Darlington playoff race 101: Postseason analysis, trends to watch, how to follow action
Ten more races to go in the 2023 season, which means the start of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with one of the most iconic venues on the circuit in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Before the race for this year’s crown begins, check out analysis within the Round of 16 participants, trends to watch ahead of Sunday evening’s event (6 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) and interactive ways to catch all the action from “The Lady in Black.”
RELATED: See paint schemes for Darlington | Betting favorites for Sunday’s Cup race
ANALYZING THE ROUND OF 16 🔬
This year’s Cup playoff field is arguably the deepest and least predictable since the current format was introduced in 2017. Co-No. 1 seeds William Byron and Martin Truex Jr. have the least amount of playoff points ever for top seeds in the playoff era, and half of the playoff field has less than 11 playoff points.
What makes the point situation for Byron and Truex is that five of the six drivers seeded first in Cup playoff history went on to race for a championship (all but Kevin Harvick in 2020).
It’s no surprise to see the likes of Byron, Truex and Denny Hamlin within the top-four seeds entering the postseason, but Chris Buescher has been the surprise of the 2023 season and is the No. 4 seed in the Round of 16. This could bode well for Buescher as 18 of the 24 drivers who have reached the Championship 4 were seeded in the top four entering the first race of the playoffs.
Last year, Christopher Bell was the deepest-seeded driver to compete for a championship (10th). Among drivers 10th or lower entering the 2023 postseason are defending champ Joey Logano (11th), Ryan Blaney (12th) and 2014 champion Kevin Harvick (15th). The trends don’t bode well for Logano to repeat as Cup champ as a driver has never made the Champ 4 with less than 11 playoff points. (Logano enters 2023 with eight.) However, Logano did set the mark for the deepest-seeded driver to win a championship when he came from sixth to win his first title in 2018.
(Via Racing Insights)
MORE: Meet the 16-driver playoff field
📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈
— Three of the last four Darlington winners got their first win of the season.
— The driver who led the most laps won only twice in the last seven Darlington races.
— All Round of 16 races in the Next Gen era have been won by non-playoff drivers.
— The last six Darlington races were won by six different drivers.
(Via Racing Insights)
CLASSIC SOUTHERN 500 RACES 🎥
1985: “Million Dollar Bill” is born | WATCH
2011: Regan Smith scores underdog win amid tempers flaring | WATCH
2022: Erik Jones wins Southern 500 full of playoff twists | WATCH
ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️
Saturday, September 2
— 12:35 p.m. ET: Practice (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
— 1:20 p.m. ET: Qualifying (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
Sunday, September 3
— 6 p.m., ET: Southern 500 (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
MORE: Full weekend schedule at Darlington
RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞
The GEICO Restart Zone returned to its 2022 dimensions after being extended for this season’s first five races.
NASCAR teams will run the same Goodyear tire setup that was used in the spring race. Each team will be allotted one set of tires for practice, one set for qualifying and an additional 12 sets for Sunday night’s race.
NASCAR implemented safety updates to the Next Gen car.
Along the right-side door bars and extending toward the rear clip, teams are mandated to run a steel plate in addition to the chassis adjustments made for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The right-side door bar gussets and the removal of the front clip V-brace are changes that remain, in addition to the removal of other front-clip components, to create a softer and larger crush zone for frontal impacts.
Also included in the updates are front bumper strut softening (modifications to existing parts), the requirement of an empty front ballast box and a modified cross brace. NASCAR incurs the cost of all these updates.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members‘ eligibility to participate in other series.
RELATED: See rules changes for 2023
FAN REWARDS 🫵
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There‘s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.
FOLLOW THE RACE 📲
NASCAR Mobile has now added support for fans to “Follow the Race” and access live leaderboard and race information from Live Activities in the current app release (v13.2.0), available now. Android users, we didn‘t forget you — the same functionality has been custom-built for Android devices, as well.
How to access Live Activities on iPhones:
Make sure your iOS device has been updated to 16.1 or higher.
Available on the leaderboard of all NASCAR Series races.
Click on the three-dot menu near the top right of screen.
Select “Follow the Race.”
Swipe up to access the home screen and you will see the Live Activities at the top.
Lock the device and you will see Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
To turn off, simply visit the leaderboard, click the three-dot menu and “Unfollow the Race.”
FANTASY LIVE 🏆
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which resets for the playoffs. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $10,000 prize for the winner.
How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!
PLAYOFFS GRID CHALLENGE 🏆
During the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, fans have the opportunity to compete in The Playoffs Grid™ Challenge presented by Ruoff Mortage. Fans can enter by visiting The Playoffs Grid™ Challenge page beginning Tuesday, Aug. 29 and registering for a free NASCAR.com account before filling out a bracket. From there, choose from a list of playoff-eligible drivers round by round, and you‘re on your way to compete for prizes!
How to play: Playoffs Grid Challenge | Set your grid today!
ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
