Is this the week we see the Real Roush Fenway Racing?

May 5, 9:13 PMDetroit NASCAR ExaminerJosh Lobdell

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Darlington The Lady In Black NASCAR Media Group

Darlington, South Carolina, the track too tough to tame, may finally let us take a glimpse into the dominance of the Roush Fenway racing driver lineup. Although there are at least two Hendrick cars, and two Joe Gibbs cars that will look to earn a NASCAR Crown Jewel victory.

Winning a race at Darlington is a lot like winning a night race at Bristol, any NASCAR racers resume is somewhat diminished without posting a Darlington victory.

When I think of Darlington I immediately think of Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton. I remember their duel in the 1997 version of the real Southern 500 on Labor day weekend. Both of these drivers could run away with a victory but one is hot (Gordon) and one not so much (Burton).

In more recent times I think about Greg Biffle and Denny Hamlin. It seems that these two drivers are the ones who can win here. Granted Biffle’s average finish here is 29th since 2007 but that number is skewed by an engine failure in last year’s contest.

Hamlin on the other hand has an average finish of 6.3 in three races here at the lady in black. If he and his crew can put a complete race together they will surely be in line for a race win.

I think this is going to end up being a Hendrick, #24 & #48, versus Roush, #99, #17, &#16 all battling #18 Kyle Busch. Sure Kyle won this race last year, but Biffle had the best car. The big minus on Busch here is this is not a track that will forgive his driving style. All of nothing puts on a great show for the fans, but Darlington is very unforgiving.

When it comes to a dark horse Darlington pick, this job get a lot harder. I would place Dale Junior in that category since there is clearly something amiss with his team. Junior has a good record here, but the chemistry on his team is off. That may mean it is time for Hendrick to adjust that team somehow. Maybe a move short of breaking up Junior and Tony Eury Jr. is what is needed to right that ship.

Another strong dark horse pick here is David Ragan. David broke though with his first Nationwide series victory at Talladega and a cup win is soon to follow. In two races at Darlington he has an average finish of 16th on the strength of last year’s 5th place finish.

With all that being said here is my Darlington Power Rankings:

1. #16 Greg Biffle
2. #24 Jeff Gordon
3. #48 Jimmie Johnson
4. #18 Kyle Busch
5. #11 Denny Hamlin
6. #17 Matt Kenseth
7. #14 Tony Stewart
8. #99 Carl Edwards
9. #5 Mark Martin
10. #31 Jeff Burton