5 Drivers who Struggle at Darlington

DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 03: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Moen Ford, walks the grid in preparation to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 03, 2022 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Joshua Lipowski

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Yesterday, we took at a look at five drivers who dominate at Darlington. Today, we look at the opposite end of the spectrum. The “Lady in Black” is one of the toughest race tracks in NASCAR, and these five drivers have struggled to get a handle on the track.

Chris Buescher

By the Numbers: 11 races; 0 wins; 0 top-5s; 2 top-10s; 1 lap led; 18.2 avg. finish; 1 DNF

Breakdown: Buescher has had a couple of solid showings at Darlington, but aside from that, it has been a troublesome track. Five of the last eight races for Buescher have been finishes outside of the top-20. With RFK Racing potentially being on the upswing, maybe this is the weekend Buescher begins to turn it around.

Aric Almirola

By the Numbers: 15 races; 0 wins; 0 top-5s; 2 top-10s; 0 laps led; 17.3 avg. finish; 2 DNFs

Breakdown: Without a top-five or a lap led at Darlington, the track is not somewhere that Aric Almirola tends to enjoy. His best finish there was seventh, coming in the midweek May race during the height of the pandemic in 2020. Aside from that, there is just not much Almirola has done either good or bad, with only two DNFs.

Ryan Blaney

By the Numbers: 11 races; 0 wins; 0 top-5s; 1 top-10s; 17 laps led; 18.6 avg. finish; 0 DNFs

Breakdown: Only one top-ten while driving primarily Penske equipment is not something to smile about. Blaney has been running at the finish of every race at Darlington, but his best finish is merely eighth. He does qualify relatively well there, however, with an average start of 10.3.

Bubba Wallace

By the Numbers: 9 races; 0 wins; 0 top-5s; 1 top-10; 7 laps led; 22.6 avg. finish; 2 DNFs

Breakdown: Of the nine Darlington races Wallace has competed in, seven of them have been finishes outside of the top-20. However, last year he did have his best race at Darlington with a ninth place finish in the Southern 500. Maybe he is going to start to turn it around.

Daniel Suarez

By the Numbers: 10 races; 0 wins; 0 top-5s; 1 top-10; 1 lap led; 21.9 avg. finish; 1 DNF

Breakdown: Daniel Suarez has yet to finish in the single digits at Darlington in his career. He also only has two top-ten stage finishes at Darlington in his career as well, meaning that he is rarely near the front at Darlington either. This is just not a place where Suarez finds a lot of success.