NASCAR at Darlington delivered a top-notch racing product once again this past weekend. We saw some ambitious moves, a cold streak snapped, and new faces running at the front of the line. The track that was too tough to tame gave racing fans a product worth watching. And now it’s time for the weekly “Three Up, Three Down”. Let’s discuss which drivers showed up and showed out, and which drivers fell short of expectations this past weekend.
Three Up
#4 Josh Berry
Embed from Getty ImagesHell of a race for Josh Berry, his first top-three finish in the NASCAR Cup Series, in his rookie season at the top level. Stewart-Haas has been the best Ford team in the Cup Series. It’s hard to deny it with two drivers seemingly within the top 10 at any racetrack. In this race, it was Briscoe and Berry. In the past weeks, Noah Gragson has been the top-end car. But a top-three finish always deserves recognition, especially after starting P33. This SHR team deserves all they’re getting. This marks Berry’s first top-ten finish on the season. Here’s to hoping he builds this momentum into a string of great performances and brings the #4 car to victory lane.
#6 Brad Keselowski
Embed from Getty ImagesWhat’s there to say about what this race meant to that #6 car? His first win in 110 races, his first win as an owner of the team he races for. It also puts Ford into victory lane for the first time all season. This could be the epic turnaround the manufacturer needs to build momentum in the second half of the season. Unfortunately, this win came at the cost of his employee and teammate Chris Buescher being victim to somebody we’ll talk about in a second. But this is a huge day for Keselowski, Ford, RFK, and NASCAR as they finally have all three manufacturers locked into the playoffs.
#51 Justin Haley
Embed from Getty ImagesIs that a Rick Ware Racing car inside the top ten? Yep, your eyes don’t deceive you. Justin Haley took the 51 car right to P9 at Darlington after starting P28 at the start of the race. This is the team’s first-ever top-10 finish in a non-super speedway, where they finished P9. This is probably the last time RWR sees the top ten of a NASCAR race for a while, so it’s best to give them their flowers while we can.
Three Down
#8 Kyle Busch
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was a pretty rough weekend for Rowdy and the Kyle Busch fans at Darlington. Busch wrecked at the truck race and in the Cup Series race it just wasn’t up to par for what we expect of the two-time champion. To be frank, 2024 hasn’t been up to par. We’ll see how it looks for KFB when they load up for a crowned jewel race at the Coke 600 after the all-star weekend.
#19 Martin Truex Jr
Embed from Getty ImagesThe difference between me and my boss, Chris? When Chris fades a guy, it usually works out for him. The guys I fade in our weekly NASCAR pieces, usually finish pretty well, like Ty Gibbs who was P2. Anyways, Truex didn’t deliver at a track that is usually great to those with experience. P25 after starting P10 and collecting just five stage points isn’t great. Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell faced similar struggles, so it’s not the end of the world. But Truex is still searching for that first win of the year, and we’re about halfway through the season.
#45 Tyler Reddick
Embed from Getty ImagesSorry Tyler Reddick fans, he’ll be the victim of this week’s tongue-lashing for the down of the week. What the hell was he thinking? For those unaware or need to be reminded of what happened, here’s how he cost himself and Chris Buescher a potential race win at Darlington on Sunday:
The conversation between Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher. #NASCAR #RaceHub pic.twitter.com/JJEv4Z2MiZ
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 14, 2024
Reddick didn’t create a whole lot of new fans this past weekend. Not only did he cost himself a potential win, trying to make a pass he probably would’ve had in a few laps. He also cost #17 Chris Buescher a chance as well. A car that needed a win even more desperately than he needed, as Reddick won at Talladega earlier this season. It’s an example of poor racing etiquette. But at the very least, Reddick knew he was wrong. He’ll have to watch out for payback this year, and maybe people racing him harder than he’s used to.
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