Just one race stands between the Cup Series field and the 2024 Playoffs: Darlington. That means the heat is on for those NASCAR Ford drivers who haven’t yet secured a spot in the championship, and there’s a lot to keep an eye on this weekend as The Blue Oval heads to South Carolina.
First up, Wood Brothers Racing (WBR) is hot off its 100th victory compliments of Harrison Burton, who took the No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse to Victory Lane last weekend. WBR is now the eighth team in NASCAR history to boast 100 wins in the Cup Series, joining current NASCAR Ford team owners Roger Penske with 143 wins and Jack Roush with 142. Burton is also one of eight father-son duos to each win a Cup Series race, following in the footsteps of his father, Jeff Burton. Burton can breathe easy at Darlington now that he’s secured a spot in the Playoffs.
Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 6 Mustang, could sweep both Darlington races in 2024. He won the Southern 500 in 2018, and if he finds Victory Lane again this Sunday, he would be the decisive Darlington champion this year. It’s also worth noting that his win earlier this year marked the first for the new Mustang Dark Horse, and he snapped his own 110-race winless streak while he was at it.
While five NASCAR Ford drivers are locked into the Playoffs – Burton, Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, and Joey Logano – Chris Buescher is currently on the bubble. He’s come close to winning in 2024 in the No. 17 Mustang and has a decent chance of making it into the Playoffs on points, but one mishap at Darlington could jeopardize his championship bid. He’s just 21 points above the cutoff line as it stands.
“Darlington, you’re always racing the track,” Buescher said in a press release. “I love that racetrack. I love how difficult it is and what it makes you think of as a driver. For us, you will pay attention. If that’s the scenario we’re in, we’ll pay attention to where others are at, but you’ve got to race that racetrack first, run our own race, and make sure we don’t make mistakes.”
The green flag at Darlington is scheduled to drop on September 1st, 2024 at 6 p.m. ET.
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