{"id":43377,"date":"2023-09-02T14:24:24","date_gmt":"2023-09-02T19:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=43377"},"modified":"2023-09-19T12:34:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T17:34:55","slug":"nascar-saturday-darlington-notebook-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/02\/nascar-saturday-darlington-notebook-3\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR: Saturday Darlington Notebook"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer<\/em><\/p>\n

NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

Christopher earns pole position for first NASCAR Cup Playoff race at Darlington <\/b><\/p>\n

DARLINGTON, S.C. \u2013 After edging Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin by .026 seconds in Saturday\u2019s time trials, Christopher Bell will lead the field to green in the first NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race of 2023\u2014Sunday\u2019s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Yahoo! Toyota, poses for photos after winning the pole award during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 02, 2023 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Bell navigated the venerable 1.366-mile speedway in 29.065 seconds (169.193 mph) to claim his third Busch Light Pole Award in the last eight races and first at the Track Too Tough to Tame. Hamlin clocked in at 169.169.042 mph to earn the outside starting spot on the front row. <\/p>\n

After earning four poles in 2022, the debut year of NASCAR\u2019s Next Gen Cup car, Bell turned in performances in time trials he considered sub-par in the first half of 2023. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter we got through the first probably five to eight races this year, we were wondering what happened,\u201d Bell said, \u201cbecause last year we made the final round a lot, the majority of the time, and at the beginning of this year, we were really struggling. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy team, (crew chief) Adam Stevens, my engineers have put a lot of emphasis on qualifying the last couple of months, and it\u2019s really showed. We\u2019ve been able to be in the hunt a lot more, make that final round, and it really helps out on Sundays when you get a good pit stall selection. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt certain racetracks, qualifying\u2019s a really big deal, and this is one of them.\u201d <\/p>\n

It was a unique qualifying session that featured seven Fords, three Toyotas and no Chevrolets in the final 10. For the first time since the 1982 Southern 500, no Chevrolet drivers will take the green flag in the top 10 (though in fairness, five General Motors products\u2014Buicks and Pontiacs\u2014started in the top 10 for that race). <\/p>\n

With Tyler Reddick qualifying third at 168.972 mph, the three Toyotas will start at the front of the field, followed by the seven Fords, led by Ryan Blaney (168.273 mph) and Brad Keselowski (168.227 mph). <\/p>\n

Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Chris Buescher, Michael McDowell and Aric Almirola claimed positions six through 10 on the grid, respectively. Almirola is the only non-Playoff driver in the top 10.  <\/p>\n

Reddick posted the fastest lap of the day (170.750 mph) in the Group B session of Round 1, when cloud cover moved in and cooled the track. All five Group B drivers were faster than the top five Group A drivers in the opening round. <\/p>\n

Bell, however, thought he had an advantage as a member of Group A because it gave him more time to cool his tires between rounds. <\/p>\n

Despite shiners, Preece is fit and ready to go after Daytona wreck <\/b><\/p>\n

A week after his violent wreck at Daytona International Speedway, Ryan Preece met with reporters outside his transporter at Darlington Raceway, primarily to reaffirm that he was unhurt and ready to race in Sunday\u2019s Cook Out Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). <\/p>\n

As Preece stood on the steps of his hauler taking questions from the assembled media, he removed his sunglasses to reveal striking purple bruises beneath his eyes\u2014the most visible after-effects of his tumbling No. 41 Ford, which spun in mid-air, barrel-rolled through the infield on the Daytona backstretch and came to rest upright in the grass. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m good, I\u2019m OK, I\u2019ve got no broken bones, I\u2019m not sore,\u201d Preece said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t sore after it\u2014a little bit of bruising, but nothing too crazy.\u201d <\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Preece revealed his two \u201cshiners.\u201d  <\/p>\n

\u201cThey aren\u2019t bad,\u201d Preece said. \u201cI going to put an end to it right now. What I want you all to know is that racing in general\u2014whether you\u2019re racing a sprint car or a modified or anything\u2014is dangerous. There\u2019s consequences to everything.  <\/p>\n

\u201cBut what we do as race car drivers is respect one another to not put ourselves in positions to be like that. I\u2019m fine. My vision\u2019s perfect\u2014everything about it. They don\u2019t hurt. They look bad to you guys, but you look at a 410 (sprint car) driver after some flips\u2014they get this. It\u2019s from spinning in the air and all that, the blood flow, whatever. I\u2019m not a doctor\u2026 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I can tell you is I went through all the tests. I feel fine. If I didn\u2019t feel fine, I wouldn\u2019t be in this car this weekend.\u201d <\/p>\n

Shuttering of GMS Racing\u2019s truck series team will add critical mass to Legacy Motor Club <\/b><\/p>\n

Legacy Motor Club, a collaborative effort of NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, GMS Racing\u2019s Maury Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, has been through a turbulent first season, to say the least. <\/p>\n

