Chastain regrets Vegas squabble, acknowledges long-running discord with Suárez

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Zack Albert

CONCORD, N.C. — Ross Chastain offered his perspective on last weekend’s post-race fracas with former teammate Daniel Suárez on Tuesday, saying he had regrets about his actions turning physical but hinting at the fragile, fractured nature of their relationship — even while partnered under the Trackhouse Racing banner.

Chastain had declined comment in the moments after finishing 17th in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, one spot ahead of Suárez. During a Tuesday roundtable at the NASCAR Productions Facility, however, the 33-year-old driver opened up on his frustrations and the reasons behind his reactions, which included a sideswipe of Suárez’s car after the race and a brief exchange of shoves on pit road.

“In the moment, I definitely was hot and angry and would do things different if I had time to think about it,” Chastain said. “Yeah, definitely would not have swerved into him after the race. I didn’t mean to. I would do that different if I could go back, and then I wouldn’t shove him, for sure. I just was over the conversation that he was trying to have, wanted him to leave, asked him to leave, and he didn’t leave and wanted him to back up. Was too close, and just didn’t want to hear anything else he was saying because he wasn’t taking any accountability, and I wanted him to. I’ve known Daniel now for a long time and have lived it inside of our four walls, that there’s, in my opinion, not enough accountability, and there wasn’t post-race. And in the heat of the moment, I reacted definitely worse, and if I had just a few minutes to calm down getting out of the car, after definitely a day of struggling through the mid-teens (position-wise) when we expect more out of the 1 car causes me to just not have as much, I guess, wick able to burn. So unfair in the grand scheme of things to react that way, though, and not right.”

Chastain is running triple-duty this weekend at Darlington, racing in Friday night’s Craftsman Truck Series event for Niece Motorsports, suiting up for JR Motorsports in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race and wheeling his Trackhouse No. 1 in Sunday’s Cup Series main event, the Goodyear 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Chastain said he had attempted to contact Suárez to offer his thoughts, but that his efforts to connect had been unsuccessful. But Chastain also noted that his relationship with Suárez had been strained long before last weekend’s flare-up. The two had a pair of notable incidents in past seasons (2023 at Circuit of The Americas and 2024 at Sonoma), and Chastain said that they had been on better terms for only “a short period” of time.

“I put all my thoughts into a text and sent it to him, just so I had it like logged,” Chastain said, mentioning also that he’d reserved public comment until seeing replay footage from the race. “That way I could have a minute to type it out and put the verbiage the way I wanted it, and so he knew where I stood, and then we’ve played phone tag since then. So he’s called me, I’ve called him. But again, before this weekend, we don’t get along, and that goes back longer than this weekend, and we got through the end of our time together when we were teammates, but I don’t think it’s bad that I don’t get along with everybody. I don’t encourage people to … you know, thinking back to my childhood and stuff, you’re taught to get along with everybody, but as I’ve grown up, I think in our big-time sport of NASCAR, it’s OK, and he’s a guy that I just do not get along with.

“I don’t agree with the way he handles things, and mainly how he just doesn’t … that’s what made me so mad on pit road, was just that there was no accountability. There was 0% on his side, across not just this weekend. It’s just a bigger thing, and it just all boiled up quickly for me, and we’ll work to handle that better. I just saw red in that moment, and it’s an accountability thing of taking a little … just, I just needed a little slice of responsibility from him, and there’s always a reason why it wasn’t his fault.”

In Las Vegas, the post-race dust-up stemmed from a pair of on-track incidents — one early, another late — between Suárez and Chastain, teammates the last four years at Trackhouse until Suárez’s departure for Spire Motorsports in the offseason. Suárez further documented and explained those run-ins in a Monday vlog on YouTube, showing contact between the two on Lap 2 of Sunday’s 400-miler, plus another near-miss in close competition for 17th place with three laps remaining.

MORE: Power Rankings | Darlington entry lists

The late-race altercation prompted Chastain to offer a middle-finger salute after Suárez squeezed his high-lane pass attempt. “He was mad — understandable. A little mad, that’s fine,” Suárez said. “He gave me the finger for a lap or half a lap, which I think is a little bit unnecessary, but that’s him. That’s fine.”

