Jeff Gordon

Gordon said the renovations at Darlington have only made it better. "I can't imagine coming to Darlington and having a track that's not Darlington, and I think that was really smart of them to keep this place pretty much what it was." Gordon said the track is going to be very fast for this first race, but it should age well. "I think you're just going to see it turn into old Darlington that wears the tires out and is all about the long runs and grip."

The Cup Series runs under the lights for the second week in a row on Saturday night.