The 2019 Bojangles' Southern 500, the 70th running of the event was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 1-2, 2019, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 367 laps on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped oval, it was the 25th race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 25 of 36 in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 2019 Bojangles' Southern 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jeff Gordon, Harry Gant, and Bill Elliott | |||
| Date | September 1–2, 2019 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.666 km) | ||
| Average speed | 133.825 miles per hour (215.370 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 28.510 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 118 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 2.139 million[9] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2) and Mike Bagley (3 & 4) | ||
Report
editBackground
edit
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.
Entry list
edit- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editKurt Busch was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 28.714 seconds and a speed of 171.261 mph (275.618 km/h).[11]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.714 | 171.261 |
| 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.808 | 170.703 |
| 3 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.916 | 170.065 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
editRicky Stenhouse Jr. was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 29.125 seconds and a speed of 168.845 mph (271.730 km/h).[12]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 29.125 | 168.845 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 29.139 | 168.764 |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.188 | 168.480 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editWilliam Byron scored the pole for the race with a time of 28.510 and a speed of 172.487 mph (277.591 km/h).[13]
Qualifying results
editRace
editStage results
editStage One Laps: 100
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 100
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final stage results
editStage Three Laps: 167
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 | 48 |
| 2 | 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 49 |
| 3 | 33 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 | 51 |
| 4 | 11 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 34 |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 367 | 38 |
| 6 | 13 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 36 |
| 7 | 4 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 49 |
| 8 | 19 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 367 | 29 |
| 9 | 17 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 367 | 28 |
| 10 | 14 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 27 |
| 11 | 5 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 26 |
| 12 | 12 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 25 |
| 13 | 10 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 366 | 24 |
| 14 | 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 366 | 26 |
| 15 | 22 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 366 | 24 |
| 16 | 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 366 | 34 |
| 17 | 30 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 366 | 20 |
| 18 | 16 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 365 | 19 |
| 19 | 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 365 | 23 |
| 20 | 29 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 365 | 17 |
| 21 | 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 365 | 19 |
| 22 | 20 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 365 | 15 |
| 23 | 24 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 365 | 14 |
| 24 | 28 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 365 | 13 |
| 25 | 25 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 364 | 0 |
| 26 | 26 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 363 | 11 |
| 27 | 32 | 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 362 | 10 |
| 28 | 31 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 361 | 0 |
| 29 | 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 356 | 22 |
| 30 | 34 | 77 | Reed Sorenson | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 355 | 7 |
| 31 | 37 | 27 | Joe Nemechek (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 354 | 0 |
| 32 | 35 | 52 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 352 | 0 |
| 33 | 21 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 351 | 4 |
| 34 | 39 | 66 | Joey Gase (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 349 | 0 |
| 35 | 38 | 54 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | CHevrolet | 344 | 0 |
| 36 | 27 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 330 | 1 |
| 37 | 18 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 274 | 1 |
| 38 | 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 274 | 1 |
| 39 | 36 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
edit- Lead changes: 13 among 8 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 7 for 35
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 44 minutes and 46 seconds
- Average speed: 133.825 miles per hour (215.370 km/h)
Media
editTelevision
editNBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, two–time Darlington winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were in the booth to call the race. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race. Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty also called a portion of the race as part of the Throwback Weekend.
| NBCSN | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Throwback commentator: Dale Jarrett Throwback commentator: Kyle Petty |
Dave Burns Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
Radio
editThe Motor Racing Network (MRN) called the race for radio, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Rusty Wallace called the action for MRN when the field raced down the front stretch. Dave Moody called the race from a Billboard outside of turn 1 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2, and Mike Bagley called the race atop of the Darlington Raceway Club outside of turn 3 when the field raced through turns 3 and 4. Winston Kelley, Steve Post, and Kim Coon called the action on pit road for MRN.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace |
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley |
Winston Kelley Steve Post Kim Coon |
Standings after the race
edit
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "2019 schedule". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. May 5, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ "Darlington Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. August 31, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ "Bojangles' Southern 500 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 2, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. September 2, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ "2019 Bojangles' Southern 500 ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af McFadin, Daniel (August 28, 2019). "Retro Rundown 2019: Southern 500 paint schemes". NASCARTalk.com. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Utter, Jim (August 30, 2019). "Kurt Busch leads the way in first Darlington practice". Motorsport.com. Darlington, South Carolina: Motorsport Network. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ Utter, Jim (August 30, 2019). "Ricky Stenhouse Jr. tops Larson in final Darlington Cup practice". Motorsport.com. Darlington, South Carolina: Motorsport Network. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ Utter, Jim (August 31, 2019). "William Byron earns pole for the Southern 500 at Darlington". Motorsport.com. Darlington, South Carolina: Motorsport Network. Retrieved August 31, 2019.