different tracks since Johnson scored that victory at Darlington.
Despite the recent drought, Hendrick owns a record 14 Cup wins, including seven by Jeff Gordon and three by Johnson, at Darlington.
Here’s a look at drivers to watch Sunday at Darlington:
Kevin Harvick
Darlington could open the door for Harvick’s first win in what he says will be his final season. He owns wins at the track in 2014 and 2020. He has led laps in 12 of his last 17 races at Darlington.
Denny Hamlin
Hamlin’s numbers at Darlington are excellent. He has the best average finish — 7.4 (his best average at ovals) — all-time at the track. His four wins are the most by an active driver (the late David Pearson had 10). He has led laps in 15 of his 21 Darlington starts.
Tyler Reddick
Reddick is on a good run — he has six top-10 finishes in the past nine races, including a ninth Sunday at Kansas. He was within the shadows of the Darlington winners last year, finishing second and third.
Ross Chastain
Can Chastain solve Darlington (and avoid running into other people in the process)? The series point leader hasn’t found the groove at NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway, scoring six finishes of 15th or worse in his seven career starts. He finished 30th and 20th in the track’s two races last year.
Austin Dillon
Dillon finished 10th Sunday at Kansas and rides into Darlington with a bit of momentum. He has three top 10s in the track’s past five races, including a ninth last
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