2026 Goodyear 400

2026 Goodyear 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Race 6 of 36 in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series
Date March 22, 2026 (2026-03-22)
Location Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 1.366 miles (2.198 km)
Distance 293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.121 km)
Average speed 129.854 miles per hour (208.980 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
23XI Racing
Time 29.072
Most laps led
Driver Brad Keselowski RFK Racing
Laps 144
Fastest lap
Driver Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing
Time 29.999
Winner
No. 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing
Television in the United States
Network FS1
Announcers Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and Kevin Harvick
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth announcers Alex Hayden, Mike Bagley, and Todd Gordon
Turn announcers Dave Moody (1 & 2) and Tim Catafalmo (3 & 4)

The 2026 Goodyear 400 was an NASCAR Cup Series race held on March 22, 2026, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 293 laps on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped oval, it was the sixth race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Tyler Reddick won the race. Brad Keselowski finished 2nd, and Ryan Blaney finished 3rd. Carson Hocevar and Austin Cindric rounded out the top five, and Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suárez, William Byron, Chris Buescher, and Erik Jones rounded out the top ten.

Report

Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

Since 2015, the weekend has featured a retro-themed weekend. From 2015 until 2023, the race has hosted NASCAR's Throwback weekend, which featured cars sporting paint schemes that pay homage to past teams and drivers.[7][8] In 2024, NASCAR changed the theme of the retro weekend to Alumni Weekend, featuring drivers, crew chiefs, and other personalities of the sport's past.[9] The events feature the Legends Parade on Saturday morning, featuring cars, drivers, and other personalities from the sport's past. The 2026 Alumni Weekend will feature Kurt Busch and Harry Gant (2026 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees) as the grand marshal, Mark Martin driving the safety car at the start of the race, and Dave Marcis presenting the winner's trophy.[10]

During the offseason, NASCAR announced that Darlington would now get the short track package, as opposed to running the intermediate package from previous years.[11]

Entry list

  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Noah Gragson Front Row Motorsports Ford
5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford
7 Daniel Suárez Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Ty Dillon Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
16 A. J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford
19 Chase Briscoe Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Josh Berry Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
34 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
35 Riley Herbst 23XI Racing Toyota
38 Zane Smith Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Cole Custer Haas Factory Team Chevrolet
42 John Hunter Nemechek Legacy Motor Club Toyota
43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Toyota
45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
48 Justin Allgaier (i) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
60 Ryan Preece RFK Racing Ford
66 Timmy Hill (i) Garage 66 Ford
71 Michael McDowell Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
77 Carson Hocevar Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
88 Connor Zilisch (R) Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
97 Shane van Gisbergen Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Official entry list

Alex Bowman, the original driver of the No. 48, was sidelined for the race due to vertigo sustained at Austin.[12]

Practice

Erik Jones & Riley Herbst were the fastest in the practice session, each with a time of 29.925 seconds and a speed of 164.331 mph (264.465 km/h).

Practice results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Toyota 29.925 164.311
1 35 Riley Herbst 23XI Racing Toyota 29.925 164.311
3 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 30.017 163.827
Official practice results

Qualifying

Tyler Reddick scored the pole for the race with a time of 29.072 and a speed of 169.152 mph (272.224 km/h).[13]

Qualifying results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 29.072 169.152
2 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 29.196 168.434
3 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.319 167.727
4 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.377 167.396
5 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 29.424 167.129
6 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 29.443 167.021
7 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 29.476 166.834
8 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.478 166.823
9 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 29.500 166.698
10 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.538 166.484
11 7 Daniel Suárez Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 29.550 166.416
12 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 29.570 166.304
13 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.601 166.130
14 35 Riley Herbst 23XI Racing Toyota 29.613 166.062
15 48 Justin Allgaier (i) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.624 166.001
16 77 Carson Hocevar Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 29.677 165.704
17 60 Ryan Preece RFK Racing Ford 29.708 165.531
18 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet 29.721 165.459
19 38 Zane Smith Front Row Motorsports Ford 29.723 165.448
20 71 Michael McDowell Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 29.677 165.403
21 42 John Hunter Nemechek Legacy Motor Club Toyota 29.776 165.153
22 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 29.785 165.103
23 19 Chase Briscoe Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 29.819 164.915
24 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Toyota 29.825 164.882
25 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 29.847 164.760
26 21 Josh Berry Wood Brothers Racing Ford 29.878 164.589
27 16 A. J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 29.885 164.551
28 54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 29.889 164.529
29 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 29.912 164.402
30 4 Noah Gragson Front Row Motorsports Ford 29.980 164.029
31 34 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 29.997 163.936
32 88 Connor Zilisch (R) Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 30.091 163.424
33 97 Shane van Gisbergen Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 30.125 163.240
34 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 30.309 162.249
35 41 Cole Custer Haas Factory Team Chevrolet 30.422 161.646
36 10 Ty Dillon Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 30.584 160.790
37 66 Timmy Hill (i) Garage 66 Ford 32.044 153.464
Official qualifying results

