Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider.
And just like that, the 2026 regular season is complete, and The Chase presented by Mobil 1 is back. Toyota is aiming to become the first manufacturer in three decades to win four consecutive races at Darlington Raceway, while the opening two stages have been swept by the same driver in each of the last four races here. Chase Briscoe is looking to join an exclusive list this weekend. There are storylines galore entering the postseason opener, where points reset – as do fantasy picks!
Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can come play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.
RELATED: NASCAR Fantasy Live hub | Play 36 for 36
MUST START
Driver: Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: Briscoe has won the last two Southern 500s with different organizations. Last year’s stomping of 309 laps led was the most in a Darlington race since Dale Earnhardt led 335 circuits in April 1986 (average running position of 1.7). He is aiming to join Jeff Gordon as the only driver to win three consecutive Southern 500s.
Driver: Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: Reddick earned his fourth victory through the opening six weeks of the season here in March. That seems like a distant memory, with a tumbling summer stretch. But Reddick is elite at the track “Too Tough to Tame,” with five top-three results in the Next Gen era, most of all drivers.
Driver: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: Hamlin admitted recently that he hasn’t felt great at Darlington in recent years. But of every driver to make multiple starts at the “Lady in Black,” Hamlin leads the way with an 8.0 average finish. He is a five-time winner and cracked the top five in half of his starts.
DRIVERS TO AVOID
Driver: Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: Bell has been sufficient just about everywhere throughout his NASCAR career, but Darlington leaves a lot to be desired. In 14 starts, he has just four top-10 efforts, though two of those were rounding out the podium in the last four tries.
Driver: Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: The last eight weeks of the regular season couldn’t have gone much better for the three-time Cup champion. The true test begins now with the return of an intermediate track. Logano has been ice cold at Darlington, going seven straight races without a top five. In that same stretch, he scored just one top 10 and had four finishes of 18th or worse.
SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK
Driver: Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: RFK needs to capitalize at Darlington after its three cars all had contending pace at the egg-shaped oval earlier in the season. All that’s missing from Buescher’s Darlington résumé is a win, with six top-10s in the last seven races, including four straight.
Driver: Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: It’s Jones week! Two of his three Cup wins have come in the grueling South Carolina sun, battling the car for over four hours. He has six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes here, his most at any venue.
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Denny Hamlin vs. Kyle Larson
Pick: Hamlin
Comment: Larson was the driver to beat at Darlington not long ago, leading laps in bunches despite winning just once (2023). Lately, it has been a different story, with four finishes of 19th or worse in the last five visits. Hamlin is Mr. Consistency here, so this is a rather easy choice.
Ryan Blaney vs. Carson Hocevar
Pick: Blaney
Comment: Blaney has been feast or famine at Darlington in recent races, collecting a pair of top fives in the last three races but finished last in both 2024 visits. Hocevar charged to fourth late in the going of the spring race, just behind the No. 12 car. I’ll take Blaney to finish ahead this weekend, too.
Ryan Preece vs. Daniel Suárez
Pick: Preece
Comment: Preece is heating up at the right time, but his Daytona win was his first top five in more than a year. Suárez, meanwhile, had a career resurgence, leading all Chevy drivers with a 14.7 average finish in the regular season. Darlington suits RFK, though Preece is still seeking his first top 10.
Tyler Reddick vs. Chase Briscoe
Pick: Briscoe
Comment: This is a heavyweight battle between the two most recent Darlington winners. Briscoe has aced this race each of the last two seasons, and arguably, no team has been more consistent over the last two months than the No. 19 group. Reddick will be fast, likely rim-riding against the wall. The winner of this battle might need to win the race, but Briscoe gets the nod entering the weekend.
MY LINEUP
Starting five: Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Kyle Larson.
Garage: Erik Jones.
36 FOR 36
Pick: Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Comment: If you have the two-time defending winner of the race in your arsenal, this would be a good week to use him. Briscoe has taken to Darlington well, dating back to his days in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Now, he’s paired with the No. 19 team, which always ran toward the front here with Martin Truex Jr., and it could be another long night for the competition on Sunday.