FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, September 4th, 2016
NOTES AND QUOTES FROM NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RACING COVERAGE FROM DARLINGTON RACEWAY ON NBC
Race winner Martin Truex Jr. in Victory Lane: “Tonight we weren’t the best car for once, and we actually won, so that was really cool.”
Runner-up Kevin Harvick on his Team’s Issues on Pit Road: “Same old thing… The guys in the shop and the guys in the garage are doing a great job, and the guys on pit road are doing a terrible job.”
Darlington, S.C. — September 4, 2016 — NBC presented NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing in primetime from Darlington Raceway this evening. Marking the second annual “throwback” celebration at the Bojangles’ Southern 500, tonight’s festivities at “The Lady in Black” honored the look, sound and style of 1975-1984.
Sunday’s #NASCARThrowback festivities began with NASCAR America Sunday on NBCSN, hosted by Krista Voda, alongside analysts Kyle Petty and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett. At 6 p.m. ET, coverage shifted to NBC, where lead race announcer Rick Allen, 21-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winner Jeff Burton and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte handled the action. Reporters Nate Ryan, Rutledge Wood, Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Mike Massaro and Dave Burns contributed throughout the broadcast.
After the conclusion of 367 grueling laps at “The Track Too Tough To Tame,” Martin Truex Jr. took the checkered flag and secured one of NASCAR’s crown jewels with his first Southern 500 victory.
The following are highlights from today’s Sprint Cup race coverage on NBC.
| Position | Driver | Car # |
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 78 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 4 |
| 3 | Kyle Larson | 42 |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | 11 |
| 5 | Joe Logano | 22 |
The following are highlights from today’s Sprint Cup race coverage on NBC.
Race winner Martin Truex Jr. to Burns in victory lane: “I knew when the bad luck stopped that we would start racking them off. Tonight we weren’t the best car for once, and we actually won, so that was really cool. I couldn’t be more excited to get a win here at Darlington. The Southern 500… I’ve been wanting to win this thing for long time.”
Runner-up Kevin Harvick to Snider about the issues his team faced on pit road: “Same old thing… The guys in the shop and the guys in the garage are doing a great job, and the guys on pit road are doing a terrible job. You get in a position to win races and they continually step on their toes and don’t make it happen.”
With 4 laps to go, Letarte on race leader Martin Truex Jr.: “When you talk about the crown jewels of NASCAR, Martin Truex Jr. was heartbroken after finishing second at the Daytona 500. He then came back and dominated the Coke 600, and now here he is in the lead with four laps to go at the Southern 500. But he has been plagued with issues this year. Fast race cars, but small mistakes and issues have cost him. Let’s see if they can close it out here in the final laps.”
With 28 laps to go, Allen on current race leader Ryan Newman: “What have we said numerous times about Ryan Newman? He is one of the toughest drivers guys on the track to pass.”
Steve Letarte added: “I’ll go ahead and say that he is the toughest. Ryan Newman does a great job of not making mistakes, protecting his position and making himself very difficult to pass.”
During a yellow-flag pit stop with 48 laps to go, Burton offered: “Obviously, you want to exit pit road with the lead, but if that is not possible, you may see some games here as I believe drivers would rather exit third as opposed to second. That is because we’ve seen all night that the inside line is the preferred line when launching in the restart zone.”
Tony Stewart’s final start at Darlington ended earlier than planned, as his engine seized within the final 50 laps. Upon exiting the car, NBC’s Mike Massaro interviewed him
Massaro: “Earlier in the race, you had a little incident with Brian Scott. What happened there?”
Stewart: (Smiles) “He wrecked.”
After Jimmie Johnson spun around, drawing a caution flag at Lap 214, Letarte said: “Do you want to know how challenging Darlington Raceway is? That is a six-time champion who just flat-out lost control of his race car.”
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
