Ford Performance NASCAR: Darlington Approach

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: DARLINGTON NOTES

NASCAR returns to competition this weekend with a 400-mile match at Darlington Raceway on Sunday afternoon (3: 30 p.m. ET on FOX), marking the first of four Cup Sequence races in the span of 11 days. The final time the circuit came to Darlington in the spring became once 2004 when it moreover hosted the fifth urge of the season. Right here‘s a seek for at Ford‘s success on the egg-fashioned oval.

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT DARLINGTON

Ford has 29 all-time collection wins at Darlington.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Curtis Turner obtained Ford‘s first urge at Darlington in 1966.
Brad Keselowski is the final Ford driver to take at Darlington, taking pictures the Southern 500 in 2018.

2020 SEASON IN REVIEW

Sunday‘s Darlington 400 will label the fifth urge of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Sequence season. Ford is the one manufacturer to take extra than once after Joey Logano registered victories in Las Vegas and Phoenix. In spite of these two wins, Logano finds himself 2d in the level standings by one camouflage fellow Ford driver Kevin Harvick, who is the one man to put up a high 10 kill in all four events. Total, Ford has six drivers among the many tip 10 in the level standings as Ryan Blaney sits sixth, Aric Almirola eighth, Matt DiBenedetto ninth and Brad Keselowski 10^th.

DARLINGTON MASTER

David Pearson holds the document for most NASCAR Cup Sequence wins at Darlington Raceway with 10 and eight of these came in Ford Motor Co. merchandise. He obtained six times using the valuable No. 21 Wood Brothers Mercury (1972,‘74,‘76-2,‘77), successful the Southern 500 twice in that span (1976-77), and two extra times in a Holman-Touchy Ford (1968 and ‘70). Pearson obtained three Southern 500 titles total, taking pictures his third in 1979.

FIELD OF 70

The first time Ford obtained a NASCAR Cup Sequence urge at Darlington Raceway became once when Curtis Turner took the Southern 500 on Sept. 3, 1956. Unlike on the unusual time, the effect the world is determined at a maximum of 40 cars, there had been 70 vehicles in the urge that noticed Turner lead 224 of the 400 laps. He beat Immediate Thompson to the kill line by extra than two laps, and did it in document fashion with an reasonable urge velocity of 95.167 mph.

MILLION DOLLAR BILL

Invoice Elliott earned the nickname “Million Dollar Invoice” after successful the Winston Million Bonus in its first year of existence on Sept. 1, 1985. Desiring to take three of the four “crown jewel” races in repeat to tell the $1 million bonus from collection sponsor Winston, Elliott obtained the Daytona 500 and Winston 500. His likelihood to tell the prize in the Coca-Cola 600 failed, so as that left it up to the Southern 500, which Elliott straight website the tone for by qualifying on the pole. He led the first 14 laps, but Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough served look that they had been going to be contenders. Earnhardt led a urge-excessive 147 laps, but a blown engine compelled him out of the urge while Yarborough suffered a energy-steering recount that derailed his chances. Elliott passed Yarborough when he had his recount with 44 to transfer and held on to take by three automobile lengths.

RECORD WIN

No urge exemplifies Darlington‘s toughness better than the Southern 500 that took website on Sept. 6, 1965 whereby only 15 of 44 cars accomplished the urge, and became once highlighted by Cale Yarborough flying over the guard rail and down an embankment in flip one. The attrition that day also can were partly to blame for Ned Jarrett successful by a NASCAR-document 14 laps, but it wasn‘t the only reason. Jarrett and his No. 11 Ford had been aggressive all day, working up front and main two times for 23 laps for the length of the heart phases. Nonetheless when Fred Lorenzen and Darel Dieringer each and every encountered mechanical problems on lap 325 of the 364-lap match, Jarrett became once there to capitalize and cruise to his 12^th victory of the season. He obtained by a NASCAR-document 14 laps and clinched Ford‘s first NASCAR Cup Sequence driver championship in the technique.

DALE AND BUD

The first of Dale Earnhardt‘s three NASCAR Cup Sequence wins with Ford and automobile owner Bud Moore came on April 4, 1982 when he obtained the CRC Chemical compounds Insurrection 500 at Darlington Raceway. Earnhardt, who drove two seasons for Moore in 1982 and ‘83, dominated a urge that noticed 20 of the 37 cars no longer kill due to a differ of factors. Earnhardt led 181-of-367 laps and beat Cale Yarborough to the kill line for his seventh career victory. Earnhardt in the end went on to take two extra races with Moore the next season at Nashville and Talladega.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE WINNERS AT DARLINGTON

1956 — Curtis Turner

1960 — Joe Weatherly (1)

1961 — Fred Lorenzen and Nelson Stacy

1962 — Nelson Stacy and Larry Frank

1963 — Fireball Roberts (2)

1964 — Fred Lorenzen (1)

1965 — Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett

1968 — David Pearson (1)

1969 — Lee Roy Yarbrough (2)

1970 — David Pearson (1)

1981 — Neil Bonnett (2)