Suárez said what happened after the checkered flag was “unacceptable.” Suárez indicated that he pulled alongside Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet on the cool-down lap to offer a wave or peace sign as a means for taking blame for the late-race incident. Chastain then initiated contact with Suárez’s No. 7 Chevy on the back straightaway, and when the two parked on pit road, they were separated after a brief scuffle and sharp words.

“For me the biggest thing is afterwards,” Suárez said in his vlog. “You know, what happens on the race track, happens on the race track, and that’s racing, right? Everyone’s going to get with another driver once in a while. We’re all competitive, we’re all racing and we’re always threading the needle. That’s part of it. What I was actually pretty upset and disappointed is what happened afterwards. I have known Ross for a long time and I have always known that him and I were very different. We’re very different kind of people, but that’s OK. I have always respected him, but the kind of words that he said after the race, it’s just completely unacceptable. That’s chicken-stuff. That’s not good. I lost a lot of respect for him as a person because that’s just not good. It’s not a good look for him, a good look for the kind of person that he is, I think, and it was just a little bit sad, to be honest.

“I was getting fired up to fight, but what was I going to gain? There’s nothing to gain with that. He’s not the kind of person I really want to fight, but just disappointed.”

Posted on March 17, 2026March 18, 2026 by Staff Report

Daniel Dye has been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR after insensitive comments made during a recent livestream, officials announced Tuesday evening.

Dye, driver of the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Ram in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, was penalized under Section 4.3.C in the NASCAR Rule Book, which states in part, “NASCAR Members shall not make … a public statement or communication that criticizes, ridicules, or otherwise disparages another person based upon that person’s race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, or handicapping condition.”

MORE: Craftsman Truck Series standings

Dye was discussing his experience around NTT IndyCar Series driver David Malukas while opening trading cards on a recent livestream, during which the 22-year-old Dye used language that officials deemed unacceptable, resulting in Tuesday’s suspension. Dye must complete sensitivity training before he may return to competition.

Kaulig Racing also announced in a statement that the team has suspended Dye effective immediately “after becoming aware (Tuesday) of comments he made on social media.”

AJ Allmendinger was later announced as the fill-in driver for Friday’s race at Darlington Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Allmendinger, who drives full-time for Kaulig in the Cup Series, has 14 career starts in the Truck Series, with his last coming in 2021 at Watkins Glen International for GMS Racing.

Dye apologized in a statement posted to his social media Tuesday evening, adding in part: “I didn’t think enough before I spoke, and I in no way meant any harm. I know that intention does not erase impact and I need to do better.”

Dye has made 49 starts in the Truck Series since 2023 with two top fives, 10 top 10s and one pole position in that time. The Florida native competed full-time in the series in 2023 and 2024 before moving to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with Kaulig for a full season in 2025.

Dye currently sits 13th in the Truck Series standings, 88 points behind series leader Chandler Smith.

Dye has also made three O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts this season for AM Racing, totaling 48 O’Reilly Series starts in his career with 10 top 10s.

Posted on March 17, 2026March 17, 2026 by Staff Report

Alex Bowman will miss at least the next three races of the NASCAR Cup Series season as he continues to recover from vertigo, Hendrick Motorsports announced Tuesday. Bowman has been sidelined for the last two races after he exited the No. 48 Chevrolet early during the March 1 Cup Series event at Circuit of The Americas.

RELATED: Cup standings | Alex Bowman page

Myatt Snider was called into duty at COTA, while Anthony Alfredo and Justin Allgaier filled in for Bowman at Phoenix Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, respectively. Alfredo finished 33rd in the Straight Talk Wireless 500 while Allgaier came in 25th in the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube.

Allgaier will fill in for Bowman again this weekend at Darlington Raceway and in subsequent weeks at Martinsville Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway.

“Alex continues to experience symptoms, so we are following the guidance of the medical team and giving him the time he needs to recover,” Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports, said in a team release. “We see how hard he’s working to get back behind the wheel, and we’re looking forward to his return when he’s medically cleared. Everyone at Hendrick Motorsports is 100% behind Alex.”

