Mountain Dew Southern 500 - Darlington Raceway

Gordon Tames Darlington, Wins Second Straight
Jeff Gordon won his second straight race, taking the checkered flag for the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Gordon won by 1.734 seconds over Ryan Newman to claim his fifth victory in the Southern 500, his sixth win at Darlington, and the 60th win of his career. Gordon and Bill Elliott are the only drivers to win back-to-back races this season, for Gordon it is the 16th time in his career to win consecutive races. Newman scored the second spot, while Elliott came home in third. The top-five finishing positions were rounded out by point-leader Sterling Marlin and Dale Jarrett. Gordon moved into the runner-up spot in the point standings, trailing Marlin by 91 points.

Rain Washes Out Friday's Activities, Marlin Starts First at Darlington
Rain washed out Bud Pole Qualifying and the 43-car field for the 53rd running of the Mountain Dew Southern 500 was finalized through the NASCAR Winston Cup Series owner standings. Sterling Marlin, the winner of the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 earlier this spring at Darlington, will start on the pole with Mark Martin rolling off on the outside pole. Jeff Gordon will share the second row for Sunday's race with Tony Stewart.