rain sprung up a surprise on September 1 as Erik Jones kept Busch at bay in Sourn 500 race in South Carolina and won race.  Erik Jones used every bit of stamina he h at Darlington Raceway. Few kw better than Jones effort it took to hold off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch and win rain-delayed Sourn 500. Hurricane Dorian's path figured in decision to continue race even as it hurtles towards US states of Florida and Georgia at manic speeds.

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"Mentally and physically drained"

“I’m mentally drained,” he said with a smile. “I’m physically drained.” Jones took le from Kyle Larson 85 laps from end and stayed in front of Busch rest of way to d a win at iconic Darlington Raceway with his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Daytona in July 2018. “It’s pretty crazy, right,” he said. “I’m t a hugely emotional guy, but to get a win here means a lot to me.” Some h wondered if 23-year-old Jones was soft spot in JGR powerhouse as Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. h all won four times apiece this season while Jones’ . 20 was winless.

“Is re anything more to say?” Jones asked as crowd cheered. t anymore. Jones’ victory means all four of Joe Gibbs’ drivers has taken checkered flag and are locked into NASCAR playoffs that start in two weeks. “It takes a lot to beat m,” Jones of his teammates. “Especially when you’re racing same equipment.” To have win come at Darlington me it even more special for Jones. “This is one of those races for me that has always held a special place. You think of NASCAR, you think of Darlington,” he said.

Highlights of Race

Larson was second, his third top-three finish at Darlington in past four years. He led 497 laps during that stretch, including 44 in this one. Busch, who started in back after swapping out an engine after qualifying, got up to Jones’ bumper near end. But he brushed wall on next-to-last lap and ended third. “We kind of lost control that pit stop where we came in leer and came out third,” Busch said. “I thought if we could keep in touch with (Jones and Larson), keep close to m, we might be able to out-pit ro m at end of race. We got by one of m, but t or one. But overall, good day.”

Busch clinched regular-season points le. Kevin Harvick was fourth and Br Keselowski was fifth. Clint Bowyer was sixth followed by winner of opening st, Kurt Busch, Matt DiBenedetto, Paul Menard, and Austin Dillon. Jimmie Johnson me some heway on his quest for a 16th straight playoff appearance but was hindered when he was caught up in a final st crash that bumped him back to 16th at Sourn 500. Johnson trimmed his playoff deficit from 26 points to 18. Still, he’ll likely need a win in Indianapolis next week to qualify for postseason. “We’re running out of days and if we miss it, it’s going to be by a few (points) I believe,” Johnson said. “I can look back over first half of season and see a lot of races where we gave away a few points.”

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race was delayed by rain

Heavy storms Sunday delayed start by more than four hours. Drivers were going through introductions shortly before scheduled 6 p.m. start when skies got dark and heavy rain began. Crews covered up cars and racers grabbed umbrellas as y heed back through gar areas to wait out storm. Darlington earlier anunced it h sold out it's reserved seating. Most fans also sought shelter, although some stayed out. One was interviewed on NBC Sports brocast by NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer. “You have to explain yourself, son,” Bowyer asked, wanting to kw why he was out re in rain. When a fan told him he came to see a race and didn’t care about wet wear, Bowyer shouted, “That, lies and gentleman, is a race fan.” At one point, drivers Bubba Wallace and Corey LaJoie came out on wet track to throw a football with fans in stands.

Hurricane Dorian factors in Race

NASCAR spokesman Matt Humphrey said officials took many factors into consideration in starting race after 10 p.m., including sell-out at Darlington and approach of Hurricane Dorian toward South Carolina’s coast. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster ordered evacuations of coastal counties for Monday that included lane reversals on roways in area. Humphrey said storm’s approach was a factor for leers deciding wher to race or postpone. He said biggest reason was that NASCAR runs races on day that it’s scheduled if at all possible.

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