Bowman is 36th in the Cup Series standings, 232 points behind leader Tyler Reddick and 94 points behind Shane van Gisbergen, Daniel Suárez and AJ Allmendinger, who are tied for 16th place. The Chase returns as NASCAR’s postseason format this year, and the top 16 drivers in the regular season standings make The Chase.

Bowman is coming off a 2025 season where he made the postseason and finished 13th in the standings.

MORE: Elliott, Byron extend wishes to teammate Bowman

The 32-year-old from Tucson, Arizona, has eight wins, 46 top fives and 112 top 10s in 364 career Cup starts over 12 seasons. His best finish in the final standings was sixth in 2020 for Hendrick Motorsports, where he has been as a full-time driver since 2018.

Bowman was also slated to compete in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race for JR Motorsports in the No. 88 Chevrolet at Darlington Raceway on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Kyle Larson, Bowman’s Hendrick teammate and winner in the same car last weekend at Las Vegas, will replace him at Darlington. Allgaier, the 2024 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, competes full-time for JR Motorsports in its No. 7 Chevrolet.

“We continue to wish Alex a speedy recovery as Kyle Larson will substitute in the No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend at Darlington,” JR Motorsports said in a social media post. “We also wish Justin the best of luck behind the wheel of the No. 48, we will be watching.”

Allgaier will return to the No. 48 car for his 86th career Cup start in the Goodyear 400 at Darlington on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Staff Report

Goodyear officials announced Tuesday that a familiar tire setup will return to Darlington Raceway for its namesake race, but with rules tweaks that should create a more complex challenge for the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend.

The same tire combination from last weekend’s tilt in Las Vegas will be used in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the sixth race of the Cup Series season. The twist, however, is that a rules configuration with less aerodynamic stability will be a part of the package, with a 750-horsepower engine output also making its Darlington debut.

The so-called short-track package for venues less than 1.5 miles in length will feature a 3-inch rear spoiler and fewer stabilizing strakes on the rear diffuser. That configuration — combined with the horsepower increase and Goodyear tires designed to emphasize wear and management — has officials, drivers and teams focused on Sunday’s 400-miler with curiosity, anticipation and predictions of rapid lap-time falloff during each run.

“I mean, sim is sim and there’s a lot of things that aren’t real. There’s just so many unknowns,” said Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith. “And speaking from a sim standpoint, I mean it’s a massive handful, and I don’t know how the weather looks or whatnot, but man, if it’s gonna be a hot day in Darlington, it’s gonna be a solid day’s work. I mean, pretty much the short-track package on a really hard mile-and-a-half — and more power? I mean, yeah, it’s pretty easy to think that it’s going to be a handful.”

“Darlington’s egg-shaped layout and rough track surface give teams a unique challenge,” said Rick Heinrich, Goodyear NASCAR product manager. “Drivers will have to manage tire wear, and teams will have to be perfect — from race strategy to pit stops — to reach Victory Lane.”

The abrasive asphalt at the 1.366-mile track has aged 18 years since the facility’s last repaving project. To battle those conditions, Cup Series teams will have 12 sets of Goodyear tires in their weekend allotment — 10 new sets for the race, one for practice and another for Saturday’s qualifying that will transfer to race day. The left-side rubber was used at Darlington last season, and the right-side tires made their Cup Series debut in September at Kansas Speedway.

MORE: Power Rankings | Darlington entry lists

The tripleheader NASCAR weekend will also include a pair of 200-mile races — a Saturday showcase for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and a Friday night special for the Craftsman Truck Series. Both those series will return on the same tire setup from last season. O’Reilly Auto Parts Series teams will have seven total sets available (four new for the race, two for practice and one transfer set from qualifying) and Truck Series teams will have six sets (four race, one practice, one qualifying that carries over).

Goodyear has several special events planned for the three-day weekend, including a special display in the Darlington fan zone and several NASCAR Hall of Famers and distinguished racing alumni serving as dignitaries at the track. The 1959 Chevrolet that Jim Reed drove to Goodyear’s first NASCAR victory in that year’s Southern 500 at Darlington will be part of the exhibition.

