# 2019 Bojangles' Southern 500

The 2019 Bojangles' Southern 500, the 70th running of the event was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 1–2, 2019, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 367 laps on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped oval, it was the 25th race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

## Report
### Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

#### Entry list

* (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Sponsor or Throwback |
| 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | StarCom Fiber – Sterling Marlin's 2001 Coors Light scheme. |
| 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Chevrolet Accessories – Busch's personal 1969 Chevrolet Camaro inspired car |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | Miller – Rusty Wallace's 1996 car scheme |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | American Ethanol E15 – Scheme pays homage to grandfather and team owner Richard Childress' “Black Gold” car from the late 1970s. |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Busch Beer/Big Buck Hunter |
| 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Oscar Mayer/Velveeta – Mark Martin's 1993 Mountain Dew Southern 500 car |
| 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Caterpillar Inc. – Scheme inspired by the design of Caterpillar Inc. from its launch in 1925 until 1931 |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts – Father Bill Elliott's 1981 Southern 500 car where he claimed his first Cup pole. |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Smithfield Foods – Tony Stewart's 2002 championship The Home Depot car |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | FedEx – Darrell Waltrip's 1991-95 Western Auto car |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | Menards/Pennzoil – Michael Waltrip's 1991-95 car scheme |
| 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | GEICO |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 – Tony Stewart's 2011 championship Office Depot/Mobil 1 car |
| 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | Rim Ryderz |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Dog's Most Wanted |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Snickers – Bobby Hillin Jr.'s 1990 car scheme |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Bass Pro Shops – Truex's 2004 Xfinity Series car he drove for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Chance 2 Motorsports. |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Sport Clips – Jones' ASA Late Model Series scheme from his rookie season |
| 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Ford Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center – Team owner Glen Wood's 1957 Darlington inspired car |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | Shell Pennzoil – Kevin Harvick's 2007 Daytona 500 inspired car |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hendrick Autoguard/City Chevrolet – Days of Thunder protagonist Cole Trickle's #46 inspired car |
| 27 | Joe Nemechek (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | Low T Center – Nemechek's first Cup race since March 2015 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Driver throwback instead of a car throwback. |
| 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | Keen Parts/CorvetteParts.net – Dale Jarrett's 1990-91 Xfinity Series Nestlé Crunch car |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Dockside Logistics – Jimmy Means' powder blue Alka-Seltzer scheme from the late 1980s and early 1990s. |
| 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Tifft Family – Tifft's car is based on a Dirt Late Model car his father owned, which was driven by David Hilliker. |
| 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | Kroger Fast Lane to Flavor |
| 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Shriners Hospitals for Children – David Pearson’s 1969 championship inspired car |
| 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Automation – Tony Stewart's 2005 championship The Home Depot car |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Clover – Ricky Craven's 1995-96 Kodiak car |
| 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | Victory Junction 15th Anniversary – Adam Petty's 1999 Spree car. |
| 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | Kroger – Grandfather Ron Bouchard's 1984 Hawaiian Punch car. |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ally – Johnson's 1995 Trophy truck scheme |
| 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | Jacob Companies – Stroker Ace inspired car |
| 52 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | Jacob Companies – Bill Blair's 1953 inspired car |
| 54 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | ARQE.app – Lennie Pond's 1976 Pepsi scheme |
| 66 | Joey Gase (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | Page Construction |
| 77 | Reed Sorenson | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | Motor Racing Network – Scheme honors the 50th anniversary of the Motor Racing Network and the 11 radio affiliates that have broadcast NASCAR races since its inception in 1970. |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Axalta Coating Systems – Tim Richmond's 1986-1987 Folgers car. |
| 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | IMSA GTO – Tribute to the turbo-charged GTO Celicas that won the driver’s championship in the IMSA GTU (under three-liter) category in 1987 with Chris Cord. |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

Kurt Busch was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 28.714 seconds and a speed of 171.261 mph (275.618 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.714 | 171.261 |
| 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.808 | 170.703 |
| 3 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.916 | 170.065 |
| Official first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 29.125 seconds and a speed of 168.845 mph (271.730 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 29.125 | 168.845 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 29.139 | 168.764 |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.188 | 168.480 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

