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NASCAR at Darlington Watch Info, Throwback Cars, Odds

Here's what to know for NASCAR's annual Throwback Weekend in Darlington

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NASCAR at Darlington watch info, throwback cars, odds originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

It’s time to turn back the clock.

The NASCAR Cup Series will visit Darlington Raceway this weekend for its annual Throwback Weekend, where teams honor the past with historic paint schemes at the 73-year-old track.

Here’s everything you need to know for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington:

What is the entry list for NASCAR at Darlington?

Thirty-six drivers will race this weekend at Darlington. All the regulars are competing – outside of Alex Bowman, who will miss his third straight race after suffering a fractured vertebra while competing in a sprint car event (non-NASCAR race) on April 25.

Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry will fill in for Bowman while he recovers. Berry, Hendrick Motorsports’ designated reserve driver, ran five races earlier this season while filling in for the injured Chase Elliott.

Ryan Newman, who has 18 career wins, is another notable entry – he’ll make his first start since 2021. Newman, 45, will run the No. 51 for Rick Ware Racing, a car that typically rotates through different drivers.

Here’s the full entry list:

No. 1, Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing

No. 2, Austin Cindric, Team Penske

No. 3, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing

No. 4, Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing

No. 5, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports

No. 6, Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing

No. 7, Corey LaJoie, Spire Motorsports

No. 8, Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing

No. 9, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports

No. 10, Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing

No. 11, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing

No. 12, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske

No. 14, Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing

No. 15, Brennan Poole, Rick Ware Racing

No. 16, A.J. Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing

No. 17, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing

No. 19, Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing

No. 20, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing

No. 21, Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing

No. 22, Joey Logano, Team Penske

No. 23, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing

No. 24, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports

No. 31, Justin Haley, Kaulig Racing

No. 34, Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports

No. 38, Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports

No. 41, Ryan Preece, Stewart-Haas Racing

No. 42, Noah Gragson, Legacy Motor Club

No. 43, Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club

No. 45, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing

No. 47, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Daugherty Racing

No. 48, Josh Berry, Hendrick Motorsports

No. 51, Ryan Newman, Rick Ware Racing

No. 54, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing

No. 77, Ty Dillon, Spire Motorsports

No. 78, B.J. McLeod, Live Fast Motorsports

No. 99, Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing

When is the NASCAR race at Darlington in 2023?

The Goodyear 400 is set for Sunday, May 14 at 3 p.m. ET.

Before the race on Sunday, there will be practice and qualifying sessions. The 36-car field will be split into two groups, with each group practicing for 15 minutes on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Qualifying will start immediately after practice. Each car from the two practice groups will make a single lap in the first round, with the five fastest times in each group advancing to the final round. In the final round, the 10 remaining drivers each make a single lap to set the top 10 starting order, while positions 11 through 36 will be set based on speeds from the first round.

What is the NASCAR weekend TV schedule at Darlington?

Saturday, May 13 (FS1 and streaming)

Sunday, May 14 (FS1 and streaming)

Who are the past winners at Darlington?

Logano and Jones won the two races at Darlington last year, with the former winning in the spring and the latter winning in the fall. That victory was Logano’s first at Darlington and Jones’ second.

Beyond those two, there are five other past winners at Darlington racing this weekend: Hamlin, Harvick, Truex, Busch and Keselowski. Hamlin has four wins, Harvick has three and Truex has two, while Busch and Keselowski each have one.

Who are the betting favorites for Darlington?

Darlington is often described as a “drivers’ track,” meaning being a talented wheelman is more important than having a perfect car. The venue is appropriately nicknamed “The Track Too Tough to Tame” because of how difficult it can be to get around.

So, who’s a good bet to win this race? The aforementioned past winners are a good place to start, but there are several others who run well at Darlington. Larson (9.2 average finish in 10 starts), Reddick (11.1 in seven starts) and Austin Dillon (12.3 in 13 starts) have the best average finishes among non-winners.

Hamlin leads all active drivers with a remarkable 7.5 average finish in 21 starts, including 16 top-10s. Busch has the most laps led at Darlington – 899 in 22 career starts – while Harvick has also eclipsed 800 laps led at 813 in 30 starts.

Here’s a full look at the favorites to win at Darlington before practice and qualifying, courtesy of our partner, PointsBet:

  • Kyle Larson, +520
  • Denny Hamlin, +600
  • Martin Truex Jr., +700
  • Tyler Reddick, +850
  • Kyle Busch, +1000
  • William Byron, +1000
  • Christopher Bell, +1100
  • Ross Chastain, +1100
  • Chase Elliott, +1100
  • Kevin Harvick, +1300
  • Joey Logano, +1300
  • Ryan Blaney, +2200
  • Bubba Wallace, +3500
  • Brad Keselowski, +4000
  • Erik Jones, +6000

Darlington paint schemes for NASCAR throwback weekend 2023

Every year, NASCAR holds its Throwback Weekend at Darlington. “The Lady in Black” is one of NASCAR’s oldest tracks, having first hosted a Cup race in 1950. For the throwback festivities, most teams will run an old-school paint scheme. 

Here’s all the throwback designs for 2023:

Trackhouse Racing

  • Ross Chastain: 2001-03 Dale Jarrett, UPS car
  • Daniel Suarez: 1988-89 Ricky Rudd, Quaker State car

Team Penske

  • Ryan Blaney: 1990s Dave Blaney, dirt-racing car design
  • Joey Logano: 1973 Mark Donohue, first NASCAR win for Team Penske

Stewart Haas Racing

  • Kevin Harvick: 2001 AOL car, Harvick’s planned debut scheme before he unexpectedly replaced the late Dale Earnhardt
  • Aric Almirola: 2001 Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daytona July race win
  • Chase Briscoe: 2000 Tony Stewart, Turkey Night Grand Prix win
  • Ryan Preece: 1998 Jeff Preece late model scheme

Hendrick Motorsports

  • Kyle Larson: 2009 Tony Stewart, HendrickCars.com Xfinity Series Daytona win
  • Chase Elliott: 2001-03 Bill Elliott, Dodge Dealers car
  • William Byron: 1998 Jeff Gordon, 50th NASCAR Anniversary car
  • Josh Berry: 2007 Kevin Hamlin, who is the No. 48 spotter

Joe Gibbs Racing

  • Denny Hamlin: 1973 Federal Express
  • Christopher Bell: 2003 Matt Kenseth, DeWalt championship car
  • Ty Gibbs: 1996 Bobby Labonte, Joe Gibbs Hall of Fame induction car

RFK Racing

  • Brad Keselowski: Classic Castrol GTX design
  • Chris Buescher: Matt Kenseth No. 17 old font

Spire Motorsports

  • Corey LaJoie: 1972 Don LaJoie
  • Ty Dillon: 1959 Joe Lee Johnson

Legacy Motor Club

  • Noah Gragson: 2014 Jimmie Johnson, Lowe’s Patriotic car
  • Erik Jones: 1968 Richard Petty, STP car

Rick Ware Racing

  • Ryan Newman: 2002 Mobil 1 car, Newman’s first Cup win

Wood Brothers Racing

  • Harrison Burton: 1999 Jeff Burton, Exide car

23XI Racing

  • Tyler Reddick: 2003 Kurt Busch, Rubbermaid car

JTG Daugherty Racing

  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 2001 Dale Jarrett, UPS car

Front Row Motorsports

  • Todd Gilliland: 1997 Elton Sawyer, Barbasol car

Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.

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