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4 drivers to watch at NASCAR's throwback race in Darlington

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It's throwback weekend for NASCAR as the Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway for one of the fan-favorite events on the calendar.

Last year, Darlington was as much about attrition - both from crashes and mechanical failures - as it was about raw speed. The 2022 spring race had 24 lead changes, the most at Darlington since 2015. Expect multiple different drivers out front throughout the afternoon.

With nostalgic paint schemes and a hot, slick track, this weekend sets up for more incredible racing after a phenomenal event last Sunday at Kansas.

Here are four drivers to keep an eye on this weekend at The Track Too Tough to Tame.

Kyle Larson

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Throwback: Tony Stewart's 2009 HendrickCars.com scheme

Somehow, Larson has yet to win in the Cup Series at Darlington Raceway.

It certainly isn't for lack of trying. Larson had an absurd run of form at Darlington from 2016-21, finishing in the top three in a ridiculous five out of six races. Over the span, Larson led 653 laps, good for 31% of the laps completed.

The Lady in Black wasn't as kind to Larson in 2022. After qualifying second and leading 30 laps, engine troubles ended his day early in the spring race. Larson wasn't a factor in the fall, failing to lead a lap for just the third time in 10 career races at Darlington and finishing outside of the top 10.

Should Larson stay clean and avoid any issues, he'll likely have one of the fastest cars in the field Sunday. The No. 5 team has been superb on tracks under 1.5 miles in 2023. Larson finished runner-up at Phoenix before winning at Richmond and Martinsville. If not for being at the wrong place at the wrong time at Dover, he'd likely have another top-five finish to his name.

Success at Darlington last year was just as much about survival as it was about speed and performance. That's the challenge for Larson this weekend.

Martin Truex Jr.

James Gilbert / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Throwback scheme: None

Truex has emerged as a perennial contender at Darlington in recent years.

After dominating the 2021 spring race en route to victory and snagging a top-five result in the fall race, 2022 was much more heartbreaking for Truex. The 42-year-old crashed with 33 laps remaining in the spring race after restarting third, and he fell victim to an overheating issue while leading late in the fall.

If Truex's luck turns back in his favor, he'll be a legitimate contender Sunday in South Carolina.

Truex finally got the monkey off of his back two weeks ago at Dover, capturing his first points win since September 2021. With the weight of missed opportunities and the failure to make the 2022 postseason behind him, don't be surprised to see a rejuvenated and potent Truex in the coming weeks.

Joe Gibbs Racing was superb at Darlington in the fall, scoring four of the top-five fastest cars per median lap rank in the Southern 500. Should it bring that speed again, Truex will certainly be in the mix for the win.

William Byron

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Throwback: Jeff Gordon's 1998 50th Anniversary scheme

Byron was six turns away from winning at Darlington a year ago, but an aggressive bump and run from Joey Logano foiled things.

However, he's found another level in 2023. Byron's led over 100 laps three times (Vegas, Richmond, and Dover) and gone to victory lane twice (Vegas and Phoenix). All signs point to another strong weekend for the No. 24 crew as it looks for redemption at Darlington.

Byron's Darlington stats fly under the radar due to some back luck. He finished fifth in the 2020 Southern 500 and fourth in the 2021 spring race before crashing out in the 2021 Southern 500. He was in line for at least a top-two finish in last year's spring race prior to Logano putting him into the fence.

In the 2022 fall race, Byron led 50 laps and had the sixth-fastest median lap rank en route to an eighth-place finish.

With budding confidence on the heels of an excellent opening third of the campaign and speed here a year ago, Byron is a serious threat to be the first Hendrick Motorsports driver in over a decade to win at Darlington.

Christopher Bell

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Throwback: Matt Kenseth's Dewalt scheme

Smooth and steady is the name of the game at Darlington, which also happens to describe much of Bell's first 12 races of 2023.

Bell has crashed out of three races this year - Fontana, Circuit of the Americas, and Kansas. But he's finished in the top 10 in eight of the other nine events, including a win at Bristol Dirt.

Darlington hasn't been kind to Bell in his Cup Series career, as he has yet to lead more than 10 laps in a race there. However, the tide is undoubtedly turning after an under-the-radar showing in 2022.

Bell qualified third and finished sixth in the spring race before starting second in the Southern 500 and snagging a fifth-place spot in the fall. The results were his first top-10 and top-five finishes in the Cup Series at Darlington.

That upward trajectory, combined with the consistent speed all season long from the No. 20 team, makes Bell an incredibly intriguing driver heading into the weekend.

Statistics from Auto Racing Analytics, FRCS, Racing Reference

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