The team\u2019s on-track struggles were exacerbated by the suspension and dismissal of driver Noah Gragson for \u201cliking\u201d a meme on social media that made light of the murder of George Floyd. <\/p>\n

The one constant within all the distraction has been defending Cook Out Southern 500 winner Erik Jones, who has posted three of his five top-10 finishes of 2023 in the last 10 races. <\/p>\n

Gallagher announced in August that he planned to shutter his GMS Racing NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team at the end of the season, and Jones believes that move may increase the critical mass of the Legacy Cup organization. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to absorb a large amount of that personnel into the Cup side, which is a huge resource in itself,\u201d Jones said Saturday at Darlington Raceway. \u201cWe needed to add some people on the competition side, on the shop floor and even probably upstairs. <\/span> <\/p>\n

\u201cSo people coming over is going to be a big resource in itself. As far as the financial gain from it \u2013 I don\u2019t think a lot is going to change on that side of things. Maury is very dedicated in what he\u2019s putting into this race team, even before that move. <\/span> <\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think on the personnel side, absorbing those guys into the shop for day-to-day procedures and what we do to prepare cars is going to be the biggest gain for us.\u201d<\/span>  <\/span><\/p>\n

Josh Harris named new president of Darlington Raceway <\/b><\/p>\n

NASCAR industry veteran Josh Harris will succeed Kerry Tharp as president of Darlington Raceway, NASCAR track officials announced Saturday morning at the 1.366-mile speedway. <\/p>\n

A native of Harrisville, Miss., Harris currently serves as Darlington\u2019s vice president of business operations. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had the pleasure of working with Josh since I left Darlington,\u201d said Chip Wile, NASCAR senior vice president, chief track properties officer, who served as Darlington Raceway president from 2013-2016. \u201cHe and I started at Daytona International Speedway at the same time\u2026 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had so much respect for Josh and know that he\u2019s ready for this role.\u201d <\/p>\n

Harris brings a decade\u2019s worth of NASCAR experience to his new job as Darlington\u2019s 10th<\/sup> president. He started his career in racing in 2012 as ticketing manager at Talladega Superspeedway. Subsequently, he served as NASCAR\u2019s Southeast Region vice president of ticketing and guest services and Southeast Region vice president of client and event experience. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot to me, personally and professionally,\u201d Harris said of his new position. \u201cKerry and Chip, following in their footsteps, is something I\u2019m honored to do.  <\/p>\n

\u201cAs we look back on the 2020 season and the impact that we had with COVID, Kerry\u2019s leadership\u2014along with the state of South Carolina\u2014to be able to bring NASCAR racing back, and for us to continue to have those two race dates, I think it just shows the commitment this state has to this race track and our sport. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I look forward to getting to know all those leaders in our community and our state and working with them to make sure Darlington Raceway continues to drive forward and be a leader in our sport and put on two great events every year.\u201d <\/p>\n

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Cook Out Southern 500<\/b><\/p>\n

Darlington Raceway<\/b><\/p>\n

Darlington, South Carolina<\/b><\/p>\n

Saturday, September 2, 2023<\/b><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    1. (20) Christopher Bell (P) @, Toyota, 169.193 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    2. (11) Denny Hamlin (P) @, Toyota, 169.042 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    3. (45) Tyler Reddick (P) @, Toyota, 168.972 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    4. (12) Ryan Blaney (P) @, Ford, 168.273 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    5. (6) Brad Keselowski (P) @, Ford, 168.227 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    6. (22) Joey Logano (P) @, Ford, 168.152 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    7. (4) Kevin Harvick (P) @, Ford, 168.129 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    8. (17) Chris Buescher (P) @, Ford, 167.962 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    9. (34) Michael McDowell (P) @, Ford, 167.893 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    10. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, 167.231 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    11. (8) Kyle Busch (P) @, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    12. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    13. (9) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    14. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    15. (42) Carson Hocevar(i), Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    16. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    17. (54) Ty Gibbs #, Toyota, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    18. (5) Kyle Larson (P) @, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    19. (23) Bubba Wallace (P) @, Toyota, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    20. (43) Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    21. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    22. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    23. (24) William Byron (P) @, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    24. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    25. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P) @, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    26. (77) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    27. (1) Ross Chastain (P) @, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    28. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    29. (31) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    30. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    31. (19) Martin Truex Jr. (P) @, Toyota, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    32. (21) Harrison Burton, Ford, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    33. (15) JJ Yeley(i), Ford, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    34. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    35. (51) Ryan Newman, Ford, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    36. (78) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service Christopher earns pole position for first NASCAR Cup Playoff race at Darlington  DARLINGTON, S.C. \u2013 After edging Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin by .026 seconds in Saturday\u2019s time trials, Christopher Bell will lead the field to green in the first NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race of 2023\u2014Sunday\u2019s Cook […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":43380,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[651,16],"class_list":["post-43377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-darlington-raceway","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1655271657-1-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-bhD","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43377"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43381,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43377\/revisions\/43381"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}