0
Career wins for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 22 starts at Darlington. He was 22nd in Sunday’s race. Dale Earnhardt Sr., by comparison had nine.
1
Lap led for Martin Truex Jr. with Furniture Row Racing throughout the entire 2014 season. Less than three years later, he officially clinched one regular season points championship with the team at Darlington (where he ran eighth).
2
Career Southern 500 victories for Denny Hamlin. The other came in 2010. His 5.8 average finish at the track leads all active drivers.
2
Straight top-five finishes for Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch for the first time this season. He was third at Darlington.
3
Separation between Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth, and Jamie McMurray in the Cup Series point standings. These are the three winless drivers who will make the playoffs unless someone currently outside playoff position wins Richmond.
3
Straight wins in the Southern 500 by Toyota. Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., and Denny Hamlin have won it the last three years.
4
DNFs this season for Cody Ware in four starts driving for his dad in the No. 51 Cup Series Chevrolet.
5
Straight top-10 finishes for Erik Jones (fifth at Darlington). The streak has allowed him to take the lead in the Rookie of the Year race over Daniel Suarez.
5
Straight top-10 finishes for Kyle Busch (second at Darlington). That’s a season high.
6
Wins for Toyota in the last eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
6
Top-10 finishes in the last seven races for Matt Kenseth, all of it after it was made official he would not return to the No. 20 Toyota in 2018.
8
Cars that finished on the lead lap at Darlington.
About the author
The author of Did You Notice? (Wednesdays) Tom spends his time overseeing Frontstretch’s 40+ staff members as its majority owner and Editor-in-Chief. Based outside Philadelphia, Bowles is a two-time Emmy winner in NASCAR television and has worked in racing production with FOX, TNT, and ESPN while appearing on-air for SIRIUS XM Radio and FOX Sports 1's former show, the Crowd Goes Wild. He most recently consulted with SRX Racing, helping manage cutting-edge technology and graphics that appeared on their CBS broadcasts during 2021 and 2022.
You can find Tom’s writing here, at CBSSports.com and Athlonsports.com, where he’s been an editorial consultant for the annual racing magazine for 15 years.
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