Drivers to watch during Sunday’s Cup race at Darlington

NASCAR returns to Darlington Raceway for a Sunday afternoon race (3 p.m. ET on FS1).

This race caps NASCAR’s Throwback Weekend, the annual celebration of racing history. This is the first of two races at Darlington this season.

Kyle Larson maintains No. 1 spot in NASCAR Power Rankings after Kansas win

The Kansas weekend featured NASCAR’s closest Cup finish.

• John Newby,

• John Newby,

Here is a look at the drivers to keep an eye on during Sunday’s race

FRONTRUNNERS

Denny Hamlin

Points position: 4th

Best finish this season: 1st (Bristol I, Richmond I, Dover)

2024 stats: Three wins, four top-five finishes and five top 10s. An average finish of 13.4 with 606 laps led.

Past at Darlington: Twenty-three starts with four wins, 12 top-five finishes and 16 top 10s. Hamlin has led 978 laps at Darlington.

Kyle Larson

Points position: 1st

Best finish this season: 1st (Las Vegas I, Kansas I)

2024 stats: Two wins, six top-five finishes and six top 10s. A series-best 634 laps led and an average finish of 10.8.

Past at Darlington: Twelve starts with one win, six top-five finishes and eight top 10s. He has led 770 laps at Darlington. Larson won last season’s playoff race at Darlington.

NASCAR’s closest finishes in Next Gen era

Kansas victor Kyle Larson has won more closes finishes in Cup since 2022 than any other series driver.

• Dustin Long,

• Dustin Long,

William Byron

Points position: 7th

Best finish this season: 1st (Daytona 500, Circuit of the Americas, Martinsville I)

2024 stats: Three wins, four top-five finishes and seven top 10s. An average finish of 13.0 with 185 laps led.

Past at Darlington: Thirteen starts with one win, four top-five finishes, five top 10s and seven DNFs. Byron leads all Cup drivers with 898 laps run in the top five at Darlington in the Next Gen car. He leads all drivers with 1,083 laps in the top 10 at Darlington in Next Gen.

Erik Jones

Points position: 27th

Best finish this season: 8th (Daytona 500)

2024 stats: An average finish of 21.0 with one top-10 finish. Two races missed due to injury.

Past at Darlington: Twelve starts with two wins, five top-five finishes and eight top 10s. An average finish of 11.8.

Michael McDowell to drive for Spire Motorsports in 2025

Michael McDowell will join Spire after having been with Front Row Motorsports since 2018.

• Dustin Long,

• Dustin Long,

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

Ryan Blaney

Points position: 6th

Best finish this season: 2nd (Atlanta I)

2024 stats: Four top-five finishes, five top 10s and an average finish of 13.7. Blaney has led 122 laps.

Past at Darlington: Fourteen starts with three top-10 finishes and an average finish of 17.2. Blaney has led only 21 laps at Darlington.

Ross Chastain

Points position: 10th

Best finish this season: 4th (Las Vegas I)

2024 stats: One top-five finish, four top 10s and an average finish of 13.8. Chastain has led 108 laps.

Past at Darlington: Nine starts with two top-five finishes and two top 10s. Chastain has one top-five finish and three finishes of 20th or worse at Darlington in the Next Gen era.

Joey Logano

Points position: 17th

Best finish this season: 2nd (Richmond I)

2024 stats: One top-five finish, three top 10s and an average finish of 18.7. Logano has led 199 laps.

Past at Darlington: Twenty starts with one win, six top-five finishes and 10 top 10s. Logano finished first and fourth at Darlington in 2022. He finished 18th and 12th in last season’s races at Darlington.

Alex Bowman

Points position: 9th

Best finish this season: 2nd (Daytona 500)

2024 stats: Four top-five finishes, seven top 10s and an average finish of 13.1.

Past at Darlington: Twelve starts with one top-five finish and three top 10s. An average finish of 19.6. Bowman has one top 10 and two DNFs in three Next Gen starts at Darlington. He missed last spring’s race at Darlington due to injury.