NASCAR Cup Series

Darlington calls for a knuckle down approach

Published May. 6, 2010 8:08 a.m. ET

Larry McReynolds

The thing I love about Darlington is it's a fun race no matter if you're a driver, a crew chief, a fan in the stands or tuned into our NASCAR on FOX broadcast, because Darlington's the most unique, challenging race track we go to each year.

When they built the Lady in Black all those decades ago, no one could have envisioned the speeds these cars reach here now. When they first raced here, some guys would race and not even get up on the banking. One driver put it best, saying they run on a 1.3 mile track, but they reach speeds seen on a 1.5 and two-mile tracks.

Darlington's never been a very forgiving race track. You race the elements here like no other. I promise you all 43 cars will have a mark on them from either a competitor or a wall. Racing here's like walking on a tightrope. Every corner of the track is just so challenging.

Darlington's hard enough to get around by yourself. Things get tense when you're sliding around on old tires with 42 other cars. I believe we'll see a new 2010 winner Saturday night. My short list for winners include Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Jeff Burton.

I don't care if it's an old car, new car, wing or spoiler, because Darlington's still Darlington. Your driver has to understand the place. Your driver has to respect the place. This is why the veterans do well. They have a better appreciation of how complex the track is. The veterans clearly understand you can't win in the first 50, 100, 150, or 200 laps. It's going to take all 367 laps and close to four hours of racing if you're going to seal the deal.

Kyle Busch comes into Darlington on a roll. He runs well at Darlington too. He ran well at Phoenix. Richmond's very similar to Phoenix, and the fact they brought the same tires, it didn't surprise me to see him win last Saturday night.

If you watched Kyle's post-race interviews, it's clear he puts a lot of faith in his new crew chief Dave Rodgers. I think it's taken them a few races from last year and 10 races this season to get in sync. Trust me, when a driver and a crew chief believe in each other 100 percent, success is sure to follow.

I still believe we'll have a first time 2010 winner Saturday night. That being said, you really can't discount that No. 18 car. Remember, he won the race here two years ago. Now, Kyle and Dave have their first Cup win together. I believe it's the first of many. You don't want to bet against them Saturday night.