NASCAR Weekend Preview: Darlington Raceway

New competition package could produce wild racing at Darlington

In a recent social media post, Denny Hamlin detailed the level of chaos he expects to see in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Heads up on Darlington,” Hamlin said with a wry laugh. “You want to see some cars out of control? These cars, with essentially little or no underbody—‘cause we’re now going to the short-track aerodynamic package for Darlington—these cars are out of control.”

In the sixth points-paying race of the season, NASCAR Cup Series drivers will race on the same tire codes that carried Hamlin to victory last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where NASCAR’s intermediate speedway package was in use.

At 1.366-mile Darlington, an abrasive track that eats tires, drivers will have more horsepower—roughly 750 versus 670 at Las Vegas—and less downforce, giving credence to Hamlin’s assertion that the cars will be difficult to drive.

“Thinking of Darlington, Nashville, Bristol, Dover—on those race tracks, we were on the high-downforce package (last year),” said Las Vegas pole winner Christopher Bell, Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate.

“Now we’re going with the low-downforce package with upped horsepower, so I think the racing will be more different at those race tracks.”

Cup Series drivers raced Sunday’s left-side tires at Darlington last year, but the right sides weren’t introduced until the 2025 Playoff race at Kansas Speedway in September. Tire management is certain to be an issue on Sunday, with only 11 sets of tires (10 new and one set of qualifying scuffs) available for the 293-lap race.

Hamlin is the defending winner of the Goodyear 400. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota has five victories at The Lady in Black, most among active drivers. His average finish in 27 starts there is 7.9—best all-time.

Tyler Reddick, winner of the first three races this season, boasts the second-best average Darlington finish among active drivers, 11.54 in 13 starts.

Current Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have won the last three Cup races at Darlington, with Chase Briscoe taking the checkered flag in the last two Southern 500s (though his 2024 win in the Labor Day classic came in a Stewart-Haas Racing Ford).

Toyota and Ford drivers have combined to win 15 of the last 18 Cup races at Darlington, with Erik Jones, William Byron and Kyle Larson winning three consecutive races in Chevrolets in 2022 and 2023.

Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott and William Byron finished second and third, respectively, at Las Vegas, but Hamlin’s victory kept Chevrolet winless in the first five races of the season.

Byron hopes to achieve a breakthrough at The Lady in Black.

“Last week’s race was definitely more indicative of what we are expecting for this season,” Byron said. “We were close on speed from unloading and got the car better throughout the weekend and just needed a little bit more in the end.

“We’ve had success at Darlington, but last fall was a bit worrisome. Hopefully, we can use some of the notes we have on the new Chevrolet body from this year and apply it to what we used for last spring’s race. I’m hopeful, for sure.”

Byron’s teammate, Alex Bowman, will miss at least the next three races while recovering from vertigo. Justin Allgaier will substitute for Bowman at Darlington, Martinsville and Bristol.

Kyle Larson seeks second straight O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory

Three formidable NASCAR Cup Series drivers are entered in Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway (5:30 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), and that could spell bad news for NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series regulars.

Christopher Bell won the 2024 fall race at the 1.366-mile track, beating Cole Custer by 0.351 seconds in that event. Bell will be driving the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on Saturday.

Ross Chastain first gained national notice in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Darlington, and he’ll be driving the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

Kyle Larson, a winner of the spring race at the Lady in Black in 2023, will compete for the second straight week in the No. 88 JR Motorsports Camaro. Larson won last Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and he’ll be substituting for an injured Alex Bowman.

“I wish Alex was able to be in this seat this weekend,” Larson said of his Hendrick Motorsports teammate. “We are all pulling for a speedy recovery. Darlington is one of the toughest tracks we go to because it demands so much focus every lap. The place has so much history and character, and you’ve got to be willing to run right up against the wall to be fast.

“Coming off the win in Las Vegas with this No. 88 team definitely gives us some momentum, and I’m excited to get back with JRM and HendrickCars.com this weekend. Hopefully, we can unload with speed and put ourselves in position to fight for another strong run.”

Larson may get stiff competition from JRM teammate Justin Allgaier, who leads active full-time drivers in the series with three Darlington victories. All three of Allgaier’s wins have come in the last nine races there, the most recent in the spring race of 2024.

“I have always loved going to Darlington,” said Allgaier, who is seeking a record 10th straight top 10 at the Lady in Black. “It’s such a unique track that has really fit my driving style. JR Motorsports has always had really strong cars here, and I know that (crew chief) Andrew (Overstreet) will give me another great BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet again this weekend.

“Hopefully we can keep this positive momentum going from the last few weeks, keep our car clean and be up front in the end.”

Allgaier won at Phoenix Raceway on March 7 and finished fourth last weekend at Las Vegas. JRM drivers have won the last three O’Reilly races, at Circuit of the Americas, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Brandon Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing is the defending winner of the race. Reigning series champion Jesse Love has finished in the top 10 in all five races this season.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks return to action at Darlington

After a two-week break, drivers in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will return to competition in Friday night’s Buckle Up South Carolina 200 at Darlington Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Last year’s series champion, Corey Heim, returns to Truck Series competition for the first time since the second race of the season at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta. The defending race winner at Darlington will drive the No. 5 Toyota for TRICON Garage.

Triple-duty driver Ross Chastain, who won the 2024 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at The Lady in Black, should provide strong competition in the No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet.

Christopher Bell, who also will compete in all three NASCAR races this weekend, will drive the No. 62 Toyota for Halmar Friesen Racing in Friday’s Truck Series race. Bell made one start in the series last year and one in 2024.

Series regulars Chandler Smith and Layne Riggs, both of Front Row Motorsports, have won two of the first three races this season (at Daytona and St. Petersburg, respectively), with Kyle Busch taking the checkered flag at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta.

Riggs won the pole for last year’s Darlington race but finished 17th.

“Knocking down the first win of the season is a big weight off of everyone’s chest,” Riggs said of his victory on the St. Petersburg Street Course. “It’s a huge confidence booster. I have always enjoyed the challenge that Darlington brings.

“We have qualified well there in the past, but we can’t seem to put together a full race. It’s a place where there’s not much room for error. We’re excited to get back to racing, though, and I know this team will come out swinging.”

NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Goodyear 400
The Place: Darlington Raceway
Track Length: 1.366 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Sunday, March 22
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
The Purse: $11,233,037
TV: FS1, 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 400.2 miles (293 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 90),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 185), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 293)

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
Next Race: Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
Track Length: 1.366 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, March 21
The Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,653,590
TV: CW, 4:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 200.8 miles (147 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 147)

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Next Race: Buckle Up South Carolina 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
Track Length: 1.366 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Friday, March 20
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $839,700
TV: FS1, 7:30 p.m. ET
Radio: NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 200.8 miles (147 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 147)