NASCAR returns as Real Heroes 400 kicks off seven-race stretch in May

“Drivers, start your engines!”

After more than two months off because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR will return Sunday to Darlington Raceway in South Carolina with The Real Heroes 400.

The season resumes with 400 miles around the “Track Too Tough to Tame”, kicking off a packed seven-race schedule in May, split between Darlington and the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina.

Sunday’s Cup Series event will be held without fans in attendance.

The historic South Carolina track will also host a 200-mile Xfinity Series event Tuesday night under the lights and a second Cup Series race, this one 500 km, Wednesday night before NASCAR heads north to Charlotte.

Next up is the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600, in its traditional American Memorial Weekend slot on the NASCAR calendar, Sunday, May 24, for the 60th consecutive season.

The longest race on the NASCAR schedule will be followed by an Xfinity Series race May 26, Gander Trucks Series race May 27, and a second Cup Series race, and fourth of the month, on May 28 –all under the lights – to close out the action in May.

So then, where’d we leave off?

Team Penske’s Joey Logano took the checkered flag at the last race before the break in action at the FanShield 500 in Phoenix on March 8. Logano also won the second points race of the season in Las Vegas and sits second in the Cup Series standings behind only Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick.

Nineteen-year-old rookie Harrison Burton of Joe Gibbs Racing leads the standings in the Xfinity Series, NASCAR’s minor league circuit, after winning the Production Alliance Group 300 in California and finishing second at Daytona and Phoenix.

And Austin Hill tops the Gander Trucks Series standings after just two races, placing sixth at Daytona and third in Las Vegas.

Cup Series Drivers to Watch

Kevin Harvick – The 2014 Cup Series champion leads the series with 164 points after four Top 10 finishes through four races, including second at Phoenix.

Joey Logano – The 2018 Cup Series champ was hot before the season was put on pause due to COVID-19, winning in Phoenix and taking two of the first four points races.

Jimmie Johnson – One of the most decorated racers in NASCAR history, Johnson is tied for the most Cup Series championships ever with seven. The legend is retiring after the 2020 season.

Kyle Busch – Busch is the most recent Cup Series champion, earning his second title last year, and has arguably the coolest livery in the field with his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota.

William Byron – Byron is a far way down in the Cup Series standings but was a wiz on iRacing, winning three of the seven races in the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series held during the break from action.

Denny Hamlin – Hamlin also impressed in iRacing, winning two virtual races over the break, and also took the checkered flag at the Daytona 500 to kick off the 2020 season.

Ryan Newman – Newman missed three races after a fiery crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500 left him hospitalized with serious but non-life threatening injuries. He’s fully recovered and ready to return with the rest of the field…So let’s go racing!