Sunday’s 400 marks the sixth year of Darlington race title sponsorship by Goodyear, which is in its 30th season as sole tire supplier for NASCAR’s three national series.

Posted on March 17, 2026March 17, 2026 by Adam Fenwick

Commuters who travel down Highway 34 in Wall Township, New Jersey are used to seeing the sign for historic Wall Stadium.

That sign, tired and weathered, stood the test of time until recently when new Wall Stadium co-promoter Pete Maletto decided the fixture was due for a much-needed refresh. An updated sign was completed March 10 and features three words prominently near the top: “Welcome back NASCAR.”

The track, which opened for business in 1950 and first became NASCAR sanctioned in 1951, will be part of the NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts this year.

It’s the first time since 2007 the third-mile high banked oval will be a part of NASCAR’s local racing program.

“We just wanted to change the culture,” said Maletto, a life-long race fan who grew up attending events at Wall Stadium. “When you’ve got a NASCAR track, for a lot of people who don’t know Wall Stadium, they may go, ‘Hey, let’s go to the NASCAR track.’ I feel like that helps.”

Wall Stadium has been in operation since 1950, when future NASCAR Cup Series winner Frankie Schneider won the first race at the track on Memorial Day weekend. (Photo: Kostas Lymperopoulos/NASCAR)

Maletto and Fred Archer, a co-owner of Wall Stadium who is also co-promoting the venue this season with Maletto, are the latest in a line of promoters who have worked tirelessly to keep New Jersey’s racing tradition alive in Monmouth County.

That tradition started in 1950 when, according to Wall Stadium announcer and local racing historian Earl Krause, local race fans Tom and Jennie Nicol saw an opportunity to create something new.

“They were race fans in the late 1940s when stock-car racing was just really getting started in the Jersey Shore area,” said Krause, who attended his first event at Wall Stadium in 1960 before joining the track as an announcer for the first time in 1980. “Stock-car races were held in what was literally a gravel pit, an oval cutout of a sand pit right near where the present Wall Stadium is.

“They would have stock-car racing, very rudimentary stock cars, on a Sunday afternoon. People would come and sit on the hill and watch the racing.”

As racing became more popular, purpose-built motorsports facilities began to pop up in the region. One such facility was Long Branch Stadium, which was in nearby Long Branch, New Jersey.

“(The Nicols) went as fans (to Long Branch), and they thought there was a future in this,” Krause said. “The Nicols, through Tom’s connection as a contractor, purchased the land which became Wall Stadium.”

Utilizing his contracting connections, Tom spent the winter of 1949 and the spring of 1950 building Wall Stadium. The track opened for business on Memorial Day weekend in 1950, and the first race held at the track was won by Frankie Schneider, a future NASCAR Cup Series race winner and the 1952 NASCAR National Modified champion.

While Tom was the one who built the facility, it was Jennie who ran it. Krause explained Jennie acted as promoter at Wall Stadium for decades and was well respected within the racing community for her years of work and dedication to the sport.

“Jennie was always the promoter,” Krause said. “She made history as being really one of the first women racing promoters in the country. She was very well recognized and very much appreciated for her efforts. She was involved with the local township, and Tom was very well known as a businessman.”

Local legends and NASCAR stars have cut their teeth racing at Wall Stadium through the years. Perhaps the two most familiar are 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. and three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Ray Evernham.

They both earned their stripes racing at Wall Stadium. Evernham, in a story that appeared on NASCAR.com in 2024, described Wall Stadium as a smaller version of Bristol Motor Speedway.

Modified racing is a staple at Wall Stadium, which features 30 degree banking in the corners. (Photo: Kostas Lymperopoulos/NASCAR)

“Take Bristol, right, and take it from a half mile to a third of a mile and put faster cars on the track. It’s crazy,” Evernham said. “Like I said, it’s a smaller Bristol. It’s paved, but not concrete, and the modifieds are just wicked fast. … It was like bumper to bumper at 120 miles an hour, all around this little bullring.

“You had to be sharp, and you raced against a lot of tough guys — tough guys that had lots of experience, and guys that knew how to operate around that race track, and if you messed with them, you ended up in the infield.”

