NASCAR.com breaks down the Cookout Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway as the Cup Series gets ready for race one of the playoffs.
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00:00 Hey everybody, welcome into Studio 3 for the preview show delivered by Dorn.
00:29 I'm Alex Weaver, that is Alan Kavanaugh, and if you have a calendar at home, make sure
00:36 and check the date and what time of year it is, because the playoffs are back baby.
00:40 The NASCAR Cup Series is rolling into Darlington to open the first round of the playoffs, a
00:46 track that's just too tough to tame.
00:48 Playoff time at the best, toughest track for these drivers.
00:51 I love the system.
00:52 I love that it opens up at such a historic track like Darlington Raceway.
00:56 And remember, drivers now look at this as like a three race season, because you've got
00:59 to get through these three races to make it to the next round.
01:03 And the moment the green flag drops on Sunday, four drivers are already below the line, essentially
01:08 eliminated.
01:09 Kevin Harvick, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse, Bubba Wallace, they have work that they have
01:14 to start doing immediately when the green flag drops.
01:16 That's why I love this system.
01:18 The toughest track, the toughest test for these drivers, and now four of them, the immediate
01:22 green flag drops, they're already out.
01:24 We saw Daytona last week for the NASCAR Cup Series, and that's a place where, yes, you
01:28 can play some strategy, but it's typically you come down Pit Road with your teammates,
01:32 with your manufacturers.
01:34 You also have been used to racing there at nighttime.
01:37 Well, the notebook that they have from the spring Darlington race was during the day.
01:41 Now we're racing there at 6 p.m. start.
01:43 It'll be nighttime.
01:44 They'll be chasing the track.
01:46 It's slick and hot at Darlington.
01:48 But also, Pit Road is all about strategy, the number of tires you have left.
01:53 So a little bit interesting play here for these playoff drivers, especially mistake-free
01:58 on Pit Road is needed.
01:59 Mistake-free is essentially what they have to be on Sunday night, and you mentioned it,
02:03 the terms of pit stops.
02:04 They'll have more pit stops on Sunday night than any other race throughout the year.
02:08 Think about that, the grind of 25 weeks of the regular season.
02:11 Maybe you're a little hurt, maybe you're a little banged up.
02:13 You have to be on top of your game the most on Sunday night when the playoffs start.
02:17 There's so much more on the line than there was the first 25 weeks.
02:21 It's crazy to think about.
02:22 Crew chiefs say they'll have a little more grip in the track than we had back in May
02:25 in the spring, but it'll still be Darlington.
02:28 These drivers have to think about four hours in the race car, again, mentally, physically
02:33 on top of their game.
02:34 It's playoff time.
02:35 It'll separate the men from the boys.
02:37 We should start taking bets on who gets a Darlington stripe first.
02:39 I'm going to go like Tyler Reddick.
02:41 Right away.
02:42 Instantly, just go up for it.
02:44 Well, last season, the opening round of the playoffs was the playoff spoilers.
02:48 It was the non-playoff drivers who were claiming all of the trophies and making it to victory
02:53 lane.
02:54 So, can they do it again at Darlington?
02:55 I'm keeping my eyes on that old Jones boy, Eric Jones.
02:58 That Jones boy.
02:59 Two Southern 500 wins, including last year when he surprised us all.
03:02 Can he do it again?
03:03 Absolutely.
03:04 It's just something about him and Darlington and drivers.
03:06 The cream kind of rides into the top of the track like that.
03:08 But think of the stacked field that's not in the playoffs.
03:11 Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, two Hendrick cars outside of the playoffs that can absolutely
03:16 have the speed, the skill to go out and win in Darlington.
03:19 Eric Jones can do it again.
03:20 So, yeah, we may see another playoff spoiler.
03:23 That's something else for these playoff drivers and teams to think about.
03:25 Yes, you want to win, but you have to accumulate as many points as possible.
03:29 If some of these other outsiders get a victory.
03:31 Yeah, the easiest way to just chill and advance to the next round of the playoffs is to win
03:36 at Darlington.
03:37 So, the last thing these playoff drivers want is for a non-playoff driver to win.
03:40 It takes away one of their automatic tickets.
03:43 But lately, it's been one manufacturer, the summer of Ford.
03:48 The summer of Ford.
03:49 Who saw that coming?
03:50 Did you?
03:51 No, never.
03:52 The last four or five races have been won by the Blue Ovals, except for one Chevy spoiling
03:55 the party in William Byron.
03:57 William Byron.
03:58 And you mentioned Chevy.
03:59 That's who I want to see on Sunday night.
04:00 Chevy, Hendrick Motorsports specifically, has to make a statement on Sunday night.
04:05 Because other than Willie B getting that win at Watkins Glen, Hendrick took the summer
04:09 off from winning.
04:10 Who saw that coming?
04:11 I mean, Kyle Larson has not won a race since Martinsville in the spring.
04:15 They need victories if you want to win a championship.
04:18 They have to get back to victory lane.
04:19 We'll learn a lot about those Chevys.
04:21 Hendrick Motorsports, Willie B, Kyle Larson.
04:23 We'll learn so much about them Sunday night, because they have to come out strong and make
04:26 a statement.
04:27 We mentioned the Fords on a hot streak.
04:29 Chevy needs to do something.
04:31 Probably a Toyota that's going to win, since we didn't mention it.
04:33 Or Chase Elliott, because that would just be the ironic season that we need.
04:37 It's the first time, actually, since 2016, that Hendrick Motorsports does not have three
04:42 or more cars contending for a championship.
04:44 Wow.
04:45 So a little bit different playoffs over there at HMS.
04:48 But a driver from Hendrick Motorsports who loved a trip to Darlington, it made him a
04:52 million dollars richer.
04:53 Jeff Gordon.
04:54 Let's throw it back to our NASCAR 75 flashback.
04:56 Yeah, we're throwing it back to 1997.
04:58 It's always great to win the Southern 500.
05:00 It's a little sweeter when it comes with a million dollar paycheck.
05:03 We'll start with 35 laps to go.
05:05 Jeff Gordon's the leader, and he does a total daze of thunder.
05:08 Watch this.
05:09 He drives through the smoke of a wreck, survives that, but the biggest challenge comes on the
05:14 last lap from Jeff Burton in that '99 car.
05:16 They touch going into turn one.
05:18 Gordon throws a big block and hangs on, wins the Winston Million.
05:23 Great visuals.
05:24 He's driving behind that big money truck, the fake money flying everywhere.
05:28 Great memory.
05:29 Big trophy.
05:30 Again, Southern 500, always cool.
05:31 A million dollars, a little bit cooler.
05:34 Jeff Gordon, that was a cool memory.
05:35 Yeah, it's a crown jewel of our sport, and it may not come with a million dollar paycheck
05:38 this Sunday, but it does come with the opportunity to punch your ticket to the round of 12 for
05:43 the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
05:44 And in my mind, man, that's worth a million dollars.
05:48 Priceless.
05:49 Make sure and tune in to the NASCAR Cup Series opening, the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at
05:53 Darlington Raceway this Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern on USA.
05:57 Make sure you join us right back here on the preview show delivered by DoorDash.
06:00 She's Alex, I'm Alan.
06:01 We'll see you next week.
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