William Byron scored the pole for the race with a time of 28.510 and a speed of 172.487 mph (277.591 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time |
| 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.510 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 28.576 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.617 |
| 4 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.630 |
| 5 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.704 |
| 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.724 |
| 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 28.756 |
| 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.766 |
| 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.787 |
| 10 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 28.801 |
| 11 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.812 |
| 12 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 28.829 |
| 13 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.831 |
| 14 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.841 |
| 15 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.848 |
| 16 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.855 |
| 17 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 28.872 |
| 18 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.892 |
| 19 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 28.905 |
| 20 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 28.910 |
| 21 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.931 |
| 22 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.956 |
| 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.017 |
| 24 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 29.019 |
| 25 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 29.087 |
| 26 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.097 |
| 27 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 29.103 |
| 28 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.163 |
| 29 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 29.173 |
| 30 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.229 |
| 31 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.239 |
| 32 | 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.272 |
| 33 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.385 |
| 34 | 77 | Reed Sorenson | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.764 |
| 35 | 52 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 29.796 |
| 36 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 30.070 |
| 37 | 27 | Joe Nemechek (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.260 |
| 38 | 54 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 30.568 |
| 39 | 66 | Joey Gase (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 30.888 |
| Official qualifying results ||||||

## Race
### Stage results

Stage One Laps: 100
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 100
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final stage results

Stage Three Laps: 167
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 15 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 | 48 |
| 2 | 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 49 |
| 3 | 33 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 | 51 |
| 4 | 11 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 34 |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 367 | 38 |
| 6 | 13 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 36 |
| 7 | 4 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 49 |
| 8 | 19 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 367 | 29 |
| 9 | 17 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 367 | 28 |
| 10 | 14 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 27 |
| 11 | 5 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 26 |
| 12 | 12 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 25 |
| 13 | 10 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 366 | 24 |
| 14 | 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 366 | 26 |
| 15 | 22 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 366 | 24 |
| 16 | 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 366 | 34 |
| 17 | 30 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 366 | 20 |
| 18 | 16 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 365 | 19 |
| 19 | 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 365 | 23 |
| 20 | 29 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 365 | 17 |
| 21 | 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 365 | 19 |
| 22 | 20 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 365 | 15 |
| 23 | 24 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 365 | 14 |
| 24 | 28 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 365 | 13 |
| 25 | 25 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 364 | 0 |
| 26 | 26 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 363 | 11 |
| 27 | 32 | 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 362 | 10 |
| 28 | 31 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 361 | 0 |
| 29 | 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 356 | 22 |
| 30 | 34 | 77 | Reed Sorenson | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 355 | 7 |
| 31 | 37 | 27 | Joe Nemechek (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 354 | 0 |
| 32 | 35 | 52 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 352 | 0 |
| 33 | 21 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 351 | 4 |
| 34 | 39 | 66 | Joey Gase (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 349 | 0 |
| 35 | 38 | 54 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | CHevrolet | 344 | 0 |
| 36 | 27 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 330 | 1 |
| 37 | 18 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 274 | 1 |
| 38 | 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 274 | 1 |
| 39 | 36 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 13 among 8 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 7 for 35
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 3 hours, 44 minutes and 46 seconds
* Average speed: 133.825 miles per hour (215.370 km/h)

## Media
### Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, two–time Darlington winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were in the booth to call the race. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race. Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty also called a portion of the race as part of the Throwback Weekend.
NBCSN :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Throwback commentator: Dale Jarrett Throwback commentator: Kyle Petty | Dave Burns Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |

### Radio

The Motor Racing Network (MRN) called the race for radio, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Rusty Wallace called the action for MRN when the field raced down the front stretch. Dave Moody called the race from a Billboard outside of turn 1 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2, and Mike Bagley called the race atop of the Darlington Raceway Club outside of turn 3 when the field raced through turns 3 and 4. Winston Kelley, Steve Post, and Kim Coon called the action on pit road for MRN.
MRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley | Winston Kelley Steve Post Kim Coon |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Kyle Busch | 983 |
| | 2 | Joey Logano | 919 (–64) |
| | 3 | Denny Hamlin | 877 (–106) |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | 864 (–119) |
| 1 | 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 862 (–121) |
| | 6 | Brad Keselowski | 832 (–151) |
| 1 | 7 | Kurt Busch | 790 (–193) |
| 1 | 8 | Chase Elliott | 780 (–203) |
| 2 | 9 | Kyle Larson | 714 (–269) |
| 1 | 10 | Ryan Blaney | 710 (–273) |
| 1 | 11 | Alex Bowman | 694 (–289) |
| 2 | 12 | Erik Jones | 694 (–289) |
| 1 | 13 | William Byron | 683 (–300) |
| 1 | 14 | Aric Almirola | 674 (–309) |
| 2 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | 625 (–358) |
| | 16 | Daniel Suárez | 617 (–366) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Toyota | 917 |
| 2 | Ford | 883 (–34) |
| 3 | Chevrolet | 849 (–68) |