Goodyear 400 Preview and Best Bet
NASCAR Cup Series: Goodyear 400
Sunday, May 9, 2021 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Darlington Raceway in Darlington South Carolina
Race Info
NASCAR’s Cup Series continues this coming Sunday with the Goodyear 400. This event will take place at Darlington Raceway.
For this race, drivers must complete a total of 293 laps.
There are three stages for this event.
Stage 1 will require 90 laps. Stage 2 is 95 laps-long.
Finally, Stage 3 will require 108 laps.
Just like in prior weeks, there is already a published entry list for the race. So barring some unforeseen occurrence, we already know who will compete in this race.
As for the official starting lineup, this gets released on Wednesday morning. There will be no qualifying and no practice for this event.
Track Info
In completing 293 laps at Darlington Raceway, drivers will have completed 400.24 miles.
This track has an odd shape. It is an oval, but it is also shaped somewhat like an egg.
One feature of its odd configuration is that the ends appear to be configured differently.
This varied configuration makes it harder for racing teams to prepare their cars in a way that allows for them to have the desired handling at both ends of the track.
Each lap requires 1.366 miles on the track’s asphalt surface.
This raceway features a relatively high amount of banking, which encourages driver speed by allowing drivers to use the higher banking in order to collect more momentum.
Turns 1 and 2 are banked at 26 degrees. Turns 3 and 4 are banked at 23 degrees. The front straightaway and the back straightaway are banked at three and two degrees, respectively.
This is a notoriously difficult track to compete on.
One reason for the difficulty is the egg shape that makes handling difficult.
The trouble with handling is exacerbated by today’s higher speeds.
This track was built for cars to drive at speeds below 100 mph.
Now, drivers are reaching speeds that are at least twice as high as the originally intended speeds.
Moreover, Darlington Raceway is rather narrow.
For the above reasons, it is easy for drivers to hit a wall, which is why one says that drivers earn their stripes at Darlington.
The surface of the track, furthermore, is rough, and wears down tires to a larger degree than other track surfaces do.
Because this track is so difficult to drive on, it is nicknamed “The Track Too Tough to Tame.”
Drivers To Avoid
Some drivers — somewhat understandably — reliably have a terrible time at Darlington.
One such driver is Ryan Blaney. Blaney has raced eight times at Darlington, but has failed to finish better than 13th a single time.
His average finishing position at this track is 20.38, despite the fact that he’s enjoyed some favorable, top-10 starting positions.
He is a driver who you should look to bet against in match-up betting.
One driver who may be tempting to invest in is Erik Jones.
Jones has a very positive history in Darlington.
However, he has never been worse than he currently is this season. He ranks 27th right now.
There are other drivers who can marry good driver history at this track with strong current form.
One driver who may seem like he’s enjoying good form is Kyle Busch.
While Busch won his last race, the problem with him is that he’s very inconsistent.
This is something I noted about him last year, too. He’s impossible to rely on especially after a good race.
This year, he finished 25th in Phoenix after finishing third in Las Vegas the week before. He finished 17th in Bristol after finishing fifth in Atlanta the week prior. There are multiple such examples.
My Guy
I would like Kevin Harvick since his average finishing position at this track is so impressively lower than his average starting position here.
But he won the last race here and it’s very hard and statistically so unlikely to win back-to-back races in Darlington. Greg Biffle was the last driver to accomplish this feat in 2005-2006.
While I will invest in Harvick in match-up betting, my pick to win is Brad Keselowski.
Keselowski has three top-five finishes in his last five tries at Darlington, Moreover, he enjoys strong current form, as evident in two consecutive top-three finishes. He has won before in Darlington and I expect him to do it again on Sunday.
Best Bet: Brad Keselowski To Win at +800 with Bovada
NASCAR Cup Series: Goodyear 400
Sunday, May 9, 2021 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Darlington Raceway in Darlington South Carolina
Race Info
NASCAR’s Cup Series continues this coming Sunday with the Goodyear 400. This event will take place at Darlington Raceway.
For this race, drivers must complete a total of 293 laps.
There are three stages for this event.
Stage 1 will require 90 laps. Stage 2 is 95 laps-long.
Finally, Stage 3 will require 108 laps.
Just like in prior weeks, there is already a published entry list for the race. So barring some unforeseen occurrence, we already know who will compete in this race.
As for the official starting lineup, this gets released on Wednesday morning. There will be no qualifying and no practice for this event.
Track Info
In completing 293 laps at Darlington Raceway, drivers will have completed 400.24 miles.
This track has an odd shape. It is an oval, but it is also shaped somewhat like an egg.
One feature of its odd configuration is that the ends appear to be configured differently.
This varied configuration makes it harder for racing teams to prepare their cars in a way that allows for them to have the desired handling at both ends of the track.
Each lap requires 1.366 miles on the track’s asphalt surface.
This raceway features a relatively high amount of banking, which encourages driver speed by allowing drivers to use the higher banking in order to collect more momentum.
Turns 1 and 2 are banked at 26 degrees. Turns 3 and 4 are banked at 23 degrees. The front straightaway and the back straightaway are banked at three and two degrees, respectively.
This is a notoriously difficult track to compete on.
One reason for the difficulty is the egg shape that makes handling difficult.
The trouble with handling is exacerbated by today’s higher speeds.
This track was built for cars to drive at speeds below 100 mph.
Now, drivers are reaching speeds that are at least twice as high as the originally intended speeds.
Moreover, Darlington Raceway is rather narrow.
For the above reasons, it is easy for drivers to hit a wall, which is why one says that drivers earn their stripes at Darlington.
The surface of the track, furthermore, is rough, and wears down tires to a larger degree than other track surfaces do.
Because this track is so difficult to drive on, it is nicknamed “The Track Too Tough to Tame.”
Drivers To Avoid
Some drivers — somewhat understandably — reliably have a terrible time at Darlington.
One such driver is Ryan Blaney. Blaney has raced eight times at Darlington, but has failed to finish better than 13th a single time.
His average finishing position at this track is 20.38, despite the fact that he’s enjoyed some favorable, top-10 starting positions.
He is a driver who you should look to bet against in match-up betting.
One driver who may be tempting to invest in is Erik Jones.
Jones has a very positive history in Darlington.
However, he has never been worse than he currently is this season. He ranks 27th right now.
There are other drivers who can marry good driver history at this track with strong current form.
One driver who may seem like he’s enjoying good form is Kyle Busch.
While Busch won his last race, the problem with him is that he’s very inconsistent.
This is something I noted about him last year, too. He’s impossible to rely on especially after a good race.
This year, he finished 25th in Phoenix after finishing third in Las Vegas the week before. He finished 17th in Bristol after finishing fifth in Atlanta the week prior. There are multiple such examples.
My Guy
I would like Kevin Harvick since his average finishing position at this track is so impressively lower than his average starting position here.
But he won the last race here and it’s very hard and statistically so unlikely to win back-to-back races in Darlington. Greg Biffle was the last driver to accomplish this feat in 2005-2006.
While I will invest in Harvick in match-up betting, my pick to win is Brad Keselowski.
Keselowski has three top-five finishes in his last five tries at Darlington, Moreover, he enjoys strong current form, as evident in two consecutive top-three finishes. He has won before in Darlington and I expect him to do it again on Sunday.
Best Bet: Brad Keselowski To Win at +800 with Bovada