Race

Race results

Stage results

Stage One Laps: 90

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 10
2 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 9
3 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 8
4 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 7
5 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6
6 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 5
7 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 4
8 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 3
9 7 Daniel Suárez Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 2
10 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1

Stage Two Laps: 95

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 10
2 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 9
3 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 8
4 19 Chase Briscoe Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 7
5 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 6
6 60 Ryan Preece RFK Racing Ford 5
7 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 4
8 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 3
9 54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 2
10 7 Daniel Suárez Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 1

Final Stage results

Stage Three Laps: 108

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 1 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 293 70
2 5 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 293 55
3 7 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 293 42
4 16 77 Carson Hocevar Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 293 33
5 12 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 293 38
6 28 54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 293 33
7 11 7 Daniel Suárez Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 293 33
8 13 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 293 34
9 6 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 293 42
10 24 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Toyota 293 27
11 9 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 293 26
12 23 19 Chase Briscoe Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 293 32
13 17 60 Ryan Preece RFK Racing Ford 293 29
14 33 97 Shane van Gisbergen Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 293 23
15 3 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 293 26
16 25 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 293 21
17 26 21 Josh Berry Wood Brothers Racing Ford 293 20
18 32 88 Connor Zilisch (R) Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 293 19
19 22 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 292 18
20 20 71 Michael McDowell Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 292 17
21 8 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 292 16
22 19 38 Zane Smith Front Row Motorsports Ford 292 15
23 31 34 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 292 14
24 15 48 Justin Allgaier (i) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 292 0
25 10 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 292 12
26 30 4 Noah Gragson Front Row Motorsports Ford 291 11
27 21 42 John Hunter Nemechek Legacy Motor Club Toyota 291 10
28 35 41 Cole Custer Haas Factory Team Chevrolet 291 9
29 18 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet 291 8
30 27 16 A. J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 291 7
31 36 10 Ty Dillon Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 291 6
32 4 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 291 19
33 29 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 290 4
34 2 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 288 11
35 14 35 Riley Herbst 23XI Racing Toyota 288 2
36 34 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 285 1
37 37 66 Timmy Hill (i) Garage 66 Ford 52 0
Official race results

Race statistics

  • Lead changes: 16 among 8 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 4 for 26
  • Red flags: 0
  • Time of race: 3 hours, 4 minutes, and 56 seconds
  • Average speed: 129.854 miles per hour (208.980 km/h)

Media

Television

The race was carried by FS1 in the United States. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and Kevin Harvick called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little, Regan Smith, and Josh Sims handled the pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight on-site during the race.

FS1
Booth announcers Pit reporters In-race analyst
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer
Color-commentator: Kevin Harvick		 Jamie Little
Regan Smith
Josh Sims		 Larry McReynolds

Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

MRN Radio
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Mike Bagley
Announcer: Todd Gordon		 Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Turns 3 & 4: Tim Catafalmo		 Steve Post
Kim Coon
Wendy Venturini

Standings after the race

References

  1. ^ "2026 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
  2. ^ "Darlington Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  3. ^ "NASCAR releases 2026 schedule, adding Chicagoland and shifting All-Star to Dover". NASCAR. August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  4. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 16, 2026. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  5. ^ "Goodyear 400 Results". Racing-Reference. March 22, 2026. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  6. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 22, 2026. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  7. ^ "NASCAR Throwback Weekend at Darlington shifts to May". NASCAR. December 11, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  8. ^ "2026 Goodyear 400 - March 22, 2026 - NASCAR". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  9. ^ "NASCAR launches Alumni Network to reconnect with former competitors". NASCAR. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  10. ^ "Goodyear Racing Notes: Darlington Raceway". Jayski. NASCAR Digital Network. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  11. ^ "NASCAR issues technical updates, specifying rules for 750-horsepower tracks, A-post flaps". NASCAR. November 14, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  12. ^ "Alex Bowman to miss next three NASCAR Cup Series races as he focuses on vertigo recovery". Hendrick Motorsports. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  13. ^ DeGroot, Nick (March 21, 2026). "NASCAR Cup Darlington starting lineup: Tyler Reddick beats Bubba Wallace to pole". Motorsport.com. Darlington, South Carolina: Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 21, 2026.


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