Darlington Raceway Rich MARvelous Move of the Race

Goodyear 400

Throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway turned heads in more ways than one. Per usual, fans were treated to numerous, fantastic paint schemes that honored the greats of the sport. Additionally, after drivers caught up to Stage 1 winner, Martin Truex, Jr., there was quite a bit of old-school beatin’ and bangin’.

Or, as one Pit Pass Network staff member remarked, a lot of “bonehead moves.”

Without a doubt, the highlight for the PPN staff was Carl Edwards joining the broadcast during Stage 2. Kudos to NASCAR for bringing the fan favorite to the booth for a portion of the race!

However, when it came to a single move that would be deemed the Rich MARvelous Move of the Race, for once, PPN members were left speechless.

Rich MARvelous {Spotlights} of the Race

With that being said, this week, we will take a detour from the normal and highlight some notable finishes that turned heads better than certain ‘bonehead moves.’

• Brad Keselowski – P4
  • This was Keselowski’s first top-five finish of the season outside of superspeedway races. RFK Racing is definitely righting the ship and it will be exciting to see the famed organization get that first win with a new owner at the helm.

    

• Harrison Burton – P6
  • Before the final restart, many of us thought Harrison was going to clinch win number 100 for the historic Wood Brothers Racing team. That win still lurks, but Burton’s finish at Darlington was his first top-10 of 2023.
• Justin Haley – P8
  • Haley has a knack for quietly sneaking his way into situations. For the Goodyear 400, the Kaulig Racing driver qualified P22 and battled back from being lapped to finish in the top 10 for the third time this season.

    

• Chris Buescher – P10
  • The driver of the No. 17 for RFK Racing is another that sneaks into situations. Starting from P27, Buescher was there at the end, fighting for that P10 finish, snagging it from fellow-Ford driver, Todd Gilliland.

    

• Todd Gilliland – P11
  • The big one struck and Gilliland was collected in it. However, that didn’t stop the No. 38 team from battling hard. His crew went to work and got him back on track in P20. Todd took it from there and he was door-to-door with Buescher in NASCAR Overtime, fighting for that top-10 spot.

    

2023 Throwback Schemes of the Race

Since we had to vote on something, we went for our favorite schemes. After the virtual polls closed, there was a common theme amongst the PPN staff.

• Play ball! Jane Waldrop, Terra Jones, and Griffin Fuller each mentioned Aric Almirola’s throwback to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. as their favorite.

• Sometimes you can’t just pick one. Griffin Fuller couldn’t. He, along with Daniel Smith, loved the No. 99 throwback scheme. Daniel Suarez sported this beauty in honor of Ricky Rudd.

• There were votes from Tiffany Faw, Gregory Latham, and Mark Matthews for Harrison Burton’s throwback to Jeff Burton’s car.

• Jane Waldrop also voted for race winner, William Bryon’s throwback to Jeff Gordon.

• Griffin Fuller also wanted to give a special shoutout to the Spire Motorsports cars of Corey LaJoie and Ty Dillon who threw it back to LaJoie’s grandfather, Don JaJoie and Joe Lee Johnson, respectively.

Now it’s your turn! Let us know your favorite throwback scheme as well as your vote for Rich MARvelous Move of the Race.

Pit Pass Network would like to extend a huge thank you to Rich Mar Florist for their partnership in the Rich MARvelous Move of the race! Be sure to check out their website for all your floral needs. Follow them on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and stay up-to-date with all the Team Rich Mar NASCAR happenings.