After Tom and Jennie passed away, the Nicol family in 2002 sold the track to a new ownership group. Various promoters came and went through the years that followed, and the track was briefly closed in 2008 before returning for a full season of racing in 2009.

The most recent lease holders operated the track from 2011-2025 but opted not to return in 2026, opening the door for Maletto and Archer to team up and take over the historic speedway after signing a multi-year lease.

“Over the years, Wall Stadium has been getting more and more run down, and it was having an effect on me,” said Maletto, who competed in the 602 Modified class at Wall Stadium last year with help from Jimmy Blewett and a few friends. “I said, ‘I’ll sign the lease, and I’ll take it over and we’ll go for it.’

“Fred was just retiring from the steel business. He had a huge steel company and did very well for himself. He said, ‘I’m retiring. I’ve got nothing to do next year anyway.’ I asked him if he wanted to do the track with me so I didn’t have to take all the risk, and he was like, ‘I would love to do that.’”

Under Maletto and Archer’s leadership, changes are already being made at the historic track. In addition to the new signage on Highway 34, everything at the track is getting a new coat of paint, the pit area is getting a face lift, and the concession stand is getting refreshed.

Fans will even be able to order their food and drinks via an app and pick it up at the concession stand.

“I’m trying to lean into the history of the race track and bring it into the future,” Maletto said.

New promoters Paul Maletto and Fred Archer are making a number of upgrades to Wall Stadium in advance of the 2026 season opener in April. (Photo: Kostas Lymperopoulos/NASCAR)

Wall Stadium will host practice days on April 18-19, with opening day scheduled for April 25. The event will be headlined by the popular Wall Modified division, with additional features for the Sportsman, Factory Stock, 4 Cylinders, Legend cars and TQ Midgets also on the schedule.

Popular events throughout the season include the 66th Garden State Classic on June 13, the John Blewett III Memorial 176 on July 18 and the Hall of Fame 150 on Aug. 15.

The season will conclude Nov. 27-29 with the traditional Turkey Derby, which is headlined by a 150-lap Tour Type Modified race.

Wall Stadium holds a special place in Maletto’s heart. He grew up watching races there, and, now as co-promoter of the track, he gets to help decides its future. His goal is simple: Preserve as much history as possible while bringing the track into the 21st century.

“I’m a big Wall Stadium fan, so now you’ve got a fan taking over the race track. I’m also a fan of its history, which goes back to the 1950s,” Maletto said. “There is just so much there with that place. There is so much depth there. There is so much history. It’s a wonderful race track.”

Posted on March 17, 2026March 17, 2026 by Pat DeCola

NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series drivers competing for the 2026 championship after Denny Hamlin’s win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway — his second in a row at the 1.5-mile desert oval — and before Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). JGR’s Hamlin enters as the defending winner.

Analysis: Reddick’s early leap to the top of the standings — and these rankings — is still holding strong for now, but with other competitors starting to heat up, results like Vegas (13th), while not catastrophic, will only keep him ahead of the pack for so long. That is perhaps the takeaway, though, under this revamped points system — days like that don’t kill momentum, and we should expect to see him battling once again for the win this weekend at Darlington. More wins will come.

Analysis: Hamlin dominated Vegas for a second consecutive win there, resulting in one of the most emotional victories of his career for No. 61 — after No. 60 was pretty emotional, too — to pass Kevin Harvick for 10th all time. Naturally, he’ll ride that momentum into this weekend as the defending winner at Darlington, too, and there’s not a reason in the world to think he’s not the favorite to make it two straight.

Analysis: Blaney briefly controlled the race’s middle portion for five laps, but gradually slipped backward during the final long run to finish 16th. That kind of tire-wear race tends to mirror what Darlington produces as well, but Blaney was able to reel in a top five in this race last spring and should have a rebound in store.

Analysis: Larson looked like one of the fastest cars in the field, leading 62 laps before settling for seventh after the final green-flag cycle reshuffled the finishing order. Darlington has historically been one of his playgrounds, and if the No. 5 unloads with similar pace, he’ll likely be in the conversation again. Possibly leading it.

