Drivers hit high banks at Darlington during tire test
Despite getting a late start because of inclement weather, Darlington Raceway’s Goodyear tire test was a success, featuring several of NASCAR’s top stars hitting the high banks at the track dubbed “Too Tough To Tame.”
Hundreds of race fans showed up to see Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson and Ryan Newman drive their race cars at Darlington, many of them excited for the upcoming Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Sept. 3.
“It was a good test day for us,” said Jones, driver of the No. 77 Toyota Camry. “We learned some things and feel like Goodyear has a good tire for Darlington. We’re excited to be racing in our first Bojangles’ Southern 500 in September.
“We had a good finish (sixth) in my only start here in the 2016 XFINITY Series race, so it will be fun to see what happens in my first Cup start at this tough, historic track.”
All four drivers testing have never won a NASCAR Cup Series race at the Lady in Black. Larson has finished third (2016) and 10th (2015) in his past two Cup starts at Darlington. Keselowski finished second in the 2015 Bojangles’ Southern 500.
This story was originally published July 18, 2017 at 7:10 PM.