The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series is on to the 12th race of the year, as the 2021 Goodyear 400 awaits us all this coming Sunday at Darlington Raceway. The likes of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. are going to attract the attention of most, but let’s not forget about the other drivers with sneaky good chances to surprise in South Carolina. Check out three of these sleepers below.
Erik Jones didn’t have the best of weekends as he remains winless after fishing just 25th at the 2021 Buschy McBusch Race 400. Before that, he went just 27th at the 2021 GEICO 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway. So, what would make you think that Jones has sleeper quality in him for the upcoming race? Here’s the thing: Jones owns the best average finish at Darlington Raceway among all active drivers. In six career starts there, he’s finished inside the top 5 four times and inside the top 10 six times for a 5.17 average finish. Jones has won there as well, finishing first at the 2019 Bojangles’ Southern 500.
Dillon is fresh off a 10th-place finish at the Kansas Speedway last Sunday, extending his streak of top 10s to three starts. He finished eighth at the GEICO 500 and 10th at the TOYOTA OWNERS 400. Indeed, Dillon is on a groove right now, and his streak could continue this coming Sunday at Darlington Raceway, where he’s always performed well. Dillon has a couple of top 5s and three top 10s in nine career starts at Darlington Raceway for a career average finish of 12.00. On the season, Dillon has made the top 5 once and the top 10 five times in 10 starts.
Speaking of drivers on a groove, Reddick is exactly that. The Team Richard Childress Racing driver has finished seventh in each of his last two starts and has cracked the top 10 in four of his last five starts overall. His best finish in three starts at Darlington Raceway was also seventh back in 2020’s Real Heroes 400.