Analysis: Wallace maintained steady pace throughout the Las Vegas race and finished ninth after spending most of the afternoon inside the top 10, with the No. 23 Toyota once again showing solid long-run consistency in the early going here. That consistency could matter at Darlington, where Wallace finished sixth in last year’s Southern 500 as he rounds into one of the top drivers there. Another quiet but productive Darlington result could follow. Or more.

Analysis: Elliott delivered one of the strongest drives of the race, climbing from 15th to finish second despite never leading a lap. The No. 9 Chevrolet steadily worked forward throughout the race and perhaps could have caught Hamlin within another five laps or so. Elliott’s trademark patient climbing ability tends to translate well to Darlington’s long, grinding races, and another methodical run toward the front seems likely this weekend.

Analysis: Byron spent much of the race near the front and finished third after leading 26 laps as the No. 24 Chevrolet maintains competitive early-season pace, as per usual. His Darlington resume continues to strengthen, as well, and he has plenty of motivation coming into this weekend after leading 243 laps in this race last year but finishing second.

Analysis: Bell started from the pole and led 31 laps before finishing fourth after spending the afternoon near the front with one of the fastest cars for the second week in a row. A strong contender in this race last year, Bell owns three top-five finishes at Darlington and should absolutely be in the mix once again on Sunday.

Analysis: Buescher delivered another steady run, finishing sixth after hovering around the top 10 most of the afternoon as RFK Racing continues to fly — successfully — under the radar. Darlington has historically been a solid track for No. 17 with seven top-10 finishes and a 15.6 average finish there. Not to mention a recent race he probably still thinks about and a trophy he’s looking to collect due on.

Analysis: Gibbs finished fifth after starting third and remaining among the leaders throughout the race, as his race craft appears to be rounding into form in what is now his fourth full-time Cup Series season. One of his better 2025 runs came in this upcoming Darlington race, and JGR’s apparent speed, combined with his 2026 progression, could translate into another big weekend.

Analysis: Logano led three laps during pit-cycle strategy but ultimately finished 15th after running most of the race mid-pack and not being able to gain much ground at a track he typically competes well at. Darlington hasn’t typically been among his top-tier tracks — he finished 13th in this one last year, though he does own one win — but the track often rewards veteran experience, and he’s got more of that at this point than nearly everybody.

Analysis: Briscoe did stop the bleeding to a degree with an eighth-place run, but we’re seeing the immediate and emphasized importance of stage points, and he had a dearth of those on Sunday. Thankfully for him, his Darlington resume is among the best in the sport lately, and he enters as the most recent winner at the track after a dominant run to a Southern 500 crown last fall. Exactly the place he needs right now to build some momentum.

Analysis: Those RFK boys were grinding in Vegas, and Keselowski produced one of the better recovery drives of the race, climbing from 28th to finish 10th, even tossing in a few laps led for good measure. Darlington could be hitting at the right time for them, particularly Keselowski, whose most recent win came there — nearly two years ago.

Analysis: Preece’s No. 60 Ford maintained steady pace during Sunday’s long runs — a great sign — staying competitive and hanging around the top 10 for a finish just outside of it. Darlington was a struggle for him last year, but with early speed and an organization that overall “gets it” there, another top 15 is in play.

Analysis: Van Gisbergen struggled to match the field’s pace in the first race of the season he looked a bit overmatched, never quite finding a rhythm and spending nearly the whole afternoon playing catch-up. Darlington went a bit better for him last year than perhaps anticipated — he was top 20 here in his first Cup attempt last spring — but Sunday is likely to be another afternoon of lessons rather than results.

Analysis: Trackhouse just didn’t seem to have the speed needed for Vegas, and Chastain finished 17th after spending much of the race battling around the middle of the pack, at times with a former teammate. Darlington is his kind of track, though, and if the speed can be found in the shop and throughout the weekend, he might be in for a rebound.

Analysis: Like Trackhouse, the Spire cars seemed to be off a tick at Vegas, and McDowell finished 26th after spending most of the afternoon fighting traffic in the back of the pack. It’s not going to get much better this weekend — Darlington has historically been a difficult venue for McDowell, with his finishes almost exclusively outside the top 20 there.

