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According to iFantasyrace.com, no rookie has ever won their first career start at Darlington Raceway. In 1961, Nelson Stacy won in his second career Sprint Cup Series start at the track they say is “too tough to tame,” and that is the earliest a rookie has won at Darlington.
Why is Darlington so difficult? Former Darlington winner Ricky Craven said the track wears your tires and it requires you to be fundamentally sound. Craven said drivers must focus on “hitting their marks”. The preferred line is along side the wall. One mistake, and you’re in the wall. If you drive too hard, you’ll total your car. And what are rookies known for? Being over-aggressive.
Seven drivers will be making their NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Darlington, and 10 drivers making their first Nationwide Series start at the egg-shaped South Carolina track. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson proved this season that they are fast learners? In fact, they have won the last two Nationwide Series races. Their competition was not easy either. They were able to fend off the likes of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Matt Kenseth. Could we see an end to this rookie curse? After all, there is a first time for everything.
Correction: Nelson Stacy won in 1961. It was mistakenly printed as 1966 in an earlier version of this post.
The Pace Car 