(UPDATE) -- The second oldest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule plays host to the series this weekend. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said a new silky smooth surface at Darlington is going to make this year's Dodge Challenger 500 an endurance test. "It's going to be very physical, just driving that hard and driving that fast," said Earnhardt.

Ryan Newman said Darlington has always been one of his favorite tracks. "Cause you always had to adjust, you always had to adjust to the tires, your driving line, your style, the bumps, the character, the fact that you're running right against the wall," said Newman. The improvement at Darlington may take some of that character away. "It'll be probably a little bit easier to run side-by-side because the track's so perfect," said Carl Edwards.

Denny Hamlin said a Darlington win for him would help make up for his bad finish last week at Richmond. "Darlington would be a nice, nice pat on the back for our team and a big boost," said Hamlin.