Analysis: Smith is starting to remind everyone why he was such a highly regarded prospect in the not-too-distant past, delivering a steady top 15 and maintaining competitive long-run pace at Vegas. Notably, a top 10 could be in play for him at Darlington with the way he’s running — and the fact that he nearly did so last year (12th).

Analysis: Mired in the midpack for just about the whole afternoon, Suárez’s most notable moment at Vegas came on pit road after the race. He landed a top 15 in this Darlington race last year in what was a down season, however, but it’s tough to see him course correcting this weekend in particular.

Analysis: Not a ton to note for Hocevar’s Las Vegas effort; the race was expected to be all Hendrick and Gibbs and that’s about how it played out, as Hocevar was included in the Spire mid-pack residency. He showed promise at Darlington last year with a ninth-place finish in arguably NASCAR’s most difficult race, the Southern 500, so he could still be worth keeping an eye on. He usually is, anyway.

Posted on March 16, 2026March 16, 2026 by Zack Albert

The first true-blue intermediate track this season for the NASCAR Cup Series is in the books, and the record reflects a familiar winner. Denny Hamlin secured his second consecutive victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, pushing his career win total to 61 — good for sole possession of 10th place on the circuit’s all-time list.

Other drivers found positives from the first of two trips this year to the 1.5-mile Nevada oval, while others left Sin City out of the groove and with empty pockets. Here’s a glance at three drivers on the upswing, plus three more who hope for better early-season fortunes in this weekend’s Goodyear 400 (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Darlington Raceway.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Vegas

THREE UP ⬆️

1. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Started: 3rd

Finished: 5th

What happened: Like Hamlin, Gibbs drew an early penalty when his No. 54 Toyota was clocked too fast on pit road. That infraction came during the first stage break on the 83rd of 267 laps — same as Hamlin — but he also followed his teammate’s lead in assembling a measurable rally. By the checkered flag, Gibbs had worked his way back to fifth — matching his career-best Vegas finish and giving him three consecutive top-five results for the first time in his Cup career.

What’s next: Gibbs is more than halfway to equaling his top-five total of five from a year ago, and the season is just five races old. His Vegas result bumped him up five spots in the Cup Series standings to 10th. He was ninth in Darlington’s springtime 400-miler a year ago.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

2. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

Started: 10th

Finished: 6th

What happened: Buescher’s knack for consistency is rising, and he just missed a top-five finish after Ty Gibbs slipped by him with 17 laps to go at Vegas. The Texas native’s best finish of the season led what ended up being a solid all-around day for RFK Racing, with teammate Ryan Preece 11th and RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski 10th.

What’s next: The No. 17 driver has a modest streak of three consecutive top-10 finishes going at the 1.366-mile Darlington oval, though he’s led multiple laps there just once in 17 career starts. He heads into Sunday’s race ninth in Cup Series points.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

3. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Started: 1st

Finished: 4th

What happened: Bell won the pole and led five times for 31 laps, flexing some strength for the third straight week. Though he expressed post-race regret for how several pivotal restarts went, the No. 20 driver placed first and third at the stage breaks, giving him a 51-point day, second only to Hamlin’s 70-point total.

What’s next: Bell and Co. have rallied significantly after finishing 35th (Daytona) and 21st (Atlanta) to open the season. Three consecutive top fives have Bell up to sixth in the standings heading to Darlington, where he has two poles and one win (2024) in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

THREE DOWN ⬇️

1. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

Started: 32nd

Finished: 31st

What happened: A Lap 122 speeding penalty during a green-flag cycle of pit stops didn’t help in Berry’s hopes for a repeat performance after his breakthrough Las Vegas win a year ago. The costly infraction knocked the No. 21 Ford off the lead lap, and Berry wound up three laps down at the checkers.

What’s next: Since opening the season with a ninth-place finish at Daytona, Berry has free-falled to 32nd in the standings after four straight results outside of the top 25. Darlington has been a similar blend for Berry. The veteran has a top-five outcome there (third, spring 2024), but has been involved in crashes his last three times, including a Lap 1 crack-up in the Southern 500 last Labor Day weekend.

