NASCAR: Five Lessons Learned From Darlington

Date:

9/5/2016

Time:

12:22:20

Author:

Michael Guadalupe/FanSided via Beyond the Flag

Source:

Foxnews

Content:

The race at Darlington continues to be one of NASCARs crown jewels and is only enhanced by the throwback schemes seen on most of the cars competing under the lights on Sunday night. From the famous Darlington stripe to the tempers that always seem to flare at this track, Darlington can always add a ton of pressure to drivers still trying to make the Chase. And while we saw that happen on Sunday night, the type of racing was a little different. The main focus coming out of Sunday was all about the pit stops and how this race was both won and lost because of two different pit crews. Clean air also impacted the leader, making it impossible for them to be passed during long stretches of green flag racing. And other drivers were willing to take risks to try and stay up toward the front to hopefully gain points heading into the Chase. Did it pay off? For now it did, but a couple of post-race inspection failures could end up impacting the Chase standings later on this week. Martin Truex Jr. won his second race of the season and is looking strong heading into the Chase. His win helps make Furniture Row Racing look even better and also tightens the points race heading into the Chase. With Sundays race now over, here are five lessons learned from Darlington. Next: A Growing Issue Clean air helped keep Martin Truex Jr. ahead of Kevin Harvick. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports Its something that you would think to only see at cookie cutter 1.5 mile tracks; someone gets out in front and is able to stay out in front thanks to clean air. Well at Darlington this past Sunday, clean air was a huge factor in keep a leader out in front. The issue with air flow and the speed of cars is still something NASCAR needs to work on, as it completely takes away the idea of competition and racing for the lead. And if its happening at a track like Darlington, its only becoming even more of an issue. Kevin Harvick was able to lead the race early thanks to clean air, as once the 4 car got out in front no one was able to catch up to him. His struggles on Sunday night proved even more how clean air is important; he would end up falling back because of a bad pit stop and was able to race through the field back to second place. The clean air in front of Martin Truex Jr. though made the 78 car impossible to catch and even though Harvick was able to race up to second, he couldnt race for the lead. Combine clean air with restarts and how the led car has control in the restart zone and it seems like no one would be able to pass the leader, even after going back to green. NASCAR still needs to find a way to make clean air less impactful on these cars and hopefully they come up with something soon. Next: Enough is Enough and Its Time For a Change! Kevin Harvicks pit crew struggled on Sunday night and it cost him the race. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports It seems like its a growing trend with the 4 team; Kevin Harvick gets a fast car, races hard and ends up going backwards because of mistakes made on pit road. This is what happened on Sunday night at Darlington, as Harvick led for a majority of the race but was sent backwards because of mistakes on pit road. He would race toward the front, and again, the pit crew would mess up and send him further back than where we entered pit road. He would make his way back up to second but because he didnt have the clean air that Martin Truex Jr. did, he was never able to catch the 78. After the race, Harvick wasnt exactly thrilled with his pit crew: "You get in position where you bring a dominant car. The guys in the shop and the guys in the garage are doing a great job, and the guys on pit road are doing a terrible job. You get in the position to win races, and they continually step on their toes and dont make it happen. And youre not going to win races like that." (via Fox Sports) Hes not wrong either. Of all the teams in NASCAR, the 4 is one that consistently has had problems on pit road all season, and with the Chase looming overhead if they dont fix these issues soon it could cost them a chance at a championship this season. Harvick is tired of his pit crews excuses and they need to get it together before the Chase starts. Next: You Mess With The Bull... Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports Even though hes retiring at the end of the season, Tony Stewart is still the same driver he always was. And one of the biggest things he hates in NASCAR is when someone blocks him. It doesnt matter who it is, from Jimmie Johnson to a rookie driver, if you block Smoke youre going to get dumped. Thats exactly what Brian Scott found out on Sunday night at Darlington. Now it wasnt an intentional block, at least thats how Scott makes it out to seem, but clearly Tony saw it differently as he spun the driver of the 44 car out on Lap 203. Scott was apparently trying to let Smoke go by him even signaling out of the car for him to pass, but Stewart must have already been annoyed at that point and decided to take matters into his own hands. Smoke remained calm over the radio with his crew chief as it happened and even after Tony was done with the race, his engine blew and ended his chances of finally winning at Darlington, he didnt make a big deal of the incident. NASCAR wanted to speak to both Stewart and his crew chief after the race, but with Smoke on the verge of retirement, what lecture could they possibly give him? It doesnt matter who you are the fact still remains, if you block Tony Stewart youre going to get dumped. Next: More Drivers Added to The Mix? Kyle Larson finished third but failed post-race inspection. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports With the Chase almost here, it seemed like new drivers were entering the mix at Darlington and competing in the top 10 to try and look strong heading into the post-season. Kyle Larson and Ryan Newman for example, are two drivers who you dont typically see in the top 10 and even though Larson won his first race of the Sprint Cup Series last weekend at Michigan, it would have been hard to guess that he would have another strong run this weekend as well. Dont let their top 10 finishes fool you though; both drivers failed post-race inspection after Darlington on Sunday. Post-race inspection failures seem to be a growing issue in NASCAR and it impacts how manufacturers and teams look heading into the Chase. With his third place finish this weekend and win at Michigan last weekend, it looked like Larson had come alive and had a ton of momentum heading into the Chase. But how much of it was actually Larson at Darlington and not whatever changes were made to his car to fail inspection? The same can be said about Ryan Newman, but his issues are much worse. Larson is locked into the Chase, Newman is still trying to make it in on points. When the penalties come out for these failures he could lose points and it could cost him a spot in the Chase. Its great to see new drivers compete in the top 10 as NASCAR moves from track to track and it makes it seem like other organizations could have a chance in the Chase. When teams fail post-race inspection though, it makes it look like they need to find a way to cheat the system in order to compete. Next: Flawless Victory Sep 4, 2016; Darlington, SC, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (78) celebrates winning the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports Martin Truex Jr. won his second race of the NASCAR season and it wasnt just because of his fantastic driving. His pit crew came alive this past Sunday at Darlington, and a group that has struggled on the pits this season was putting on one of the best performances all year. His pit stops were flawless, and Truex was able to get out in front and stay out in front toward the end of the race. Furniture Row Racing has made for a fantastic story since Martin Truex Jr. joined the organization. Theyve grown and gotten better year after year, and now since switching over to Toyota theyve really taken off and Truex has had his best season yet. Theyve also run into bad luck and struggles this season, so its hard to tell just how good this team really is. If they can avoid some of the troubles theyve run into in the regular season, Truex and the 78 team could have a real chance at winning the championship this year. Hes won two of NASCARs biggest races in the season, and the pit crew of the 78 has proven that they can be flawless. When everything is clicking for the 78 team, no one can stop them. Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step? What did you learn from Darlington? Would you try to block Smoke? Do you think the 78 team has a real shot at the Championship? Let us know in the comments below. And for more NASCAR news head over to BeyondTheFlag.com. This article originally appeared on

Orignial Link :

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2016/09/05/nascar-five-lessons-learned-from-darlington.html

crawlTime:

9/12/2016 4:05:19 PM