Toyota 500
Wednesday May 20, 2020 6:00pm EST
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We head right back to Darlington Wednesday night for the Toyota 500k. I expect to see a few similarities from what we witnessed on Sunday, such as high tire wear and passing to be a challenge. Keep in mind, this is a night race and the temps will be cooler than what they were on Sunday. Also, this is a shorter race of 228 laps as opposed to 293 laps on Sunday. I expect more sense of urgency from the teams, and I hope we get another winner here at Darlington on Wednesday night.
Here are a 5 drivers to consider for the Toyota 500k at Darlington.
Kevin Harvick +350- Harvick is the outright favorite for the Toyota 500k on Wednesday night. Not surprising that Kevin won the first race here at Darlington on Sunday afternoon. Harvick lead 159 of the 293 laps on Sunday, and ran 77 fastest laps to boot. Harvick will start in the 20th position on Wednesday night, so he will have to make moves early to make it to the top spot. Harvick will be a popular pick for the Toyota 500k, and I wouldn’t hesitate putting some action on him.
Brad Keselowski +750- Brad finished 13th at Darlington back on Sunday. Brad was running top 5 and slid backwards in the final circuits on Sunday. I feel as if Brad’s team simply made a bad adjustment to the car at the end of the race on Sunday, and they will have that fixed for the upcoming race Wednesday night. On Sunday Brad led 80 laps, had 26 fastest laps, and ran all 293 laps in the top 15. Brad will start 8th on Wednesday night, and should be up front quickly.
Denny Hamlin +800- Denny finished 5th in the race on Sunday. Hamlin quietly had 3rd best quality pass percentage and had 14 fastest laps at Darlington on Sunday. Denny was very consistent here at Darlington on Sunday, as he ran all 293 laps in the top 15. Denny will start 16th on Wednesday night, and I think the he will continue to show speed for the race on Wednesday night.
Alex Bowman +900- Alex was very impressive back on Sunday here at Darlington, finishing 2nd. I was unsure if Bowman’s 2020 speed would be a factor at Darlington on Sunday, but that was solidified. Bowman was 2nd best in every stat category that I consider at back on Sunday. Alex will start the race on Wednesday night from the 19th starting spot. I expect Alex to make his way into the top 5 by the end of the first stage, and be in contention for the win on Wednesday night.
Kurt Busch +1400- Kurt is my longshot play for the Toyota 500k. Kurt finished 3rd on Sunday, and once again proved that he is a contender at Darlington. To be honest, Kurt was not that impressive in most of the statistic values back in Sunday’s race. However, Kurt’s experience and late race track position earned him a top 5 finish. Kurt will start 19th on Wednesday night, and he will once again need that experience to guide him to a win.