Patrick Vallely | NASCAR Digital Media

2. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Started: 29th

Finished: 24th

What happened: Allmendinger had surged to a high-water mark of fifth in the early Cup Series points, but a P19 at Phoenix Raceway and this past Sunday’s tumble to outside the top 20 have staggered the No. 16 team’s early roll. The 44-year-old veteran slipped five positions to 18th in the standings after finishing two laps down in Las Vegas.

What’s next: Allmendinger had gone 14 consecutive Darlington races without a top-10 finish, but filled that void in last year’s Southern 500 when he drove the No. 16 Chevy to an admirable fifth place. That said, he’s completed 5,115 laps there and hasn’t led any of them.

Patrick Vallely | NASCAR Digital Media

3. Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Started: 25th

Finished: 32nd

What happened: The Trackhouse rookie was running in the same position he started with 56 laps remaining, when he closed quickly on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 47 Chevy and spun after contact near the pit entrance. “There was no signal he was pitting,” Zilisch told his No. 88 team, which made enough repairs to get him to the end, three laps down. “Days like today’ll just make the good days that much better,” his crew told him before the final green-flag run.

What’s next: Zilisch’s first Cup Series season has been a rough go at nearly every turn, with two DNFs and finishes of 29th or worse in four of the five races. He’s down to 35th in the points as he heads to Darlington, a treacherous track that’s historically been unforgiving for newcomers and veterans alike.

Patrick Vallely | NASCAR Digital Media

Posted on March 16, 2026March 18, 2026 by Staff Report

After a three-week hiatus, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to action to challenge the intermediate banks of Darlington Raceway on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The 1.36-mile South Carolina track will be the fourth race of the Truck Series season. Three separate drivers have won the opening three contests: Chandler Smith at Daytona International Speedway, Kyle Busch at EchoPark Speedway and Layne Riggs at St. Petersburg. To add to the entertainment, the 2026 rendition of the Triple Truck Challenge will begin this week, with two more races — Rockingham Speedway on April 3 and Bristol Motor Speedway on April 10 — making up the remaining portions of this year’s program.

ENTRY LISTS: Cup Series | O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | Craftsman Truck Series

Three NASCAR Cup Series regulars will race this weekend in the series. Ross Chastain will drive the No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet, with Christopher and Carson Hocevar also joining him in the No. 62 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota and No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, respectively. Former full-time Cup Series mainstay Corey LaJoie will also race this weekend, doing so in the No. 25 Kaulig Racing Ram as part of the team’s Free Agent Driver Program.

Thirty-seven race trucks are entered into the event.

MORE: Weekend schedule | How to watch NASCAR on FOX Sports

View the full entry list for the race:

Posted on March 16, 2026March 18, 2026 by Staff Report

Following a pair of westward races in Phoenix Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will next compete at Darlington Raceway on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Saturday’s date with the “Lady in Black” will be the first of two contests at the South Carolina track this season. The second contest, slated to occur Sept. 5, will open the nine-race Chase. Brandon Jones enters Saturday’s Darlington race as the defending spring winner.

ENTRY LISTS: Cup Series | O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | Craftsman Truck Series

Two NASCAR Cup Series regulars will race an O’Reilly machine this weekend, with Ross Chastain driving the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and Christopher Bell wheeling the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Forty cars are entered into this week’s event.

MORE: Weekend schedule | How to watch NASCAR on The CW

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Posted on March 16, 2026March 18, 2026 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series returns eastward to do battle at the iconic Darlington Raceway on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The race at the “Lady in Black” will be the first of two Cup contests at the 1.36-mile South Carolina track, with the second race coming in September to begin the 10-race Chase. Denny Hamlin, who recently prevailed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, enters this weekend as the defending Darlington spring winner.

ENTRY LISTS: Cup Series | O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | Craftsman Truck Series

Timmy Hill will pilot the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford this weekend. The 33-year-old Hill has compiled 144 career Cup starts dating back to 2012.

Thirty-seven cars are entered into the event.

MORE: Weekend schedule | How to watch NASCAR on FOX Sports

View the full entry list for the contest: