Winners and losers from NASCAR's throwback weekend at Darlington

Denny Hamlin earned his 56th career Cup win while Brandon Jones earned his first Xfinity win in three years at Darlington this weekend. The history of the sport was once again honored through some unique paint schemes while stars of the sport took aim at the tradition. Meanwhile, Ryan Blaney can’t seem to catch a break and Kyle Larson couldn’t stop his wounded car from being part of the final outcome.

Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from Darlington:

WINNER: Denny Hamlin goes back-to-back, thanks to his pit crew

Watch: Back-to-back: Denny Hamlin pulls away in OT to capture Darlington win

For the first time since 2012, Hamlin has won back-to-back Cup races. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver seems to be in peak form despite some significant off-season changes, including the loss of long-time backer FedEx and a surprise change in crew chief. There was no ’11 against the world flag’ on display this week, and it was a very different victory from one week ago. While he dominated over half the race at Martinsville, he led just a handful of laps at Darlington, lurking just beyond the race leaders until the final pit stop of the race vaulted him to the front. The No. 11 team is one of the fastest on pit road, utilizing an interesting behind-the-back maneuver with the jack to get around the car quicker.

LOSER: Larson spins twice and leaves empty-handed

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Getty Images

This is a race Kyle Larson is going to want to forget. The day started well, winning ‘Best in Show’ for his throwback scheme. However, the Kellogg’s-inspired car did not look that good for long. Larson spun out on his own within the first five laps of the race, destroying the front of the car. He returned to the race over 160 laps down, only to be involved in another incident in the same spot with less than five laps to go in the race. He slowed down abruptly upon seeing Tyler Reddick get into the wall, but in trying to avoid being part of a race-altering incident, he instead caused it. Bubba Wallace could not react in time, spinning Larson out in a caution that ultimately cost Ryan Blaney the race win.

WINNER: Byron’s shocking domination

Watch: William Byron unable to come up with Darlington win: ‘Still a lot of positives’

William Byron didn’t win Sunday’s race at Darlington, but he made quite the statement anyway. He led the first 243 laps unopposed without a single lead change — it’s domination that hasn’t been seen in 25 years. He only lost the lead due to a late round of green-flag pit stops, but still rallied back to finish second in overtime. He ended up leading an astonishing 81.8% of the laps, further cementing his place atop the championship standings.

LOSER: One step forward and two steps back for Ryan Blaney

Watch: Ryan Blaney on Darlington heartbreak: ‘I thought we had the race won’

Blaney entered Darlington on the back of three DNFs in the last four races, but his long-run speed in practice made the driver of the No. 12 look like one of the drivers to beat on Sunday. On race day, he was one of the only drivers who could consistently pass cars throughout a run, which is fortunate considering just how many cars he had to pass. Between ill-timed cautions and slow pit stops, Blaney found himself fighting through the field for most of the race. He finally made it to the lead for the very first time with less than five laps to go, but a sudden caution again derailed his hopes yet again. He lost several spots on pit road and could only manage fifth in the end.

WINNER: Ty Gibbs stops the bleeding

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

2025 has been a struggle for Gibbs, scoring very few points up until the last two weeks, trapped at the very bottom of the standings. He started to turn things around at Martinsville, scoring some stage points and finishing 13th. Further improvements were made at Darlington, finishing ninth. He’s now up to 26th in points, which is far away from where he should be, but still much better than where he was.

LOSER: No repeat win for Keselowski

Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

Another driver who needed to turn things around was Brad Keselowski. The defending winner of this 400-mile race at Darlington, expectations were high for RFK. At one point, all three cars were running in the top ten, but a loose wheel derailed Keselowski’s day in the middle of the second stage. He never recovered, finishing 33rd. The 2012 Cup Series champion is averaging a 26th-place finish this year and currently sits 31st in the standings.

WINNER: Brandon Jones snaps a three-year winless streak

Watch: Brandon Jones victorious at Darlington: ‘It’s nice to prove haters wrong again’

Switching gears to the Xfinity Series for a moment, we have to shout out Brandon Jones. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver snapped a three-year winless streak, doing so in a race that featured Cup stars Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain and Christopher Bell. It was a fantastic showing by Jones, who now has six wins in the Xfinity Series.

LOSER: Those hating on ‘Throwback Weekend’

Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing Ford

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

Chase Elliott was one of the more outspoken drivers this weekend, but he wasn’t the only one when it comes to the concept of Throwback Weekend. The consensus among some drivers is that it has run its course and should be done away with. While it’s true that only half of the Cup Series field took part and some sponsors are getting in the way of them participating, ‘Throwback Weekend’ is so much more than the paint schemes. It’s about honoring the history of the sport and whether three or 30 teams take part doesn’t change how important it is. NASCAR Hall of Famer Carl Edwards waved the green flag, Richard and Kyle Petty joined the broadcast booth to share stories and historic race cars were paraded around the track. It’s a great tradition and should continue. Yes, most of the obvious throwback ideas have been done to death, but still, there were teams like the Wood Brothers coming up with unique ideas. And as long as it continues to actively honor the past, Throwback Weekend has a place in NASCAR.