PREVIEW: “Throwback” schemes and drivers on hand at Darlington
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Trackhouse Racing, @TeamTrackhouse
Friday, May 10, 2024 (7:30 P.M. ET, FS1)
TRUCKS Race 9 of 23
Buckle Up South Carolina 200 at Darlington
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Brennan Poole
ENTRY LIST
There are 32 drivers entered for 36 spots, meaning all will qualify.
DRIVER CHANGE: #1-TRICON Garage
After Brett Moffitt earned a solid 5th-place finish in his season debut, the “all-star” TRICON entry now falls to Colby Howard. Coming into tonight’s race, Howard has made just one start this season, finishing 17th with this same team at Atlanta.
DRIVER CHANGE: #7-Spire Motorsports
Kyle Busch will ironically make his first-ever Truck Series start at Darlington, taking the place of 30th-place Kansas finisher Connor Mosack.
MISSING: #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing
Jennifer Jo Cobb will not race this week after she came home 32nd, the last truck under power, in her home race at Kansas.
DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Niece Motorsports
After Kaden Honeycutt finally gained the attention of the FS1 booth with his first career top-five finish in last Saturday’s Truck Series race, he is not scheduled to run any race this weekend. Taking his place in the #45 is a returning Cup regular in Ross Chastain, who finished 13th in this race last year driving for Niece.
DRIVER CHANGE: #66-ThorSport Racing
Taking the place of an aggressive newcomer in Cameron Waters, who tangled with Layne Riggs in the final moments of last week’s Kansas race, is a returning Conner Jones. TSport will again sponsor Jones, who like Busch will make his first series start at Darlington.
DRIVER CHANGE: #91-McAnally-Hilgeman Racing
Taking the place of last week’s runner-up Zane Smith, who led 29 laps of last Saturday’s race, is a returning newcomer in Jack Wood, and a returning sponsor in RTIC Coolers. Driving a “throwback” to NASCAR legend Tim Flock’s iconic Hudson Hornet, Wood makes his fifth series start of the year and first since an 18th-place showing in Martinsville.
CUP INVADERS: #7-Kyle Busch, #45-Ross Chastain
Saturday, May 11, 2024 (1:30 P.M. ET, FS1)
XFINITY Race 11 of 33
Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 at Darlington
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Riley Herbst
ENTRY LIST
There are 39 drivers entered for 38 spots, meaning one will fail to qualify.
MISSING: #10-Kaulig Racing
Not among this week’s entrants is Daniel Dye, who finished 20th in the circuit’s most recent race at Dover. Dye will instead focus on Friday’s Truck Series race, where his #43 will be decorated like one of Kyle Petty’s earliest paint schemes during his sponsorship from PEAK Antifreeze.
RETURNING: #17-Hendrick Motorsports
The defending winner of the Cup Series’ spring race at Darlington, William Byron will pull double-duty with the Cup Series. Teammate Kyle Larson drove this car to victory here last year.
DRIVER CHANGE: #20-Joe Gibbs Racing
Aric Almirola steps in for the dramatic two-time winner of the most recent Dover race – Ryan Truex. Almirola’s team is again sponsored by “He Gets Us.”
DRIVER CHANGE: #26-Sam Hunt Racing
Running a classic Toyota Racing paint scheme on the flagship SHR entry is John Hunter Nemechek, your winner earlier this year at Las Vegas. Nemechek takes the place of Corey Heim, who focuses on his full-time Truck ride after two Cup races for Legacy Motor Club.
DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Joey Gase Motorsports
MISSING: #66-Motorsports Business Management
Carl Long has not entered their #66 this week, freeing up its driver to earn another opportunity. Chad Finchum, who steered MBM’s car to a 24th-place finish, will this week run a white-and-red “throwback’ to Kevin Harvick’s great finish at Kansas. Finchum takes the place of J.J. Yeley, who was left in last place at Dover after an early crash.
TEAM UPDATE: #88-JR Motorsports
Carson Kvapil nearly pulled the upset last time out at Dover, and this week kicks off an expanded schedule for JRM’s #88.
DRIVER CHANGE: #92-DGM Racing
Josh Bilicki takes the place of 23rd-place Dover finisher Kaden Honeycutt and carries sponsorship from Circle B Diecast. The “throwback” paint scheme resembles Justin Allgaier’s HScott entry of a decade ago.
CUP INVADERS: #17-William Byron, #26-John Hunter Nemechek
Sunday, May 12, 2024 (3:00 P.M. ET, FS1)
CUP Race 13 of 36
Goodyear 400 at Darlington
2023 Last-Place Finisher: Brennan Poole
ENTRY LIST
There are 36 drivers entered for 40 spots, meaning all will qualify for what will be the 12th short field in 13 races this season.
DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing
After Riley Herbst finished two laps down in 36th last Sunday in Kansas, Kaz Grala returns to the #15 for his first-ever Cup start at Darlington. He will again be sponsored by N29 Capital Partners on a “throwback” scheme to Parnelli Jones’ iconic Mustang Boss 302 from 1969.
MISSING: #33-Richard Childress Racing
Not among this week’s Cup entrants is Austin Hill, who was involved in the accident the eliminated Jimmie Johnson from the race. Hill went on to finish 33rd in the field of 38.
DRIVER CHANGE: #43-Legacy Motor Club
Erik Jones was cleared to race last week following his brutal accident at Talladega, but elected to let his back rest one more week. He now takes the place of 22nd-place Kansas finisher Corey Heim at a track where Jones twice won the Southern 500. Both Jones and teammate John Hunter Nemechek carry “throwback” schemes inspired by cars that both Lee and Richard Petty ran in the mid-to-late 1950s.
MISSING: #84-Legacy Motor Club
Also not making the trip to Darlington is Jimmie Johnson, who was handed his first last-place finish of the year last Sunday after Corey LaJoie bumped him entering Turn 1. Johnson is expected to return later this month in the Coca-Cola 600.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (May 10, 1997): Robbie Crouch picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Busch Grand National Series career in the United States Cellular 200 at New Hampshire when his #9 Auto Palace Ford fell out with rear end issues after 46 laps. This was the last of Crouch’s ten series starts dating back to 1984. He finished a career-best 2nd at Oxford Plains in 1986, falling two seconds short of winner Chuck Bown.
