By Jared Turner Toyota drivers have now gone to Victory Lane in six of the past eight Monster Energy Series races. Drivers aligned with the Japanese manufacturer were particularly stout over the weekend at Darlington where they accounted for five of the top eight finishing positions. As it stands now, five of Toyota’s six drivers are in position to qualify for the 16-driver playoffs, which begin September 17 at Chicagoland. Denny Hamlin, whose No. 11 Toyota scored a huge victory at Darlington, is optimistic about what remainder of the season holds as he chases his first premier series championship. “I know ‘Coach’…

By Jared Turner NASCAR’s third annual “Throwback” weekend at Darlington was a major hit, with drivers, crew members and even race announcers going retro. From mustaches to old-school paint schemes and uniforms, the “throwback” concept that first originated in 2015 continues to be embraced in a big way by virtually the entire NASCAR community. And Darlington, arguably NASCAR’s most fabled and tradition-rich track, continues to be the perfect host for such an event. “What’s so special about this weekend in Darlington is being able to pay tribute to all of our heroes that paved the way for all of us to have…

By Jared Turner Despite finishing a disappointing eighth at Darlington after winning the first two stages and leading in the closing laps, Martin Truex Jr. was able to take solace in clinching the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship a week early. The regular season championship, a new honor which goes to the driver and team with the most points at the conclusion of the first 26 races, carries with it a reward of 15 extra bonus points for the playoffs. For Truex, these points will be in addition to the vast sum of playoff points he’s amassed for…

By Jared Turner Thought all that could go wrong had gone wrong for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2017, his final season of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition? If so, well, you thought wrong. Making his last start at Darlington, a track where he’s never gone to Victory Lane, Earnhardt Jr. sputtered to a 22nd-place finish. To make matters worse, NASCAR discovered after the race that two lug nuts on his No. 88 Chevrolet were loose, which means a likely $20,000 fine and one-race suspension for crew chief Greg Ives. “[NASCAR] pulled me over because I’ve got some loose lug nuts on…

By Jared Turner It took Denny Hamlin 19 races to score his first win of 2017. Now, with his victory at Darlington, Hamlin has two wins in his past seven starts. Not a bad way to build momentum ahead of the playoffs, which commence in two weekends at Chicagoland Speedway. Not that Hamlin is any stranger to carrying momentum into the post-season, having finished the 2016 regular season with a victory at Richmond — where the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns this weekend. “This year is really no different,” Hamlin said. “I mean, we've been at this point before where we've…